BILL ANALYSIS
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THIRD READING
Bill No: AB 2018
Author: Skinner (D), et al
Amended: 8/2/10 in Senate
Vote: 21
SENATE HUMAN SERVICES COMMITTEE : 4-0, 6/22/10
AYES: Liu, Emmerson, Romero, Yee
NO VOTE RECORDED: Runner
SENATE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE : 8-0, 8/2/10
AYES: Kehoe, Alquist, Ashburn, Corbett, Emmerson, Price,
Wolk, Yee
NO VOTE RECORDED: Leno, Walters, Wyland
ASSEMBLY FLOOR : 62-1, 5/24/10 - See last page for vote
SUBJECT : Food stamps: intercounty transfer of benefits
SOURCE : County Welfare Directors Association
DIGEST : This bill establishes an intercounty transfer
process for food stamp recipients who move from one county
to another.
ANALYSIS :
Existing law:
1. Establishes the federal supplemental nutritional
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assistance program (SNAP), popularly known as the food
stamp program, to provide eligible households with an
electronic benefit for the purchase of food.
2. Establishes the welfare-to-work program, California Work
Opportunity and Responsibility to Kids (CalWORKs), for
eligible families with children.
3. Establishes the Medi-Cal program to provide health care
coverage to eligible adults and children.
4. Provides for the intercounty transfer of benefits for
participants in CalWORKs and Medi-Cal who move from one
county to another within California.
This bill:
1. Requires the Department of Social Services (DSS) to
establish a process of inter-county transfer of
eligibility for benefits under the food stamp program
when a recipient moves from one county to another within
the state.
2. Specifies that, commencing no later than April 1, 2011,
for recipients of food stamp benefits who are also
participants in the CalWORKs program, the inter-county
transfer process utilized for CalWORKs shall be used;
and further specifies that, commencing no later than
July 1, 2011, for recipients of food stamp benefits who
are also recipients of Medi-Cal benefits, but not
recipients of CalWORKs, the inter-county transfer
process utilized for Medi-Cal shall be used.
3. Requires that, commencing no later than July 1, 2011,
for recipients of food stamp benefits who are neither
recipients of CalWORKs nor Medi-Cal benefits, an
inter-county transfer process shall be developed, as
specified.
4. Specifies that it is the responsibility of the recipient
changing residence from one county to another within the
state to notify the county currently paying food stamp
benefits of the move and to apply for redetermination of
eligibility within the new county of residence.
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5. Requires the recipient's old county of residence to
notify the new county of residence of the recipient's
move as soon as the recipient's location in the new
county is known, and requires the new county of
residence to be responsible for determining the
recipient's continued eligibility for food stamp
benefits, and also to process any pending applications
or reports prior to transfer.
Background
Currently, if a family on CalWORKs or Medi-Cal moves from
one county to another, their case follows them to the new
county without a requirement to re-apply for benefits.
These processes ensure that families are not left without
resources during times of transition. Meanwhile, state law
requires a household to reapply for food stamp benefits
when moving from one county to another, leaving many
without benefits while they wait for approval in the new
county. This requirement not only results in lost benefits
to vulnerable families, but in lost economic activity.
Indeed, the United States Department of Agriculture
estimates that for every $1 in food stamp benefits, $1.84
in economic activity is generated. Moreover, it is costly
and time-consuming process for counties to re-process the
application.
FISCAL EFFECT : Appropriation: No Fiscal Com.: Yes
Local: Yes
According to the Senate Appropriations Committee:
Fiscal Impact (in thousands)
Major Provisions 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 Fund
New inter-county transfer Minor county workload
savings Local
process
Elminates new interviews Potentially significant
workload savings Local/
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General/
Federal
SUPPORT : (Verified 8/3/10)
County Welfare Directors Association (source)
California State Association of Counties
Western Center on Law and Poverty
ARGUMENTS IN SUPPORT : The County Welfare Directors
Association, the bill's sponsor, states that "As many
Californians are being forced to move across county lines
to find work, requiring them to resubmit paperwork again
and again to keep their benefits is inefficient and
increases the chances of these families losing their
benefits for which they remain otherwise eligible. Further
it is not required by federal law."
ASSEMBLY FLOOR :
AYES: Adams, Ammiano, Arambula, Beall, Bill Berryhill, Tom
Berryhill, Blakeslee, Block, Blumenfield, Bradford,
Brownley, Buchanan, Caballero, Charles Calderon, Carter,
Chesbro, Conway, Cook, Coto, Davis, De La Torre, De Leon,
Emmerson, Eng, Feuer, Fletcher, Fong, Fuentes, Fuller,
Furutani, Gaines, Galgiani, Harkey, Hayashi, Hill, Huber,
Huffman, Jeffries, Jones, Lieu, Bonnie Lowenthal, Ma,
Mendoza, Monning, Nestande, Niello, Nielsen, V. Manuel
Perez, Portantino, Ruskin, Salas, Skinner, Smyth,
Solorio, Audra Strickland, Swanson, Torlakson, Torres,
Torrico, Tran, Yamada, John A. Perez
NOES: Anderson
NO VOTE RECORDED: Bass, DeVore, Evans, Garrick, Gilmore,
Hagman, Hall, Hernandez, Knight, Logue, Miller, Nava,
Norby, Saldana, Silva, Villines, Vacancy
CTW:mw 8/3/10 Senate Floor Analyses
SUPPORT/OPPOSITION: SEE ABOVE
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