I
114th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 2990
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
July 9, 2015
Mr. Dold introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Ways and Means
A BILL
To provide for the conduct of demonstration projects to test the effectiveness of subsidized employment for TANF recipients.
Short title
This Act may be cited as the Accelerating Individuals into the Workforce Act
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Demonstration projects to support subsidized employment for TANF recipients
Section 403 of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 603) is amended by adding at the end the following:
Subsidized employment demonstration projects
In general
The Secretary shall make grants to States to conduct demonstration projects designed to implement and evaluate strategies that provide wage subsidies to enable low-income individuals to enter into and retain employment.
Application requirements
The Secretary shall require each State that applies for a grant under this subsection to do the following:
Describe how wage subsidies will be provided (such as whether paid directly to the employer or the individual), the duration of the subsidies, the amount of the subsidies, the structure of the subsidies, and how employers will be recruited to participate in the subsidized employment program.
Describe how the State expects those participating in subsidized employment to be able to retain employment after the subsidy ends.
Describe how the State will coordinate subsidized employment funded under this subsection with other efforts to help low-income individuals enter work as conducted by the State.
Use of funds
In general
A State to which a grant is made under this subsection may use the grant to subsidize the wages of an eligible recipient for a period not exceeding 12 months, and only to the extent that the total of the funds paid under this project and any other Federal funds so used with respect to the recipient does not exceed 50 percent of the amount of the wages received by the recipient during the period.
Eligible recipient
For purposes of subparagraph (A), an eligible recipient is—
a recipient of assistance under the State program funded under this part;
an adult with children;
a noncustodial parent; or
an individual who has attained 16 years of age but not 26 years of age;
who, at the time the subsidy begins, is unemployed; and
whose income, at that time, is less than 200 percent of the poverty line (as defined by the Office of Management and Budget, and revised annually in accordance with section 673(2) of the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1981 (42 U.S.C. 9902(2))).
Reports
As a condition of receiving funds under this subsection for a fiscal year, a State shall submit to the Secretary, within 6 months after the end of the fiscal year, a report that—
specifies, for each month of the fiscal year, the number of individuals whose employment is subsidized with these funds;
specifies, for each month of the fiscal year, the number of the individuals who remained employed by the same employer in an unsubsidized position in the month immediately succeeding the month in which the last subsidy payment was made with respect to the employment; and
describes the structure of the State activities to use the funds to subsidize employment, including the amount and duration of the subsidies provided.
Evaluation
The Secretary, in consultation with each State conducting a demonstration project, shall conduct a high-quality evaluation of the demonstration project, and may reserve funds made available under this subsection to conduct the evaluation in accordance with the following:
Evaluator qualifications
The Secretary may not enter into a contract with an evaluator unless the evaluator has demonstrated experience in conducting rigorous evaluations of program effectiveness including, where available and appropriate, well-implemented randomized controlled trials.
Methodologies to be used
The evaluation of a demonstration project shall use experimental designs using random assignment or other reliable, evidence-based research methodologies that allow for the strongest possible causal inferences when random assignment is not feasible.
Public disclosure
The Secretary shall publish the results of the evaluation on the website of the Department of Health and Human Services in a location easily accessible by the public.
Recommendations to congress
The Secretary shall submit recommendations to the Congress on how to increase the employment, retention, and advancement of individuals currently or formerly receiving assistance under a State program funded under this part or any other State program funded with qualified State expenditures (as defined in section 409(a)(7)(B)(i)).
Funding
Of the amounts made available to carry out subsection (b) for fiscal year 2016 and each succeeding fiscal year, the Secretary shall reserve $100,000,000 to carry out this subsection.
Availability of funds
Funds provided to a State under this subsection for a fiscal year shall be expended by the State in the fiscal year or in the succeeding fiscal year.
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Effective date
The amendment made by this Act shall take effect on October 1, 2015.
