美国福利行政正当程序模式研究

Study on Due Process Model of American Welfare Administration

美国福利行政正当程序模式经历了法定权利模式向授权合同模式的转变。在法定权利模式下,福利是一项新财产权,因而直接获得宪法中正当程序条款的保护。授权合同模式源于1996年福利改革法案,该法案否定了福利的法定权利属性,并要求福利领受人与获得授权的地方政府签订公共救助合同,通过履行一定的义务来获得政府福利。通过授权合同的签署,部分州对福利领受人的程序保护有了新发展。比较而言,司法机关在法定权利模式中处于主导地位,立法机关则在授权合同模式中处于主导地位。美国福利行政正当程序模式的发展,对我国的服务型政府建设具有重要的借鉴意义。

American welfare administration due process transferred from the statutory entitlement model to the devolved contract model.In the statutory entitlement model,welfare is considered as a new property right directly protected by the due process clause in the constitution.However,the devolved contract model,originating from the Welfare Reform Act in 1996,defines the welfare as a contract right instead of a statutory entitlement,i.e.the welfare only can be obtained after obligation performance according to the public assistant contract sighed between welfare recipients and the devolved local government.Hence there becomes some new development of the protection of such welfare recipients＇ procedural right in some states.Comparatively speaking,in the statutory entitlement model,the federal government plays a major role in welfare administration and so do the judicial organs in the due process judgments,with only one side obligation of the government.While in the devolved contract model,the state government plays the major role and so does the legislature in the due process judgments,with two sides reciprocity.All this American experience is of great reference meaning for China to build a service government.