REGULATIONS; PERFORMANCE STANDARDS; STUDIES.

SEC. 203. REGULATIONS; PERFORMANCE STANDARDS; STUDIES. (a) Regulations.— Not later than 6 months after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Health and Human Services (in this section referred to as the “Secretary”) shall issue proposed regulations for the purpose of implementing the amendments made by this title, including regulations establishing uniform data collection requirements. The Secretary shall publish final regulations for such purpose not later than one year after the date of the enactment of this Act. Regulations issued under this subsection shall be developed by the Secretary in consultation with the Secretary of Labor and with the responsible State agencies described in section 482(a)(2) of the Social Security Act. (b) Performance Standards.— Part F of title IV of the Social Security Act (as added by section 201(b) of this Act) is amended by adding at the end the following new section: “performance standards “Sec. 487. (a) Not later than 3 years after the effective date specified in section 204(a) of the Family Support Act of 1988, the Secretary shall— “(1) in consultation with the Secretary of Labor, representatives of organizations representing Governors, State and local program administrators, educators, State job training coordinating councils, community-based organizations, recipients, and other interested persons, develop performance standards with102 STAT. 2379 respect to the programs established pursuant to this part that are based, in part, on the results of the studies conducted under section 203(c) of such Act, and the initial State evaluations (if any) performed under section 486 of this Act; and “(2) submit his recommendations for performance standards developed under paragraph (1) to the appropriate committees of jurisdiction of the Congress, which recommendations shall be made with respect to specific measurements of outcomes and be based on the degree of success which may reasonably be expected of States in helping individuals to increase earnings, achieve self-sufficiency, and reduce welfare dependency, and shall not be measured solely by levels of activity or participation. Performance standards developed under this subsection shall be reviewed periodically by the Secretary and modified to the extent necessary. (b) The Secretary may collect information from the States to assist in the development of performance standards under subsection (a), and shall include in his regulations (issued pursuant to section 203(a) of the Family Support Act of 1988 with respect to the program under this part) provisions establishing uniform reporting requirements under which States must furnish periodically information and data, including information and data (for each program activity) on the average monthly number of families assisted, the types of such families, the amounts spent per family, the length of their participation, and such other matters as the Secretary may determine. “(c) The Secretary shall develop and transmit to the Congress, for appropriate legislative action, a proposal for measuring State progress, providing technical assistance to enable States to meet performance standards, and modifying the Federal matching rate to reflect the relative effectiveness of the various States in carrying out the program.”. (c) Implementation and Effectiveness Studies.— (1) (A) The Secretary shall conduct an implementation study in accordance with subparagraph (B). (B) The implementation study conducted under subparagraph (A) shall be based on a representative sample of States and localities and shall document with respect to the programs established pursuant to part F of title IV the Social Security Act— (i) the types, mix, and costs of services offered, (ii) participation rates or activity levels, (iii) the characteristics of the individuals in the different type of activities, (iv) the provisions made for child and day care and the extent to which limitations exist with respect to the availability of such care, (v) the institutional arrangements and operating procedures under which activities are offered in the different locations, and (vi) such other factors as the Secretary deems appropriate. (C) There is authorized to be appropriated $500,000 for each of the fiscal years 1989, 1990, and 1991 for the purpose of conducting the implementation study under this paragraph. (2) (A) The Secretary shall conduct a study in accordance with this paragraph to determine the relative effectiveness of the different approaches for assisting long-term and potentially long-term recipi-102 STAT. 2380ents developed by States pursuant to the programs established under part F of title IV of the Social Security Act. (B) (i) The study required under subparagraph (A) shall be based on data gathered from demonstration projects conducted in 5 States chosen by the Secretary from among applications submitted by interested States. Such projects shall be conducted for a period of not less than 3 years upon such terms and conditions (including those involving payments to the participating States) as the Secretary may provide. (ii) A demonstration project conducted under this subparagraph shall use specific outcome measures to test the effectiveness of particular programs. Such measures shall include educational status, employment status, earnings, receipt of aid to families with dependent children under a State plan approved under part A of title IV of the Social Security Act, receipt of other transfer payments, and, to the extent possible, the poverty status of participating families. (iii) A demonstration project conducted under this subparagraph shall use experimental and control groups that are composed of a random sample of participants in the program established under part F of title IV of the Social Security Act. The Secretary shall assure that the experimental design is comparable among localities. (C) Participating States shall provide to the Secretary in such form and with such frequency as he requires interim data from the demonstration projects conducted under this paragraph. The Secretary shall report to the Congress annually on the progress of such projects and shall, not later than one year after the date of final data collection, submit to the Congress the study required under subparagraph (A). (D) There is authorized to be appropriated $5,000,000 for each of the fiscal years 1990 and 1991 for the purpose of making payments to States conducting demonstration projects under this section. (3) The Secretary shall establish such uniform reporting requirements as the Secretary determines are appropriate for the purpose of conducting the demonstration projects required under this section. (4) Within 3 months after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Health and Human Services shall convene an advisory panel which may include representatives from the Office of Management and Budget, the Congressional Budget Office, the Congressional Research Service, and the General Accounting Office, and such other individuals and organizations as the Secretary may determine. The panel shall meet periodically to design, implement, and monitor a series of implementation and evaluation studies to assess the methods and effects of the programs initiated under this Act. Insofar as possible, the panel shall work in a collegial fashion; but if consensus cannot be reached among panel members on particular decisions the Secretary of Health and Human Services is authorized to make all final decisions about program design, use of contractors, conduct of particular studies, and any other matters which may come before the panel. (d) Study on Application of Jobs Programs to Indians.— The Secretary of Health and Human Services, in cooperation with the Secretary of the Interior, shall conduct a study of— (1) the effectiveness of such employment, training, and education programs for low-income individuals as are specifically102 STAT. 2381 directed toward Indians in responding to the needs of Indians on reservations; (2) the effectiveness of such programs as are not specifically directed toward Indians in responding to such needs; (3) the extent to which such needs are not met by such programs; (4) how such programs could be better coordinated in responding to such needs; (5) how such programs could be improved or restructured to more effectively meet such needs; (6) what sustainable job markets exist in Indian communities (assessed by tribe and region); and (7) the availability of such support services (as transportation and child care) as are necessary to assist Indians on reservations in participating in such programs and obtaining permanent employment. The Secretary of Health and Human Services and the Secretary of the Interior shall report to the Congress on the results of the study under this subsection not later than October 1, 1989 (or, if later, one year after the date of the enactment of this Act).