S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                  4578--A
 
                        2023-2024 Regular Sessions
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                             February 10, 2023
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  Sens.  RAMOS, BROUK, ASHBY, BAILEY, CHU, CLEARE, COMRIE,
   COONEY, FERNANDEZ, GONZALEZ, JACKSON, KENNEDY, RIVERA, SALAZAR -- read
   twice and ordered printed, and when printed to  be  committed  to  the
   Committee  on  Children  and  Families -- reported favorably from said
   committee and committed to  the  Committee  on  Finance  --  committee
   discharged, bill amended, ordered reprinted as amended and recommitted
   to said committee
 
 AN ACT to amend the social services law, in relation to establishing the
   mothers and infants lasting change allowance
 
   THE  PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section 1. This act shall be known and may be cited  as  the  "mothers
 and infants lasting change ("MILC") allowance".
   § 2. Legislative findings and intent. The legislature hereby finds and
 declares  that child poverty in New York city and cities across New York
 state is shamefully high and will  likely  worsen  if  current  economic
 trends  continue.  Half  of the top six cities in the United States with
 the highest child poverty rates are in New York state, disproportionate-
 ly affecting communities and children of color. In New York city, nearly
 1 in 4 children live in poverty. In Rochester and Buffalo,  that  number
 is even higher: 1 in 2 children live in poverty.
   The  legislature hereby finds and declares that New Yorkers are unable
 to cover their basic necessities and support their families, particular-
 ly in the face of rising interest rates and inflation. Most notably, the
 cost of childcare, which already consumes a massive  portion  of  family
 income,  rose  41%  during the pandemic, and the total cost of raising a
 child through high school has risen to more than $300,000,  which  is  a
 $26,000  increase from five years ago and is likely to present a heavier
 burden for low-income parents and families for  whom  expenses  such  as
 food, housing, and gas comprise an even larger portion of their income.

  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD04583-04-3
 S. 4578--A                          2
              

 
   The  legislature  hereby  finds  and  declares  there  is overwhelming
 evidence that the  prenatal-to-three  and  early  childhood  development
 period  are  critical  for  a child's future prospects and affects their
 physical, mental, emotional and  social  outcomes  over  a  lifetime.  A
 program  targeting  infants in this formative phase would help break the
 intergenerational cycle of poverty rather than attempting to mitigate it
 later on, creating a positive impact  on  children's  lives  and  saving
 government funds down the road.
   The  legislature  hereby  finds  and  declares it is proven that unre-
 stricted cash is a direct and effective solution to alleviating  poverty
 and  meeting needs for families. This was shown on a national level with
 the overwhelming success of the expanded Child Tax Credit, which  lifted
 millions of children out of poverty with its monthly payments and led to
 a  41%  spike  in  child  poverty  the first month it expired. The unre-
 stricted cash intervention further  proved  how  an  investment  in  the
 earliest  days  of life can have multiplying effects: studies have found
 that a permanent expansion of the expanded Child Tax Credit  would  have
 generated  10  times  as  much  revenue as it cost.   New York state has
 recently made a commitment through the Child Poverty  Reduction  Act  in
 December  2021  to  reduce  child  poverty by 50% over the course of ten
 years, with the support of the Child Poverty Reduction Advisory Council,
 and there is an opportunity for unrestricted cash to support  this  goal
 and help the state reach its target.
   Therefore,  the  legislature  hereby  finds and declares that New York
 state has an opportunity and obligation to invest in its most vulnerable
 residents by leading the fight against childhood poverty, and toward  an
 equitable  economy  for  all,  through  a  guaranteed income program for
 infants.
   § 3. Article 6 of the social services law is amended by adding  a  new
 title 4-C to read as follows:
                                  TITLE 4-C
           MOTHERS AND INFANTS LASTING CHANGE ("MILC") ALLOWANCE
 SECTION 409-O. MOTHERS AND INFANTS LASTING CHANGE ALLOWANCE.
   §  409-O.  MOTHERS AND INFANTS LASTING CHANGE ALLOWANCE. 1. WITHIN ONE
 YEAR OF THE EFFECTIVE DATE OF THIS SECTION, THE DEPARTMENT SHALL  ESTAB-
 LISH  A  MOTHERS  AND  INFANTS LASTING CHANGE ALLOWANCE PILOT PROGRAM TO
 SUPPORT LOW-INCOME FAMILIES FOR THREE MONTHS OF PREGNANCY  AND  EIGHTEEN
 MONTHS  OF  A  CHILD'S  LIFE.  SUCH PILOT PROGRAM SHALL BE IN EFFECT FOR
 TWENTY-ONE MONTHS.
   2. (A) THE DEPARTMENT, IN  COORDINATION  WITH  LOCAL  SOCIAL  SERVICES
 DISTRICTS,  SHALL  DEVELOP CRITERIA THAT LOCAL SOCIAL SERVICES DISTRICTS
 SHALL USE TO SELECT A TOTAL OF FIFTEEN THOUSAND  ELIGIBLE  FAMILIES  FOR
 PARTICIPATION IN THE PROGRAM.
   (B) ELIGIBLE INDIVIDUALS CHOSEN FOR PARTICIPATION IN THE PROGRAM SHALL
 RECEIVE  A  SUBSIDY OF ONE THOUSAND DOLLARS PER MONTH FOR THE LAST THREE
 MONTHS OF PREGNANCY AND THE FIRST NINE MONTHS OF A CHILD'S LIFE AND FIVE
 HUNDRED DOLLARS PER MONTH FOR THE LAST NINE MONTHS OF  PARTICIPATION  IN
 THE PROGRAM.
   (C)  THE DEPARTMENT SHALL ALLOCATE THE NECESSARY FUNDS TO LOCAL SOCIAL
 SERVICES DISTRICTS FOR SELECTED ELIGIBLE SELECTED PARTICIPANTS.
   (D) MONTHLY DISTRIBUTIONS SHALL  BE  MADE  BY  LOCAL  SOCIAL  SERVICES
 DISTRICTS  ON THE FIRST OF EACH MONTH FOR THE DURATION OF THE PROGRAM TO
 THE ELIGIBLE SELECTED PARTICIPANTS.
   3. ELIGIBLE PARTICIPANTS SHALL:
 S. 4578--A                          3
 
