Bill Text: NY S06713 | 2015-2016 | General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Enacts the "public assistance integrity act" to prohibit the sale or purchase of alcoholic beverages, tobacco products or lottery tickets with public assistance benefits; prohibits the use of public assistance benefits, by means of an electronic benefit transfer transaction, at a liquor store, casino or adult entertainment facility; establishes the public assistance integrity fund.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 3-0)

Status: (Engrossed - Dead) 2016-06-15 - referred to social services [S06713 Detail]

Download: New_York-2015-S06713-Introduced.html

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                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________
                                          6713
                    IN SENATE
                                    February 9, 2016
                                       ___________
        Introduced  by  Sen.  SERINO -- 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 prohibiting  the
          sale  or  purchase of alcoholic beverages, tobacco products or lottery
          tickets with public assistance benefits  and  prohibiting  use  of  or
          access  to  such  benefits  in  a casino, liquor store or adult enter-
          tainment facility; and to amend the state finance law, in relation  to
          establishing the public assistance integrity fund
          The  People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-
        bly, do enact as follows:
     1    Section 1.  Short title. This act shall be known and may be  cited  as
     2  the "public assistance integrity act".
     3    §  2.  The  social  services law is amended by adding two new sections
     4  147-a and 147-b to read as follows:
     5    § 147-a. Penalties for the purchase or sale  of  alcoholic  beverages,
     6  tobacco  products or lottery tickets with public assistance benefits. 1.
     7  For the purposes of this section,  "public  assistance  benefits"  means
     8  money  or  property  provided directly or indirectly through programs of
     9  the federal government, the state or any political subdivision  thereof,
    10  and administered by the office of temporary and disability assistance or
    11  social services districts.
    12    2.  No  recipient  of  public assistance benefits shall use all or any
    13  portion of such benefits for the purchase  of  any  alcoholic  beverage,
    14  tobacco   product  or  lottery  ticket.  Any  person  who  violates  the
    15  provisions of this subdivision shall upon the first  such  violation  be
    16  disqualified  from  receiving  public  assistance  benefits  by means of
    17  direct cash payment or electronic benefits transfer access device for  a
    18  period  of  one  month,  upon  a  finding  of a second such violation be
    19  disqualified from receiving  public  assistance  benefits  by  means  of
    20  direct  cash payment or electronic benefits transfer access device for a
    21  period of three months, and upon a finding of a third or subsequent such
    22  violation  shall  be  permanently  disqualified  from  receiving  public
    23  assistance  benefits by means of direct cash payment or electronic bene-
    24  fits transfer access device.  Such person shall have the right to a fair
         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD07157-01-5