03/23/1995 02:05 PM House HES

 HHES - 03/23/95                                                               
 HB 228:  REDUCTION OF PUBLIC ASSISTANCE PAYMENTS                            
                                                                               
 Number 2169                                                                   
                                                                               
 CO-CHAIR BUNDE introduced the bill and noted it had been heard                
 previously, and was held until this meeting.  He asked for public             
 testimony, and there was none.  Co-Chair Bunde therefore closed               
 public testimony and committee discussion began.                              
                                                                               
 CO-CHAIR BUNDE commented that a similar bill, HB 78, is currently             
 being examined by the committee, however, Co-Chair Bunde would                
 prefer to have HB 228 available should it be needed.  If the                  
 federal block grants that were discussed come through, HB 228 may             
 provide a useful mechanism for the subsequent processes.                      
                                                                               
 REPRESENTATIVE ROKEBERG asked what Co-Chair Bunde was talking                 
 about.                                                                        
                                                                               
 CO-CHAIR BUNDE said he was talking about HB 228.  The other bill to           
 which he was referring was HB 78, which is the combination of one             
 of the Governor's welfare reform bills, and Representative Mark               
 Hanley's bill.                                                                
                                                                               
 REPRESENTATIVE ROKEBERG asked if that bill would affect HB 228.               
                                                                               
 CO-CHAIR BUNDE said no, they are two entirely different bills.  Co-           
 Chair Bunde distributed an amendment.                                         
                                                                               
 CO-CHAIR TOOHEY moved Amendment 9LS0831-F.1, Amendment 1.                     
                                                                               
 Number 2239                                                                   
                                                                               
 CO-CHAIR BUNDE explained that Amendment 1 would remove adult public           
 assistance (APA) from the purview of this bill.  APA assists                  
 individuals with disabilities.  These people do not have many                 
 options, and this bill focuses on people who have more options.               
 The amendment has been offered by Co-Chairs Bunde and Toohey.                 
                                                                               
 REPRESENTATIVE ROKEBERG asked for a brief at-ease, and it was                 
 granted.  It was 2:53 p.m.                                                    
                                                                               
 CO-CHAIR BUNDE called the meeting back to order at 2:54 p.m.  He              
 recapped that the amendment would cut APA from reductions.  There             
 were no objections to the amendment.  Now before the committee was            
 HB 228 as amended.  Co-Chair Bunde asked for further discussion.              
                                                                               
 REPRESENTATIVE BRICE asked if the committee is looking at version             
 (f) of the bill.  Co-Chair Bunde said yes.                                    
                                                                               
 Tape 95-27                                                                    
 Number 000                                                                    
                                                                               
 REPRESENTATIVE G. DAVIS moved that CSHB 228(HES) be moved from                
 committee with accompanying fiscal notes and individual                       
 recommendations.                                                              
                                                                               
 REPRESENTATIVE BRICE objected for purposes of discussion.  He                 
 noticed that representatives from the DHSS had arrived at the                 
 meeting.  He asked if one of those representatives could answer a             
 questions regarding how many recipients receive both APA and Aid to           
 Families with Dependent Children (AFDC).                                      
                                                                               
 CO-CHAIR BUNDE reopened the meeting to public testimony.                      
                                                                               
 CURTIS LOMAS, Program Officer, Division of Public Assistance, DHSS,           
 said he did not have an exact figure to give Representative Brice.            
                                                                               
 REPRESENTATIVE BRICE said he is not talking about specific people,            
 he wanted to know about families.                                             
                                                                               
 MR. LOMAS said his guess would be somewhere in the area of 400 to             
 500 families.  That guess, however, is just off the top of his                
 head.  There is a total of about 800 situations in which the adult            
 is not included in the assistance unit because the adult is on APA,           
 or the children are housed with another relative who is not needy.            
                                                                               
 REPRESENTATIVE BRICE said he would contact Mr. Lomas at a later               
 time to discuss this.                                                         
                                                                               
 Number 122                                                                    
                                                                               
 CO-CHAIR BUNDE reiterated the motion to move CSHB 228(HES).  A roll           
 call vote was taken.  Voting "yes" on the bill were Representatives           
 Rokeberg, Toohey, Bunde and G. Davis.  Voting "no" were                       
 Representatives Robinson and Brice.  The bill moved from committee.