BILL NUMBER: AB 2099 AMENDED
BILL TEXT
AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY MARCH 28, 2016
INTRODUCED BY Assembly Member Mark Stone
FEBRUARY 17, 2016
An act to add Chapter 16 (commencing with Section 18997) to Part 6
of Division 9 of the Welfare and Institutions Code, relating to
public social services.
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
AB 2099, as amended, Mark Stone. Safe drinking water
assistance program. assistance.
Existing law provides for financial and food assistance benefits
to needy Californians, including, among other programs, the
California Work Opportunity and Responsibility to Kids (CalWORKs)
program and CalFresh, under which each county provides for financial
and food assistance benefits to qualified individuals who meet
specified eligibility criteria. Existing law, administered by the
State Department of Social Services, provides for the establishment
of a statewide electronic benefits transfer (EBT) system for the
purpose of providing those financial and food assistance benefits.
Existing law authorizes a county to deliver CalFresh benefits and,
upon election by the county, CalWORKs benefits through the use of an
EBT system.
This bill would require the State Department of Social Services to
establish and administer a safe drinking water assistance
program to provide cash benefits process to deliver
interim drinking water assistance benefits to low-income
households, as defined, with inadequate access to safe drinking
water so that they may obtain safe drinking water.
The bill would specify that eligible low-income households include,
but are not limited to, households in a disadvantaged
community, in disadvantaged communities, served by
noncompliant small water systems, households located in
communities deemed eligible for interim emergency drinking
water benefits from the State Water Resources Control Board, and
households whose private wells have gone dry or become
contaminated, active outages or water supply problems,
as specified. The bill would require that the program
process be funded with existing emergency
drought response resources allocated for interim water
assistance and would require the department, in consultation
with other specified state agencies, to identify existing
resources for the program. resources. The bill
would require the department to deliver the cash
benefits through the EBT system. The bill would also make relating
findings and declarations.
Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: yes.
State-mandated local program: no.
THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
SECTION 1. The Legislature finds and declares all of
the following:
(a) The electronic benefits transfer (EBT) system is an
electronic system that has operated statewide in California
since 2004 that allows as an effective and
efficient method to issue government benefits to be
transferred directly to recipients, similar to a bank debit card, to
provide a way to spend benefits at retailers.
recipients.
(b) Research has shown that the use of EBT cards
has many advantages for delivering public benefits. For
recipients, EBT offers greater convenience, improved security, and
reduced stigmatization. For state governments, EBT provides cost and
time savings, improves operational efficiencies, and promotes
accountability while stimulating local economies.
(c) EBT has been deemed an effective and responsive mechanism for
quickly delivering assistance to people recovering from natural
disasters.
(d) The Legislature and the Governor established The Human Right
to Water policy in 2013, which established the policy of
the state that every human being has the right to safe, clean,
affordable, and accessible water adequate for human consumption,
cooking, and sanitary purposes.
(e) Despite a history of proactive water policies, California
residents still face formidable challenges as the drought continues
to exacerbate water quality issues for disadvantaged communities who
disproportionately bear the health and financial impacts of
inadequate access to safe water.
(f) Significant barriers to water access exist for marginalized
Californians who are forced to choose between drinking water and
expending scarce resources to pay for clean water.
(g) In 2014, more than 1 million Californians faced water safety
violations that made water unsafe to drink.
(h) As the drought enters its fifth year, more than 2,000 domestic
wells have gone dry in the Central Valley, affecting tens of
thousands of people. Many small communities face chronic water
quality problems. Almost 400 small rural water systems and schools
are unable to provide safe drinking water.
(i) In response to these challenges, the Governor and the
Legislature have established or proposed new emergency drinking water
supports to assist these households.
(j) Recognizing this, it is the intent of the Legislature to
utilize the existing EBT system to deliver appropriate emergency
water benefits to disadvantaged households in an efficient and
effective manner.
SEC. 2. Chapter 16 (commencing with Section 18997) is added to
Part 6 of Division 9 of the Welfare and Institutions Code, to read:
CHAPTER 16. SAFE DRINKING WATER ASSISTANCE PROGRAM
18997. (a) The State Department of Social
Services shall establish and administer a safe
process to deliver interim emergency drinking water
assistance program to provide cash benefits to
low-income households with inadequate access to safe drinking
water so that they may obtain safe drinking water.
Low-income households eligible for program
to receive these benefits include, but are not limited to, all
of the following:
(a)
(1) Households served by noncompliant small water
systems in disadvantaged communities, as defined in Section
79505.5 of the Water Code. Code, as
determined by residence ZIP Code.
(b)
(2) Households located in communities deemed
eligible for interim emergency drinking water benefits under the
State Water Resources Control Board. Board, as
determined by residence ZIP Code.
(c)
(3) Households whose private wells have gone
dry or become contaminated, active outages or water
supply problems, as determined by the State Water
Resources Control Board. Department of Water
Resources.
(b) A household shall become ineligible to receive these benefits
once its water system is deemed compliant by the State Water
Resources Control Board or its well supply problem is deemed resolved
by the Department of Water Resources.
18997.5. (a) To The State Department of
Social Services shall utilize a computerized data-matching system
using existing databases from the department, the State Water
Resources Control Board, and the Department of Water Resources.
(b) To the extent allowable under
federal law, the department shall deliver the cash
benefits provided pursuant to this chapter through the
electronic benefit transfer (EBT) system created under Section 10072.
The distribution of the cash benefits shall
comply with any federal and state laws and regulations
governing electronic benefits.
(b)
(c) The program process
shall comply with privacy and confidentiality procedures consistent
with all applicable state and federal law.
18998. The program process shall be
funded from existing resources. emergency
drought response resources allocated for interim water assistance.
The department State
Department of Social Services shall, in consultation
with the Office of Emergency Services, the Department of Water
Resources, the State Water Resources Control Board, and other
relevant agencies, identify existing resources for the
program. resources.
18998.5. For the purpose of this chapter, "low-income household"
means a household with income that is equal to or no greater
than 200 percent of the federal poverty guideline level. For a
one-person household, program eligibility shall be based on
two-person household guideline levels. determined to
be low-income through participation in any of the following
means-tested public assistance programs:
(a) A public assistance program for which the Office of Systems
Integration implements a statewide automated welfare system, as
specified in Section 10823, including CalWORKs, CalFresh, Medi-Cal,
and the refugee program.
(b) Any other public assistance program, including the California
Food Assistance Program, Cash Assistance for Immigrants, Supplemental
Security Income/State Supplementary Payment (SSI/SSP), and General
Relief or General Assistance.
18998.6. Benefits provided under this chapter shall be in
addition to benefits provided under Chapter 2 (commencing with
Section 11200) of Part 3, and shall not be considered as income or
resources for any program established under this code.