BILL ANALYSIS
------------------------------------------------------------
|SENATE RULES COMMITTEE | AB 2417|
|Office of Senate Floor Analyses | |
|1020 N Street, Suite 524 | |
|(916) 445-6614 Fax: (916) | |
|327-4478 | |
------------------------------------------------------------
THIRD READING
Bill No: AB 2417
Author: Firebaugh (D), et al
Amended: 6/21/00 in Senate
Vote: 21
SENATE HEALTH & HUMAN SERV. COMMITTEE : 5-1, 7/5/00
AYES: Escutia, Figueroa, Polanco, Solis, Vasconcellos
NOES: Mountjoy
SENATE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE : 8-4, 8/23/00
AYES: Johnston, Alpert, Bowen, Burton, Escutia, Karnette,
Perata, Vasconcellos
NOES: Johnson, Kelley, Leslie, Mountjoy
ASSEMBLY FLOOR : 56-16, 5/31/00 - See last page for vote
SUBJECT : Assistance for immigrants
SOURCE : California Immigrant Welfare Collaborative
DIGEST : This bill repeals the September 30, 2000, sunset
date on eligibility for the California Food Assistance
Program and Cash Assistance Program for Immigrants benefits
for legal immigrants who entered the United States on or
after August 22, 1996, thereby extending benefits to these
immigrants indefinitely.
ANALYSIS : Existing federal law restricts the eligibility
of lawfully present noncitizens, who entered the United
States on or after August 22, 1996, for federal food stamps
and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits to those
CONTINUED
AB 2417
Page
2
noncitizens who have 40 qualifying quarters of work or who
become naturalized U.S. citizens.
Existing state law establishes the California Food
Assistance Program (CFAP) and Cash Assistance Program for
Immigrants (CAPI) to provide state-funded food stamps and
state-funded SSI, respectively, to:
1. Legal immigrants who entered the U.S. on or before
August 21, 1996, and who are eligible for federal food
stamps or SSI but for their immigration status, and
provides eligibility indefinitely;
2. Legal immigrants who entered the U.S. on or after August
22, 1996, are otherwise eligible for federal food stamps
or SSI benefits, have a sponsor, and the sponsor is
deceased or disabled, or the immigrant is a victim of
abuse by the sponsor, and provides eligibility
indefinitely; and
3. Legal immigrants who entered the U.S. on or after August
22, 1996, are otherwise eligible for federal food stamp
or SSI benefits, and have either no sponsor or a healthy
sponsor, and provides eligibility only until September
30, 2000.
This bill removes the sunsets of September 30, 2000 on both
the CFAP and CAPI programs such that all legal immigrants
will be eligible for both programs, regardless of their
date of entry into the United States and sponsorship
status.
Comments :
Public Law 104-193, the federal welfare reform law, enacted
August 22, 1996, eliminated eligibility for federal food
stamps and SSI programs for most legal immigrants.
Subsequent federal legislation restored benefits for food
stamps and SSI benefits to legal immigrants who entered the
U.S. before August 22, 1996. AB 1576 (Bustamante), Chapter
278, Statutes of 1997, established CFAP and CAPI to provide
state-only food stamps and SSI benefits to immigrants who
entered the U.S. before August 22, 1996, who would have
lost their benefits under federal welfare reform. AB 2779
AB 2417
Page
3
(Aroner), Chapter 329, Statutes of 1998, and AB 1111
(Aroner), Chapter 147, Statutes of 1999, expanded CFAP and
CAPI to provide benefits to eligible immigrants who entered
the U.S. after the enactment of federal welfare reform.
The Governor's budget estimates an average monthly caseload
of 87,000 in CFAP and 11,000 in CAPI in the current fiscal
year.
According to the author, the extension of CFAP and CAPI
eligibility will provide needed benefits to vulnerable
populations of adults and children in California. A 1998
study conducted by California Food Policy Advocates showed
that legal immigrant households losing food stamp benefits
are far more likely to face hunger and food insecurity than
similar households maintaining food stamps benefits. The
sponsors of AB 2417 maintain that legal immigrants work and
pay taxes like other U.S. residents and that they should be
entitled to the same social safety net protections that are
afforded to citizens. According to information provided to
the committee by the author in 1997, the National Academy
of Sciences, comparing tax payments and the costs of public
benefits, found that the average immigrant household in
California makes a net contribution of $1,178 in taxes.
