BILL NUMBER: S7133

SPONSOR: PERSAUD
 
TITLE OF BILL:

An act to amend the social services law, in relation to authorizing the
payment of camp fees for children receiving safety net assistance; and
to repeal certain provisions of such law relating thereto

 
PURPOSE OF THE BILL:

The bill would allow camp fee payments for children in Safety Net
Assistance (SNA) cases to be disbursed as part of a household's Public
Assistance (PA) case.

 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:

Section 1 of the bill would repeal Social Services Law (SSL) §
350(1)(d), which provides for allowances for summer camp fees to chil-
dren in receipt of Family Assistance (FA) only.

              

Section 2 of the bill would amend SSL § 131-a(5)(d) to allow social
services districts to provide allowances for camp fees to children in
receipt of FA or SNA.

In addition, section 2 would change statutory references from "depart-
ment" to "office of temporary and disability assistance" to reflect that
the New York State Department of Social Services is no longer in exist-
ence and that the Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance is being
referred to in these provisions of law.

Section 3 of the bill would provide that this act shall become effective
June 30, 2021, and any rules or regulations necessary to implement the
provisions of this act on its effective date are authorized to be made
on an emergency basis.

 
JUSTIFICATIONS:

Currently, State law only provides an allowance for summer camp fees
under the FA program. This bill would combine the existing requirements
of SSL §§ 131-a(5)(d) and 350(1)(d) and then extend eligibility for camp
fee payments to families with SNA cases. The bill merely makes a
correction to address an unintended consequence of welfare reform legis-
lation.

Eligibility for camp fees should be based on need rather than the cate-
gory of assistance being received. Extending the camp fees to children
receiving SNA will help reduce disparities among similarly situated
children and promote health and well-being by enabling more children to
socialize, participate in new activities, and spend time outdoors. In
addition, camp fee allowances support working parents by offering them
the opportunity to have their children cared for in a safe and meaning-
ful environment.

 
PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:

This is a new bill.


The omission of an allowance for camp fees in the SNA program was not
purposeful. Prior to the Welfare Reform Act of 1997 (Chapter 436 of the
Laws of 1997), almost all children receiving PA were included in the
former Aid to Dependent Children (ADC) program. Therefore, there was no
need to provide an allowance for camp fees in the Home Relief program
(the predecessor to the SNA program).

However, the Welfare Reform Act of 1997 placed a five-year time limit on
the receipt of FA. Families who exceed the five-year time limit are no
longer eligible to receive FA, but they could be eligible to receive
SNA. Beginning in December 2001, some families with children received
SNA rather than FA as a result of the time limits. Families receiving
SNA are ineligible for camp fee payments.

 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:

It is anticipated that the fiscal impact of this bill would be minimal.
For State Fiscal Year (SFY) 2021-22, there would be minimal fiscal
impact. Thereafter, the anticipated annual cost would be approximately
$40,000 ($12,000 State/$28,000 local), which would be subsumed within a
total gross SNA program cost of roughly $1.8 billion.

 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall become effective on June 30, 2021, and any rules or regu-
lations necessary to implement the provisions of this act on its effec-
tive date are authorized to be made on an emergency basis.