STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
8576
2025-2026 Regular Sessions
IN SENATE
November 12, 2025
___________
Introduced by Sen. SANDERS -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
printed to be committed to the Committee on Rules
AN ACT to amend the social services law, in relation to providing public
assistance for home internet service
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. Subdivision 1 of section 131-a of the social services law,
2 as amended by section 12 of part B of chapter 436 of the laws of 1997,
3 is amended to read as follows:
4 1. Any inconsistent provision of this chapter or other law notwith-
5 standing, social services officials shall, in accordance with the
6 provisions of this section and regulations of the department, provide
7 public assistance to needy persons who constitute or are members of a
8 family household, who are determined to be eligible in accordance with
9 standards of need established in subdivision two of this section.
10 Provision for such persons, for all items of need, less any available
11 income or resources which are not required to be disregarded by other
12 provisions of this chapter, shall be made in accordance with this
13 section. Such provision shall be made in monthly or semi-monthly allow-
14 ances and grants within the limits of the schedules included in subdivi-
15 sion three of this section except for additional amounts which shall be
16 included therein for shelter, fuel for heating, home internet service,
17 additional cost of meals for persons who are unable to prepare meals at
18 home and for other items for which specific provision is otherwise made
19 in this article [five]. As used in this section the term "shelter" may
20 include a grant not to exceed two thousand five hundred dollars toward
21 the purchase of an interest in a cooperative. A social services official
22 shall require assignment of recipient's equity in such cooperative hous-
23 ing in accordance with the rules of the board and regulations of the
24 department.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD04574-01-5
S. 8576 2
1 § 2. Paragraph (b) of subdivision 2 of section 131-a of the social
2 services law, as amended by chapter 87 of the laws of 1993, is amended
3 to read as follows:
4 (b) In addition to the above, the standard of need shall include
5 amounts for shelter and fuel for heating, amounts for home energy
6 payments (including amounts for supplemental home energy grants),
7 amounts for home internet service payments, amounts for additional cost
8 of meals for persons who are unable to prepare meals at home and amounts
9 for other items when required by individual case circumstances for which
10 specific provision is otherwise made in this article [five of this chap-
11 ter]. For purposes of determining the amount to be included in the stan-
12 dard of need for shelter and fuel for heating, to the extent that feder-
13 al reimbursement is available therefor, social services officials shall
14 include in the household any child who has entered foster care pursuant
15 to section three hundred eighty-four-a of this chapter who was eligible
16 for and in receipt of assistance and care as a member of the household
17 in and for the month of entry into foster care and for whom the family
18 service plan, as defined in section four hundred nine-e of this chapter,
19 includes a goal of discharge to a member of the household.
20 § 3. This act shall take effect on the ninetieth day after it shall
21 have become a law. Effective immediately, the addition, amendment and/or
22 repeal of any rule or regulation necessary for the implementation of
23 this act on its effective date are authorized to be made and completed
24 on or before such effective date.
