Delaware House Bill 365 (Prior Session Legislation)

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Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 12-0)
Status: Engrossed on June 14 2016 - 50% progression, died in chamber
Action: 2016-06-22 - Reported Out of Committee (HEALTH & SOCIAL SERVICES) in Senate with 5 On Its Merits
Text: Latest bill text (Draft #1) [HTML]

This Act removes the prohibition against receipt of Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (“TANF” also referred to by the name Aid for Families with Dependent Children or “AFDC”) funds by persons convicted of a drug felony. Even though federal laws such as PRWORA passed during the War on Drugs frequently prohibited access to public assistance for persons with drug felonies, these laws also gave states flexibility in determining eligibility for food aid and cash assistance for families with children when applicants had a criminal conviction. The majority of states have limited the federal bans in whole or in part. In 2011, Delaware opted out of restrictions on food aid, but it has not opted out of or limited federal restrictions on TANF—the cash assistance program that is the principal form of assistance available to most families in poverty to pay for things like electricity bills or school supplies. Under existing law, individuals convicted of any state or federal drug felony, including possession of marijuana (which can be a felony under federal law), are ineligible for TANF for life. Although the children of a mother convicted of a drug crime can still receive assistance, the family’s overall award is significantly reduced, and in practice this affects the well-being of families and children.

An Act To Amend Title 31 Of The Delaware Code Relating To Eligibility For Public Assistance.

Rep. David Bentz [D]	Sen. Bethany Hall-Long [D]	Rep. Paul Baumbach [D]	Rep. Stephanie Bolden [D]
Rep. Debra Heffernan [D]	Rep. James Johnson [D]	Rep. John Kowalko [D]	Rep. Valerie Longhurst [D]
Rep. Sean Lynn [D]	Sen. Patricia Blevins [D]	Sen. Karen Peterson [D]	Sen. Bryan Townsend [D]

Date	Chamber	Action
2016-06-22	Senate	Reported Out of Committee (HEALTH & SOCIAL SERVICES) in Senate with 5 On Its Merits
2016-06-15	Senate	Assigned to Health & Social Services Committee in Senate
2016-06-14	House	Passed by House of Representatives. Votes: Passed 40 YES 0 NO 0 NOT VOTING 1 ABSENT 0 VACANT
2016-06-14	House	Amendment HA 1 - Passed in House by Voice Vote
2016-06-14	House	Amendment HA 1 to HA 1 - Passed in House by Voice Vote
2016-06-14	House	Amendment HA 1 to HA 1 - Introduced and Placed With Bill
2016-06-08	House	Reported Out of Committee (HEALTH & HUMAN DEVELOPMENT) in House with 4 Favorable, 8 On Its Merits
2016-06-08	House	Amendment HA 1 - Introduced and Placed With Bill
2016-05-05	House	Introduced and Assigned to Health & Human Development Committee in House

Type	Source
Summary	http://legis.delaware.gov/LIS/lis148.nsf/2bede841c6272c888025698400433a04/64f6dd64a5850bd385257f9b0056c17c?OpenDocument
Text	http://legis.delaware.gov/LIS/lis148.nsf/vwLegislation/HB+365/$file/legis.html?open