I 
115TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 5828 
To require States to temporarily disregard income earned through participa-
tion in certain apprenticeship programs, in making eligibility and benefit 
determinations under the program of block grants to States for tem-
porary assistance for needy families. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MAY 15, 2018 
Mr. MCKINLEY (for himself and Mr. POCAN) introduced the following bill; 
which was referred to the Committee on Ways and Means 
A BILL 
To require States to temporarily disregard income earned 
through participation in certain apprenticeship programs, 
in making eligibility and benefit determinations under 
the program of block grants to States for temporary 
assistance for needy families. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Encouraging Appren-
ticeships, Spurring Employment Act’’ or the ‘‘EASE Act’’. 
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SEC. 2. TEMPORARY DISREGARD OF INCOME EARNED 
THROUGH PARTICIPATION IN CERTAIN AP-
PRENTICESHIP 
PROGRAMS, 
UNDER 
THE 
TANF PROGRAM. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Section 408(a) of the Social Secu-
rity Act (42 U.S.C. 608(a)) is amended by adding at the 
end the following: 
‘‘(13) REQUIREMENT
TO
TEMPORARILY
DIS-
REGARD INCOME EARNED THROUGH PARTICIPATION 
IN CERTAIN APPRENTICESHIP PROGRAMS.— 
‘‘(A) IN
GENERAL.—In determining the 
eligibility of an individual for assistance under 
the State program funded under this part, or 
the amount of assistance to be provided to an 
individual under the program, a State to which 
a grant is made under section 403 shall dis-
regard any income earned by the individual in 
a qualified apprenticeship program during the 
12-month period that begins with the later of— 
‘‘(i) the date the recipient commenced 
the participation; or 
‘‘(ii) the date of the enactment of this 
paragraph. 
‘‘(B) QUALIFIED
APPRENTICESHIP
PRO-
GRAM.—In subparagraph (A), the term ‘quali-
fied apprenticeship program’ means— 
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‘‘(i) a program registered under the 
National Apprenticeship Act; or 
‘‘(ii) a pre-apprenticeship program 
that has a documented partnership with a 
program referred to in clause (i).’’. 
(b) PENALTY.—Section 409(a) of such Act (42 
U.S.C. 609(a)) is amended by adding at the end the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘(17) FAILURE TO TEMPORARILY DISREGARD 
INCOME EARNED THROUGH PARTICIPATION IN CER-
TAIN APPRENTICESHIP PROGRAMS.—If the Secretary 
determines that a State to which a grant is made 
under section 403 for a fiscal year has failed to com-
ply with section 408(a)(13) for the fiscal year, the 
Secretary may reduce the grant payable to the State 
under section 403(a)(1) for the immediately suc-
ceeding fiscal year by an amount equal to the total 
amount that the State would have had to expend to 
so comply.’’. 
Æ 
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