S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                  5552--A
 
                        2019-2020 Regular Sessions
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                                May 6, 2019
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  Sen. PERSAUD -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
   printed to be committed to the Committee on Social Services --  recom-
   mitted  to  the Committee on Social Services in accordance with Senate
   Rule  6,  sec.  8  --  committee  discharged,  bill  amended,  ordered
   reprinted as amended and recommitted to said committee

 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:
 
   Section  1. The social services law is amended by adding a new section
 131-bb to read as follows:
   § 131-BB. SELF-SUFFICIENCY STANDARD STUDY. 1. (A)  A  SELF-SUFFICIENCY
 STANDARD  MEASURES  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.
   (B)  A  SELF-SUFFICIENCY  STANDARD  IS A TOOL THAT CAN BE USED TO: (I)
 CREATE A BENCHMARK  FOR  MEASURING  THE  EFFECTIVENESS  OF  ANTI-POVERTY
 PROGRAMS  AND  POLICIES;  (II)  DETERMINE  EFFECTIVE  WAYS  TO  ALLOCATE
 RESOURCES THAT WILL LEAD TO ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT THAT RESULTS IN  LIVING
 WAGE  JOBS; (III) TARGET THE DEVELOPMENT OF TRAINING AND INDUSTRIES THAT
 RESULT IN HIGHER-WAGE JOBS FOR NEW YORKERS; (IV) ENHANCE EDUCATION,  JOB
 TRAINING,  AND  SKILLS DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS; (V) COUNSEL CLIENTS TRANSI-
 TIONING FROM WELFARE AND  UNEMPLOYMENT,  THROUGH  WORKFORCE  DEVELOPMENT
 PROGRAMS  AND  EDUCATION  AND TRAINING, INTO SELF-SUFFICIENCY WAGE JOBS;
 AND (VI) ENHANCE ONLINE "BUDGET CALCULATOR" TOOLS THAT ENABLE  USERS  TO
 STRATEGIZE  COMBINATIONS  OF  PUBLIC AND PRIVATE SUPPORTS AND SUBSIDIES,
 WITH TRAINING AND EDUCATION, AND/OR EMPLOYMENT, TO INCREASE  INCOME  AND
 ECONOMIC SECURITY.
   2.  THE  DEPARTMENT  OF  LABOR SHALL CONTRACT WITH A THIRD PARTY, THAT
 MEETS THE REQUIREMENTS IN SUBDIVISION FOUR  OF  THIS  SECTION,  FOR  THE
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD00051-02-0
              

 S. 5552--A                          2
 
 COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS OF DATA THAT RESULTS IN THE CALCULATION OF BASIC
 NEEDS BUDGETS.
   3.  CALCULATION  OF  STANDARD OF BASIC NEEDS BUDGETS. (A) STANDARDS OF
 BASIC NEEDS BUDGETS SHALL (I) MEASURE THE NECESSARY INCOME  REQUIRED  TO
 MAINTAIN  SELF-SUFFICIENCY WITHOUT ADDITIONAL PUBLIC OR PRIVATE SUPPORT;
 (II) ACCOUNT FOR FAMILY SIZE AND COMPOSITION; AND (III) UTILIZE, TO  THE
 EXTENT SUCH INFORMATION IS AVAILABLE, THE MOST UP TO DATE COSTS OF BASIC
 NEEDS,  INCLUDING  BUT  NOT  LIMITED  TO  HOUSING, FOOD, TRANSPORTATION,
 HEALTH CARE, AND CHILD CARE, AS WELL AS TAXES AND TAX CREDITS, INCLUDING
 LOCAL, STATE AND FEDERAL TAXES AND TAX CREDITS.
   (B) IN CALCULATING THE STANDARD OF BASIC NEEDS BUDGET, THE  CONTRACTOR
 SHALL UTILIZE, TO THE EXTENT PRACTICABLE, DATA THAT IS NATIONALLY STAND-
 ARDIZED,   CALCULATED   ANNUALLY,   AND   FROM  RELIABLE  GOVERNMENT  OR
 ACADEMIC/SCHOLARLY SOURCES, SUCH AS THE  UNITED  STATES  CENSUS  BUREAU,
 UNITED  STATES DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT, OR ANY OTHER
 DATA REPORTED TO STATE AND FEDERAL AGENCIES USING STANDARDIZED METHODOL-
 OGY. THESE BUDGETS SHOULD BE VARIED GEOGRAPHICALLY, BY COUNTY, AND  DATA
 PERMITTING, SUB-COUNTY AREAS, FOR EVERY REGION IN THE STATE.
   4.  THIRD-PARTY CONTRACTOR. TO THE EXTENT PRACTICABLE, THE THIRD PARTY
 CONTRACTOR SHALL HAVE THE FOLLOWING CHARACTERISTICS:
   (A) AT LEAST TWENTY YEARS'  CONTINUOUS  EXPERIENCE  IN  CALCULATING  A
 STANDARD  OF  BASIC  NEEDS BUDGET, OR SUBSTANTIALLY SIMILAR MEASUREMENT,
 AND RELATED ANALYSES;
   (B) HAS PERFORMED SUCH CALCULATIONS FOR NO FEWER THAN  THIRTY  STATES,
 INCLUDING NEW YORK STATE;
   (C)  CAN  DEMONSTRATE  A  PROVEN RECORD OF HAVING PRODUCED SUCH CALCU-
 LATIONS AND REPORTS, WITHIN THE BUDGET AND TIME CONSTRAINTS OF  PREVIOUS
 CONTRACTS; AND
   (D) IS LOCATED IN OR AFFILIATED WITH A COLLEGE OR UNIVERSITY AND/OR IS
 MANAGED  BY  AN  INDIVIDUAL OR INDIVIDUALS WITH RELEVANT SKILLS, EXPERI-
 ENCE, AND EDUCATION THAT QUALIFIES HIM OR HER TO CALCULATE THE  INFORMA-
 TION REQUIRED BY THIS SECTION.
   5.  THE  DEPARTMENT  OF  LABOR  SHALL  SUBMIT A REPORT OF THE FINDINGS
 REQUIRED IN SUBDIVISIONS TWO AND THREE OF THIS SECTION TO THE  GOVERNOR,
 THE  SPEAKER  OF THE ASSEMBLY AND THE TEMPORARY PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE,
 NO LATER THAN SEPTEMBER FIRST, TWO THOUSAND  TWENTY-ONE  AND  BIENNIALLY
 THEREAFTER.
   §  2. This act shall take effect on the first of April next succeeding
 the date on which it shall have become a law.