S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   1597
 
                        2025-2026 Regular Sessions
 
                           I N  A S S E M B L Y
 
                             January 10, 2025
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by M. of A. CLARK, JACKSON, SIMON, LEVENBERG, HEVESI, GONZA-
   LEZ-ROJAS,  MEEKS,  SHRESTHA,  EPSTEIN,   BICHOTTE HERMELYN,   DAVILA,
   SEAWRIGHT,   McMAHON,  TAPIA,  GALLAGHER,  KELLES,  FORREST,  ZACCARO,
   CUNNINGHAM, TAYLOR, BRONSON, OTIS, BORES, ROZIC, JACOBSON, LUNSFORD --
   read once and referred to the Committee on Social Services

 AN ACT to amend the social services law, in relation to establishing the
   baby bucks 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 "baby bucks
 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.
   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

  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD04614-01-5
              

 A. 1597                             2
 
 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
                           BABY BUCKS ALLOWANCE
 SECTION 409-O. BABY BUCKS ALLOWANCE.
   § 409-O. BABY BUCKS ALLOWANCE. 1. WITHIN ONE  YEAR  OF  THE  EFFECTIVE
 DATE OF THIS SECTION, THE DEPARTMENT SHALL ESTABLISH A BABY BUCKS ALLOW-
 ANCE  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:
   (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;
 A. 1597                             3
 
   (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 THEY
 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 BABY
 BUCKS ALLOWANCE. SUCH EXEMPTION AND DISREGARD SHALL  BE  APPLICABLE  FOR
 THE  LENGTH  OF  TIME THE INDIVIDUAL RECEIVES THE ALLOWANCE. THE COMMIS-
 SIONER SHALL SEEK FEDERAL WAIVER AUTHORITY TO DISREGARD THE INCOME  FROM
 THE  BABY  BUCKS ALLOWANCE FOR THE PURPOSE OF THE SUPPLEMENTAL NUTRITION
 ASSISTANCE PROGRAM.
   § 5. This act shall take effect immediately.