BILL NUMBER: AB 2099 AMENDED
BILL TEXT
AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY MARCH 31, 2016
AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY MARCH 28, 2016
INTRODUCED BY Assembly Member Mark Stone
FEBRUARY 17, 2016
An act to add and repeal Chapter 16 (commencing with
Section 18997) to of 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. benefit.
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 process to deliver interim
drinking water assistance benefits to low-income households, as
defined, with inadequate access to safe drinking water. The bill
would specify that eligible low-income households include, but are
not limited to, households 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 active outages or water supply problems, as specified.
The bill would require that the 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. The
bill would require the department to deliver the benefits through the
EBT system. to, on or before February 1, 2017,
convene a workgroup to develop recommendations for delivering a water
benefit to supplement the purchase of drinking water for low-income
households with inadequate access to safe drinking water
, as specified. The bill would require the workgroup to
consist of representatives from specified entities, including the
Department of Water Resources, the Office of Emergency Services, and
applicable community advocates, and would require the workgroup to
develop recommendations that include, among other things, an
implementation plan for identification of eligible households and
delivery of the benefit to those households. The bill
would require the State Department of Social Services to, on or
before July 1, 2017, submit a report with the recommendations to the
Legislature and the California Health and Human Services Agency.
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 has operated
statewide in California since 2004 as an effective and efficient
method to issue government benefits to recipients.
(b) Research has shown that the use of EBT 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
18997. (a) The State Department of Social Services shall
establish and administer a process to deliver interim emergency
drinking water assistance benefits to low-income households with
inadequate access to safe drinking water. Low-income households
eligible to receive these benefits include, but are not limited to,
all of the following:
(1) Households served by noncompliant small water systems in
disadvantaged communities, as defined in Section 79505.5 of the Water
Code, as determined by residence ZIP Code.
(2) Households located in communities deemed eligible for interim
emergency drinking water benefits under the State Water Resources
Control Board, as determined by residence ZIP Code.
(3) Households whose private wells have active outages or water
supply problems, as determined by the 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) 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 benefits provided pursuant to this chapter through
the electronic benefit transfer (EBT) system created under Section
10072. The distribution of the benefits shall comply with any federal
and state laws and regulations governing electronic benefits.
(c) The process shall comply with privacy and confidentiality
procedures consistent with all applicable state and federal law.
18998. The process shall be funded from existing emergency
drought response resources allocated for interim water assistance.
The 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.
18998.5. For the purpose of this chapter, "low-income household"
means a household 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.
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 BENEFIT
18997. (a) On or before February 1, 2017, the State Department of
Social Services shall convene a workgroup to develop recommendations
for delivering a water benefit to supplement the purchase of
drinking water for low-income households with inadequate access to
safe drinking water.
(b) The water benefit to be developed shall do all of the
following:
(1) Be made available to low-income households with inadequate
access to safe drinking water, including, but not limited to all of
the following:
(A) Households served by noncompliant small water systems in
disadvantaged communities, as defined in Section 79505.5 of the Water
Code.
(B) Households located in communities deemed eligible for interim
emergency drinking water benefits by the State Water Resources
Control Board.
(C) Households whose private wells have active outages or water
supply problems, as determined by the Department of Water Resources.
(2) To the extent possible, be provided through the electronic
benefits transfer system.
(3) To the extent possible, be funded from existing emergency
drought response resources allocated for interim water assistance.
(c) The workgroup shall consist of representatives from all of the
following entities:
(1) The State Department of Social Services.
(2) The State Water Resources Control Board.
(3) The Department of Water Resources.
(4) The Office of Emergency Services.
(5) The County Welfare Directors Association of California.
(6) Food policy advocates.
(7) Other applicable community advocates.
(d) The workgroup shall develop recommendations that include all
of the following:
(1) The design of the benefit.
(2) An implementation plan for identification of eligible
households and delivery of the benefit to those households.
(3) Possibilities for interim or permanent adoption and
implementation of the benefit through regulations, all-county
letters, or similar instruction.
(e) (1) The State Department of Social Services shall submit a
report with the recommendations to the Legislature and the California
Health and Human Services Agency by July 1, 2017.
(2) A report to be submitted to the Legislature pursuant to
paragraph (1) shall be submitted in compliance with Section 9795 of
the Government Code.
18998. This chapter shall become inoperative on July 1, 2021,
and, as of January 1, 2022, is repealed, unless a later enacted
statute, that becomes operative on or before January 1, 2022, deletes
or extends the dates on which it becomes inoperative and is
repealed.