BILL ANALYSIS Ó
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|SENATE RULES COMMITTEE | AB 1359|
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THIRD READING
Bill No: AB 1359
Author: Skinner (D)
Amended: 8/24/12 in Senate
Vote: 21
PRIOR VOTES NOT RELEVANT
SUBJECT : Public social services: CalFresh
SOURCE : Author
DIGEST : This bill removes language relating to solid
waste and replace them with language that requires county
human services agencies to provide CalFresh benefits on an
expedited basis to households determined to be in immediate
need of food assistance, as specified.
Senate Floor Amendments of 8/24/12 delete the prior version
of the bill relating to solid waste and replace it with the
above language relating to public social services.
ANALYSIS : Existing law requires a county welfare
department, to the extent provided by federal law, to
provide CalFresh benefits on an expedited basis to certain
households.
This bill, as amended 8/24/12, was previously heard in the
Senate Human Services Committee as part of AB 1970, which
was held in the Senate Appropriations Committee due to
costs related to other portions of that bill. The bill is
CONTINUED
AB 1359
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being requested by the Department of Social Services to
conform California practice to federal law. Currently, the
state is out of compliance.
FISCAL EFFECT : Appropriation: No Fiscal Com.: No
Local: No
SUPPORT : (Verified 8/28/12)
California Food Policy Advocates
Coalition of California Welfare Rights Organization
County Welfare Directors Association of California
SEIU
Western Center on Law and Poverty
ARGUMENTS IN SUPPORT : The County Welfare Directors
Association of California states, "The federal Supplemental
Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), known as CalFresh in
California, provides federally funded nutrition assistance
to low-income Americans to prevent hunger and malnutrition.
Studies show that SNAP recipients purchase healthier food
and go hungry less often than people with the same incomes
who do not participate in SNAP. Federal law requires
administering agencies (in California, the county human
services department) to screen all applications for
potential expedited services eligibility if the household
has less than $150 in gross monthly income and has $100 or
less in liquid resources, and has monthly housing costs for
the month are more than the sum of its liquid resources and
gross income for the month. State law currently requires
counties to only consider the expedited benefits for
households who request it. In order to ensure conformity
with federal law, AB 1359 amends Welfare and Institutions
Code Section 18914, which provides that county human
services agencies would be required to evaluate all
CalFresh applicants to be screened for expedited services,
regardless of whether they have specifically requested the
screening. This change to state law will prevent hunger by
ensuring that household entitled to expedited issuance of
CalFresh benefits receive them within the expedited period
established under federal law."
DLW:m 8/28/12 Senate Floor Analyses
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SUPPORT/OPPOSITION: SEE ABOVE
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