Amended in Assembly April 14, 2016

Amended in Assembly March 31, 2016

Amended in Assembly March 28, 2016

California Legislature—2015–16 Regular Session

Assembly Bill No. 2099

Introduced by Assembly Member Mark Stone

February 17, 2016

An act to add and repeal Chapter 16 (commencing with Section 18997) 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 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, 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 begin delete policy end delete 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 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 begin delete water, including, but not limited
to all of the following: end delete begin insert water. end insert

begin delete

(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.

end delete

(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. begin insert end insert begin insert In
developing eligibility criteria, the workgroup shall consider all of
the following populations: end insert

begin insert

(A) Households in disadvantaged communities served by
noncompliant small community water systems, as defined in Section
116275 of the Health and Safety Code.

end insert begin insert

(B) Households located in communities deemed eligible for
interim emergency drinking water benefits by the State Water
Resources Control Board.

end insert begin insert

(C) Households whose private wells have active outages or
water supply problems.

end insert

(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.