Currently, eligibility requirements for the programs are
complex and inequitable. A legal immigrant who entered the
U.S. on August 21, 1996 is eligible indefinitely for these
benefits, while a legal immigrant who entered the U.S. on
August 23, 1996 is only eligible through September 30,
2000, unless the person has a sponsor who is deceased,
disabled, or abusing the immigrant, in which case
eligibility is indefinite. This bill would simplify these
provision and, more importantly, create equity in
eligibility among legal immigrants.
Related legislation :
AB 2876, Chapter 108, Statutes of 2000, is the omnibus
social services trailer bill which provides for a one-year
extension of the sunset that this bill proposes to repeal.
FISCAL EFFECT : Appropriation: No Fiscal Com.: Yes
Local: Yes
AB 2417
Page
4
Fiscal Impact (in thousands)
Major Provisions 2000-01 2001-02 2002-03
Fund
Benefits 2,200 54,400
54,000General
Comments :
The Department of Social Services (DSS) has estimated that
the extension of these programs would cost $2.2 million
General Fund in the current year, because the program is
funded in conjunction with the federal budget cycle. After
that, full year costs of continuing these benefits would be
approximately $54.4 million General Fund and this amount
would increase to cover additional immigrants who arrive in
the United States and qualify for these benefits.
SUPPORT : (Verified 8/24/00)
California Immigrant Welfare Collaborative (source)
American Civil Liberties Union
Armenian Relief Society
Asian American Drug Abuse Program Inc.
Asian American Senior Citizens Service Center
Asian Law Alliance
Asian Pacific Health Care Venture
Asian Pacific Islander American Health Forum
Asian Pacific Policy and Planning Council
California Association Food Banks
California Catholic Conference
California Child, Youth and Family Coalition
California Food Policy Advocates
California Institute for Rural Studies
California Interfaith Coalition
California State Association of Counties
Cambodian Association of America
Casa Del Pueblo
Catholic Charities of California
Centro Shalom
Children's Advocacy Institute
County of Alameda
County of Los Angeles
AB 2417
Page
5
County of Santa Clara
County Welfare Directors Association of California
Hillview Mental Health Center, Inc.
Immigrant Legal Resource Center
Immigrant Student Assessment Center
Instituto Sanchez-Mendoza
Jericho
Korean Health, Education, Information and Research Center
Los Angeles Regional Food Bank
Maternal and Child Health Access
Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund
Napa County Council for Economic Opportunity
National Korean- American Services and Education Consortium
OCAPICA
Orange County Community Housing Corporation
Pacific Asian Language Services (PALS) for Health
Pilipino Workers Center of Southern California
Placentia Human Services
Planned Parenthood of San Diego and Riverside Counties
Protection & Advocacy, Inc.
San Francisco Food Bank
Santa Ana Hospital Medical Center
Second Harvest Food Bank
Self-Help for the Elderly
Service Employer's International Union Local 660
South Central Family Health Center
Southern California Association of Non-Profit Housing
Thai Community Development Center
United Lao Movement for Democracy
Urban Counties Caucus
Western Center on Law and Poverty
605 Citizenship Project
78 Individuals
ASSEMBLY FLOOR :
AYES: Alquist, Aroner, Bock, Brewer, Calderon, Cardenas,
Cardoza, Cedillo, Corbett, Correa, Cox, Cunneen, Davis,
Ducheny, Dutra, Firebaugh, Florez, Floyd, Frusetta,
Gallegos, Havice, Honda, Jackson, Keeley, Knox, Kuehl,
Lempert, Longville, Lowenthal, Machado, Maldonado,
Margett, Mazzoni, Migden, Robert Pacheco, Rod Pacheco,
Papan, Pescetti, Reyes, Romero, Scott, Shelley,
Steinberg, Strom-Martin, Thomson, Torlakson,
AB 2417
Page
6
Villaraigosa, Vincent, Washington, Wayne, Wesson,
Wiggins, Wildman, Wright, Zettel, Hertzberg
NOES: Aanestad, Ackerman, Ashburn, Bates, Briggs,
Campbell, Dickerson, Granlund, House, Kaloogian, Leach,
Leonard, Maddox, McClintock, Runner, Thompson
CP:jk 8/26/00 Senate Floor Analyses
SUPPORT/OPPOSITION: SEE ABOVE
**** END ****