Bill Text - SB583 (2018)

Establishing a pilot program to eliminate employment barriers for certain parents.


Revision: Jan. 17, 2018, 8:49 a.m.

SB 583-FN - AS INTRODUCED

 

 

2018 SESSION

18-2944

05/03

 

SENATE BILL 583-FN

 

AN ACT establishing a pilot program to eliminate employment barriers for certain parents.

 

SPONSORS: Sen. Feltes, Dist 15; Sen. Bradley, Dist 3; Sen. Cavanaugh, Dist 16; Sen. Fuller Clark, Dist 21; Sen. Hennessey, Dist 5; Sen. Kahn, Dist 10; Sen. Lasky, Dist 13; Sen. Reagan, Dist 17; Sen. Soucy, Dist 18; Sen. Watters, Dist 4; Sen. Woodburn, Dist 1; Rep. Wallner, Merr. 10

 

COMMITTEE: Health and Human Services

 

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ANALYSIS

 

This bill establishes a 2-year pilot program for case management and employment counseling for certain parents enrolled in the New Hampshire employment program or otherwise eligible for TANF.

 

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Explanation: Matter added to current law appears in bold italics.

Matter removed from current law appears [in brackets and struckthrough.]

Matter which is either (a) all new or (b) repealed and reenacted appears in regular type.

18-2944

05/03

 

STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE

 

In the Year of Our Lord Two Thousand Eighteen

 

AN ACT establishing a pilot program to eliminate employment barriers for certain parents.

 

Be it Enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court convened:

 

1  New Hampshire Employment Program (NHEP) and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families Program (TANF) Services; Pilot Program Established to Eliminate Certain Barriers to Employment.  The commissioner of the department of health and human services shall issue a request for proposals (RFP) from vendors to provide a 2-year, statewide pilot program for case management and employment counseling or related services targeted to reduce or eliminate certain employment barriers for parents enrolled in the New Hampshire employment program (NHEP) or other parents eligible for Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program (TANF) who are below or at 200 percent of the federal poverty guidelines, and who are approved by a transitional program administered by the department of corrections to work or seek work opportunities in the community.  The employment barriers to be addressed in the RFP shall include, but not limited to, providing legal support, assistance in annulment of prior criminal convictions, and/or expungements of arrest records, that may hinder a parent's employment opportunities and long-term connection to the labor market.  The pilot program shall be funded entirely with TANF federal funds in an amount not to exceed $250,000 for each fiscal year for the duration of the pilot program.  The RFP shall be issued no later than October 1, 2018.  The pilot program shall be operational no later than January 1, 2019.  The commissioner may adopt administrative rules as necessary for implementation of this act pursuant to RSA 541-A.

2  Effective Date.  This act shall take effect upon its passage.

 

LBAO

18-2944

1/12/18

 

SB 583-FN- FISCAL NOTE

AS INTRODUCED

 

AN ACT establishing a pilot program to eliminate employment barriers for certain parents.

 

FISCAL IMPACT:      [ X ] State              [    ] County               [    ] Local              [    ] None

 

 

 

Estimated Increase / (Decrease)

STATE:

FY 2019

FY 2020

FY 2021

FY 2022

   Appropriation

Up to $250,000

Up to $250,000

Up to $250,000

$0

   Revenue

$0

$0

$0

$0

   Expenditures

Indeterminable Increase

Indeterminable Increase

Indeterminable Increase

$0

Funding Source:

  [    ] General            [    ] Education            [    ] Highway           [ X ] Other - Federal TANF reserve funds.

 

METHODOLOGY:

This bill establishes a two-year pilot program for case management and employment counseling for certain parents enrolled in the New Hampshire Employment Program (NHEP) or otherwise eligible for Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF).  The bill states that the pilot program shall be funded exclusively with federal TANF funds, not to exceed $250,000 for each fiscal year of the pilot program's operation.  The bill requires the program to be operational no later than January 1, 2019, and in place for two years.  As a result, the bill could be read to allow for a total appropriation of between $500,000 (if the program is effective at the beginning of FY 2019, allowing for $250,000 in each of FY 2019 and FY 2020) and $750,000 (if the program is effective midway through FY 2019, allowing for $250,000 in each of FY 2019, FY 2020, and FY 2021).  These funds would be withdrawn from the TANF reserve consisting of unspent federal TANF funds.

 

The Department of Health and Human Services estimates costs as follows;

  • Approximately $70,000 per year for one full-time paralegal II (labor grade 19, step 1, in place from 10/1/18 through 9/30/20), including salary and related expenses.
  • Approximately $70,000 per year for one full-time employment counselor specialist (labor grade 19, step 1, in place from 10/1/18 through 9/30/20), including salary and related expenses.
  • $350 per person to eliminate employment barriers, serving an estimated 314 clients per contract year, for a total of $109,900 per year.  These services shall be provided by a contracted vendor overseen by the Division of Family Assistance.  The request for proposals will be issued no later than October 1, 2018, and the services themselves will begin no later than January 1, 2019.

 

Due to the uncertainty of the precise date on which service delivery will begin, this fiscal note does not break out projected expenditures by fiscal year.  Despite this, the Department's cost projections indicate they plan on spending no more than $500,000 on the program in total.

 

AGENCIES CONTACTED:

Department of Health and Human Services