STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
535
2023-2024 Regular Sessions
IN SENATE
January 4, 2023
___________
Introduced by Sens. THOMAS, HOYLMAN, MYRIE, RAMOS -- read twice and
ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on
Social Services
AN ACT to amend the social services law, in relation to enacting the
intergenerational poverty mitigation act
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 article
2 10-E to read as follows:
3 ARTICLE 10-E
4 INTERGENERATIONAL POVERTY MITIGATION ACT
5 Section 484. Short title.
6 484-a. Definitions.
7 484-b. New York intergenerational welfare reform commission.
8 484-c. Establishment of intergenerational poverty plan implemen-
9 tation pilot program.
10 § 484. Short title. This article shall be known as the "Intergenera-
11 tional poverty mitigation act."
12 § 484-a. Definitions. As used in this article:
13 1. "Cycle of poverty" or "poverty cycle" means the set of factors or
14 events by which the long-term poverty of a person is likely to continue
15 and be experienced by each child of the person when the child becomes an
16 adult unless there is outside intervention.
17 2. (a) "Intergenerational poverty" means poverty in which two or more
18 successive generations of a family continue in the cycle of poverty and
19 government dependence.
20 (b) "Intergenerational poverty" does not include situational poverty
21 that: (i) is generally traceable to a specific incident or time period
22 within the lifetime of a person; and (ii) is not continued to the next
23 generation.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD01871-01-3
S. 535 2
1 3. "Poverty" means the state of a person who lacks a usual or socially
2 acceptable amount of money or material possessions as demonstrated by
3 the person's income level being at or below the United States poverty
4 level as defined by the most recently revised poverty income guidelines
5 published by the United States department of health and human services.
6 § 484-b. New York intergenerational welfare reform commission. 1.
7 There is hereby created the New York intergenerational welfare reform
8 commission composed of the following nine members: (a) one member
9 appointed by the commissioner; (b) two members to be appointed by the
10 governor; (c) three members to be appointed by the temporary president
11 of the senate; and (d) three members to be appointed by the speaker of
12 the assembly.
13 2. The appointee of the commissioner shall serve as chair of the
14 commission. The chair is responsible for: (a) the call and conduct of
15 meetings at least four times per year; (b) calling additional meetings
16 upon request by a majority of the commission's members; and (c) delegat-
17 ing duties to other members of the commission.
18 3. A majority of the members of the commission constitutes a quorum of
19 the commission at any meeting and the action of the majority of members
20 present is the action of the commission.
21 4. The department shall provide staff support to the commission as
22 requested.
23 5. The commission's purpose is to: (a) collaborate in sharing and
24 analyzing data and information regarding intergenerational poverty in
25 the state with a primary focus on data and information regarding chil-
26 dren who are at risk of continuing the cycle of poverty and welfare
27 dependency unless outside intervention is made; (b) examine and analyze
28 shared data and information regarding intergenerational poverty, includ-
29 ing the data provided by the intergenerational poverty report, to iden-
30 tify and develop effective and efficient plans, programs, and recommen-
31 dations to help at-risk children in the state escape the cycle of
32 poverty and welfare dependency, which may include avoiding homelessness
33 among children at risk of remaining in poverty; (c) implement data-dri-
34 ven policies and programs addressing poverty, public assistance, educa-
35 tion, and other areas as needed to measurably reduce the incidence of
36 children in the state who remain in the cycle of poverty and welfare
37 dependency as they become adults; and (d) establish and facilitate
38 improved cooperation between policymakers in rescuing children from
39 intergenerational poverty and welfare dependency.
