BILL ANALYSIS Ó AB 2057 Page 1 ASSEMBLY THIRD READING AB 2057 (Mark Stone) As Amended Majority vote ------------------------------------------------------------------ |Committee |Votes|Ayes |Noes | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |----------------+-----+----------------------+--------------------| |Human Services |7-0 |Bonilla, Grove, | | | | |Calderon, Lopez, | | | | |Maienschein, | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |Mark Stone, Thurmond | | | | | | | |----------------+-----+----------------------+--------------------| |Appropriations |20-0 |Gonzalez, Bigelow, | | | | |Bloom, Bonilla, | | | | |Bonta, Calderon, | | | | |Chang, Daly, Eggman, | | | | |Gallagher, Eduardo | | | | |Garcia, Roger | | | | |Hernández, Holden, | | | | |Jones, Obernolte, | | | | |Quirk, Santiago, | | | | |Wagner, Weber, Wood | | | | | | | | | | | | AB 2057 Page 2 ------------------------------------------------------------------ SUMMARY: Requires the Department of Social Services (DSS) to develop information on and provide expedited services for CalFresh benefits for victims of domestic violence. Specifically, this bill: 1)Requires DSS to develop CalFresh information on expedited services, as specified, for victims of domestic violence. 2)Adds domestic violence shelters to the list of entities where information regarding CalFresh expedited services is required to be made available. 3)Requires each county human services agency to offer annual training on CalFresh application procedures to domestic violence shelter operators, to include eligibility criteria and specific information regarding the eligibility of victims of domestic violence. 4)Requires each county human services agency to provide domestic violence shelters with a supply of that portion of the CalFresh application used to request expedited CalFresh services, if requested by the shelter. 5)Requires that 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 be entitled to receive expedited CalFresh benefits as a separate household, to the extent permitted by federal law, regulations, waivers, and directives. AB 2057 Page 3 6)Exempts CalFresh recipients who are victims of domestic violence from the CalFresh Employment and Training program. EXISTING LAW: 1)Establishes under federal law the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) pursuant to the Food Stamp Act of 1964 and establishes, in California statute, the CalFresh program to administer the provision of federal SNAP benefits to families and individuals meeting certain criteria, as specified. (Welfare and Institutions Code Section (WIC) 18900 et seq.) 2)Establishes the Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) Act, and defines the EBT system as the program designed to provide benefits to those eligible to receive public assistance benefits such as California Work Opportunity and Responsibility to Kids (CalWORKs) and CalFresh. (WIC 10065 et seq.) 3)Requires a county human services agency to screen all CalFresh applications for entitlement to expedited services and to authorize immediate issuance of CalFresh benefits within a certain amount of time, as specified. (WIC 18914) 4)Establishes within CalFresh the federal Employment and Training (E&T) program to assist members of CalFresh households in gaining skills, training, work, or experience that will increase their ability to obtain regular employment. (7 Code of Federal Regulations 273.7, WIC 18926.5) 5)Establishes the federal Temporary Assistance for Needy AB 2057 Page 4 Families (TANF) program, which permits states to implement the program under a state plan. (42 United States Code Section 601 et seq.) 6)Requires a county welfare department at the time of application to determine whether the applicant needs immediate assistance because the applicant does not have sufficient resources to meet his or her emergency needs, as specified. (WIC 11266 et seq.) FISCAL EFFECT: According to the Assembly Appropriations Committee, this bill may result in the following costs: 1)Unknown, likely moderate administrative costs (Federal/General Fund/County) to 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 reimbursable 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 annually. COMMENTS: CalFresh: CalFresh benefits are funded entirely by the federal government through 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 AB 2057 Page 5 200% of the Federal Poverty Level (FPL). Households with elderly or disabled members are not subject to gross income criteria but must have a net monthly income at or below 100% of the FPL. Other households must meet both gross and net monthly income tests. CalFresh is administered locally by county human services agencies, and the federal, state, and county governments share in the cost of administration of the program. Benefits are made available on a monthly basis for food purchase through an ATM-like electronic benefits transfer (EBT) card. However, unlike other types of benefits that may be accessed through an EBT card, 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, or $4.81 per person per day. According to DSS, certain households may qualify for expedited services for CalFresh benefits. These households experience the same application process as all other clients, but not all information has to be verified before benefits are issued. CalFresh Employment and Training Program (E&T): The 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, DSS estimates a caseload of 1,989,447 for AB 2057 Page 6 Non-assistance CalFresh households. Need for this bill: 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." Analysis Prepared by: Kelsy Castillo / HUM. S. / (916) 319-2089 FN: 0003324