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| THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA |
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| HOUSE BILL |
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| INTRODUCED BY TURZAI, SAYLOR, BAKER, BARRAR, BEAR, BENNINGHOFF, BEYER, BOBACK, BOYD, BROOKS, CAUSER, CHRISTIANA, CLYMER, COX, CREIGHTON, CUTLER, DAY, DELOZIER, DENLINGER, ELLIS, EVERETT, FAIRCHILD, FLECK, GABIG, GABLER, GEIST, GILLESPIE, GINGRICH, GRELL, GROVE, HARHART, HARRIS, HELM, HESS, HICKERNELL, HUTCHINSON, KAUFFMAN, M. KELLER, KNOWLES, KRIEGER, MAJOR, MARSHALL, MARSICO, METCALFE, METZGAR, MILLARD, MILLER, MOUL, MURT, MUSTIO, OBERLANDER, O'NEILL, PAYNE, PEIFER, PHILLIPS, PICKETT, PYLE, QUIGLEY, RAPP, REED, REESE, ROAE, ROCK, SCHRODER, SONNEY, STERN, STEVENSON, SWANGER, TALLMAN AND VULAKOVICH, NOVEMBER 10, 2009 |
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| REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES, NOVEMBER 10, 2009 |
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| AN ACT |
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1 | Amending the act of June 13, 1967 (P.L.31, No.21), entitled "An |
2 | act to consolidate, editorially revise, and codify the public |
3 | welfare laws of the Commonwealth," further providing for |
4 | meeting special needs, work supports and incentives; and |
5 | abrogating a regulation. |
6 | The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania |
7 | hereby enacts as follows: |
8 | Section 1. Section 408 of act of June 13, 1967 (P.L.31, |
9 | No.21), known as the Public Welfare Code, amended May 16, 1996 |
10 | (P.L.175, No.35), is amended to read: |
11 | Section 408. Meeting Special Needs; Work Supports and |
12 | Incentives.--[(a) The department shall take measures not |
13 | inconsistent with the purposes of this article; and when other |
14 | funds or facilities for such purposes are inadequate or |
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1 | unavailable to provide for special needs of individuals eligible |
2 | for assistance; to relieve suffering and distress arising from |
3 | disabilities and infirmities; to promote their rehabilitation; |
4 | to help them if possible to become self-dependent; and, to |
5 | cooperate to the fullest extent with other public agencies |
6 | empowered by law to provide rehabilitative or similar services. |
7 | (b) The department may provide assistance to recipients for |
8 | child day care when the department has determined that without |
9 | such services the recipient would be exempt from compliance with |
10 | the conditions of the agreement of mutual responsibility or work |
11 | requirements or when a former recipient who is employed has |
12 | ceased to receive cash assistance for a reason other than a |
13 | sanction for noncompliance with an eligibility condition. In |
14 | establishing the time limits and levels of access to child day- |
15 | care funds, the department shall take into account availability, |
16 | costs and the number of assistance groups needing services |
17 | within the geographic area and shall seek to provide essential |
18 | services to the greatest number of recipients.] |
19 | (c) The department may provide the following assistance to |
20 | recipients [for transportation and work support] when the |
21 | department has determined that without such [services] |
22 | assistance the recipient would be exempt from compliance with |
23 | the conditions of the agreement of mutual responsibility [or] |
24 | and work requirements[. In establishing the time limits and |
25 | levels of access to transportation and work support, the |
26 | department shall take into account availability, costs and the |
27 | number of recipients needing services within the geographic area |
28 | and shall seek to provide essential services to the greatest |
29 | number of recipients.] and that the assistance is directly |
30 | related to work, education or training activities: |
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1 | (1) Clothing. |
2 | (2) Testing fee. |
3 | (3) Union dues or professional fee. |
4 | (4) Transportation, limited to: |
5 | (i) Public transportation. Payment may be made for |
6 | transportation provided by bus, subway, commuter rail, taxi or |
7 | paratransit. |
8 | (ii) Private transportation. Payment may be made for costs |
9 | incurred for transportation provided by privately owned |
10 | vehicles, ride sharing and car or van pools. |
11 | (d) The department may make payments under this section as |
12 | long as the payment: |
13 | (1) is not made directly to a recipient; |
14 | (2) is made directly to the payee, upon receipt of an |
15 | invoice; and |
16 | (3) has been preapproved by the department. |
17 | (e) Under this section, the department may not: |
18 | (1) pay for any services other than those set forth in |
19 | subsection (c); |
20 | (2) pay for the same item under subsection (c)(1), (2) or |
21 | (3) more than once in the same year; or |
22 | (3) pay more than two hundred fifty dollars ($250) annually |
23 | for transportation under subsection (c)(4). |
24 | (f) Each county assistance office shall retain documentation |
25 | of payments under this section. |
26 | (g) The department shall make an annual report to the |
27 | President pro tempore of the Senate, the Majority Leader of the |
28 | Senate, the Minority Leader of the Senate, the chair and |
29 | minority chair of the Public Health and Welfare Committee of the |
30 | Senate, the chair and minority chair of the Appropriations |
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1 | Committee of the Senate, the Speaker of the House of |
2 | Representatives, the Majority Leader of the House of |
3 | Representatives, the Minority Leader of the House of |
4 | Representatives, the chair and minority chair of the Health and |
5 | Human Services Committee of the House of Representatives and the |
6 | chair and minority chair of the Appropriations Committee of the |
7 | House of Representatives on: |
8 | (1) the implementation of this subsection; and |
9 | (2) the need for the allowances under this section. |
10 | (h) Amounts paid under this section shall be taken from |
11 | funds derived from a single line item State appropriation |
12 | contained in a general appropriation bill. |
13 | Section 2. The provisions of 55 Pa. Code § 165.46(a), (c) |
14 | and (d) (relating to types of special allowances for supportive |
15 | services) are abrogated. |
16 | Section 3. This act shall take effect in 60 days. |
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