Revise Various Laws/Work 1st Cash Assistance.

GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA
SESSION 2025
S 1
SENATE BILL 608

Short Title: Revise Various Laws/Work 1st Cash Assistance. (Public)
Sponsors: Senators Salvador, Waddell, and Murdock (Primary Sponsors).
Referred to: Rules and Operations of the Senate
March 26, 2025
*S608-v-1*
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED 1
AN ACT TO EXPAND TEM PORARY ASSISTANCE FO R NEEDY FAMILIES 2
(TANF)/WORK FIRST PR OGRAM ASSISTANCE BEN EFITS TO INCLUDE A 3
WOMAN WHO IS PREGNAN T, INCREASE THE CASH ASSISTANCE BENEFIT 4
AMOUNT, INCREASE RESOURCE AND INCOME LIMITS FOR CASH ASSISTANCE, 5
AND REMOVE TIME LIMITATIONS ON CASH ASSISTANCE OTHER THAN THOSE 6
REQUIRED BY FEDERAL LAW. 7
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts: 8
SECTION 1. G.S. 108A-24 reads as rewritten: 9
"§ 108A-24. Definitions. 10
As used in Chapter 108A: 11
… 12
(3c) "Family" means a unit consisting of a minor child or children and one or more 13
of their biological parents, adoptive parents, stepparents, or grandparents 14
living together. For purposes of the Work First Program, family also includes 15
a pregnant woman, blood or half-blood relative or adoptive relative limited to 16
brother, sister, great -grandparent, great -great-grandparent, uncle, aunt, 17
great-uncle, great -aunt, great -great-uncle, great -great-aunt, nephew, niece, 18
first cousin, stepbrother, and stepsister. 19
… 20
(15) "Work First Family Assistance" is a program of time -limited periodic 21
payments to assist in maintaining the children of eligible families while the 22
adult family members engage in activities to prepare for entering and to enter 23
the workplace. 24
…." 25
SECTION 2. G.S. 108A-27.01 reads as rewritten: 26
"§ 108A-27.01. Income eligibility and payment level for Work First Family Assistance. 27
The maximum net family annual income eligibility standards for Work First Family 28
Assistance are as provided in the table below. shall be equal to seventy-five percent (75%) of the 29
federal poverty level for the applicable family size . The payment level for Work First Family 30
Assistance shall be fifty percent (50%) of the standard of need.forty percent (40%) of the federal 31
poverty level for the applicable family size. 32
Family Income 33
Size Level 34
1 $ 4,344 35
2 5,664 36
General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025
Page 2 Senate Bill 608-First Edition
3 6,528 1
4 7,128 2
5 7,776 3
6 8,376 4
7 8,952 5
8 9,256" 6
SECTION 3. Part 2 of Article 2 of Chapter 108A of the General Statutes is amended 7
by adding a new section to read: 8
"§ 108A-27.02. Resource limits. 9
The resources of a person or family for cash assistance shall not exceed five thousand dollars 10
($5,000). However, the equity value of one vehicle per family shall not be counted as a resource 11
of the family if the vehicle is used for work, training, or education in preparation for employment 12
or a job search; provided, further that an exclusion in the amount of four thou sand six hundred 13
fifty dollars ($4,650) of the equity value of one additional vehicle is allowed." 14
SECTION 4. G.S. 108A-27.1 reads as rewritten: 15
"§ 108A-27.1. Time limitations on assistance. 16
(a) Under the Standard Work First Program, unless an extension or an exemption is 17
provided pursuant to the provisions of the Part or the State Plan, any cash assistance provided to 18
a person or family in the employment program shall only be provided for a cumulative total of 19
24 months. After having received cash assist ance for 24 months, the person or the family may 20
reapply for cash assistance, but not until after 36 months from the last month the person or the 21
family received cash assistance. This subsection shall not apply to child-only cases. 22
(b) Electing Counties may set any time limitations on assistance it finds appropriate, so 23
long as the time limitations do not conflict with or exceed any federal time limitations. 24
The State shall not impose any time limitations on eligible famil ies receiving Work First 25
Family Assistance, except for those time limitations set by federal law or regulations." 26
SECTION 5. This act is effective when it becomes law. 27