BILL ANALYSIS
Senate Appropriations Committee Fiscal Summary
Senator Christine Kehoe, Chair
1914 (Davis)
Hearing Date: 08/02/2010 Amended: As Proposed to be
Amended
Consultant: Jacqueline Wong-HernandezPolicy Vote: Human
Services 3-2
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BILL SUMMARY: AB 1914 would require a county to take into
consideration unemployment compensation benefits of an applicant
or recipient of food stamp benefits for the purposes of
determining eligibility and benefit amount only if the county
obtains a report containing information relating to that
applicant's unemployment benefits, as specified. This bill would
require the applicant or recipient to provide this report to the
county, if the applicant or recipient already has the report in
his or her possession. This bill would require the county to
provide a copy of the report, received from a source other than
the applicant or recipient, to the applicant or recipient if the
county takes any action based on the information in the that
report. This bill would require the Department of Social
Services (DSS) to develop regulations and set a public hearing
by May 1, 2011, as specified.
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Fiscal Impact (in thousands)
Major Provisions 2010-11 2011-12
2012-13 Fund
Mandate: county welfare agencies Very minor; unlikely to be
reimbursable General
DSS regulation development Minor and absorbable
General
Federal
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STAFF COMMENTS: SUSPENSE FILE. As Proposed to be Amended.
AB 1914 would modify the procedures for individuals applying
for, or in receipt of, food stamps, who have applied for
unemployment compensation benefits. This bill specifies that a
county shall take into consideration any unemployment
compensation benefit income of an applicant only if the county
obtains a written or electronic report showing the exact amount
of the unemployment compensation benefits and the date that the
applicant or recipient will receive the unemployment
compensation benefits. The extent to which this criterion would
be met is unclear, and the requirement could create cost
pressure to seek such reports.
If the applicant or recipient already has possession of a
written or electronic report showing the exact amount of the
unemployment compensation benefits and the date that the
applicant or recipient will receive the unemployment
compensation benefits, this bill requires the applicant or
recipient to provide this report to the county. If the county
takes action based upon documentation obtained from another
source, the county would be required to provide the applicant or
recipient with a copy of that documentation. This bill is silent
as to how a copy of the documentation would be transmitted to
the applicant. This requirement could impose a reimbursable
mandate, to the extent that counties require additional
resources to implement these procedures.
Page 2
AB 1914 (Davis)
This bill would require DSS to initially develop, in
consultation with "advocates" and "county representatives"
all-county letters to implement this section, and distribute
them.
DSS would be required, by May 1, 2011, to develop regulations
and set a public hearing in accordance with the rulemaking
provisions of the Administrative Procedure Act. This requirement
would increase the department's workload, at a time when it has
sustained significant budget reductions.
The author's proposed amendments would clarify the role of the
counties, the role of the applicant, and the role of DSS in this
process.