AN ACT relating to the provision of support services for low income parents in the process of achieving self-sufficiency.
    Create new sections of KRS Chapter 205 to restore support services for parents receiving public assistance while participating in educational and vocational programs in order to increase their chances of achieving self-sufficiency; direct the Cabinet for Human Resources to file an annual report with the LRC and the Interim Joint Committee on Health and Welfare documenting efforts to enable parents receiving public assistance to participate in activities to achieve self-sufficiency; direct the cabinet to honor parent requests to self-initiate and continue educational activities; direct the cabinet to inform parents receiving public assistance of the option to be engaged in educational and vocational training activities and receive support services; establish time limits for receipt of support services while engaged in educational activities to one and one-half times the number of months of full-time attendance required to complete the targeted degree program; enable parents participating in post-secondary education programs to transfer to the KEAP program; establish conditions for discontinuing parent participation in educational activities and receiving support services including not making satisfactory progress, failing to attend or participate in required activities, refusing an offer of employment paying 200% of the federal poverty threshold, becoming ineligible for public assistance for other reasons; authorize the cabinet to require parents in post-secondary educational activities to participate up to 20 hours a week in paid work study programs; direct the cabinet to identify parents for participation in combination programs, including substance abuse and mental health counseling, vocational rehabilitation, life skills, and family preservation or other services; direct the cabinet to suspend counting of months toward the 60 month lifetime limit under the public assistance program funded with federal block grant dollars under Title IV-A of the Federal Social Security Act for parents participating in combination programs by using not more than 20% of qualified state maintenance of effort dollars for their case; establish a program of educational assistance and supportive services for low income parents engaged full-time in approved educational activities called "Kentucky Educational Assistance for Parents Program" (KEAP); establish that eligibility for assistance under KEAP is the same as for the public assistance program funded with federal block grant dollars under Title IV-A of the Federal Social Security Act but add requirements of meeting the admission criteria of the educational program and not possessing the skills necessary to obtain employment paying at least 200% of the federal poverty threshold; permit caretaker relatives other than parents to receive KEAP; require the cabinet to offer the same supportive services to KEAP parents as is authorized for parents engaged in educational activities under the public assistance program funded with federal block grant dollars under Title IV-A of the Federal Social Security Act; require the cabinet to inform KEAP parents of available medical assistance without requiring a new application; permit KEAP parents to elect to receive supportive services only and not cash benefits; permit the cabinet to require a KEAP parent to engage in 10 hours a week of work study; establish the "Parents as Scholars Program" (PAS) to permit special needs and academically outstanding KEAP parents to participate in educational activities without requirement of additional activity; require the cabinet to refer parents for child support services and treat child support paid as unearned income that counts toward eligibility under the same rules as the public assistance program funded with federal block grant dollars under Title IV-A of the Federal Social Security Act; prohibit KEAP parent participation where not making satisfactory progress, failing to attend, not participating in required activities, refusing an offer of employment for at least 200% of the federal poverty threshold, or becoming ineligible for KEAP for other reasons; require the cabinet to request that KEAP parents not receiving public assistance count towards caseload reduction of work participation rates; establish the time limit for receiving support services under KEAP as 1 and 1/2 times the number of months of full-time attendance required to complete the targeted program; require that months of participation under KEAP not count toward lifetime limits under the public assistance program funded with federal block grant dollars under Title IV-A of the Federal Social Security Act; direct the cabinet to earmark up to 25% of state maintenance of effort dollars to fund KEAP and allow total participation in post-secondary education for up to 5,000 parents or the same percentage of parents in education programs under JOBS in an average month of the 1994-95 fiscal year; require the cabinet to convene and make available staff services for an advisory group to evaluate opportunities and strategies for participation by low income parents in educational activities; require the cabinet to prepare a strategic plan for continuation of educational opportunities for low income parents and submit the plan to the LRC and the Interim Joint Committee on Health and Welfare no later than July 31, 1999; require the plan to include at a minimum funding necessary to create new slots for 10 hours a week of work study for 2,000 parents and increase the supply of child care available; repeal KRS Section 205.2002 containing goals and requirements for the cabinet relating to educational activities under AFDC, the previous federal public assistance program; amend KRS 205.010 to conform; repeal KRS 205.2002.

     Jan 28-introduced in House
     Jan 29-to Health and Welfare (H)
     Feb 2-posted in committee
     Mar 3-reported favorably, 1st reading, to Calendar with Committee Substitute
     Mar 4-2nd reading, to Rules
     Mar 5-posted for passage in the Regular Orders of the Day for March 6, 1998
     Mar 10-3rd reading, passed 94-0 with Committee Substitute
     Mar 11-received in Senate
     Mar 12-to Health and Welfare (S)
     Mar 18-reported favorably, 1st reading, to Calendar
     Mar 19-2nd reading, to Rules
     Mar 20-posted for passage in the Regular Orders of the Day for March 23, 1998
     Mar 23-passed over and retained in the Orders of the Day
     Mar 24-3rd reading, passed 36-0
     Mar 25-received in House
     Mar 26-enrolled, signed by each presiding officer, delivered to Governor
     Apr 1-signed by Governor