Bill Text: NY A01860 | 2015-2016 | General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Relates to financial contributions by recipients of temporary housing assistance.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 8-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2016-01-06 - referred to social services [A01860 Detail]

Download: New_York-2015-A01860-Introduced.html

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                           S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
       ________________________________________________________________________
                                         1860
                              2015-2016 Regular Sessions
                                 I N  A S S E M B L Y
                                   January 13, 2015
                                      ___________
       Introduced  by  M.  of  A.  WRIGHT,  GLICK,  ORTIZ, O'DONNELL, CAMARA --
         Multi-Sponsored by -- M. of A. BRENNAN, COOK, PEOPLES-STOKES,  PRETLOW
         -- read once and referred to the Committee on Social Services
       AN ACT to amend the social services law, in relation to establishing the
         savings  plan  demonstration  project; and providing for the repeal of
         such provisions upon expiration thereof
         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  36-d to read as follows:
    3    S 36-D. SAVINGS PLAN DEMONSTRATION PROJECT. 1.    NOTWITHSTANDING  ANY
    4  OTHER  PROVISION OF LAW TO THE CONTRARY, IN ANY SOCIAL SERVICES DISTRICT
    5  WITHIN A CITY HAVING A POPULATION OF ONE MILLION  OR  MORE,  THE  SOCIAL
    6  SERVICES  DISTRICT SHALL CONDUCT A DEMONSTRATION PROJECT AS SET FORTH IN
    7  THIS SECTION, AND SHALL EVALUATE AND REPORT ON SUCH PROJECT, PURSUANT TO
    8  A PLAN APPROVED BY THE OFFICE OF TEMPORARY AND DISABILITY ASSISTANCE AND
    9  THE DIVISION OF BUDGET PRIOR TO THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE PROJECT.
   10    2. SUCH SOCIAL SERVICES DISTRICT, IN LIEU OF APPLYING THAT PORTION  OF
   11  A  TEMPORARY  HOUSING ASSISTANCE RECIPIENT'S EARNED INCOME THAT, BUT FOR
   12  THE OTHER PROVISIONS OF THIS CHAPTER, WOULD BE  APPLIED  TO  REDUCE  THE
   13  NEED  FOR THE SHELTER COMPONENT OF TEMPORARY HOUSING ASSISTANCE PROVIDED
   14  IN A TEMPORARY EMERGENCY SHELTER,  SHALL  DIRECT  SUCH  A  RECIPIENT  TO
   15  PARTICIPATE IN A SAVINGS PLAN WITH SUCH FUNDS AND, AS LONG AS SUCH FUNDS
   16  ARE  NOT WITHDRAWN, THEY SHALL NOT BE APPLIED TO REDUCE THE NEED FOR THE
   17  SHELTER COMPONENT OF THE TEMPORARY HOUSING ASSISTANCE  GRANTED  FOR  THE
   18  DURATION  OF  HIS  OR  HER  RESIDENCE  IN  TEMPORARY EMERGENCY SHELTERS;
   19  PROVIDED, HOWEVER, THAT THE PROVISIONS OF THIS SECTION SHALL ONLY  APPLY
   20  TO A PERSON RECEIVING TEMPORARY HOUSING ASSISTANCE IN A SHELTER OR OTHER
   21  FACILITY FUNDED AND OVERSEEN BY THE NEW YORK CITY DEPARTMENT OF HOMELESS
   22  SERVICES  OR  THE  NEW  YORK CITY DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING PRESERVATION AND
   23  DEVELOPMENT.  FAILURE BY A RECIPIENT OF TEMPORARY HOUSING ASSISTANCE  TO
        EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                             [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                  LBD04841-01-5
