,i  #aaeth ,,congress  #b;d ,session    
,h4 ,r4 #ehbh  ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of  
,,representatives  ,may #ae1 #bjah,mr4  
,mc,kinley 7for himself and ,mr4 ,pocan7
 introduced the following bill2 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 programs1 in making      
eligibility and benefit determinations  
under the program of block grants to    
,states for temporary assistance for    
needy families4  #a4 ,short title ,this 
,act may be cited as the ,encouraging   
,apprenticeships1 ,spurring ,employment 
,act or the ,,ease ,act4  #b4 ,temporary
 disregard of income earned through     
participation in certain apprenticeship 
programs1 under the ,,tanf program  7a7 
,in general ,section #djh7;a7 of the    
,social ,security ,act 7#db ,u4,s4,c4   
#fjh7;a77 is amended by adding at the   
end the following3  7#ac7 ,requirement  
to temporarily disregard income earned  

through participation in certain        
apprenticeship programs  7,a7 ,in       
general ,in determining the eligibility 
of an individual for assistance under   
the ,state program funded under this    
part1 or the amount of assistance to be 
provided to an individual under the     
program1 a ,state to which a grant is   
made under section #djc shall disregard 
any income earned by the individual in a
 qualified apprenticeship program during
 the #ab-month period that begins with  
the later of--  7i7 the date the        
recipient commenced the participation2  
or  7ii7 the date of the enactment of   
this paragraph4  7,b7 ,qualified        
apprenticeship program ,in subparagraph 
7,a71 the term qualified apprenticeship 
program means-- 7i7 a program registered
 under the ,national ,apprenticeship    
,act2 or  7ii7 a pre-apprenticeship     
program that has a documented           
partnership with a program referred to  
in clause 7i74  4  7b7 ,penalty ,section
 #dji7;a7 of such ,act 7#db ,u4,s4,c4   

#fji7;a77 is amended by adding at the   
end the following3  7#ag7 ,failure to   
temporarily disregard income earned     
through participation in certain        
apprenticeship programs ,if the         
,secretary determines that a ,state to  
which a grant is made under section #djc
 for a fiscal year has failed to comply 
with section #djh7;a77#ac7 for the      
fiscal year1 the ,secretary may reduce  
the grant payable to the ,state under   
section #djc7;a77#a7 for the immediately
 succeeding fiscal year by an amount    
equal to the total amount that the      
,state would have had to expend to so   
comply4  4