S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   9106
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                                May 9, 2022
                                ___________
 
 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  home  visiting
   services for applicants for, or recipients of, public assistance bene-
   fits who are exempt from certain work activities
 
   THE  PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section 1. Section 332 of the social services law is amended by adding
 a new subdivision 1-a to read as follows:
   1-A. APPLICANTS FOR, OR  RECIPIENTS  OF,  PUBLIC  ASSISTANCE  WHO  ARE
 EXEMPT FROM WORK ACTIVITIES PURSUANT TO PARAGRAPH (D) OR (E) OF SUBDIVI-
 SION  ONE  OF  THIS  SECTION  SHALL BE ELIGIBLE TO RECEIVE HOME VISITING
 SERVICES THAT MEET THE CRITERIA ESTABLISHED PURSUANT TO 42  U.S.C.  711,
 SO  LONG  AS SUCH INDIVIDUAL MEETS ALL OTHER ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA ESTAB-
 LISHED PURSUANT TO THE PARTICULAR HOME VISITING MODEL. THE LOCAL  SOCIAL
 SERVICES  DISTRICT SHALL PROVIDE INFORMATION TO ANY APPLICANT OR RECIPI-
 ENT THAT IS INTERESTED IN RECEIVING SUCH SERVICES AND PROVIDE ASSISTANCE
 IN DETERMINING THE MOST APPROPRIATE MODEL TO MEET THE  PARTICULAR  NEEDS
 OF THE INDIVIDUAL.
   §  2.  Subdivision  1  of  section  335 of the social services law, as
 amended by chapter 214 of the laws of 1998, is amended and a  new  para-
 graph (c) is added to subdivision 2 to read as follows:
   1.  Each  social services official shall ensure that each recipient of
 public assistance who is a member of a household with dependent children
 and is eighteen years of age or older, or who is  sixteen  or  seventeen
 years of age and is not attending secondary school and has not completed
 high school or a high school equivalency program, receives an assessment
 of employability based on his or her educational level, including liter-
 acy  and  English  language proficiency, basic skills proficiency, child
 care and other supportive services needs; and skills, prior work experi-
 ence, training and vocational interests. This assessment shall include a
 review of family circumstances including a review of any  special  needs
 of  a  child AND WHETHER HOME VISITING SERVICES WOULD BE APPROPRIATE AND
 BENEFICIAL FOR THE FAMILY. Such assessment  shall  be  completed  within
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
              

                                                            LBD06528-01-1
 S. 9106                             2
 
 ninety  days of the date on which such person is determined eligible for
 public assistance. An applicant for or recipient  of  public  assistance
 may  be  assigned to work activities prior to completion of such assess-
 ment.
   (C) WHERE AN ASSESSMENT INDICATES THAT HOME VISITING SERVICES WOULD BE
 APPROPRIATE  AND BENEFICIAL TO THE PUBLIC ASSISTANCE HOUSEHOLD, AND SUCH
 SERVICES ARE AVAILABLE, THE LOCAL SOCIAL SERVICES OFFICIAL SHALL ENCOUR-
 AGE THE RECIPIENT TO PARTICIPATE IN SUCH SERVICES. TO  THE  EXTENT  THAT
 SUCH  PARTICIPANT IS INTERESTED IN RECEIVING HOME VISITING SERVICES, THE
 LOCAL SOCIAL SERVICES OFFICIAL SHALL ASSIGN THE PARTICIPANT  TO  A  WORK
 ACTIVITY  IN  ACCORDANCE WITH PARAGRAPH (F) OR (M) OF SUBDIVISION ONE OF
 SECTION THREE HUNDRED THIRTY-SIX OF THIS TITLE, WHERE SUCH HOME VISITING
 SERVICES SHALL COUNT TOWARDS THE INDIVIDUAL'S WORK REQUIREMENTS  AS  SET
 FORTH IN SECTION THREE HUNDRED THIRTY-FIVE-B OF THIS TITLE.
   §  3.  Paragraph  (c)  of subdivision 5 of section 335-b of the social
 services law, as added by section 148 of part B of chapter  436  of  the
 laws of 1997, is amended to read as follows:
   (c)  Each  social  services  official shall ensure that each parent or
 caretaker of a child, when such parent or caretaker is receiving  public
 assistance, is engaged in work as soon as practicable.  PROVIDED, HOWEV-
 ER,  THAT SUCH SOCIAL SERVICES OFFICIAL SHALL ENSURE THAT EACH PARENT OR
 CARETAKER OF A CHILD UNDER THE AGE OF FIVE IS PROVIDED WITH  INFORMATION
 REGARDING  HOME  VISITING  PROGRAMS  WHICH MEET THE CRITERIA ESTABLISHED
 PURSUANT TO 42 U.S.C. 711 IN THEIR AREA, AND  THAT  SUCH  HOME  VISITING
 SERVICES MAY SATISFY A PORTION OF SUCH INDIVIDUAL'S REQUIRED WORK ACTIV-
 ITIES.
   §  4.  Paragraphs  (f)  and (m) of subdivision 1 of section 336 of the
 social services law, paragraph (f) as amended by chapter 275 of the laws
 of 2017, and paragraph (m) as amended by section 148 of part B of  chap-
 ter 436 of the laws of 1997, are amended to read as follows:
   (f)  job  search  and  job  readiness  assistance, WHICH SHALL INCLUDE
 ACTIVITIES WITH THE GOAL OF SEEKING OR OBTAINING EMPLOYMENT, OR PREPARA-
 TION TO SEEK OR OBTAIN EMPLOYMENT, INCLUDING LIFE-SKILLS TRAINING, WHICH
 SHALL INCLUDE BUT NOT BE LIMITED TO HOME VISITING SERVICES TO THE RECIP-
 IENT AND THEIR FAMILY, AND provided FURTHER that job search is an active
 and continuing effort to  secure  employment  configured  by  the  local
 social  services official; and such social services district may work in
 cooperation with the department of labor to provide  workforce  guidance
 and information in accordance with section ten-c of the labor law;
   (m)  job  search and job readiness assistance, AS DEFINED IN PARAGRAPH
 (F) OF THIS SUBDIVISION, once the individual has exceeded the  six  week
 limit set in federal law;
   § 5. This act shall take effect immediately.