Bill Summary – FastDemocracy

Z-0506.2
                                HOUSE BILL 1988
     State of Washington       68th Legislature       2024 Regular Session
     By Representatives Simmons, Couture, Ramel, Reed,     and   Reeves;   by
     request of Department of Social and Health Services
     Prefiled 12/20/23. Read first time 01/08/24.    Referred to Committee
     on Human Services, Youth, & Early Learning.
      AN ACT Relating to enhancing poverty reduction, equity, and
  access efforts by establishing the customer voice council and
  strengthening community partnerships; and amending RCW 74.08A.280.
 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:
     Sec. 1. RCW 74.08A.280 and 1997 c 58 s 315 are each amended to
 read as follows:
     (1) The legislature finds that ((moving those eligible for
 assistance to self-sustaining employment is a goal of the WorkFirst
 program. It is the intent of WorkFirst to aid a participant's
 progress to self-sufficiency by allowing flexibility within the
 statewide   program  to  reflect   community  resources,   the  local
 characteristics of the labor market, and the composition of the
 caseload. Program success will be enhanced through effective
 coordination at regional and local levels, involving employers, labor
 representatives, educators, community leaders, local governments,
 and)) assisting those experiencing poverty to obtain and maintain
 stability, self-sustaining employment, and well-being are goals of
 public assistance programs and a key part of poverty reduction
 efforts. State poverty reduction efforts intend to effectively aid
 families and individuals with low incomes to thrive by allowing
 flexibility within the statewide program to reflect community
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 resources, the local characteristics of the labor market, and the
 expressed needs of those experiencing poverty. Success in reducing
 poverty, and the disparate impact of chronic and intergenerational
 poverty on particular demographic groups, will be enhanced by:
     (a) A structure to seek and use the voice of those who use or
 have used public assistance to shape and evaluate policies and
 practices; and
     (b) Collaboration and coordination at regional and local levels,
 involving employers; labor representatives; educators; community
 leaders; local and tribal governments; and behavioral health,
 housing, early learning, transportation, and other social service
 providers.
     (2) Effective July 1, 2025, the department shall establish a
 statewide public assistance customer voice council and provide
 staffing and training to support the council. Members shall be
 current or former recipients of state public assistance and shall be
 compensated as allowed under RCW 43.03.220. The department shall
 consult with the following in setting policies and membership for the
 customer voice council:
     (a)   The   legislative-executive   WorkFirst   poverty   reduction
 oversight task force established under RCW 74.08A.505;
     (b) The intergenerational poverty advisory committee created
 under RCW 74.08A.510; and
     (c)   Local   community   partnership   groups  established   under
 subsection (4) of this section.
     (3) The department, through its regional and community service
 offices, shall collaborate, based on community need, with employers,
 current and former public assistance recipients, frontline workers,
 educational institutions, labor, ((private industry councils,)) the
 workforce training and education coordinating board, ((community
 rehabilitation employment programs)) workforce development councils,
 employment and training agencies, local governments, the employment
 security department, organizations serving refugees and immigrants,
 and community action agencies to develop work programs and public
 assistance services that are effective and work in their communities.
 For planning purposes, the department shall collect and make
 accessible to regional offices and local community partnership groups
 authorized under subsection (4) of this section, successful work and
 public assistance program models from around the United States((,
 including   the    employment   partnership   program,   apprenticeship
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 programs, microcredit, microenterprise, self-employment, and W-2
 Wisconsin works)). Work programs shall incorporate local ((volunteer
 citizens)) residents in their planning and implementation phases to
 ensure community relevance and success.
     (((3))) (4) The department shall ensure that local community
 partnership groups are established and provide staffing assistance to
 them.   Communities  may   determine   the  specific   structure  and
 composition of these groups based on community needs and existing
 resources for these functions. Local community partnership groups
 shall meet at least quarterly and shall:
     (a) Elevate customer voices in the development and evaluation of
 local public assistance practices, providing experience to support
 participation in the customer voice council established in subsection
 (2) of this section;
     (b) Promote effective communication and collaboration among the
 department's local community service offices, people with experience
 living in poverty, local governments, community action agencies, and
 other service providers;
     (c) Advise and comment on department program policies;
     (d) Work to resolve local issues including client referral and
 service gaps;
     (e)   Review   local   data  and   racial,    ethnic,  and   other
 disproportionality trends;
     (f) Review public assistance client feedback;
     (g) Propose innovative and evidence-based collaborative services;
 and
     (h) Provide input for the plans developed under subsection (7) of
 this section.
     (5) To reduce administrative costs and ((to)) ensure equal
 statewide access to services, the department may develop contracts
 for statewide ((welfare-to-work)) employment and training services.
 These statewide contracts shall support regional flexibility and
 ensure that resources follow local labor market opportunities and
 recipients' needs.
     (((4))) (6) The secretary shall establish WorkFirst service areas
 for purposes of planning WorkFirst programs and for distributing
 WorkFirst resources. Service areas shall reflect department regions.
     (((5))) (7) By July 31st of each odd-numbered year, ((a plan for
 the WorkFirst program shall be developed)) beginning in 2025,
 community partnership groups shall develop a plan for the local
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 aspects of the WorkFirst program and other poverty reduction efforts
 for each region. The plan shall be prepared in consultation with
 local and regional sources, ((adapting the statewide WorkFirst
 program)) supporting public assistance service delivery to achieve
 maximum effect for ((the participants)) program recipients and the
 communities within which they reside. Local consultation shall
 include to the greatest extent possible input from current or former
 WorkFirst participants and other public assistance recipients and
 local and regional planning bodies for social services and workforce
 development. The regional and local administrator shall consult with
 employers of various sizes, labor representatives, training and
 education providers, program participants, economic development
 organizations, community organizations, tribes, and local governments
 in the preparation of the service area plan.
     (((6))) (8) The secretary has final authority in plan approval or
 modification. Regional program implementation may deviate from the
 statewide program if specified in a service area plan, as approved by
 the secretary.
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Statutes affected: 
Original Bill: 74.08A.280