Bill Text: NY S08247 | 2019-2020 | General Assembly | Amended
Bill Title: Authorizes the use of supplemental nutrition assistance program benefits to purchase online groceries in accordance with federal laws and regulations and relates to the state supplemental nutrition assistance program outreach program.
Spectrum: Moderate Partisan Bill (Democrat 14-3)
Status: (Passed) 2020-12-15 - APPROVAL MEMO.46 [S08247 Detail]
Download: New_York-2019-S08247-Amended.html
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. LBD16185-02-0S. 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 laborS. 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.
