04/10/2001 03:08 PM House HES

HB 142-AK TEMP. ASSISTANCE PROGRAM AMENDMENTS                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR DYSON announced  that the first order of  business would be                                                               
HOUSE  BILL NO.  142, "An  Act relating  to the  Alaska temporary                                                               
assistance program; and providing for an effective date."                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
Number 0121                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR  DYSON  stated that  in  working  with [the  Department  of                                                               
Health &  Social Services, the  legislature] has come up  with an                                                               
interim  solution that  changes the  law slightly.   It  does not                                                               
deal  the problem  concerning the  minimum number  of people  who                                                               
would be  eligible [for Alaska  temporary assistance]  after five                                                               
years, which was in the initial legislation.                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  JOULE  made  a   motion  to  adopt  the  proposed                                                               
committee  substitute  (CS)  for  HB  142,  version  22-GH1023\J,                                                               
Lauterbach, 4/2/01, as  a work draft.  There  being no objection,                                                               
Version J was before the committee.                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
Number 0209                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
JIM   NORDLAND,   Director,   Division  of   Public   Assistance,                                                               
Department of  Health &  Social Services  (DHSS), came  forth and                                                               
stated that [the  Division of Public Assistance]  has "learned to                                                               
live  with this  version  of the  bill" and  is  willing to  move                                                               
forward  with  it.    He  stated  that  the  primary  reason  for                                                               
introducing the governor's original  legislation was to deal with                                                               
the  issue of  people  who  would be  exempt  from the  five-year                                                               
limit.  That is  an issue, he said, that still  needs to be dealt                                                               
with -  probably in  a separate piece  of legislation  next year.                                                               
He added  that it is important  to move forward with  the rest of                                                               
the bill, particularly  with regard to the issue  around the two-                                                               
parent family benefit cut in the summer months.                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR  DYSON added  that at  [the committee's]  request resulting                                                               
from  testimony from  a  family that  had  a profoundly  disabled                                                               
child and one  [parent] who had to stay home,  [DHSS] has come up                                                               
with language that fixes similar problems.                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
NICOLE NELSON testified via teleconference  that she did not have                                                               
Version J;  therefore, she was  unable to make certain  that what                                                               
she testified about previously had been [addressed].                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE JOULE  explained to  Ms. Nelson that  the language                                                               
now reads:                                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
     (c)  The  department shall,  for  the  months of  July,                                                                    
     August,  and  September,  reduce   by  50  percent  the                                                                    
     maximum assistance for which  the family [is] otherwise                                                                    
     eligible if the family's  eligibility for assistance is                                                                    
     based  on [AS  47.27.010(4)], unless  the second  needy                                                                
     parent   is  determined,   under  regulations   of  the                                                                
     department,  to be  physically  or  mentally unable  to                                                                
     perform gainful activity or to  be providing care for a                                                                
     child who is experiencing a disability                                                                                 
                                                                                                                              
MS. NELSON responded that that takes care of her concerns.                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
Number 0447                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE JOULE  made a motion  to move  the CS for  HB 142,                                                               
version  22-GH1023\J,  Lauterbach,  4/2/01, from  committee  with                                                               
individual  recommendations and  the attached  zero fiscal  note.                                                               
There  being no  objection, CSHB  142(HES) moved  from the  House                                                               
Health, Education and Social Services Standing Committee.