The New York State Senate

 
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                  5741--A
 
                        2021-2022 Regular Sessions
 
                           I N  A S S E M B L Y
 
                             February 24, 2021
                                ___________
 
 Introduced by M. of A. JOYNER -- 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 -- reported and referred to
   the Committee on Ways and Means -- 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 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-cc to read as follows:
   §  131-CC.  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.
                                                            LBD03508-03-2
 A. 5741--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-FOUR  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.