California Senate Bill SB1359 Amended / Bill

 BILL NUMBER: SB 1359AMENDED BILL TEXT AMENDED IN SENATE APRIL 8, 2010 INTRODUCED BY Senator Price FEBRUARY 19, 2010  An act to amend Sections 10830, 11265.1 and 11265.3 of, and to repeal and add Section 18910 of, the Welfare and Institutions Code,   An act to add and repeal Section 18919 of the Welfare and Institutions Code,  relating to public social services. LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST SB 1359, as amended, Price. Public social  services: food stamps.   services.   Existing law provides for various federal human services programs, including the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), under which food stamps are allocated to the state by the federal government and are distributed to eligible households by each county through the state's Food Stamp program.   This bill would require the California Research Bureau of the California State Library to, no later than July 1, 2011, compile all existing information and recommendations from interested stakeholders relating to, among other things, increasing participation in federal human services programs, including the federal SNAP program. This bill would require the Legislative Analyst's Office to submit, no later than November 1, 2011, and no later than November 1 of each year thereafter for 4 years, a report to the appropriate policy and fiscal committees of the Legislature, analyzing and evaluating participation in federal human services programs, as specified.   (1) Existing law requires each county to provide cash assistance and other social services to needy families through the California Work Opportunity and Responsibility to Kids (CalWORKs) program using federal Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) block grant program, state, and county funds. Under existing law, the county is required to annually redetermine eligibility for CalWORKs benefits.   Existing law additionally requires the county to redetermine recipient eligibility and grant amounts on a quarterly basis, as prescribed. Under existing law, the CalWORKs quarterly reporting system is also implemented by the State Department of Social Services in administering the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, which is administered in California as the Food Stamp program. Under the Food Stamp program, each county distributes food stamps provided by the federal government to eligible households.   This bill would repeal the provisions requiring the Food Stamp program to implement CalWORKs reporting requirements, and to the extent permitted by federal law, would impose requirements for semiannual reporting for the Food Stamp program, operative on ____, to be implemented no later than ____. The bill would authorize counties to adopt staggered semiannual reporting requirements, as specified.   (2) Existing law requires the State Department of Social Services and the California Health and Human Services Agency Data Center formerly the Health and Welfare Data Center to design, implement, and maintain a statewide fingerprint imaging system for use in connection with the determination of eligibility for benefits under the CalWORKs program, excluding the Aid to Families with Dependent Children-Foster Care program, and the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. Existing law, with specified exceptions, requires applicants for, and recipients of, CalWORKs and Food Stamp program benefits, as a condition of eligibility, to be fingerprint imaged, pursuant to the statewide fingerprint imaging system.   This bill would delete the fingerprint imaging requirements, with respect to applicants and recipients under the Food Stamp program.   (3) Existing law imposes limits on the amount of income and personal and real property an individual or family may possess in order to be eligible for aid under the Food Stamp program.   This bill, to the extent permitted by federal law, would prohibit eligibility for food stamps from being conditioned on the limitation of an individual's or family's assets, as defined, and would delete existing asset limitations.   (4) This bill would authorize the department to implement its provisions through all-county letters until the adoption of implementing regulations, as prescribed.   (5) To the extent that this bill would expand eligibility for food stamp benefits, the 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   no  . THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:  SECTION 1.   Section 18919 is added to the   Welfare and Institutions Code   , to read:   18919. (a) (1) The California Research Bureau (CRB) of the California State Library shall compile all existing information and recommendations from interested stakeholders relating to the issues the Legislative Analyst's Office (LAO) is required to report on as specified in paragraphs (1) to (3), inclusive, of subdivision (b). (2) The CRB shall submit a report of its findings and the recommendations gathered pursuant to paragraph (1) to the LAO no later than July 1, 2011. (b) The LAO shall, no later than November 1, 2011, and no later than November 1 of each year thereafter, submit a report to the appropriate policy and fiscal committees of the Legislature addressing all of the following using the information and recommendations submitted by the CRB pursuant to subdivision (a): (1) Analysis of the economic and social impact of the recommendations of interested stakeholders relating to the removal of administrative barriers to increase participation in the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. (2) Evaluation of the best practices and administrative housekeeping policies of the State Department of Social Services with respect to encouraging participation in the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and maximizing participation in all federal human services programs as policy changes occur. (3) Analysis of the economic impacts regionally within the state of increased participation in federal human services programs. (c) (1) A report to be submitted pursuant to subdivision (b) shall be submitted in compliance with Section 9795 of the Government Code. (2) Pursuant to Section 10231.5 of the Government Code, this section is repealed on November 1, 2015.  All matter omitted in this version of the bill appears in the bill as amended in the Senate, February 19, 2010. (JR11)