Establishes a state SNAP minimum benefit program to provide a minimum amount of supplemental nutrition assistance program benefits that is higher than the amount of federal SNAP benefits.
STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
1318
2025-2026 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
January 9, 2025
___________
Introduced by M. of A. GONZALEZ-ROJAS, DAVILA, SIMON, RAGA, SEAWRIGHT,
TAYLOR, SIMONE, SHIMSKY, GALLAGHER, SMITH, McDONOUGH, HEVESI, KIM,
FORREST, CUNNINGHAM, LEVENBERG, MIKULIN, STECK, K. BROWN, LAVINE,
CHANG, GLICK, SIMPSON, LUNSFORD, DE LOS SANTOS, LUCAS, MANKTELOW,
MAMDANI, GALLAHAN, EPSTEIN, R. CARROLL, KELLES, DINOWITZ, OTIS, ROSEN-
THAL, HYNDMAN, ANDERSON -- read once and referred to the Committee on
Social Services
AN ACT to amend the social services law, in relation to establishing a
state SNAP minimum benefit program
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. The social services law is amended by adding a new section
2 95-b to read as follows:
3 § 95-b. State SNAP minimum benefit program. 1. Notwithstanding any
4 other provision of law to the contrary, there is hereby established a
5 state SNAP minimum benefit program. Under such program, the office shall
6 distribute to each eligible household a monthly state SNAP benefit equal
7 to the difference between the household's federal SNAP monthly benefit
8 and one hundred dollars, which amount may be increased by the office as
9 deemed appropriate and subject to available state appropriations. If
10 federal funds become available for the purposes of this subdivision, the
11 office shall utilize such federal funds as the primary source for issu-
12 ing the monthly state SNAP benefit before state funds, if necessary, are
13 expended. The state SNAP benefit shall be provided to an eligible house-
14 hold in addition to the federal SNAP benefit.
15 2. The program shall be subject to the same state rules and procedures
16 for implementing the federal SNAP to the greatest extent possible,
17 including, but not limited to, distributing the state SNAP benefit using
18 the program's electronic benefit transfer system and requiring that
19 benefits be used solely for the purchase of food as defined in 7 U.S.C.
20 s.2012.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD00979-01-5
A. 1318 2
1 3. The office shall apply to the food and nutrition service within the
2 federal department of agriculture for any necessary waivers or approvals
3 to implement the provisions of this section.
4 4. As used in this section:
5 (a) "Eligible household" means a household that is certified to
6 receive a federal SNAP benefit of at least one dollar per month but less
7 than one hundred dollars per month, or a larger amount as deemed appro-
8 priate by the office pursuant to subdivision one of this section,
9 subject to available state and federal funds.
10 (b) "SNAP" means the supplemental nutrition assistance program estab-
11 lished pursuant to section ninety-five of this title.
12 § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
