§9-9-2. Legislative findings; purpose.

(a) The Legislature hereby finds and declares that:

(1) The entitlement of any person to receive federal-state cash assistance is hereby discontinued;

(2) At-risk families are capable of becoming self-supporting;

(3) An assistance program should both expect and assist a parent and caretaker-relatives in at-risk families to support their dependent children and children for which they are caretakers;

(4) Every parent or caretaker-relative can exhibit responsible patterns of behavior so as to be a positive role model;

(5) Every parent or caretaker-relative who receives cash assistance has a responsibility to participate in an activity to help them prepare for, obtain and maintain gainful employment;

(6) For a parent or caretaker-relative who receives cash assistance and for whom full-time work is not feasible, participation in some activity is required to further himself or herself, his or her family or his or her community;

(7) The state should promote the value of work and the capabilities of individuals;

(8) Job development efforts should enhance the employment opportunities of participants;

(9) Education is the key to achieving and maintaining life-long self-sufficiency; and

(10) An assistance program should be structured to achieve a clear set of outcomes; deliver services in an expedient, effective and efficient manner; and maximize community support for participants.

(b) The goals of the program are to achieve more efficient and effective use of public assistance funds; reduce dependency on public programs by promoting self-sufficiency; and structure the assistance programs to emphasize employment and personal responsibility. The success of the program is to be evaluated on the following activities, including, but not limited to, the following: Job entry, job retention, federal work participation requirements and completion of educational activities.