       A. 1860                             2
    1  CONTRIBUTE  TO  SUCH  A  SAVINGS  PLAN SHALL NOT IN ITSELF RESULT IN THE
    2  DISCONTINUANCE OF TEMPORARY HOUSING  ASSISTANCE,  UNLESS  THE  RECIPIENT
    3  SEPARATELY  FAILS  TO  COMPLY  WITH CONDITIONS OF ELIGIBILITY THAT COULD
    4  RESULT IN THE DISCONTINUANCE OF TEMPORARY HOUSING ASSISTANCE.
    5    3. IN SUCH SOCIAL SERVICES DISTRICT, ANY SUCH FUNDS COLLECTED FROM THE
    6  EARNED INCOME OF A RECIPIENT OF TEMPORARY HOUSING ASSISTANCE WHILE HE OR
    7  SHE IS RESIDING IN A TEMPORARY EMERGENCY SHELTER SHALL BE DEPOSITED IN A
    8  SAVINGS  PLAN APPROVED BY THE OFFICE OF TEMPORARY AND DISABILITY ASSIST-
    9  ANCE AND THE DIVISION OF BUDGET; SHALL BE PAYABLE TO THE  RECIPIENT  FOR
   10  THE RECIPIENT'S USE TO FACILITATE HIS OR HER TRANSITION TO, OR STABILIZE
   11  HIS  OR  HER  RESIDENCE  IN, PERMANENT HOUSING UPON HIS OR HER DISCHARGE
   12  FROM A  SHELTER  OR  UPON  VERIFICATION  OF  SUCH  RECIPIENT'S  DATE  OF
   13  DISCHARGE  FROM A SHELTER; AND SHALL BE CONSIDERED EXEMPT AS INCOME OR A
   14  RESOURCE UNTIL THE TWELFTH MONTH FOLLOWING THE MONTH IN WHICH THE RECIP-
   15  IENT CEASES RECEIVING TEMPORARY HOUSING ASSISTANCE IN A TEMPORARY  EMER-
   16  GENCY  SHELTER.  FUNDS  COLLECTED IN SUCH SAVINGS PLANS SHALL BE POOLED,
   17  TRACKED INDIVIDUALLY,  AND  MAINTAINED  IN  A  SAVINGS  OR  MONEY-MARKET
   18  ACCOUNT  AT  INTEREST RATES SET BY THE INSTITUTION WITH WHICH SUCH FUNDS
   19  ARE DEPOSITED. ANY SAVINGS AND  INTEREST  ACCRUED  IN  SUCH  ACCOUNT  OR
   20  ACCOUNTS  SHALL BE DISTRIBUTED TO A TEMPORARY HOUSING ASSISTANCE RECIPI-
   21  ENT UPON HIS OR HER DISCHARGE FROM A TEMPORARY EMERGENCY SHELTER OR UPON
   22  VERIFICATION OF SUCH RECIPIENT'S DATE OF DISCHARGE FROM  A  SHELTER,  IN
   23  ACCORDANCE WITH THE PROVISIONS OF THIS SECTION.
   24    4.  SUCH  SOCIAL  SERVICES DISTRICT SHALL BE DEEMED IN COMPLIANCE WITH
   25  SECTION ONE HUNDRED THIRTY-ONE-A OF THIS CHAPTER  FOR  REIMBURSEMENT  OF
   26  EXPENDITURES   MADE  FOR  TEMPORARY  HOUSING  ASSISTANCE,  PROVIDED  THE
   27  DISTRICT  IS  CONDUCTING  THE  PROJECT  FULLY  IN  ACCORDANCE  WITH  THE
   28  PROVISIONS  OF THIS SECTION. UNEARNED INCOME OF A RECIPIENT OF TEMPORARY
   29  HOUSING ASSISTANCE IN SUCH SOCIAL SERVICES DISTRICT SHALL NOT BE APPLIED
   30  TO THE SAVINGS PLAN, AND SHALL NOT BE REQUIRED TO  BE  APPLIED  TO  THAT
   31  PORTION  OF  THE  SHELTER  COSTS  NOT  PAID  FOR WITH PUBLIC ASSISTANCE.
   32  TEMPORARY  HOUSING  ASSISTANCE  RECIPIENTS  SHALL  NOT  BE  REQUIRED  TO
   33  CONTRIBUTE TO THE COST OF SUCH SHELTER, AS PROVIDED FOR IN THIS SECTION.
   34  SUCH  PROJECT  SHALL  NOT BE IMPLEMENTED SO AS TO COMPROMISE THE FEDERAL
   35  BENEFITS OF A RECIPIENT OR ANY OF HIS OR HER HOUSEHOLD MEMBERS.
   36    S 2. This act shall take effect on the one hundred eightieth day after
   37  it shall have become a law provided, however, that:
   38    a. if the office of temporary and disability assistance and the  divi-
   39  sion  of budget approve a demonstration project provided for in this act
   40  prior to the one hundred eightieth day, this act shall  take  effect  on
   41  the  date of such approval except that the office of temporary and disa-
   42  bility assistance shall be authorized immediately to promulgate any rule
   43  or regulation necessary for the implementation of this act;
   44    b. the office of temporary and disability assistance and the  division
   45  of budget shall notify the legislative bill drafting commission upon the
   46  occurrence  of the approval of the demonstration project provided for in
   47  this act in order that the commission may maintain an accurate and time-
   48  ly effective data base of the official text of the laws of the state  of
   49  New  York in furtherance of effectuating the provisions of section 44 of
   50  the legislative law and section 70-b of the public officers law; and
   51    c. this act shall expire and be deemed repealed March 31, 2022.