WORK FIRST: SCHOOL AS WORK PARTICIPATION REQUIREMENT

House Bill 5307

Committee: Family and Children Services

Complete to 11-7-00

A SUMMARY OF HOUSE BILL 5307 AS INTRODUCED 2-8-00

House Bill 5307 would amend the Social Welfare Act (MCL 400.57 and 400.57f) to allow some of the school hours spent by a participant in the Work First employment and training program to count toward mandatory work requirement hours. The bill would also change outdated references to the Michigan Jobs Commission, referring instead to the Department of Career Development.

The bill would specify that a Work First participant could meet work participation requirements by combining a minimum of ten hours per week of work with training or education. In addition, the following would be required:

With the exception of high school completion and GED preparation, the training or education would have to be occupationally relevant and in demand in the labor market, as determined by the Workforce Development Board.

Participants would have to make satisfactory progress in training or education.

Training or education could last up to 12 months, and the calculated hours could include actual classroom time of up to ten hours per week, plus up to one hour of study time for each hour of classroom time.

The combined work and training or education hours would have to equal the minimum number of hours required to meet one of the following federal work participation requirements: 30 hours per week for a single parent, or 20 hours per week if the single parent had a child under the age of six; 35 hours per week for a two-parent family, or 55 hours if the family utilized federally funded child care.

A Work First participant could meet the federal work participation requirement through enrollment in a short-term vocational program requiring 30 hours of classroom seat time per week for a period of up to six months, or by enrollment in a full-time internship, practicum, or clinical required by an academic or training institution for licensure, professional certification, or degree completion without an additional work requirement. A two-parent family that received federally funded child care would have to work an additional 25 hours per week to meet the federal work participation requirement.

A Work First participant who lacked a high school diploma or GED, and who enrolled in high school completion courses or classes to obtain a GED, could count up to ten hours of classroom seat time, combined with a minimum number of hours of work per week, to meet the federal work

participation requirements. There would be no time limit on high school completion. GED preparation would be limited to six months.

Analyst: R. Young

This analysis was prepared by nonpartisan House staff for use by House members in their deliberations, and does not constitute an official statement of legislative intent.