Relates to the creation of a self-sufficiency standard study regarding how much income is needed for a family of a given composition in a given geographic location to adequately meet its basic needs without public or private assistance.
STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
1812--A
2021-2022 Regular Sessions
IN SENATE
January 15, 2021
___________
Introduced by Sens. PERSAUD, BAILEY, MYRIE, RAMOS, RIVERA -- read twice
and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee
on Social Services -- recommitted to the Committee on Social Services
in accordance with Senate Rule 6, sec. 8 -- committee discharged, bill
amended, ordered reprinted as amended and recommitted to said commit-
tee
AN ACT to amend the social services law, in relation to the creation of
a self-sufficiency standard study
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
2 131-cc to read as follows:
3 § 131-cc. Self-sufficiency standard study. 1. (a) A self-sufficiency
4 standard measures how much income is needed for a family of a given
5 composition in a given geographic location to adequately meet its basic
6 needs without public or private assistance.
7 (b) A self-sufficiency standard is a tool that can be used to: (i)
8 create a benchmark for measuring the effectiveness of anti-poverty
9 programs and policies; (ii) determine effective ways to allocate
10 resources that will lead to economic development that results in living
11 wage jobs; (iii) target the development of training and industries that
12 result in higher-wage jobs for New Yorkers; (iv) enhance education, job
13 training, and skills development programs; (v) counsel clients transi-
14 tioning from welfare and unemployment, through workforce development
15 programs and education and training, into self-sufficiency wage jobs;
16 and (vi) enhance online "budget calculator" tools that enable users to
17 strategize combinations of public and private supports and subsidies,
18 with training and education, and/or employment, to increase income and
19 economic security.
20 2. The department of labor shall contract with a third party, that
21 meets the requirements in subdivision four of this section, for the
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD03508-02-2
S. 1812--A 2
1 collection and analysis of data that results in the calculation of basic
2 needs budgets.
3 3. Calculation of standard of basic needs budgets. (a) Standards of
4 basic needs budgets shall (i) measure the necessary income required to
5 maintain self-sufficiency without additional public or private support;
6 (ii) account for family size and composition; and (iii) utilize, to the
7 extent such information is available, the most up to date costs of basic
8 needs, including but not limited to housing, food, transportation,
9 health care, and child care, as well as taxes and tax credits, including
10 local, state and federal taxes and tax credits.
11 (b) In calculating the standard of basic needs budget, the contractor
12 shall utilize, to the extent practicable, data that is nationally stand-
13 ardized, calculated annually, and from reliable government or
14 academic/scholarly sources, such as the United States census bureau,
15 United States department of housing and urban development, or any other
16 data reported to state and federal agencies using standardized methodol-
17 ogy. These budgets should be varied geographically, by county, and data
18 permitting, sub-county areas, for every region in the state.
19 4. Third-party contractor. To the extent practicable, the third party
20 contractor shall have the following characteristics:
21 (a) at least twenty years' continuous experience in calculating a
22 standard of basic needs budget, or substantially similar measurement,
23 and related analyses;
24 (b) has performed such calculations for no fewer than thirty states,
25 including New York state;
26 (c) can demonstrate a proven record of having produced such calcu-
27 lations and reports, within the budget and time constraints of previous
28 contracts; and
29 (d) is located in or affiliated with a college or university and/or is
30 managed by an individual or individuals with relevant skills, experi-
31 ence, and education that qualifies him or her to calculate the informa-
32 tion required by this section.
33 5. The department of labor shall submit a report of the findings
34 required in subdivisions two and three of this section to the governor,
35 the speaker of the assembly and the temporary president of the senate,
36 no later than September first, two thousand twenty-four and biennially
37 thereafter.
38 § 2. This act shall take effect on the first of April next succeeding
39 the date on which it shall have become a law.
