Bill Text: NY S01812 | 2021-2022 | General Assembly | Introduced

NOTE: There are more recent revisions of this legislation. Read Latest Draft

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Bill Title: Relates to the creation of a self-sufficiency standard study regarding how much income is needed for a family of a given composition in a given geographic location to adequately meet its basic needs without public or private assistance.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 5-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2022-01-18 - REPORTED AND COMMITTED TO FINANCE [S01812 Detail]

Download: New_York-2021-S01812-Introduced.html

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                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________

                                          1812

                               2021-2022 Regular Sessions

                    IN SENATE

                                    January 15, 2021
                                       ___________

        Introduced  by  Sen. PERSAUD -- 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 the creation  of
          a self-sufficiency standard study

          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  131-bb to read as follows:
     3    §  131-bb.  Self-sufficiency standard study. 1. (a) A self-sufficiency
     4  standard measures how much income is needed for  a  family  of  a  given
     5  composition  in a given geographic location to adequately meet its basic
     6  needs without public or private assistance.
     7    (b) A self-sufficiency standard is a tool that can  be  used  to:  (i)
     8  create  a  benchmark  for  measuring  the  effectiveness of anti-poverty
     9  programs  and  policies;  (ii)  determine  effective  ways  to  allocate
    10  resources  that will lead to economic development that results in living
    11  wage jobs; (iii) target the development of training and industries  that
    12  result  in higher-wage jobs for New Yorkers; (iv) enhance education, job
    13  training, and skills development programs; (v) counsel  clients  transi-
    14  tioning  from  welfare  and  unemployment, through workforce development
    15  programs and education and training, into  self-sufficiency  wage  jobs;
    16  and  (vi)  enhance online "budget calculator" tools that enable users to
    17  strategize combinations of public and private  supports  and  subsidies,
    18  with  training  and education, and/or employment, to increase income and
    19  economic security.
    20    2. The department of labor shall contract with  a  third  party,  that
    21  meets  the  requirements  in  subdivision  four of this section, for the
    22  collection and analysis of data that results in the calculation of basic
    23  needs budgets.
    24    3. Calculation of standard of basic needs budgets.  (a)  Standards  of
    25  basic  needs  budgets shall (i) measure the necessary income required to

         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD03508-01-1
        S. 1812                             2

     1  maintain self-sufficiency without additional public or private  support;
     2  (ii)  account for family size and composition; and (iii) utilize, to the
     3  extent such information is available, the most up to date costs of basic
     4  needs,  including  but  not  limited  to  housing, food, transportation,
     5  health care, and child care, as well as taxes and tax credits, including
     6  local, state and federal taxes and tax credits.
     7    (b) In calculating the standard of basic needs budget, the  contractor
     8  shall utilize, to the extent practicable, data that is nationally stand-
     9  ardized,   calculated   annually,   and   from  reliable  government  or
    10  academic/scholarly sources, such as the  United  States  census  bureau,
    11  United  States department of housing and urban development, or any other
    12  data reported to state and federal agencies using standardized methodol-
    13  ogy. These budgets should be varied geographically, by county, and  data
    14  permitting, sub-county areas, for every region in the state.
    15    4.  Third-party contractor. To the extent practicable, the third party
    16  contractor shall have the following characteristics:
    17    (a) at least twenty years'  continuous  experience  in  calculating  a
    18  standard  of  basic  needs budget, or substantially similar measurement,
    19  and related analyses;
    20    (b) has performed such calculations for no fewer than  thirty  states,
    21  including New York state;
    22    (c)  can  demonstrate  a  proven record of having produced such calcu-
    23  lations and reports, within the budget and time constraints of  previous
    24  contracts; and
    25    (d) is located in or affiliated with a college or university and/or is
    26  managed  by  an  individual or individuals with relevant skills, experi-
    27  ence, and education that qualifies him or her to calculate the  informa-
    28  tion required by this section.
    29    5.  The  department  of  labor  shall  submit a report of the findings
    30  required in subdivisions two and three of this section to the  governor,
    31  the  speaker  of the assembly and the temporary president of the senate,
    32  no later than September first, two thousand  twenty-two  and  biennially
    33  thereafter.
    34    §  2. This act shall take effect on the first of April next succeeding
    35  the date on which it shall have become a law.