California Assembly Bill AB643 Amended / Bill

 BILL NUMBER: AB 643AMENDED BILL TEXT AMENDED IN SENATE JUNE 30, 2009 AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY JUNE 1, 2009 INTRODUCED BY Assembly Member Skinner  (   Coauthors:   Assembly Members   Ammiano   and Saldana   )   (   Coauthor:   Senator   Leno   )  FEBRUARY 25, 2009 An act to amend Section 11053 of the Welfare and Institutions Code, relating to public social services. LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST AB 643, as amended, Skinner. Public aid programs: eligibility: change of residence. Existing law establishes a statewide program to enable eligible low-income persons to receive food stamps under the federal  Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), formerly the  Food Stamp Program. Existing law requires counties to implement the program, including determining eligibility and distributing food stamps. Existing law establishes the Medi-Cal program, administered by the State Department of Health Care Services, under which qualified low-income persons are provided with health care services. Under existing law, a recipient of aid, as defined, who is changing residence from one county to another within the state is required to promptly notify the county paying aid to the recipient of the move, and to apply for a redetermination of eligibility within the new county of residence. Existing law imposes various requirements on the relevant counties, including requiring the county to which the recipient has moved to determine the recipient's continued eligibility for payment of aid and, to the extent possible, the recipient's eligibility for the Medi-Cal program. This bill would  , beginning on July 1, 2010, for households receiving benefits under SNAP and the CalWORKs program or the Medi-Cal program, or both, and on January 1, 2011, for a   ll other households receiving benefits under SNAP,  specify that aid, for purposes of the provisions relating to a recipient's change of residence, includes benefits under  the Food Stamp Program   SNAP  . To the extent that it would increase the duties of county officials that administer public aid programs, including the Medi-Cal program and the federal  Food Stamp Program   SNAP  , this bill would impose a state-mandated local program. The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement. This bill would provide that, if the Commission on State Mandates determines that the bill contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement for those costs shall be made pursuant to these statutory provisions. Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: yes. State-mandated local program: yes. THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS: SECTION 1. Section 11053 of the Welfare and Institutions Code is amended to read: 11053. (a) It shall be the responsibility of a recipient changing residence from one county to another within the state to promptly notify the county paying aid to the recipient of the move and to apply for a redetermination of eligibility within the new county of residence. The first county shall notify the second county of the  recipient's   recipient's  move as soon as the recipient's location in the second county is known. The county to which the recipient has moved shall be responsible for determining the recipient's continued eligibility for payment of aid and, to the extent possible, as determined by the Director of Health Care Services, eligibility for the Medi-Cal program, as of the first day of the month following 30 days after the first county has notified the second county of the recipient's relocation. The first county shall provide the second county with copies of those documents, as specified by the department, necessary to establish current eligibility and grant amount. (b) Notwithstanding Section 10052,  or   for  purposes of this section, "aid" includes benefits paid pursuant to Article 9 (commencing with Section 18900) of Chapter 10 of Part 6.  (c) The amendments made to this section by the act adding this subdivision shall be implemented on the following dates:   (1) On July 1, 2010, for households receiving benefits pursuant to Article 9 (commencing with Section 18900) of Chapter 10 of Part 6, in which at least one individual also is receiving benefits under the CalWORKs program or the Medi-Cal program, or both.   (2) On January 1, 2011, for all households receiving benefits pursuant to Article 9 (commencing with Section 18900) of Chapter 10 of Part 6.   (d) The Legislature finds and declares that the delayed implementation of the amendments to this section by the act that adds this subdivision will allow counties to fold any training and software upgrades into their regularly scheduled training and computer reprogramming.  SEC. 2. If the Commission on State Mandates determines that this act contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement to local agencies and school districts for those costs shall be made pursuant to Part 7 (commencing with Section 17500) of Division 4 of Title 2 of the Government Code.