Bill > HB1845

This bill amends existing Washington state law regarding payment standards for cash assistance programs, specifically focusing on temporary assistance for needy families (TANF), refugee assistance, and other benefits. The bill requires the state department to establish consolidated standards of need each fiscal year that can vary by geographical area, program, and family size. These standards must be based on actual living costs, inflation indices, and include reasonable allowances for basic household needs like shelter, food, transportation, clothing, and personal expenses. By July 1, 2022, the department must use a broadly used national standard as the base for annual updates. The bill introduces a new provision that payment levels for these assistance programs will be no less than 16 percent of need or the previous year's payment level, whichever is greater, with a cap of no more than a 3 percent increase in any single state fiscal year. The bill also removes a reference to supplemental security income (SSI) from the initial list of assistance programs and authorizes the department to establish rateable reductions and grant maximums consistent with federal law. Importantly, the bill ensures that recipients of supplemental security income will not receive a state supplement less than the minimum required by federal law.