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S08247 Summary:

S08247 Actions:

S08247 Committee Votes:

S08247 Floor Votes:

S08247 Text:

 
                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                         8247--A
 
                    IN SENATE
 
                                     April 27, 2020
                                       ___________
 
        Introduced   by   Sens.  KAMINSKY,  ADDABBO,  BOYLE,  FELDER,  GAUGHRAN,
          GOUNARDES,  HOYLMAN,  KAPLAN,  KENNEDY,  LITTLE,  MAY,  ORTT,  PARKER,
          PERSAUD, SEPULVEDA, THOMAS -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
          printed to be committed to the Committee on Social Services -- commit-
          tee  discharged, bill amended, ordered reprinted as amended and recom-
          mitted to said committee

        AN ACT to amend the social services law, in relation  to  using  supple-
          mental  nutrition  assistance  program  benefits  to  purchase  online
          groceries and to the state supplemental nutrition  assistance  program
          outreach program
 
          The  People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-
        bly, do enact as follows:
 
     1    Section 1. Paragraph (b) of subdivision 1 of section 95 of the  social
     2  services  law  is  relettered  paragraph  (c) and a new paragraph (b) is
     3  added to read as follows:
     4    (b) The office shall promptly seek necessary federal  approval  needed
     5  to  enter into an agreement with all grocery retailers prepared to offer
     6  SNAP online purchasing or subsequently available programs  in  order  to
     7  maximize availability of online fresh food purchasing options throughout
     8  the  state.  Within  one hundred eighty days after the effective date of
     9  this paragraph, the office shall develop a plan to maximize SNAP  online
    10  purchasing  options  in  the state. The office shall periodically review
    11  and revise the plan. The plan, and any updates of such  plan,  shall  be
    12  submitted  to  the governor, the speaker of the assembly, and the tempo-
    13  rary president of the senate. The office  shall  continue  to  seek  all
    14  necessary waivers from the United States department of agriculture, food
    15  and  nutrition  service, to the extent necessary for the office to carry
    16  out the plan, pursuant to federal law and regulations.
    17    § 2. Subparagraph (i) of paragraph a of subdivision 7 of section 95 of
    18  the social services law, as separately amended by chapter 41 and section
    19  3 of part A of chapter 57 of the laws of 2012, is  amended  to  read  as
    20  follows:
    21    (i) May be redeemed for SNAP benefits at designated redemption centers
    22  by  the  recipient  or by an authorized representative. When an eligible
 
         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD16185-02-0
        S. 8247--A                          2
 
     1  recipient under this section is issued SNAP benefits, such SNAP benefits
     2  may be used to purchase food items from a food distributor by the recip-
     3  ient or by an authorized representative.   Recipients shall be  able  to
     4  use  SNAP  benefits  to  purchase groceries from eligible online grocery
     5  retailers and to have groceries delivered pursuant to federal  laws  and
     6  regulations. Any other transfer or sale of authorizations to participate
     7  or  SNAP  benefits shall constitute an unauthorized use of said authori-
     8  zations or benefits;
     9    § 3. Section 95-a of the social services law, as added by chapter  546
    10  of the laws of 1978, is amended to read as follows:
    11    §  95-a.  State [food stamp] supplemental nutrition assistance program
    12  outreach program.  1.  In accordance with federal  requirements  and  to
    13  the  extent  that  federal  matching funds are available, the department
    14  shall develop and implement an outreach plan to inform low-income house-
    15  holds potentially eligible to receive [food stamps] supplemental  nutri-
    16  tion assistance program benefits of the availability and benefits of the
    17  program,  including  information  on  the federal SNAP Online Purchasing
    18  Pilot program or subsequent programs, and to encourage the participation
    19  of eligible households that wish to participate.
    20    2.  In developing and implementing such a plan the  department  and/or
    21  its  local  districts  are  authorized  and  empowered,  subject  to the
    22  approval of the director of the budget and provided that federal aid  is
    23  available  therefor,  to  enter  into contractual agreements with public
    24  and/or private organizations to develop and implement  local,  regional,
    25  and statewide outreach programs.
    26    3.    Each commissioner of social services shall develop and submit to
    27  the department on an annual basis for its  approval,  a  local  outreach
    28  plan  governing  the use of local social services personnel and services
    29  provided by federally funded and other  agencies  and  organizations  to
    30  inform  potentially eligible households of the availability and benefits
    31  of the program and to encourage  and  facilitate  the  participation  of
    32  eligible  households.    The  department  shall provide commissioners of
    33  social services with technical assistance as needed  to  carry  out  the
    34  provisions of this subdivision.
    35    4.    As  part  of each local outreach plan, social services officials
    36  shall take all steps necessary to maintain a supply of information leaf-
    37  lets in public buildings, including but not limited to  local  unemploy-
    38  ment  insurance  and  employment  services  offices of the department of
    39  labor, institutions and facilities under the supervision or  control  of
    40  the  department  of  health, food stores, union halls, community centers
    41  and local agencies providing services to the elderly to help insure that
    42  eligible persons are informed of the [food stamp] supplemental nutrition
    43  assistance program.
    44    5. The department shall periodically distribute to all newspapers, and
    45  to television and radio stations throughout the  state,  public  service
    46  announcements describing the [food stamp] supplemental nutrition assist-
    47  ance program, including the toll-free telephone numbers for [food stamp]
    48  supplemental nutrition assistance program information, and shall prompt-
    49  ly  inform  such  media  of significant changes in the program affecting
    50  eligibility requirements and/or the amount of the [food  stamp]  supple-
    51  mental nutrition assistance program bonus.
    52    6.   The department shall establish procedures in cooperation with the
    53  industrial commissioner of the department of labor to ensure that infor-
    54  mational leaflets about the [food stamp] supplemental nutrition  assist-
    55  ance  program  are  sent  to  each  local employment services office for
    56  distribution pursuant to section five hundred [and] forty of  the  labor
        S. 8247--A                          3
 
     1  law.  Each leaflet shall include but not be limited to: the phone number
     2  for  the  New  York State [food stamp] supplemental nutrition assistance
     3  hotline, estimated maximum income eligibility levels by  household  size
     4  for  participation in the [food stamp] supplemental nutrition assistance
     5  program and the availability of local  social  services  departments  to
     6  provide additional information about the program.
     7    7.  In  accordance with applicable federal laws, rules and regulations
     8  the department shall make available appropriate bilingual  materials  so
     9  that  potentially  eligible  non  English  speaking  individuals  may be
    10  informed  about  the  [food  stamp]  supplemental  nutrition  assistance
    11  program.
    12    8.    The  department shall promulgate rules and regulations, and take
    13  all other actions necessary for the  effective  implementation  of  this
    14  section.
    15    § 4. This act shall take effect immediately.