BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    Ó



                                                                    AB 2057


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          Date of Hearing:  April 27, 2016


                        ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS


                               Lorena Gonzalez, Chair


          AB  
          2057 (Mark Stone) - As Amended April 4, 2016


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          Urgency:  No  State Mandated Local Program:  YesReimbursable:   
          Yes


          SUMMARY:  This bill establishes an entitlement to CalFresh  
          expedited services for victims of domestic violence and exempts  
          them from mandatory employment and training requirements. The  
          bill further adds domestic violence shelters to the list of  
          locations where a county human services agency must distribute  
          CalFresh materials, including information on expedited services,  
          and requires each county human services agency to offer training  
          to those shelter operators regarding application procedures and  
          eligibility requirements for victims of domestic violence.   









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          FISCAL EFFECT:


          1)Unknown, likely moderate administrative costs (Fed/GF/County)  
            to the Department of Social Services (DSS) to develop and  
            provide information on CalFresh expedited services to domestic  
            violence shelters, including up to $100,000 for IT  
            modifications to accommodate new eligibility criteria. 


          2)Unknown, potentially significant reimburseable mandate costs  
            to counties to provide information and annual training to  
            domestic violence shelter operators on CalFresh application  
            procedures and services. Assuming each county spent $2,000 for  
            this task, statewide costs would be $116,000.


          COMMENTS:


          1)Purpose. According to the author, "Escaping an abusive  
            relationship is not only difficult but can also be dangerous  
            for domestic violence victims.  When individuals leave a  
            domestic violence situation, it can be the most dangerous time  
            in the relationship.  It is important that victims are able to  
            focus on their safety and the safety of anyone else they may  
            be taking out of the household.  At such a stressful and  
            dangerous time in their lives, victims should not have to  
            worry about how they will be able to eat and access their  
            CalFresh benefits.  If victims are on the same CalFresh card  
            as their partners, they may worry their partners will track  
            their movements through shared CalFresh accounts.  To protect  
            victims' safety, California must quickly process new CalFresh  
            accounts for victims so they will be better protected from  
            their partners and be able to access their benefits without  
            worry."
          2)CalFresh.  CalFresh benefits are funded entirely by the  
            federal government through the Supplemental Nutrition  








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            Assistance Program (SNAP), and the United States Department of  
            Agriculture (USDA) sets specific eligibility requirements for  
            SNAP programs across the United States, including a gross and  
            net income test, work requirements, and other documentation  
            requirements.  The maximum allowable gross income is typically  
            200% of the Federal Poverty Level (FPL).  CalFresh is  
            administered locally by county human services agencies, and  
            the federal, state, and county governments share in the cost  
            of administration.


            Benefits are available on a monthly basis for food purchase  
            through an ATM-like electronic benefits transfer (EBT) card.   
            However, CalFresh benefits cannot be withdrawn in cash at  
            point-of-sale terminals or at ATM machines.  CalFresh benefits  
            can only be used to purchase food items to be prepared and  
            consumed at home, as well as seeds and plants that can be  
            grown at home and produce food.  The average monthly benefit  
            for a CalFresh recipient is $144.35 per month.


            According to DSS, certain households may qualify for expedited  
            services for CalFresh benefits if they meet the following  
            criteria:


             a)   Have less than $150 in monthly gross income and liquid  
               resources of $100 or less; or


             b)   Contain migrant or seasonal farm workers who are  
               destitute; or


             c)   Have a combined monthly gross income and liquid  
               resources which are less than the household monthly rent or  
               mortgage and utilities.










                                                                    AB 2057


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            This bill adds a victim of domestic violence who is currently  
            a part of a certified household that also contains the abuser,  
            and who is a resident of, or an individual on a waiting list  
            to get into, a shelter for battered women and children, to  
            those qualified to receive expedited CalFresh benefits.


            Under existing law, DSS is required to develop and make  
            available to homeless shelters, among other locations,  
            CalFresh information on expedited services targeted to the  
            homeless population. Each county welfare department is  
            required to annually offer training on CalFresh application  
            procedures to homeless shelter operators. This bill would  
            expand these requirements to include victims of domestic  
            violence and domestic violence shelter operators.


          1)CalFresh Employment and Training Program (E&T). The CalFresh  
            Employment and Training (E&T) Program is California's  
            employment and training program for Non-assistance CalFresh  
            applicants and recipients.  Non-assistance recipients are  
            those who receive CalFresh benefits each month but do not  
            receive a monthly cash grant under the CalWORKs Program.


            CalFresh E&T was developed in order to comply with federal  
            legislation which requires states to established employment  
            and training programs for persons receiving SNAP benefits.   
            Participants can be assigned to a variety of activities, which  
            include job club, job search, workfare, and basic education,  
            among others.  For the 2016-2017 fiscal year, the DSS  
            estimates a caseload of 1,989,447 for Non-assistance CalFresh  
            households.


            This bill exempts CalFresh recipients who are victims of  
            domestic violence from the CalFresh Employment and Training  
            program.









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          Analysis Prepared by:Jennifer Swenson / APPR. / (916) 319-2081