OHIO LEGISLATIVE SERVICE COMMISSION
Office of Research Legislative Budget
www.lsc.ohio.gov and Drafting Office
H.B. 464 Bill Analysis
135th General Assembly
Click here for H.B. 464’s Fiscal Note
Version: As Introduced
Primary Sponsors: Reps. Jarrells and Williams
Effective date:
Jason Hoskins, Attorney
SUMMARY
 Requires ODJFS to establish a two-year pilot program known as the Actionable Help and
New Dignity for Upward Progression (A HAND UP) pilot program to assist individuals
transitioning to the workforce as they become ineligible for public assistance benefits.
DETAILED ANALYSIS
‘A HAND UP’ pilot program
The bill requires ODJFS to establish a three-year pilot program known as the Actionable
Help and New Dignity for Upward Progression (A HAND UP) pilot program to assist program
participants in transitioning into the workforce as they become ineligible for public assistance
benefits. In establishing the pilot program, ODJFS must select four counties in which to operate
the pilot program: one metropolitan county; one midsize county; and two rural counties, one of
which is in Ohio’s Appalachian region.1
ODJFS must have the pilot program fully operational within 180 days after the bill’s
effective date. In setting up the pilot program, ODJFS must do all of the following: 2
 Establish eligibility criteria for individuals participating in the pilot program;
 Establish conditions for continued participation in the pilot program;
 Establish a competitive application process for employers seeking participation in the
pilot program;
1 Section 1(A).
2 Section 1(B).
April 10, 2024
Office of Research and Drafting LSC Legislative Budget Office
 Identify existing subsidized employment programs and provide training to program
operators seeking to participate in the pilot program;
 Establish an assessment tool to determine the success of employers participating in the
pilot program;
 Establish processes by which pilot program participants are connected with employers
participating in the program;
 Establish a mentorship program that connects pilot program participants with program
mentors; and
 Identify and establish a financial literacy program for pilot program participants.
The pilot program must (1) provide participants with a stipend, provided on a sliding
scale, to pay health care insurance premiums and deductibles or child care expenses, and
(2) provide participating employers with subsidies for employing pilot program participants.3
Additionally, if a county selected to participate in the pilot program has established an
individual development account program under existing law, ODJFS must seek a waiver from
the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to allow pilot program participants to use
individual development account funds for purposes other than those specified in federal
regulations.4
Rulemaking and digital platform
To assist in the implementation of the pilot program, the bill requires ODJFS, within
180 days after the bill’s effective date, to adopt rules as necessary to implement the pilot
program.5 To further assist in the implementation and operation of the pilot program, the bill
requires ODJFS to establish, in collaboration with the Office of InnovateOhio, a digital
application that does the following:6
 Calculates a pilot program participant’s income based on the individual’s benefits
received and income earned;
 Connects program participants with pilot program resources;
 Provides educational and motivational resources to pilot program participants; and
 Connects participants with mentors or pilot program case workers.
3 Section 1(C).
4 Section 1(F); see 42 Code of Federal Regulations 263.22.
5 Section 1(D).
6 Section 1(E).
P a g e |2 H.B. 464
As Introduced
Office of Research and Drafting LSC Legislative Budget Office
Study and report
ODJFS must study program participants once they have completed participation. The
study must examine:
1. Whether a former participant is employed;
2. The type of employment in which the former participant is engaged;
3. The amount of compensation the former participant is receiving;
4. Whether the former participant’s employer provides health insurance;
5. Whether and how often the former participant has received public assistance benefits
since completing participation in the pilot program; and
6. Whether the former participant is self-sufficient.7
Beginning one year after the bill’s effective date, ODJFS must submit a report to the
General Assembly specifying the outcomes of the pilot program, including data indicating the
ways in which the pilot program is assisting participants in transitioning from public assistance
benefits to the workforce. The report also must include the results of the required study of
former program participants described above. After submitting the initial report, ODJFS must
submit subsequent reports at the end of each year in which the pilot program operates. 8
Appropriation
To assist with the administration of the ‘A HAND UP’ Pilot Program, the bill appropriates
$10 million in each of FYs 2024 and 2025 to ODJFS to be used to support the pilot program.
HISTORY
Action Date
Introduced 03-27-24
ANHB0464IN-135/ar
7 Section 1(G).
8 Section 1(H).
P a g e |3 H.B. 464
As Introduced