Bill Text: NY S07663 | 2023-2024 | General Assembly | Amended

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Bill Title: Establishes a state SNAP minimum benefit program to provide a minimum amount of supplemental nutrition assistance program benefits that is higher than the amount of federal SNAP benefits.

Spectrum: Strong Partisan Bill (Democrat 19-2)

Status: (Introduced) 2024-01-03 - REFERRED TO SOCIAL SERVICES [S07663 Detail]

Download: New_York-2023-S07663-Amended.html

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                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________

                                         7663--A

                               2023-2024 Regular Sessions

                    IN SENATE

                                   September 22, 2023
                                       ___________

        Introduced  by Sens. MAY, BRISPORT, CLEARE, GONZALEZ, GOUNARDES, SERRANO
          -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to
          the Committee on Rules -- committee discharged, bill amended,  ordered
          reprinted as amended and recommitted to said committee

        AN  ACT  to amend the social services law, in relation to establishing a
          state SNAP minimum benefit program

          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  95-b to read as follows:
     3    § 95-b. State SNAP minimum benefit  program.  1.  Notwithstanding  any
     4  other  provision  of  law to the contrary, there is hereby established a
     5  state SNAP minimum benefit program. Under such program, the office shall
     6  distribute to each eligible household a monthly state SNAP benefit equal
     7  to the difference between the household's federal SNAP  monthly  benefit
     8  and  one hundred dollars, which amount may be increased by the office as
     9  deemed appropriate and subject to  available  state  appropriations.  If
    10  federal funds become available for the purposes of this subdivision, the
    11  office  shall utilize such federal funds as the primary source for issu-
    12  ing the monthly state SNAP benefit before state funds, if necessary, are
    13  expended. The state SNAP benefit shall be provided to an eligible house-
    14  hold in addition to the federal SNAP benefit.
    15    2. The program shall be subject to the same state rules and procedures
    16  for implementing the federal  SNAP  to  the  greatest  extent  possible,
    17  including, but not limited to, distributing the state SNAP benefit using
    18  the  program's  electronic  benefit  transfer  system and requiring that
    19  benefits be used solely for the purchase of food as defined in 7  U.S.C.
    20  s.2012.
    21    3. The office shall apply to the food and nutrition service within the
    22  federal department of agriculture for any necessary waivers or approvals
    23  to implement the provisions of this section.

         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD10063-03-3
        S. 7663--A                          2

     1    4. As used in this section:
     2    (a)  "Eligible  household"  means  a  household  that  is certified to
     3  receive a federal SNAP benefit of at least one dollar per month but less
     4  than one hundred dollars per month, or a larger amount as deemed  appro-
     5  priate  by  the  office  pursuant  to  subdivision  one of this section,
     6  subject to available state and federal funds.
     7    (b) "SNAP" means the supplemental nutrition assistance program  estab-
     8  lished pursuant to section ninety-five of this title.
     9    § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.