Sec. 301. Work preparation program
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Section 407 of the Social Security Act ( 42 U.S.C. 607 ) is amended by adding at the end the following new subsection: A State to which a grant is made under section 403 for a fiscal year, in addition to achieving the minimum participation rates required for the fiscal year under paragraphs
(1)and
(2)of subsection (a), shall operate a work preparation program for eligible participants that meets the requirements of this subsection and shall achieve the minimum work preparation participation rate specified in the following table for each quarter of the fiscal year with respect to all eligible participants receiving assistance under the State program funded under this part or any other State program funded with qualified State expenditures (as defined in section 409(a)(7)(B)(i)) who are not engaged in employment in any month during the fiscal year: If the fiscal year is: The minimum work preparation rate for the quarter is: 2019 25 percent 2020 50 percent 2021 or thereafter 75 percent. In this subsection, the term eligible participant means, with respect to a month, an individual who— is a parent of a family in which a parent or child receives assistance under the State program funded under this part or any other State program funded with qualified State expenditures (as defined in section 409(a)(7)(B)(i)) in the month; and is employed less than 40 hours in the month. In the case of a married 2-parent family— the parents shall only be considered to be eligible participants for a month for purposes of this subsection if the sum of the combined hours of employment for the month for both spouses is less than 40 hours; if the parents are eligible participants for a month for purposes of this subsection, only one of the parents shall be required to participate in the work preparation program under this subsection in a month; and the sum of the hours required of the parents for purposes of meeting the monthly minimum participation rate required for purposes of subsection
(a)and meeting the monthly work preparation rate required under this subsection shall not be greater than the hours required for a single head of household for purposes of meeting such rates. In order to be considered to be engaging in work preparation for month, an eligible participant shall engage in one or more work preparation activities (as defined in paragraph (5)) for at least an average of 30 hours per week during the month. In this subsection, the term work preparation activity means the following: Work experience (including work associated with the refurbishing of publicly assisted housing) if sufficient private sector employment is not available. On-the-job training. Job readiness assistance. Community service programs (not to exceed the maximum number of hours determined under paragraph (9)). Workfare programs (not to exceed the maximum number of hours determined under paragraph (9)). Vocational educational training (not to exceed 12 months with respect to any individual). Job skills training directly related to employment. Education directly related to employment, in the case of an eligible participant who has not received a high school diploma or a certificate of high school equivalency. Satisfactory attendance at secondary school or in a course of study leading to a certificate of general equivalence, in the case of an eligible participant who has not completed secondary school or received such a certificate. The provision of child care services to an individual who is participating in a community service program. Supervised job search (as defined in paragraph (7)). At least 20 percent of the eligible participants who are required to participate in work preparation for a month shall participate in a community service program or a workfare program. In this subsection, the term supervised job search means a job search program that has the following characteristics: The job search occurs at an official location where the presence and activity of the eligible participant can be directly observed, supervised, and monitored. The eligible participant’s entry, time onsite, and exit from the official job search location are recorded in a manner that prevents fraud. The eligible participant is expected to remain and undertake job search activities at the job search center. The quantity of time the eligible participant is observed and monitored engaging in job search at the official location is recorded for purposes of compliance with the work and work activation requirements of sections 6(o) and 30 of the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008. If an eligible participant fails to fully perform the work preparation activities required in accordance with this subsection, the State shall— reduce the amount of assistance otherwise payable to the entire family of the eligible participant pro rata (or more, at the option of the State) with respect to the month immediately after any month in which the eligible participant so fails to perform; or terminate such assistance. For purposes of subparagraph (A)(i), the amount of a pro rata reduction in assistance shall be determined by multiplying the amount of monthly assistance that would, in the absence of the application of this paragraph be paid to the entire family, by the ratio of— the hours of required work and work preparation activities performed by the eligible participant during the month; over the number or hours of work and work preparation the State required the eligible participant to perform in accordance with the requirements of this section. The maximum number of hours that an eligible participant may be counted as engaging in a community service program or a workfare program in a month for purposes of meeting the minimum work preparation rates for the month under this subsection shall not exceed the total dollar cost of all means-tested benefits received by the eligible participant's family for the month divided by the Federal minimum wage. In this subsection, the term total dollar cost of all means-tested benefits means the sum of the dollar cost of all benefits received by a family under— the supplemental nutrition assistance program established under the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 ( 7 U.S.C. 2011 et seq.); the State program funded under this part or any other State program funded with qualified State expenditures (as defined in section 409(a)(7)(B)(i)); and any assistance provided to a household, landlord, or public housing agency (as defined in section 3(b)(6) of the United States Housing Act of 1937 ( 42 U.S.C. 1437a(b)(6) )) to subsidize the rental payment for a dwelling unit, including assistance provided for public housing dwelling units under section 3 of the United States Housing Act of 1937 ( 42 U.S.C. 1437a ) and assistance provided under section 8 of that Act ( 42 U.S.C. 1437f ). For purposes of clause (i), if the dollar value of one or more benefits received by a household in a month has been reduced under paragraph
(8)or another sanction requirement, the calculated dollar value of the sanctioned benefits shall equal the dollar value of the benefit that would have been received if the benefit had not been reduced by the sanction. Nothing in this paragraph shall prevent a State from requiring an eligible participant to engage in activities not described in subparagraph
(A)for additional hours during a month. In this subsection, the term sanctioned recipient means any eligible participant who— was required to participate in work preparation in a month; failed to perform the assigned work and work preparation activities so as to meet the relevant hourly requirements; and was sanctioned by a reduced assistance payment in the subsequent month under paragraph (8). The work preparation participation rate for a State for any quarter of a fiscal year shall equal the average of the monthly participation rates for the State during the 3 months of that quarter. For purposes of subparagraph (B), the monthly participation rate shall equal the ratio of all countable participants to all eligible participants in the month, as determined under subparagraph (D). Subject to subparagraph (E), the ratio of all countable participants to all eligible participants in a month equals the proportion that— the sum obtained by adding— all eligible participants who— were required by the State to engage in work preparation during the month; and fulfilled the criteria for successful engagement in work preparation during the month; and all sanctioned recipients for that month; bears to the average number of eligible participants in the State in that month. A married couple household consisting of more than 1 eligible participant shall be counted as a single eligible participant for purposes of calculating the participation rate under this paragraph. Beginning in the first quarter of fiscal year 2019 and for each subsequent quarter of fiscal year 2019 and of each subsequent fiscal year, each State shall count the monthly average number of countable participants under this subsection. If the monthly average number of countable participants in a State is not sufficient to meet the work preparation participation rate required under paragraph
(1)during that quarter, the grant payable to the State under section 403(a)(1) shall be reduced for the fiscal quarter that begins 180 days after the first day of the quarter in which the inadequate performance occurred in accordance with subparagraph (C). The total amount of funding a State shall receive for a quarter for which funding is reduced under subparagraph
(B)shall equal the product obtained by multiplying— the total amount of funding that the State would have received in the preceding quarter for the grant payable to the State under section 403(a)(1) if no reduction had been in place; by the ratio of all countable participants to all eligible participants (as determined under paragraph (10)(D)) for the quarter that began 180 days before the first day of the quarter for which funding is reduced. .
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