HR 699 IH

To reward states that enact welfare policies and support programs that truly lift families out of poverty.

February 10, 1999

Ms. WOOLSEY introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Ways and Means

To reward states that enact welfare policies and support programs that truly lift families out of poverty.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

This Act may be cited as the `Building Opportunities Bonus Act'.

SEC. 2. BONUS TO BUILD REAL OPPORTUNITIES FOR POOR FAMILIES.

Section 403(a) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 603(a)) is amended by adding at the end the following:

`(6) BUILDING OPPORTUNITIES BONUS-

`(A) IN GENERAL- The Secretary shall make a grant pursuant to this paragraph to each State for each bonus year for which the State is a high performing State.

`(B) AMOUNT OF GRANT-

`(i) IN GENERAL- Subject to clause (ii), the Secretary shall determine the amount of the grant payable under this paragraph to a high performing State for a bonus year, which shall be based on the score assigned to the State under subparagraph (D)(i) for the fiscal year that immediately precedes the bonus year.

`(ii) LIMITATION- The amount payable to a State under this paragraph for a bonus year shall not exceed 5 percent of the State family assistance grant and shall be used to address the matters set forth in subparagraph (C).

`(C) CRITERIA FOR MEASURING STATE PERFORMANCE- Not later than 1 year after the date of the enactment of this paragraph, the Secretary, in consultation with the National Governor's Association and the Institute for Women's Policy Research, shall develop criteria for measuring State performance in operating the State program funded under this part to address the following matters as they relate to the ability of recipients of assistance under the State program to become economically self-sufficient:

`(i) CHILD CARE- Whether States are--

`(I) ensuring an adequate supply of safe, accessible, appropriate, and quality child care slots;

`(II) helping women identify and place children in safe, accessible, appropriate, and quality child care;

`(III) ensuring that available child care slots are filled;

`(IV) improving the quality of child care by ensuring that child care providers are adequately paid and trained;

`(V) increasing access to safe, accessible, appropriate, and quality child care by making child care subsidies available to recipients of assistance under the State program funded under this part and families that earn up to 85 percent of the State's median income;

`(VI) collaborating with State child care resource and referral agencies and child care development experts in developing and implementing child care programs and policies; and

`(VII) collaborating with State domestic violence coalitions to address the child care needs of families affected by domestic violence.

`(ii) EMPLOYMENT- Whether States are--

`(I) providing education and training for recipients of assistance under the State program under this part for employment that pays a sustainable wage, such as apprenticeable, technical, and professional occupations, and nontraditional employment;

`(II) placing such recipients in such employment;

`(III) retaining such recipients in such employment;

`(IV) providing career development assistance including job readiness training, reliable, up-to-date career counseling services, and employability assessments on available employment that pays a sustainable wage, such as nontraditional training and education options and employment opportunities to all women entering welfare-to-work programs; and

`(V) utilizing resources available under title I of the Workforce Investment Act of 1998, including section 134(a)(3)(A)(vi)(II) of such Act, to support State efforts on education, training, placement, retention, and career development assistance, as described in subclauses (I) through (IV).

`(iii) DOMESTIC VIOLENCE- Whether States are--

`(I) collaborating with State domestic violence coalitions in implementing substantive programs addressing domestic violence as an impediment to women's work and education (such as through demonstration and model projects), programs placing domestic violence advocates in welfare offices, and programs providing employment and support services for victims of domestic violence that will reach a substantial number of battered women;

`(II) collaborating with State domestic violence coalitions in adopting and implementing the option under the State plan relating to domestic violence set forth in section 402(a)(7);

`(III) collaborating with State domestic violence coalitions in requiring training on domestic violence for case workers for the State program funded under this part;

`(IV) collaborating with State domestic violence coalitions in requiring training on domestic violence for job training, education, and job placement programs that are contracted by the State program funded under this part, and requiring that such programs implement strategies and programs to support victims of domestic violence in the workplace;

`(V) conducting outreach to employers of recipients of assistance to ensure that employers are aware of and are implementing strategies and programs to support victims of domestic violence in the workplace; and

`(VI) conducting public education on domestic violence.

`(D) SCORING OF STATE PERFORMANCE; SETTING OF PERFORMANCE THRESHOLDS- For each bonus year, the Secretary shall--

`(i) use the criteria developed under subparagraph (C) to assign a score to each eligible State for the fiscal year that immediately precedes the bonus year; and

`(ii) prescribe a performance threshold in such a manner so as to ensure that--

`(I) the average annual total amount of grants to be made under this paragraph for each bonus year equals $200,000,000; and

`(II) the total amount of grants to be made under this paragraph for all bonus years equals $1,000,000,000.

`(E) DEFINITIONS- As used in this paragraph:

`(i) BONUS YEAR- The term `bonus year' means fiscal years 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, and 2005.

`(ii) CHILD CARE- The term `child care' means all programs and arrangements utilized by parents for the care of children from birth through age 14, and for the care of children who are older than age 14 and have special needs, including day care services provided by centers, family day care, group family day care, informal care, after hours care, and before- and after-school programs.

`(iii) CHILD WITH SPECIAL NEEDS- The term `child with special needs' has the same meaning as the term `child with a disability' in section 602(3)(A)(i) of the Individuals With Disabilities Education Act.

`(iv) DOMESTIC VIOLENCE- The term `domestic violence' has the same meaning as the term `battered or subjected to extreme cruelty', as defined in section 408(a)(7)(C)(iii).

`(v) HIGH PERFORMANCE STATE- The term `high performance State' means, with respect to a bonus year, an eligible State whose score assigned pursuant to subparagraph (D)(i) for the fiscal year immediately preceding the bonus year equals or exceeds the performance threshold prescribed under subparagraph (D)(ii) for such preceding fiscal year.

`(vi) SUSTAINABLE WAGE- The term `sustainable wage' means a wage that is at least 185 percent above the poverty line and that takes into account costs related to employment such as Federal, State, and local taxes, child care, transportation, food, and shelter costs for a particular geographic area.

`(vii) NONTRADITIONAL EMPLOYMENT- The term `nontraditional employment' means occupations or fields of work, including careers in computer science, technology, and other emerging high skill occupations, for which individuals from one gender comprise less than 25 percent of the individuals employed in each such occupation or field of work.

`(viii) POVERTY LINE- The term `poverty line' has the meaning given such term in section 673(2) of the Community Services Block Grant Act (42 U.S.C. 9902(2)), including any revision required by such section.

`(F) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS- There is authorized to be appropriated for fiscal years 2001 through 2005 a total of $1,000,000,000 for grants under this paragraph.'.

END