40 6. The commission shall: (a) study, evaluate, and report on the status
41 and effectiveness of policies, procedures, and programs that provide
42 services to children in the state affected by intergenerational poverty
43 and welfare dependency; (b) study and evaluate the policies, procedures,
44 and programs implemented by other states and nongovernmental entities
45 that address the needs of children affected by intergenerational poverty
46 and welfare dependency; (c) identify policies, procedures, and programs,
47 including any lack of interagency data sharing, lack of policy coordi-
48 nation, or current federal requirements, that are impeding efforts to
49 help children in the state affected by intergenerational poverty escape
50 the poverty cycle and welfare dependency and recommend changes to such
51 policies and procedures; (d) create an ongoing five- and ten-year plan,
52 which is updated annually, containing measurable goals and benchmarks,
53 including future action needed to attain those goals and benchmarks, for
54 decreasing the incidence of intergenerational poverty among the state's
55 children, including reducing the incidence of homelessness among chil-
56 dren affected by intergenerational poverty and increasing the number of
S. 535 3
1 the state's children who escape the poverty cycle and welfare dependen-
2 cy; (e) implement policy, procedure, and program changes to address the
3 needs of children affected by intergenerational poverty and help those
4 children escape the poverty cycle and welfare dependency, including, as
5 available over time, data to track the effectiveness of each change; (f)
6 recommend policy, procedure, and program changes to address the needs of
7 children affected by intergenerational poverty and to help those chil-
8 dren escape the poverty cycle and welfare dependency, including the
9 steps that will be required to make the recommended changes and whether
10 further action is required by the legislature; and (g) provide a forum
11 for public comment and participation in efforts to help children in the
12 state escape the cycle of poverty and welfare dependency.
13 7. To accomplish its duties, the commission may: (a) request and
14 receive from any state or local governmental agency or institution,
15 information relating to poverty in the state, including: reports,
16 audits, data, projections and statistics; and (b) appoint special
17 committees, to advise and assist the commission; provided that members
18 of such special committee shall be appointed by the commission and may
19 be: (i) members of the commission; or (ii) individuals from the private
20 or public sector;
21 § 484-c. Establishment of intergenerational poverty plan implementa-
22 tion pilot program.
23 1. There is hereby established an intergenerational poverty plan
24 implementation pilot program to encourage counties to implement local
25 solutions to address intergenerational poverty.
26 2. A county or a group of contiguous counties may submit a proposal to
27 the department to participate in the program. Such proposals for partic-
28 ipation shall specify: (a) outcomes that will address intergenerational
29 poverty that the county aims to achieve with such program; (b) metrics
30 that would be used to measure progress toward the specified outcomes;
31 (c) baseline measurements for each specified outcome and the metric
32 against which progress will be measured; and (d) the total amount of
33 money needed to achieve the specified outcomes.
34 3. The department shall: (a) specify the format for a proposal; (b)
35 set a deadline for a county or group of counties to submit a proposal;
36 (c) define criteria for selecting a county or group of counties to
37 participate in the program, which may include: (i) a significant number
38 of individuals within the county or group of counties experiencing
39 intergenerational poverty; (ii) an established strategic plan to address
40 intergenerational poverty; (iii) evidence of strong engagement and lead-
41 ership; and (iv) partnerships with groups overseeing human services,
42 early childhood services public health, education, economic development,
43 behavioral health and juvenile justice.
44 4. One year after the effective date of this section, the department
45 shall select at least one county or group of counties to serve as the
46 pilot program location, and shall be authorized to grant any appropri-
47 ated funds to such county or group of counties to achieve the pilot
48 program indicators and outcomes.
49 5. A county or group of counties that receives a grant under the pilot
50 program shall: (a) provide a cash or in-kind match that is equal to at
51 least twenty-five percent of the amount of the grant; (b) use the funds
52 provided by the program and the cash or in-kind match for purposes
53 approved by the department; and (c) report quarterly to the department
54 on progress regarding the indicators and outcomes described this
55 section.
S. 535 4
1 6. The department shall issue a report annually detailing a
2 description of the program, including the number and amounts of grants
3 awarded, the recipients of the grants, and an evaluation of the progress
4 grant recipients have made toward the indicators and outcomes described
5 in this section.
6 7. The department shall have the power: (a) to make such pilot program
7 permanent if the department determines the program has been successful;
8 and (b) to expand the pilot program to an additional county or counties
9 after the initial one-year pilot program.
10 § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.