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:
The Legislature finds and declares all of the
2following:
3(a) The electronic benefits transfer (EBT) system has operated
4statewide in California since 2004 as an effective and efficient
5method to issue government benefits to recipients.
6(b) Research has shown that the use of EBT has many
7advantages for delivering public benefits. For recipients, EBT
8offers greater convenience, improved security, and reduced
9stigmatization. For state governments, EBT provides cost and time
10savings, improves operational efficiencies, and promotes
11accountability while stimulating local economies.
12(c) EBT has been deemed an effective and responsive
13mechanism for quickly delivering assistance to people recovering
14from natural disasters.
15(d) The Legislature and the Governor established The Human
16Right to Water in 2013, which established the policy of California
17that every human being has the right to safe, clean, affordable, and
P3 1accessible water adequate for human consumption, cooking, and
2sanitary purposes.
3(e) Despite a history of proactive water policies, California
4residents still face formidable challenges as the drought continues
5to exacerbate water quality issues for disadvantaged communities
6who disproportionately bear the health and financial impacts of
7inadequate access to safe water.
8(f) Significant barriers to water access exist for marginalized
9Californians who are forced to choose between drinking water and
10expending scarce resources to pay for clean water.
11(g) In 2014, more than 1 million Californians faced water safety
12violations that made water unsafe to drink.
13(h) As the drought enters its fifth year, more than 2,000 domestic
14wells have gone dry in the Central Valley, affecting tens of
15thousands of people. Many small communities face chronic water
16quality problems. Almost 400 small rural water systems and
17schools are unable to provide safe drinking water.
18(i) In response to these challenges, the Governor and the
19Legislature have
established or proposed new emergency drinking
20water supports to assist these households.
21(j) Recognizing this, it is the intent of the Legislaturebegin delete to utilize to deliver appropriate emergency water
22the existing EBT systemend delete
23benefits to disadvantaged households in an efficient and effective
24
begin delete manner.end deletebegin insert manner and, to the extent possible, to utilize the EBT
25system to accomplish this goal.end insert
Chapter 16 (commencing with Section 18997) is added
27to Part 6 of Division 9 of the Welfare and Institutions Code, to
28read:
29
(a) On or before February 1, 2017, the State Department
33of Social Services shall convene a workgroup to develop
34recommendations for delivering a water benefit to supplement the
35purchase of drinking water for low-income households with
36inadequate access to safe drinking water.
37(b) The water benefit to be developed shall do all of the
38following:
39(1) Be made available to low-income households with
40inadequate access to safe drinking water.
P4 1(2) To the extent possible, be provided through the electronic
2benefits transfer system.
3(3) To the extent possible, be funded from existing emergency
4drought response resources allocated for interim water assistance.
5(c) The workgroup shall consist of representatives from all of
6the following entities:
7(1) The State Department of Social Services.
8(2) The State Water Resources Control Board.
9(3) The Department of Water Resources.
10(4) The Office of Emergency Services.
11(5) The County Welfare Directors Association of California.
12(6) Food policy advocates.
13(7) Other applicable community advocates.
14(d) The workgroup shall develop recommendations that include
15all of the following:
16(1) The design of the benefit.
17(2) An implementation plan for identification of eligible
18households and delivery of the benefit to those households. In
19developing eligibility criteria, the workgroup shall consider all of
20the following populations:
21(A) Households in disadvantaged communities served by
22noncompliant small community water systems, as defined in
23Section 116275 of the Health and Safety Code.
24(B) Households located in communities deemed eligible for
25interim emergency drinking water benefits by the State Water
26Resources Control Board.
27(C) Households with private wells that have active outages or
28water supply problems.
29(3) Possibilities for interim or permanent adoption and
30implementation of the benefit through regulations, all-county
31letters, or similar instruction.
32(e) (1) The State Department of Social Services shall submit a
33report with the recommendations to the Legislature and the
34
California Health and Human Services Agency by July 1, 2017.
35(2) A report submitted to the Legislature pursuant to paragraph
36(1) shall be submitted in compliance with Section 9795 of the
37Government Code.
This chapter shall become inoperative on July 1, 2021,
39and, as of January 1, 2022, is repealed, unless a later enacted
40statute, that becomes operative on or before January 1, 2022,
P5 1deletes or extends the dates on which it becomes inoperative and
2is repealed.
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