SB-1386, As Passed Senate, December 14, 2012

SUBSTITUTE FOR

SENATE BILL NO. 1386

     A bill to amend 1939 PA 280, entitled

"The social welfare act,"

by amending section 57a (MCL 400.57a), as amended by 2011 PA 131.

THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF MICHIGAN ENACT:

     Sec. 57a. (1) The department shall establish and administer

the family independence program to provide temporary assistance to

families who are making efforts to achieve independence. Family

independence program assistance is not an entitlement.

     (2) The department shall administer the family independence

program to accomplish all of the following:

     (a) Provide financial support to eligible families while they

pursue self-improvement activities and engage in efforts to become

financially independent.

     (b) Ensure that recipients who are minor parents live in

Senate Bill No. 1386 (S-2) as amended December 14, 2012

adult-supervised households in order to reduce long-term dependency

on financial assistance.

     (c) Assist families in determining and overcoming the barriers

preventing them from achieving financial independence.

     (d) Ensure that families pursue other sources of support

available to them.

     (3) The department shall establish income and asset levels for

eligibility, types of income and assets to be considered in making

eligibility determinations, payment standards, composition of the

program group and the family independence program assistance group,

program budgeting and accounting methods, and client reporting

requirements to meet the following goals:

     (a) Efficient, fair, cost-effective administration of the

family independence program.

     (b) Provision of family independence program assistance to

families willing to work toward eventual self-sufficiency.

     (4) In accordance with 42 USC 608(a)(7)(A) and 45 CFR 260.31,

the department shall not provide family independence program

assistance to any program group that includes an adult who has

received assistance under any state program funded with temporary

assistance for needy families for more than 60 months, whether or

not consecutive, after October 1, 1996. This subsection does not

apply to a program group that includes an adult who is exempt from

participation in the JET program under section 57f(3) or (4)(b), [(e), or

 (f),] if

that adult also was exempt from participation in the JET program

under section 57f(3) or (4)(b),[(e), or (f)] on the effective date of the

 2012

amendatory act that added this subsection. No other provision of

this act prohibits the department from terminating family

independence program assistance under this subsection.