STATEMENT TO

 

[First Reprint]

SENATE, No. 38

 

with Senate Floor Amendments

(Proposed By Senators BASSANO and BRYANT)

 

ADOPTED: DECEMBER 16, 1996

 

 

      These amendments:

     replace language that was deleted by committee amendment and provide that only those persons who are U.S. citizens or eligible aliens shall be eligible for benefits under the Work First New Jersey program. Single adults or couples without dependent children who are legal aliens who meet federal requirements and have applied for citizenship shall not receive benefits for more than six months unless (1) they attain citizenship; or (2) they have passed the English language and civics components for citizenship, and are awaiting final determination of citizenship by the Immigration and Naturalization Service.

    delete the provision that the income and resources of a person in a household who is not eligible to be a member of the assistance unit, may be used in determining eligibility and cash assistance benefits for the assistance unit.

    clarify that the commissioner shall not waive compliance with the employment provisions of subsection h. of section 8 of Senate Bill No. 36 of 1996, as amended, and that he shall not implement a pilot or demonstration project that circumvents or obstructs a collective bargaining agreement.

     add to the definition of eligible alien, a qualified alien or the alien's child who has been battered or subjected to extreme cruelty, subject to conditions specified in federal law (section 431 of Pub.L.104-193 as that law was amended by the "Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996"). This amendment conforms the definition to Senate Bill No. 36 (1R) with Senate amendments.

    revise the definition of "county agency" to provide that county agency means the county agency that is currently administering the aid to families with dependent children and that will administer the Work First New Jersey program.

    limit eligibility for program benefits to persons convicted of a crime involving controlled dangerous substances who have successfully completed a drug treatment program and who remain drug-free for 60 days after completion of the program. Eligibility for benefits, however, commences upon completion of the treatment program. The bill originally also permitted eligibility for persons enrolled in a drug treatment program and did not have the 60-day drug-free requirement.

    revise provisions governing extensions of emergency assistance to delete the extension (without time limits) to recipients of Work First New Jersey and Supplemental Security Income in cases of extreme hardship. Amendments would allow an extension of up to six months to assistance units with children, if the commissioner determines that a case of extreme hardship exists. The commissioner is required to review each such case on a monthly basis during the six-month period and would continue the emergency assistance only if the commissioner determines, based upon the monthly review, that the extreme hardship continues to exist. If the extreme hardship continues to exist at the end of the six-month period, the commissioner may provide an additional six months of emergency assistance to no more than 10% of those assistance units with dependent children which are receiving temporary rental assistance under the emergency assistance component of the program, based upon the most current data available.

    Emergency assistance may also be extended for up to six additional months to no more than 10% of single adults and couples without dependent children who are receiving temporary rental assistance under the emergency assistance component of the program, if the commissioner determines that a case of extreme hardship exists. The commissioner is required to review each such case on a monthly basis during the six-month period and would continue the emergency assistance only if the commissioner determines, based upon the monthly review, that the extreme hardship continues to exist.