BILL ANALYSIS Ó AB 2057 Page 1 Date of Hearing: April 27, 2016 ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS Lorena Gonzalez, Chair AB 2057 (Mark Stone) - As Amended April 4, 2016 ----------------------------------------------------------------- |Policy |Human Services |Vote:|7 - 0 | |Committee: | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |-------------+-------------------------------+-----+-------------| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | ----------------------------------------------------------------- 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. AB 2057 Page 2 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 AB 2057 Page 3 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 Page 4 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. AB 2057 Page 5 Analysis Prepared by:Jennifer Swenson / APPR. / (916) 319-2081