HB14 Summary

• Requires all adult public benefit recipients age 18 and older who are not disabled to participate in a mandatory community service program administered by the Department of Human Resources, with a minimum of 20 hours per week required to maintain eligibility.

• Establishes escalating ineligibility periods for noncompliance: 90 days for first violation, 180 days for second, and one year for third or subsequent violations, with mandatory community service required before re-eligibility.

• Requires drug screening for TANF applicants with drug offense convictions within five years, with first positive test resulting in warning, second positive resulting in one-year ineligibility, and third positive resulting in permanent ineligibility.

• Allows parents with dependent children who test positive for drugs to designate a third party to receive benefits on behalf of the minor children, protecting dependent benefits from parent ineligibility.

• Exempts emergency medical care, disaster relief, immunizations, public health services, prenatal care, certain community assistance programs, and public postsecondary education from community service requirements, effective upon receipt of federal waivers.