The New York State Senate

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

                                  10673

                          I N  A S S E M B L Y

                              June 24, 2020
                               ___________

Introduced  by  COMMITTEE ON RULES -- (at request of M. of A. Hevesi) --
  read once and referred to the Committee on Social Services

AN ACT to amend the social services law, in relation  to  using  supple-
  mental  nutrition  assistance  program  benefits  to  purchase  online
  groceries and to the state supplemental nutrition  assistance  program
  outreach program

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

  Section 1. Paragraph (b) of subdivision 1 of section 95 of the  social
services  law  is  relettered  paragraph  (c) and a new paragraph (b) is
added to read as follows:
  (B) THE OFFICE SHALL PROMPTLY SEEK NECESSARY FEDERAL  APPROVAL  NEEDED
TO  ENTER INTO AN AGREEMENT WITH ALL GROCERY RETAILERS PREPARED TO OFFER
SNAP ONLINE PURCHASING OR SUBSEQUENTLY AVAILABLE PROGRAMS  IN  ORDER  TO
MAXIMIZE AVAILABILITY OF ONLINE FRESH FOOD PURCHASING OPTIONS THROUGHOUT
THE  STATE.  WITHIN  ONE HUNDRED EIGHTY DAYS AFTER THE EFFECTIVE DATE OF
THIS PARAGRAPH, THE OFFICE SHALL DEVELOP A PLAN TO MAXIMIZE SNAP  ONLINE
PURCHASING  OPTIONS  IN  THE STATE. THE OFFICE SHALL PERIODICALLY REVIEW
AND REVISE THE PLAN. THE PLAN, AND ANY UPDATES OF SUCH  PLAN,  SHALL  BE
SUBMITTED  TO  THE GOVERNOR, THE SPEAKER OF THE ASSEMBLY, AND THE TEMPO-
RARY PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE. THE OFFICE  SHALL  CONTINUE  TO  SEEK  ALL
NECESSARY WAIVERS FROM THE UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, FOOD
AND  NUTRITION  SERVICE, TO THE EXTENT NECESSARY FOR THE OFFICE TO CARRY
OUT THE PLAN, PURSUANT TO FEDERAL LAW AND REGULATIONS.
  § 2. Subparagraph (i) of paragraph a of subdivision 7 of section 95 of
the social services law, as separately amended by chapter 41 and section
3 of part A of chapter 57 of the laws of 2012, is  amended  to  read  as
follows:
  (i) May be redeemed for SNAP benefits at designated redemption centers
by  the  recipient  or by an authorized representative. When an eligible
recipient under this section is issued SNAP benefits, such SNAP benefits
may be used to purchase food items from a food distributor by the recip-
ient or by an authorized representative.   RECIPIENTS SHALL BE  ABLE  TO
USE  SNAP  BENEFITS  TO  PURCHASE GROCERIES FROM ELIGIBLE ONLINE GROCERY

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

                      [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                           LBD16185-03-0

A. 10673                            2

RETAILERS AND TO HAVE GROCERIES DELIVERED PURSUANT TO FEDERAL  LAWS  AND
REGULATIONS. Any other transfer or sale of authorizations to participate
or  SNAP  benefits shall constitute an unauthorized use of said authori-
zations or benefits;
  §  3. Section 95-a of the social services law, as added by chapter 546
of the laws of 1978, is amended to read as follows:
  § 95-a.  State [food stamp] SUPPLEMENTAL NUTRITION ASSISTANCE  PROGRAM
outreach  program.   1.   In accordance with federal requirements and to
the extent that federal matching funds  are  available,  the  department
shall develop and implement an outreach plan to inform low-income house-
holds  potentially eligible to receive [food stamps] SUPPLEMENTAL NUTRI-
TION ASSISTANCE PROGRAM BENEFITS of the availability and benefits of the
program, INCLUDING INFORMATION ON THE  FEDERAL  SNAP  ONLINE  PURCHASING
PILOT PROGRAM OR SUBSEQUENT PROGRAMS, and to encourage the participation
of eligible households that wish to participate.
  2.    In developing and implementing such a plan the department and/or
its local  districts  are  authorized  and  empowered,  subject  to  the
approval  of the director of the budget and provided that federal aid is
available therefor, to enter into  contractual  agreements  with  public
and/or  private  organizations to develop and implement local, regional,
and statewide outreach programs.
  3.  Each commissioner of social services shall develop and  submit  to
the  department  on  an  annual basis for its approval, a local outreach
plan governing the use of local social services personnel  and  services
provided  by  federally  funded  and other agencies and organizations to
inform potentially eligible households of the availability and  benefits
of  the  program  and  to  encourage and facilitate the participation of
eligible households.   The department  shall  provide  commissioners  of
social  services  with  technical  assistance as needed to carry out the
provisions of this subdivision.
  4.  As part of each local outreach  plan,  social  services  officials
shall take all steps necessary to maintain a supply of information leaf-
lets  in  public buildings, including but not limited to local unemploy-
ment insurance and employment services  offices  of  the  department  of
labor,  institutions  and facilities under the supervision or control of
the department of health, food stores, union  halls,  community  centers
and local agencies providing services to the elderly to help insure that
eligible persons are informed of the [food stamp] SUPPLEMENTAL NUTRITION
ASSISTANCE program.
  5. The department shall periodically distribute to all newspapers, and
to  television  and  radio stations throughout the state, public service
announcements describing the [food stamp] SUPPLEMENTAL NUTRITION ASSIST-
ANCE program, including the toll-free telephone numbers for [food stamp]
SUPPLEMENTAL NUTRITION ASSISTANCE PROGRAM information, and shall prompt-
ly inform such media of significant changes  in  the  program  affecting
eligibility  requirements  and/or the amount of the [food stamp] SUPPLE-
MENTAL NUTRITION ASSISTANCE PROGRAM bonus.
  6.  The department shall establish procedures in cooperation with  the
industrial commissioner of the department of labor to ensure that infor-
mational  leaflets about the [food stamp] SUPPLEMENTAL NUTRITION ASSIST-
ANCE program are sent to  each  local  employment  services  office  for
distribution  pursuant  to section five hundred [and] forty of the labor
law.  Each leaflet shall include but not be limited to: the phone number
for the New York State [food stamp]  SUPPLEMENTAL  NUTRITION  ASSISTANCE
hotline,  estimated  maximum income eligibility levels by household size
for participation in the [food stamp] SUPPLEMENTAL NUTRITION  ASSISTANCE

A. 10673                            3

program  and  the  availability  of local social services departments to
provide additional information about the program.
  7.  In  accordance with applicable federal laws, rules and regulations
the department shall make available appropriate bilingual  materials  so
that  potentially  eligible  non  English  speaking  individuals  may be
informed  about  the  [food  stamp]  SUPPLEMENTAL  NUTRITION  ASSISTANCE
program.
  8.    The  department shall promulgate rules and regulations, and take
all other actions necessary for the  effective  implementation  of  this
section.
  § 4. This act shall take effect immediately.