Cash-assistance limit clears Senate

The Arkansas Senate on Thursday approved a bill aimed at reducing the time work- eligible, able- bodied adults may receive cash assistance through the state Division of Workforce Services from 24 months to 12 months.

The Senate voted 24- 5 to send House Bill 1401 by Rep. Rebecca Burkes, R-Rogers, to Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders

The bill would apply to the state’s Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program, which was created to “help families stay together by empowering family leaders with job skills, resources and assistance,” according to the state Division of Workforce Services’ website.

Under current law, the state Division of Workforce Services is generally barred from providing financial assistance to a family that includes an adult who has received financial assistance for more than 24 months.

HB1401 would cut that time frame to 12 months. The bill would still allow state officials to “exempt or temporarily defer” a person from the time limit.

Deferrals or exemptions may apply to a person “who cooperated and participated in activities, but was unable to obtain employment because of circumstances and barriers beyond his or her control.”

State law includes several other instances under which exemptions or deferrals to the time limit could apply, including for “child- only cases,” an “individual unable to obtain employment because of the lack of support services necessary to overcome barriers to employment,” and a parent or a caregiver who is older than 60.

Individuals participating in “education and training activities” who have reached the end of their 12- month limit also may be eligible to continue receiving assistance.