   (A) HAVE AN INCOME WHICH IS BELOW TWO HUNDRED PERCENT OF  THE  FEDERAL
 POVERTY  LINE.  SUCH  INCOME  SHALL  BE  PROVEN  BY PROVIDING ONE OF THE
 FOLLOWING:
   (I) A FILED TAX RETURN FROM THE PREVIOUS YEAR;
   (II)  A  LETTER  FROM AN EMPLOYER DOCUMENTING THE DATES OF WORK OF THE
 APPLICANT AND THE YEARLY PAY FROM THE EMPLOYER;
   (III) A W-2 OR 1099 FORM FROM THE PREVIOUS TAX YEAR; OR
   (IV) A WAGE NOTICE PROVIDED PURSUANT TO SECTION  ONE  HUNDRED  NINETY-
 FIVE  OF  THE  LABOR  LAW THAT DOCUMENTS EMPLOYMENT FOR A PERIOD OF TIME
 WITHIN SIX MONTHS PRIOR TO THE DATE THE APPLICANT CERTIFIES THAT  HE  OR
 SHE BECAME ELIGIBLE;
   (B) PARTICIPATE IN MONTHLY SURVEYS PROVIDED BY THE DEPARTMENT; AND
   (C) MEET ANY OTHER CRITERIA DEEMED NECESSARY BY THE DEPARTMENT.
   4. OF THE FIFTEEN THOUSAND ELIGIBLE PARTICIPANTS:
   (A) TEN THOUSAND PARTICIPANTS SHALL RESIDE IN A CITY WITH A POPULATION
 OF ONE HUNDRED FORTY THOUSAND OR MORE; AND
   (B) FIVE THOUSAND PARTICIPANTS SHALL RESIDE IN A RURAL AREA AS DEFINED
 IN SECTION TWENTY-NINE HUNDRED FIFTY-ONE OF THE PUBLIC HEALTH LAW.
   5.   THE  DEPARTMENT,  IN  COORDINATION  WITH  LOCAL  SOCIAL  SERVICES
 DISTRICTS, SHALL ASSIST ELIGIBLE PARTICIPANTS WITH ACCESS TO  RESOURCES,
 SUBSIDY  MANAGEMENT,  AND  ANYTHING ELSE DEEMED NECESSARY BY THE DEPART-
 MENT.
   6. THE DEPARTMENT AND LOCAL SOCIAL SERVICES DISTRICTS SHALL CONDUCT  A
 MONTHLY  SURVEY  TO  DETERMINE THE IMPACT OF THE PROGRAM. THE DEPARTMENT
 SHALL PREPARE AN INTERIM REPORT REGARDING THE FIRST TWELVE MONTHS OF THE
 PROGRAM WHICH SHALL BE COMPLETED BY THE EIGHTEENTH MONTH OF THE  PROGRAM
 AND  A  FINAL REPORT SHALL BE MADE NO LATER THAN TWELVE MONTHS AFTER THE
 COMPLETION OF THE TWENTY-ONE MONTH PROGRAM.
   § 4. Paragraph (a) of subdivision 8 of section  131-a  of  the  social
 services  law  is  amended by adding a new subparagraph (xiv) to read as
 follows:
   (XIV) ANY FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE RECEIVED BY INDIVIDUALS FROM THE  MOTH-
 ERS  AND  INFANTS LASTING CHANGE ("MILC") ALLOWANCE.  SUCH EXEMPTION AND
 DISREGARD SHALL BE APPLICABLE FOR THE  LENGTH  OF  TIME  THE  INDIVIDUAL
 RECEIVES  THE  ALLOWANCE.  THE  COMMISSIONER  SHALL  SEEK FEDERAL WAIVER
 AUTHORITY TO DISREGARD THE INCOME FROM THE MOTHERS AND  INFANTS  LASTING
 CHANGE  ("MILC") ALLOWANCE FOR THE PURPOSE OF THE SUPPLEMENTAL NUTRITION
 ASSISTANCE PROGRAM.
   § 5. This act shall take effect immediately.