HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 872        FILED ON: 1/15/2013

HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 114

 

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

_________________

PRESENTED BY:

Kay Khan and Thomas P. Conroy

_________________

To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in General
Court assembled:

The undersigned legislators and/or citizens respectfully petition for the adoption of the accompanying bill:

An Act regarding pathways to family economic self-sufficiency.

_______________

PETITION OF:

 

Name:

District/Address:

Date Added:

Kay Khan

11th Middlesex

 

Thomas P. Conroy

13th Middlesex

1/15/2013

Ellen Story

3rd Hampshire

 

Denise Andrews

2nd Franklin

1/28/2013

Cory Atkins

14th Middlesex

1/29/2013

Michael J. Barrett

Third Middlesex

1/31/2013

Jennifer E. Benson

37th Middlesex

2/1/2013

Michael D. Brady

9th Plymouth

1/30/2013

Antonio F. D. Cabral

13th Bristol

1/31/2013

Katherine M. Clark

Fifth Middlesex

1/30/2013

Edward F. Coppinger

10th Suffolk

1/17/2013

Marjorie C. Decker

25th Middlesex

1/31/2013

Marcos A. Devers

16th Essex

1/28/2013

Carolyn C. Dykema

8th Middlesex

1/31/2013

James B. Eldridge

Middlesex and Worcester

1/28/2013

Tricia Farley-Bouvier

3rd Berkshire

1/28/2013

Linda Dorcena Forry

12th Suffolk

1/18/2013

Sean Garballey

23rd Middlesex

1/31/2013

Anne M. Gobi

5th Worcester

1/24/2013

Thomas A. Golden, Jr.

16th Middlesex

1/31/2013

Kenneth I. Gordon

21st Middlesex

1/29/2013

Danielle W. Gregoire

4th Middlesex

1/16/2013

Jonathan Hecht

29th Middlesex

1/28/2013

Patricia D. Jehlen

Second Middlesex

1/24/2013

Louis L. Kafka

8th Norfolk

1/17/2013

Jay R. Kaufman

15th Middlesex

1/29/2013

Peter V. Kocot

1st Hampshire

1/15/2013

John J. Lawn, Jr.

10th Middlesex

2/1/2013

Paul McMurtry

11th Norfolk

1/28/2013

Kevin J. Murphy

18th Middlesex

1/29/2013

David M. Nangle

17th Middlesex

1/30/2013

Denise Provost

27th Middlesex

1/24/2013

Tom Sannicandro

7th Middlesex

1/17/2013

Carl M. Sciortino, Jr.

34th Middlesex

1/31/2013

Frank I. Smizik

15th Norfolk

1/23/2013

Benjamin Swan

11th Hampden

1/31/2013

Daniel B. Winslow

9th Norfolk

2/1/2013

Jason M. Lewis

Fifth Middlesex

 

Timothy J. Toomey, Jr.

26th Middlesex

 

Ruth B. Balser

12th Middlesex

 

John J. Mahoney

13th Worcester

 


HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 872        FILED ON: 1/15/2013

HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 114

By Representatives Khan of Newton and Conroy of Wayland, a petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 114) of Kay Khan and others for legislation to establish a pilot program to provide educational and training programs to low-income families.  Children, Families and Persons with Disabilities.

 

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

 

_______________

In the Year Two Thousand Thirteen

_______________

 

An Act regarding pathways to family economic 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. Notwithstanding any general or special law to the contrary, there is hereby established, a three-year pilot program, called Pathways to Family Economic Self-Sufficiency, hereinafter referred to as the Pilot, to equip low-income families for long-term economic stability and self-support by providing enhanced preparation for, increased access to, and support for success in education and training programs leading to employment in high-demand occupations.

SECTION 2. The Pilot shall be administered by the Commonwealth Corporation under contract with the Department of Transitional Assistance and shall maximize private, public and philanthropic resources including funding and in-kind services.

SECTION 3. Commonwealth Corporation will administer a request for proposal to select the pilot sites. Qualified respondents must demonstrate their capacity for and experience in supporting the efforts of low-income families to prepare for, obtain, and maintain employment. Successful respondents shall, at minimum: (1) conduct comprehensive work readiness assessments of participants’ strengths, challenges, needs and barriers leading to detailed education, training and career plans; (2) provide a continuum of services tailored to individual participants’ needs through partnerships with other organizations or through services provided directly by the Pilot including but  not limited to: (a) readiness training designed to strengthen soft skills such as time management, conflict resolution, life and work balance, self-confidence, study skills, and job search skills; (b) personnel such as case managers, social workers or  others who help participants navigate the education and training system and resources to address impediments to retention and success in education, training and employment; (c) remedial skills training including but not limited to  English for the workplace or other services that integrate Adult Basic Education and/or English for Speakers of Other Languages with occupational skills; (d) opportunities for paid work study for students or other work experience that may include job shadowing, internships, on-the-job training, or subsidized employment with adequate hours to ensure participants meet federally mandated Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, hereinafter referred to as TANF, work requirements; (e) job placement assistance and post-placement career development, support, and coaching; (f) assistance with emergency financial needs that may prevent program completion; and, (3) support the evaluation efforts of the independent evaluator established in Section 4.

SECTION 4.  Commonwealth Corporation shall engage an independent evaluator for the purposes of documenting implementation to support replication and evaluating outcomes of the Pilot.  Commonwealth Corporation will report annually, no later than December 1, to the chairs of the Joint Committee on Children, Families and Persons with Disabilities, the Joint Committee on Higher Education, and the Joint Committee on Labor and Workforce Development. This report shall include, at a minimum, the number of participants, duration in the Pilot, degrees or certificates awarded, information regarding placements, retention, advancement, and hourly earnings.  A final evaluation including a cost benefit analysis and recommendations for future action will be provided to the chairs of the above mentioned committees within six months of the conclusion of the Pilot.

The independent evaluator shall also explore the ways in which other states support employment and training for TANF recipients and determine the extent to which TANF dollars may be directed towards expanding access to employment services. The independent evaluator shall report the results of this exploration to the chairs of the House and Senate Committee on Ways and Means within six months of enactment.

SECTION 5. Eligible individuals include adults and teens with responsibility for the care of one or more dependent children who: a) are receiving or have within the past two years received Transitional Aid to Families with Dependent Children, or, b) who are receiving or have within the past two years received Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits, or, c) are receiving or have within the past two years received Mass Health benefits on behalf of her or himself or one or more dependent children, and, d) who are determined suitable for participation in the Pilot based on an assessment of education, work experience, interest in participation and other factors; provided, that at least 40 percent of the participants shall be recipients of Transitional Aid to Families with Dependent Children at the time their participation begins.

SECTION 6. The Department of Transitional Assistance shall maximize the use of federal matching funds from the United States Department of Agriculture pursuant to the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Employment and Training Program for education, employment and training services for eligible food stamp participants, including related dependent care and transportation expenses, to the fullest extent permitted by federal law.