II 

115TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 1150 

To amend title XIX of the Social Security Act to require States to impose 

a work requirement for able-bodied adults without dependents who are 

eligible for medical assistance. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

MAY 17, 2017 

Mr. KENNEDY introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred 

to the Committee on Finance 

A BILL 

To amend title XIX of the Social Security Act to require 

States to impose a work requirement for able-bodied 

adults without dependents who are eligible for medical 

assistance. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Medicaid Reform and 

5 Personal Responsibility Act of 2017’’. 

2 

•S 1150 IS

1 SEC. 2. REQUIRING STATES TO APPLY A WORK REQUIRE2 MENT FOR ABLE-BODIED ADULTS WITHOUT 

3 DEPENDENTS UNDER MEDICAID. 

4 Section 1902 of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 

5 1396a) is amended— 

6 (1) in subsection (a)— 

7 (A) by striking ‘‘and’’ at the end of para8 graph (82); 

9 (B) by striking the period at the end of 

10 paragraph (83)(B)(ii) and inserting ‘‘; and’’; 

11 and 

12 (C) by inserting after paragraph 

13 (83)(B)(ii) the following new paragraph: 

14 ‘‘(84) comply with the requirements of sub15 section (nn) (relating to a work requirement for 

16 able-bodied adults without dependents).’’; and 

17 (2) by adding at the end the following new sub18 section: 

19 ‘‘(nn) WORK REQUIREMENT FOR ABLE-BODIED

20 ADULTS WITHOUT DEPENDENTS.— 

21 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Beginning October 1, 

22 2017, a State shall elect through a State plan 

23 amendment (or waiver of such plan) to condition 

24 medical assistance under this title to an individual 

25 who is an able-bodied adult without dependents (as 

26 defined in paragraph (2)(A)) upon such an individVerDate Sep 11 2014 01:55 May 20, 2017 Jkt 069200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S1150.IS S1150
3 

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1 ual’s satisfaction of a work requirement (as defined 

2 in paragraph (2)(B)) and the requirements of para3 graph (3). 

4 ‘‘(2) DEFINITIONS.—In this subsection: 

5 ‘‘(A) ABLE-BODIED ADULT WITHOUT DE6 PENDENTS.—The term ‘able-bodied adult with7 out dependents’ means an individual who is 

8 not— 

9 ‘‘(i) under 18 or over 55 years of age; 

10 ‘‘(ii) medically certified as physically 

11 or mentally unfit for employment; 

12 ‘‘(iii) a parent or other member of a 

13 household with responsibility for a depend14 ent child; 

15 ‘‘(iv) a pregnant woman; 

16 ‘‘(v) a bona fide student enrolled at 

17 least half time in any recognized school, 

18 training program, or institution of higher 

19 education; or 

20 ‘‘(vi) a regular participant in a drug 

21 addiction or alcoholic treatment and reha22 bilitation program. 

23 ‘‘(B) WORK REQUIREMENT.— 

24 ‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—The term ‘work 

25 requirement’ means participation in activVerDate Sep 11 2014 01:55 May 20, 2017 Jkt 069200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S1150.IS S1150
4 

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1 ity specified by the State as work for pur2 poses of this subsection for 20 hours or 

3 more per week, averaged monthly. 

4 ‘‘(ii) JOB TRAINING AND COMMUNITY

5 SERVICE.—Such term includes— 

6 ‘‘(I) on-the-job training; 

7 ‘‘(II) job skills training directly 

8 related to employment; and 

9 ‘‘(III) community service pro10 grams. 

11 ‘‘(3) ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS.—An able12 bodied adult without dependents shall not receive 

13 medical assistance under this title if the able-bodied 

14 adult without dependents— 

15 ‘‘(A) refuses, at the time of application 

16 and every 12 months thereafter, to register as 

17 employed or as unemployed and actively looking 

18 for employment for less than 12 consecutive 

19 months, in a manner prescribed by the State; 

20 ‘‘(B) refuses without good cause to satisfy 

21 an applicable work requirement; 

22 ‘‘(C) refuses without good cause to accept 

23 an offer of employment, at a site or plant not 

24 subject to a strike or lockout at the time of the 

25 refusal, at a wage not less than the higher of— 

5 

•S 1150 IS

1 ‘‘(i) the applicable Federal or State 

2 minimum wage; or 

3 ‘‘(ii) 80 percent of the wage that 

4 would have governed had the minimum 

5 hourly rate under section 6(a)(1) of the 

6 Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 (29 

7 U.S.C. 206(a)(1)) been applicable to the 

8 offer of employment; 

9 ‘‘(D) refuses without good cause to provide 

10 the State with sufficient information to allow 

11 the State to determine the employment status 

12 or the job availability of the able-bodied adult 

13 without dependents; or 

14 ‘‘(E) voluntarily and without good cause— 

15 ‘‘(i) quits a job; or 

16 ‘‘(ii) reduces work effort and, after 

17 the reduction, the able-bodied adult with18 out dependents is working less than 20 

19 hours per week.’’. 

Æ