Bill Text: NY A10673 | 2019-2020 | General Assembly | Introduced
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: Partisan Bill (Democrat 2-0)
Status: (Passed) 2020-12-15 - APPROVAL MEMO.46 [A10673 Detail]
Download: New_York-2019-A10673-Introduced.html
STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 10673 IN ASSEMBLY June 24, 2020 ___________ Introduced by COMMITTEE ON RULES -- (at request of M. of A. Hevesi) -- read once and referred to the Committee on Social Services 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 23 recipient under this section is issued SNAP benefits, such SNAP benefits 24 may be used to purchase food items from a food distributor by the recip- 25 ient or by an authorized representative. Recipients shall be able to 26 use SNAP benefits to purchase groceries from eligible online grocery EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [] is old law to be omitted. LBD16185-03-0A. 10673 2 1 retailers and to have groceries delivered pursuant to federal laws and 2 regulations. Any other transfer or sale of authorizations to participate 3 or SNAP benefits shall constitute an unauthorized use of said authori- 4 zations or benefits; 5 § 3. Section 95-a of the social services law, as added by chapter 546 6 of the laws of 1978, is amended to read as follows: 7 § 95-a. State [food stamp] supplemental nutrition assistance program 8 outreach program. 1. In accordance with federal requirements and to 9 the extent that federal matching funds are available, the department 10 shall develop and implement an outreach plan to inform low-income house- 11 holds potentially eligible to receive [food stamps] supplemental nutri- 12 tion assistance program benefits of the availability and benefits of the 13 program, including information on the federal SNAP Online Purchasing 14 Pilot program or subsequent programs, and to encourage the participation 15 of eligible households that wish to participate. 16 2. In developing and implementing such a plan the department and/or 17 its local districts are authorized and empowered, subject to the 18 approval of the director of the budget and provided that federal aid is 19 available therefor, to enter into contractual agreements with public 20 and/or private organizations to develop and implement local, regional, 21 and statewide outreach programs. 22 3. Each commissioner of social services shall develop and submit to 23 the department on an annual basis for its approval, a local outreach 24 plan governing the use of local social services personnel and services 25 provided by federally funded and other agencies and organizations to 26 inform potentially eligible households of the availability and benefits 27 of the program and to encourage and facilitate the participation of 28 eligible households. The department shall provide commissioners of 29 social services with technical assistance as needed to carry out the 30 provisions of this subdivision. 31 4. As part of each local outreach plan, social services officials 32 shall take all steps necessary to maintain a supply of information leaf- 33 lets in public buildings, including but not limited to local unemploy- 34 ment insurance and employment services offices of the department of 35 labor, institutions and facilities under the supervision or control of 36 the department of health, food stores, union halls, community centers 37 and local agencies providing services to the elderly to help insure that 38 eligible persons are informed of the [food stamp] supplemental nutrition 39 assistance program. 40 5. The department shall periodically distribute to all newspapers, and 41 to television and radio stations throughout the state, public service 42 announcements describing the [food stamp] supplemental nutrition assist- 43 ance program, including the toll-free telephone numbers for [food stamp] 44 supplemental nutrition assistance program information, and shall prompt- 45 ly inform such media of significant changes in the program affecting 46 eligibility requirements and/or the amount of the [food stamp] supple- 47 mental nutrition assistance program bonus. 48 6. The department shall establish procedures in cooperation with the 49 industrial commissioner of the department of labor to ensure that infor- 50 mational leaflets about the [food stamp] supplemental nutrition assist- 51 ance program are sent to each local employment services office for 52 distribution pursuant to section five hundred [and] forty of the labor 53 law. Each leaflet shall include but not be limited to: the phone number 54 for the New York State [food stamp] supplemental nutrition assistance 55 hotline, estimated maximum income eligibility levels by household size 56 for participation in the [food stamp] supplemental nutrition assistanceA. 10673 3 1 program and the availability of local social services departments to 2 provide additional information about the program. 3 7. In accordance with applicable federal laws, rules and regulations 4 the department shall make available appropriate bilingual materials so 5 that potentially eligible non English speaking individuals may be 6 informed about the [food stamp] supplemental nutrition assistance 7 program. 8 8. The department shall promulgate rules and regulations, and take 9 all other actions necessary for the effective implementation of this 10 section. 11 § 4. This act shall take effect immediately.
