Assembly Bill A1805A

                            
                    S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
________________________________________________________________________

                                 1805--A

                       2015-2016 Regular Sessions

                          I N  A S S E M B L Y

                            January 13, 2015
                               ___________

Introduced  by M. of A. TITUS, NOLAN, LUPARDO, RUSSELL, MOSLEY, BRONSON,
  WALKER, OTIS -- Multi-Sponsored by -- M.  of  A.  BRAUNSTEIN,  DAVILA,
  FAHY,  JAFFEE,  LAVINE,  PERRY,  ROBINSON,  SEPULVEDA, SOLAGES, STECK,
  WEINSTEIN -- read  once  and  referred  to  the  Committee  on  Social
  Services -- ordered to a third reading -- recommitted to the Committee
  on  Social  Services  in  accordance  with  Assembly Rule 3, sec. 2 --
  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 twelve month
  work exemption for certain parents or relatives providing child care

  THE  PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:

  Section 1. Subdivision 2 of section 410-x of the social services  law,
as  amended  by  chapter  416 of the laws of 2000, is amended to read as
follows:
  2. (a) A social services district may  establish  priorities  for  the
families  which  will  be eligible to receive funding; provided that the
priorities provide that eligible families will receive equitable  access
to child care assistance funds to the extent that these funds are avail-
able.
  (b)  A  social  services  district  shall set forth its priorities for
child care assistance in the district's consolidated services plan.  The
commissioner  of  the  office  of children and family services shall not
approve any plan that does not provide for  equitable  access  to  child
care assistance funds.
  (c)  A  social  services  district  shall  be  authorized to set aside
portions of its block grant allocation to  serve  one  or  more  of  its
priority  groups  and/or  to  discontinue funding to families with lower
priorities in order to serve families with higher  priorities;  provided
that  the method of disbursement to priority groups provides that eligi-
ble families within a priority group will receive  equitable  access  to

 EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                      [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                           LBD06623-04-6
              

A. 1805--A                          2

child  care  assistance  funds to the extent that these funds are avail-
able.
  (d)  NOTWITHSTANDING  ANY  OTHER PROVISION OF LAW TO THE CONTRARY, THE
COMMISSIONER IN ANY SOCIAL SERVICES DISTRICT THAT DOES NOT  HAVE  SUFFI-
CIENT  FUNDING  TO SERVE ALL ELIGIBLE WORKING FAMILIES UNDER TWO HUNDRED
PERCENT OF THE STATE INCOME STANDARD, SHALL OFFER THE TWELVE MONTH  WORK
EXEMPTION  PROVIDED IN PARAGRAPH (D) OF SUBDIVISION ONE OF SECTION THREE
HUNDRED THIRTY-TWO OF THIS CHAPTER, TO ALL PARENTS OR OTHER RELATIVES IN
RECEIPT OF PUBLIC ASSISTANCE WHO ARE PERSONALLY  PROVIDING  CARE  FOR  A
CHILD  UNDER  ONE YEAR OF AGE REGARDLESS OF WHETHER SUCH PARENT OR OTHER
RELATIVE HAS PREVIOUSLY BEEN OFFERED AN  EXEMPTION  UNDER  SUCH  SECTION
THREE  HUNDRED  THIRTY-TWO.  THIS SECTION SHALL NOT APPLY TO INDIVIDUALS
WHO:
  (I) SOLELY PARTICIPATE IN WORK ACTIVITIES THAT PROVIDE EARNED  INCOME;
OR
  (II)  PARTICIPATE IN A COMBINATION OF WORK ACTIVITIES; FOR THE PORTION
OF WORK ACTIVITIES THAT PROVIDE EARNED INCOME.
  (E) IN THE EVENT THAT A  SOCIAL  SERVICES  DISTRICT  MUST  DISCONTINUE
FUNDING  TO  A PRIORITY GROUP IT SHALL NOTIFY THE OFFICE OF CHILDREN AND
FAMILY SERVICES WITHIN TEN DAYS OF SUCH ACTION, IDENTIFYING THE  PARTIC-
ULAR  GROUP  AFFECTED. IN THE EVENT THAT FUNDING IS RESTORED, THE SOCIAL
SERVICES DISTRICT  SHALL  NOTIFY  THE  OFFICE  OF  CHILDREN  AND  FAMILY
SERVICES WITHIN TEN DAYS OF SUCH RESTORATION.
  (F)  Each  social  services  district  shall collect and submit to the
commissioner of the office of children and family services in  a  manner
to be specified by the commissioner of the office of children and family
services  information  concerning the disbursement of child care assist-
ance funds showing geographic distribution of children receiving assist-
ance within the district, THE NUMBER OF WORKING FAMILIES WHO WERE OTHER-
WISE ELIGIBLE FOR CHILD CARE ASSISTANCE BUT WHO WERE DENIED BECAUSE  THE
DISTRICT  LACKED  SUFFICIENT  FUNDING TO SERVE ALL ELIGIBLE FAMILIES AND
THE NUMBER AND AGE OF CHILDREN WHO COULD NOT BE SERVED AS A RESULT.
  [(e)] (G) The commissioner  of  the  office  of  children  and  family
services  shall  submit a report to the governor, temporary president of
the senate and the speaker of the assembly on or before  August  thirty-
first[, two thousand one] OF EVERY YEAR concerning the implementation of
this  section.  This  report  shall  include  information concerning the
disbursement of child care assistance funds showing geographic  distrib-
ution  of  children  receiving  assistance  within  the state. BEGINNING
AUGUST THIRTY-FIRST, ONE YEAR AFTER THE CHAPTER OF THE LAWS OF TWO THOU-
SAND SIXTEEN THAT AMENDED THIS SUBDIVISION SHALL TAKE EFFECT,  AND  EACH
SUBSEQUENT REPORT THEREAFTER, SUCH REPORT SHALL ALSO:
  (I)  IDENTIFY  THE COUNTIES THAT HAVE DISCONTINUED OR RESTORED FUNDING
TO PRIORITY GROUPS, AS SET FORTH IN SUBDIVISION (E) OF THIS SECTION;
  (II) LIST THE PRIORITY GROUPS AFFECTED;
  (III) PROVIDE FOR EACH COUNTY FOR EACH OF THE TWELVE MONTHS COVERED BY
THIS REPORT THE NUMBER OF WORKING FAMILIES WHO WERE  OTHERWISE  ELIGIBLE
FOR  CHILD  CARE  ASSISTANCE  BUT  WHO  WERE DENIED BECAUSE THE DISTRICT
LACKED SUFFICIENT FUNDING TO SERVE ALL ELIGIBLE FAMILIES; AND
  (IV) THE NUMBER AND AGE OF CHILDREN WHO  COULD  NOT  BE  SERVED  AS  A
RESULT.
  S 2. This act shall take effect immediately.