Highlights 77th Texas Legislature - Senate

_______________
WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT
77 th Texas Legislature
Work or Employment Activities Required Under TANF - H.B. 1004
by Representative Naishtat
Senate Sponsor: Senator Zaffirini
In 1995, the 74th Legislature initiated welfare reform in Texas. When the federal Personal Responsibility
and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act passed in 1996, the state was allowed to take advantage of a
waiver option authorizing a delay in implementing some of the new federal provisions. The waiver expires
in March of 2002, and federal regulations do not allow Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF)
clients who pursue post-secondary education for more than 12 months to be counted in the data collected
by a state in determining its work participation rates. However, the state is not prohibited from continuing to
serve clients engaged in continuing education past this 12-month limit as long as the state continues to
meet federal work participation rates without counting these students.
Codifies the work activities that currently count as participation under Texas Workforce Commission (TWC)
rules with three additions and requires TWC to permit TANF clients under 20 years of age to attend fulltime
educational activities for an unlimited period of time.
Requires the TWC by rule to determine the work or employment activities in which a person must
participate to comply with certain state laws regarding mandatory participation in employment activities.
Requires TWC to permit a person younger than 20 years of age to participate solely in full-time educational
activities for an unlimited amount of time.
Requires TWC, the Texas Department of Human Services, and the local workforce development boards to
perform agency and board duties related to requiring compliance with the work or employment activities
requirements imposed, in the least intrusive manner possible.
Creation of a State Program to Provide TANF Services - H.B. 1005
by Representatives Naishtat and Bob Turner
Senate Sponsor: Senator Zaffirini
Under current federal welfare law, states are required to achieve certain work participation rates for
recipients of Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program (TANF). Beginning in 2002, the required
rate for single-parent families will increase to 50 percent, and the required rate for two-parent families will
increase to 90 percent. Because this population includes families living in areas where unemployment is
high and is often composed of immigrant workers who are only able to work six months out of the year,
local workforce development boards may have difficulty achieving the 90 percent work participation rate for
two-parent families. Given that two-parent families only constitute a small percentage of TANF families,
boards are providing more intensive and costly services to the smallest portion of their caseload.
Provides for a state funding system that is separate from TANF to provide financial assistance and
workforce services to two-parent families and individuals in areas defined by the Texas Workforce
Commission as minimum service counties.
Senate Research Center 322