MS HB1321

State Department of Human Services shall establish a subsidized employment program providing wage subsidies to employers who hire unemployed custodial and noncustodial parent TANF recipients.

Department shall allocate $15,000,000 annually in TANF funds beginning in fiscal year 2020-2021 to pay subsidies directly to employers covering up to 50% of eligible employee wages for up to 12 months.

Eligible jobs must require 20-40 hours weekly at federal or state minimum wage and cannot displace workers laid off within 6 months or fill positions created by involuntary workforce reductions.

Ineligible TANF recipients include those deemed not work-ready, caregivers of infants under 12 months without childcare assistance, individuals under 18 without high school diplomas, and caretakers of severely disabled children in two-parent families.

Department shall prioritize wage subsidies to employers in counties with the highest poverty rates when funding is insufficient to cover all approved applications.