The New York State Senate

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

                                 339--A

                       2019-2020 Regular Sessions

                          I N  A S S E M B L Y

                               (PREFILED)

                             January 9, 2019
                               ___________

Introduced  by M. of A. JOYNER, CRESPO, BARRON -- read once and referred
  to the Committee on Social Services -- recommitted to the Committee on
  Social Services in accordance with Assembly Rule 3, sec. 2 --  commit-
  tee  discharged, bill amended, ordered reprinted as amended and recom-
  mitted to said committee

AN ACT to amend the social services law, in relation to the creation  of
  a self-sufficiency standard study

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

  Section 1. The social services law is amended by adding a new  section
131-bb to read as follows:
  §  131-BB.  SELF-SUFFICIENCY STANDARD STUDY. 1. (A) A SELF-SUFFICIENCY
STANDARD MEASURES HOW MUCH INCOME IS NEEDED FOR  A  FAMILY  OF  A  GIVEN
COMPOSITION  IN A GIVEN GEOGRAPHIC LOCATION TO ADEQUATELY MEET ITS BASIC
NEEDS WITHOUT PUBLIC OR PRIVATE ASSISTANCE.
  (B) A SELF-SUFFICIENCY STANDARD IS A TOOL THAT CAN  BE  USED  TO:  (I)
CREATE  A  BENCHMARK  FOR  MEASURING  THE  EFFECTIVENESS OF ANTI-POVERTY
PROGRAMS  AND  POLICIES;  (II)  DETERMINE  EFFECTIVE  WAYS  TO  ALLOCATE
RESOURCES  THAT WILL LEAD TO ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT THAT RESULTS IN LIVING
WAGE JOBS; (III) TARGET THE DEVELOPMENT OF TRAINING AND INDUSTRIES  THAT
RESULT  IN HIGHER-WAGE JOBS FOR NEW YORKERS; (IV) ENHANCE EDUCATION, JOB
TRAINING, AND SKILLS DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS; (V) COUNSEL  CLIENTS  TRANSI-
TIONING  FROM  WELFARE  AND  UNEMPLOYMENT, THROUGH WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT
PROGRAMS AND EDUCATION AND TRAINING, INTO  SELF-SUFFICIENCY  WAGE  JOBS;
AND  (VI)  ENHANCE ONLINE "BUDGET CALCULATOR" TOOLS THAT ENABLE USERS TO
STRATEGIZE COMBINATIONS OF PUBLIC AND PRIVATE  SUPPORTS  AND  SUBSIDIES,
WITH  TRAINING  AND EDUCATION, AND/OR EMPLOYMENT, TO INCREASE INCOME AND
ECONOMIC SECURITY.
  2. THE DEPARTMENT OF LABOR SHALL CONTRACT WITH  A  THIRD  PARTY,  THAT
MEETS  THE  REQUIREMENTS  IN  SUBDIVISION  FOUR OF THIS SECTION, FOR THE

 EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets

                      [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                           LBD00051-03-0

A. 339--A                           2

COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS OF DATA THAT RESULTS IN THE CALCULATION OF BASIC
NEEDS BUDGETS.
  3.  CALCULATION  OF  STANDARD OF BASIC NEEDS BUDGETS. (A) STANDARDS OF
BASIC NEEDS BUDGETS SHALL (I) MEASURE THE NECESSARY INCOME  REQUIRED  TO
MAINTAIN  SELF-SUFFICIENCY WITHOUT ADDITIONAL PUBLIC OR PRIVATE SUPPORT;
(II) ACCOUNT FOR FAMILY SIZE AND COMPOSITION; AND (III) UTILIZE, TO  THE
EXTENT SUCH INFORMATION IS AVAILABLE, THE MOST UP TO DATE COSTS OF BASIC
NEEDS,  INCLUDING  BUT  NOT  LIMITED  TO  HOUSING, FOOD, TRANSPORTATION,
HEALTH CARE, AND CHILD CARE, AS WELL AS TAXES AND TAX CREDITS, INCLUDING
LOCAL, STATE AND FEDERAL TAXES AND TAX CREDITS.
  (B) IN CALCULATING THE STANDARD OF BASIC NEEDS BUDGET, THE  CONTRACTOR
SHALL UTILIZE, TO THE EXTENT PRACTICABLE, DATA THAT IS NATIONALLY STAND-
ARDIZED,   CALCULATED   ANNUALLY,   AND   FROM  RELIABLE  GOVERNMENT  OR
ACADEMIC/SCHOLARLY SOURCES, SUCH AS THE  UNITED  STATES  CENSUS  BUREAU,
UNITED  STATES DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT, OR ANY OTHER
DATA REPORTED TO STATE AND FEDERAL AGENCIES USING STANDARDIZED METHODOL-
OGY. THESE BUDGETS SHOULD BE VARIED GEOGRAPHICALLY, BY COUNTY, AND  DATA
PERMITTING, SUB-COUNTY AREAS, FOR EVERY REGION IN THE STATE.
  4.  THIRD-PARTY CONTRACTOR. TO THE EXTENT PRACTICABLE, THE THIRD PARTY
CONTRACTOR SHALL HAVE THE FOLLOWING CHARACTERISTICS:
  (A) AT LEAST TWENTY YEARS'  CONTINUOUS  EXPERIENCE  IN  CALCULATING  A
STANDARD  OF  BASIC  NEEDS BUDGET, OR SUBSTANTIALLY SIMILAR MEASUREMENT,
AND RELATED ANALYSES;
  (B) HAS PERFORMED SUCH CALCULATIONS FOR NO FEWER THAN  THIRTY  STATES,
INCLUDING NEW YORK STATE;
  (C)  CAN  DEMONSTRATE  A  PROVEN RECORD OF HAVING PRODUCED SUCH CALCU-
LATIONS AND REPORTS, WITHIN THE BUDGET AND TIME CONSTRAINTS OF  PREVIOUS
CONTRACTS; AND
  (D) IS LOCATED IN OR AFFILIATED WITH A COLLEGE OR UNIVERSITY AND/OR IS
MANAGED  BY  AN  INDIVIDUAL OR INDIVIDUALS WITH RELEVANT SKILLS, EXPERI-
ENCE, AND EDUCATION THAT QUALIFIES HIM OR HER TO CALCULATE THE  INFORMA-
TION REQUIRED BY THIS SECTION.
  5.  THE  DEPARTMENT  OF  LABOR  SHALL  SUBMIT A REPORT OF THE FINDINGS
REQUIRED IN SUBDIVISIONS TWO AND THREE OF THIS SECTION TO THE  GOVERNOR,
THE  SPEAKER  OF THE ASSEMBLY AND THE TEMPORARY PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE,
NO LATER THAN SEPTEMBER FIRST, TWO THOUSAND  TWENTY-ONE  AND  BIENNIALLY
THEREAFTER.
  §  2. This act shall take effect on the first of April next succeeding
the date on which it shall have become a law.