SENATE DOCKET, NO. 793        FILED ON: 1/13/2009

SENATE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 72

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

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In the Year Two Thousand Nine

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An Act to promote self-sufficiency.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:
 

SECTION 1. Section 110 (d) of Chapter 5 of the Acts of 1995 is hereby amended by inserting after the end of the first paragraph the following paragraph: -

“Notwithstanding any law or provision to the contrary, families ineligible for cash assistance may be considered recipients for purposes of eligibility for employment support program funded services, including child care, provided that such services are made available for the purpose of enabling recipients to begin and/or maintain employment, and that a sliding scale is used to administer those benefits in a manner consistent with facilitating economic independence.”

SECTION 2.  The Secretary of Health and Human Services, the Secretary of Administration and Finance, and the Commissioner of the Department of Transitional Assistance are hereby authorized and directed to develop a methodology for the implementation of Section 1 above, by which employment support program funded services are provided to recipients for the purposes of encouraging them to begin or maintain employment without suffering a disadvantage as compared to remaining unemployed in order to receive any and all available benefits.

SECTION 3.  The provisions of Section 1 shall become effective one year following the passage of this Act.  The methodology required by Section 2 shall be developed not later than six months following the passage of this Act.