Welfare to Self-Sufficiency Act of 1995

Summary

TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: Family Investment Program and Other Welfare Reform Title II: Increasing Work and Self-Sufficiency Subtitle A: Work Incentives Subtitle B: Incentives to Save Subtitle C: Microenterprise Development and Other Projects to Create Jobs Title III: Improving State Flexibility Title IV: Combating Teenage Pregnancy Title V: Improving Child Support Collection Subtitle A: Improvements in the Collection of Child Support Subtitle B: Improvements in Paternity Establishment Title VI: Savings Provisions Title VII: Effective Date Welfare to Self-Sufficiency Act of 1995 - States that it is U.S. policy that all programs, projects, and activities assisted below be carried out so that: (1) welfare recipients accept responsibility for their families from their first welfare office visit by signing an agreement to achieve self-sufficiency; (2) failure to sign such agreement will reduce and eventually eliminate cash benefits; (3) welfare programs are for temporary assistance to needy families with children and must provide the support and skills needed for full-time private sector employment; (4) States must have more flexibility to design programs for responding effectively to recipient needs; (5) actions must be taken to combat illegitimate teen births; and (6) children have a right to receive parental financial support from which parents shall not escape. Title I: Family Investment Program And Other Welfare Reform - Amends part A (Aid to Families with Dependent Children) (AFDC) of title IV of the Social Security Act (SSA) to require State AFDC plans in States without a waiver from the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to provide for a program in which the State agency negotiates an agreement with AFDC recipients outlining the steps non-exempt individuals must take. Includes among such steps participation in education or job training programs, or in substance abuse treatment or parenting programs, in order to obtain self-sufficiency within a certain period of time. Requires supplemental services, such as transportation and child care, when necessary for achieving such goal, as well as support and case management when adapting such agreement for changing family circumstances. Requires the State agency to offer such recipients enrollment in a limited benefit plan under which benefits are suspended after six months, and in which families failing to comply with the agreement are automatically enrolled. (Sec. 104) Requires the Secretaries of HHS, of Labor, and of Education to ensure appropriate coordination in planning, developing, and operating family investment programs above and other specified programs, including the Job Opportunities and Basic Skills Training Program (JOBS) under SSA title IV part F in order to improve departmental services and reduce program overlap and administrative costs. (Sec. 105) Revises JOBS and JOBS-related provisions, among other changes removing restrictions on JOBS participation of pregnant AFDC recipients, in addition to changes involving job searches, work assignments, and grievance procedures. Title II: Increasing Work and Self-Sufficiency - Subtitle A: Work Incentives - Makes numerous miscellaneous amendments to SSA title IV part A, providing States with various specified options for moving AFDC recipients towards self-sufficiency, including options for: (1) increasing income disregards for work expenses, earned income, and automobiles; (2) disregarding certain earned income of new employees and dependent children; and (3) further extending transitional child care benefits. (Sec. 205) Amends the Family Support Act of 1988 (FSA) to permanently extend its transitional child care program. Subtitle B: Incentives to Save - Creates State incentive-to-save options, including options for increasing asset limits and disregarding certain income and resources designated for education, training, and employability, as well as interest income. Subtitle C: Microenterprise Development and Other Projects to Create Jobs - Creates further State options, including options for disregarding income and resources related to microenterprise initiatives. (Sec. 222) Provides for inclusion of microenterprise training and activities in JOBS. (Sec. 223) Directs the Secretary to establish demonstration projects for developing a wage supplementation program under which certain AFDC-eligible individuals would receive monthly incentive payments from the State out of funds available for AFDC and food stamp benefits in lieu of receiving such benefits directly. (Sec. 224) Amends FSA with respect to its demonstration projects for expanding job opportunities for low-income individuals, making such projects permanent at increased funding. Title III: Improving State Flexibility - Amends SSA title IV part A to make various specified changes, among other things, in provisions containing certain requirements for unemployed parents, including elimination of the principal earner requirement, as well as modification of other specified requirements, and in other provisions providing for the equivalent treatment of stepparent and parent income and permanent extension of the AFDC-UP program. (Sec. 303) Modifies payment formulae for the JOBS program and child care, increasing the JOBS program's authorization, among other changes. (Sec. 304) Provides for optional State: (1) assessment, monitoring, and evaluation under the AFDC program in order to increase the percentage of families moving from welfare to self-sufficiency; and (2) modification of individual family AFDC payment amounts in order to ensure that the children of families on AFDC receive proper immunizations and well-child care. Title IV: Combating Teenage Pregnancy - Amends SSA title IV part A to: (1) provide for additional adult-supervised living arrangements for unmarried minor parents with dependent children in order for them to receive AFDC; and (2) give States the option, in cases involving custodial parents below age 20 who have not completed high school and are required to participate in JOBS, to require them to participate in an educational activity. (Sec. 403) Amends the Public Health Service Act to authorize additional funding for family planning grants for combating teenage pregnancy. Title V: Improving Child Support Collection - Subtitle A: Improvements in the Collection of Child Support - Amends SSA title IV part D (Child Support and Establishment of Paternity) and the Internal Revenue Code to provide for the establishment of a system under which the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) would collect child support via wage withholding and estimated tax payments and disperse it as appropriate. Requires the entire amount of child support owed to be paid to the IRS by the end of the applicable tax year along with the individual's tax return. Subjects delinquent individuals to generally the same penalties applicable to back taxes. (Sec. 503) Gives States the following options in order to discourage overdue child support: (1) periodically making available for publication the identity of certain individuals owing overdue child support; (2) enacting laws authorizing suspension of driver's, professional, and other specified licenses of such individuals; and (3) requiring community service participation by such individuals. (Sec. 506) Provides for optional State laws concerning modification of child support orders. Subtitle B: Improvements in Paternity Establishment - Creates various specified State options regarding paternity establishment, including options for a simple civil process for voluntarily acknowledging paternity, as well as optional State plan requirements for voluntary paternity establishment outreach. (Sec. 513) Establishes: (1) penalty reductions in Federal matching payments to States under AFDC for certain children for whom paternity has not been established; and (2) incentive payments to families to encourage paternity establishment, including requirements for related demonstrations. Title VI: Savings Provisions - Authorizes appropriations for consolidating Federal assistance in the form of a single Federal administrative payment to each State for administrating its Medicaid, AFDC, and food stamp programs, with discretion to allocate such amount in any manner between such programs. (Sec. 602) Extends, with certain exceptions, the deeming of income and resources under AFDC, SSI, Medicaid (SSA titles XVI and XIX, respectively), and food stamp programs with respect to aliens through the respective dates they become citizens. (Sec. 603) Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to: (1) provide requirements for a sponsor's affidavit of support; and (2) extend requirements for affidavits of support to family-related and diversity immigrants. (Sec. 604) Sets limitations on expenditures for emergency assistance under AFDC and makes other specified changes with regard to such assistance. Title VII: Effective Date - Sets forth the effective date of this Act.

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• Introduced in Senate (text)

  Introduced in Senate · EN · 27 April 1995

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• Introduced in Senate (PDF)

  Introduced in Senate · EN · 27 April 1995

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• Introduced in Senate

  summary · EN · 27 April 1995

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