The bill amends the Social Welfare Act of 1939, focusing on the Family Independence Program (FIP) and the PATH (Partnership. Accountability. Training. Hope.) program. It introduces updated definitions for terms such as "adult-supervised household," "caretaker," and "minor parent," while clarifying the roles and responsibilities of family members receiving assistance. The legislation emphasizes the necessity of a family self-sufficiency plan that outlines compliance goals for participation in the PATH program and specifies conditions for exemptions based on age, disability, and caregiving responsibilities. Additionally, it replaces references to the Michigan Economic Development Corporation with the Bureau of Fair Competition and Free Enterprise, streamlining the administration of the PATH program.

The bill also revises the criteria for determining disability, stating that individuals cannot be considered disabled if substance abuse significantly contributes to that determination. It removes the provision allowing the department to create rules for identifying exemptions related to disability determinations and eliminates the requirement for annual reporting to the legislature on exemptions issued. Furthermore, the definition of the "PATH program" has been deleted from the relevant section. The enactment of this bill is contingent upon the passage of Senate Bill No. 631 from the 103rd Legislature.

Statutes affected:
Senate Introduced Bill: 400.57