Agenda Item

Status

Supporting Documents

Comments/Action

Feeding Hungry Minds in Low-Performing Schools. (AB 2395)

Assembly Member Jackie Goldberg has introduced the legislation.

View bill text, history and status.

The bill has been sent to the Governor stripped of the mandate.  

·         View Fact Sheet From CFPA

·         View Frequently Asked Questions about this proposal  

·     View Breakfast Basics: A Guide to Feeding Hungry Minds in California through the School Breakfast Program. 

·         View a research brief on the connection between breakfast and academic performance. Or view full reports by clicking here.

·         View a one-pager on the existing funding for this proposal

A watered-down version of the bill is on the Governors desk.  See action alert for more details

Red Tape Reduction Campaign for Hungry, Working Californians.

Red Tape Reduction Campaign consists of 5 actions the legislature and the Governor can take to reduce hassles for hungry Californians.  These 5 actions will not be traveling through the legislative process in one bill.  Instead, they will appear in a bill and budget items.  See the next 5 items for more detail on how these items appear in the process.

·         View fact sheet on the Red Tape Reduction Campaign

·         View trends in food stamp participation

·         View the analysis of participation of working Californians in the food stamp program

Sign on in support of the campaign by clicking here.

1. Ending Monthly Reporting for Food Stamps. (AB 2415)

AB 2415 will not move forward, instead, monthly reporting will be ended through the budget.  

·         View a fact sheet on AB 2415

·         View Fact Sheet on ending monthly reporting From CFPA

·          View A Sample Letter

·         View Frequently Asked Questions about this proposal

·         View a map of states still using monthly reporting.

·         View a paper from CBPP on reporting options.

The Governor signed budget trailer bills AB 444 and AB 692 (a “clean-up bill”), establishing a quarterly reporting system for food stamps and CalWORKs in the state of California.

2. Fast Lane to Food Assistance: Connecting Medi-Cal recipients to Food Stamps (AB 2415)

Assembly Member Fred Keeley introduced AB 2415. The bill would allow Medi-cal recipients to be categorically eligible for food stamps.  It also includes an end to monthly reporting. AB 2415 passed the Assembly Human Services Committee on April 23rd by a vote of 4-2.

AB 2415 has been sent to Assembly Appropriations.  It is in the committee's  suspense file.  View bill text, history and status.

·        View a fact sheet on AB 2415

  ·       View Fact Sheet From CFPA

·         View A Sample Letter

·         View Frequently Asked Questions about this proposal  

Did not happen in 2002.

3. Supporting Welfare-to-Work: Transitional Benefits for Welfare Leavers

Action to establish food stamps as a transitional benefit for those leaving CALWorks will occur in the budget.  

The Assembly Budget Sub-committee #1  voted to "hold open" transitional benefits for future action.  Their last meeting is May 20.

Senate Budget Sub-committee #3 decided that the transitional benefits for food stamps will be reviewed in May.   The sub-committee did not take up the issue at their final hearing on May 18.  With an $800,000 price tag, it looks like it will be a tough fight to get transitional benefits into the budget at this point.

·         View Fact Sheet From CFPA

·         View A Sample Letter

·         View Frequently Asked Questions about this proposal  

·      View paper on former CalWORKs leavers 

·      View paper on options and waivers in the Food Stamp Program 

·      View paper on former welfare recipients and  food stamp benefits 

With an $800,000 price tag, did not get into the final budget.

4. Protecting California’s Workers in High Unemployment Areas

Action to require the state to seek existing labor surplus waivers to extend the food stamps to individuals living in areas of high unemployment is being pursued through the budget.

 The Assembly Budget Sub-committee #1 voted to require the state seek all available waivers to continue food stamps for Able-Bodied Adults without Dependents (ABAWDS).

The Senate chose not to act on this item in their final sub-committee hearing.  

The Budget Conference committee unanimously rejected the Assembly position. 

·         View Fact Sheet From CFPA

·         View A Sample Letter

·         View Frequently Asked Questions about this proposal

·         View a map of states using waivers

·         View a paper from CBPP on food stamp time limit for ABAWDS.

·         View a list of counties in California eligible for waivers

·         Background from CFPA on waivers

The Budget Conference Committee  rejected the Assembly position, which kills the issue for this year.  However, local work to get counties to apply for ABAWD waivers must continue.

5. County Options for Working Californians

Because of disagreement over the cost of 2 of the options, the focus is now on one option: the increased use of options to substitute the food stamp face-to-face interview with mail, or phone interviews.  With counties facing huge administrative cuts such a change would make sense, but given the late stages of budget negotiations, this item may get lost.

·         View Fact Sheet From CFPA

·         View A Sample Letter

·         View Frequently Asked Questions about this proposal

Did not occur in 2002

Make Food Stamps Work for Working Californians: Allow Hungry Folks to Own Reliable Cars                       

Action to raise the food stamp auto-resource limit in California so that excludes one car entirely will occur in the budget.

The Assembly Budget Sub-committee #1 voted to Exempt one car per adult household member from consideration in determining food stamp and CALWorks eligibility. 

The Governors Budget utilized savings that were earmarked last year for a change the restrictive auto resource rule to help offset costs associated with reporting changes (see above).  As a result, it will be difficult for  the Legislature will be able to find money this year to fund a change in the auto resource rule. 

The Budget Conference committee unanimously rejected the Assembly position.

·         View Fact Sheet From CFPA

·         View A Sample Letter

·         View Frequently Asked Questions about this proposal

·         View a paper from CBPP on state vehicle asset policies.

·         Media in support of change:

Los Angeles Times

San Jose Mercury News

The Budget Conference Committee  rejected the Assembly position, which kills the issue for this year. 

Item

Summary/Status

Supporting Documents

Comments/Action

AB 1947

Restores food stamp and CalWorks eligibility for people with drug felony convictions in treatment in accordance with Prop. 36 (Substance Abuse and Crime Prevention Act of 2000).

For status, click here.

Use this sample letter

Bill is awaiting action by the Governor

AB 2116

Creates exemptions which extends or stops the cumulative 60-month CalWORKs time limit clock when: (1) the state or county has an insufficient number of jobs due to a local labor market surplus, (2) a person does not have access to employment or supportive services due to funding limits, and (3) a person is satisfying work requirements with unsubsidized employment.

For status, click here.

The bill died Assembly Appropriations.

SB 1520

Imposes surtax on every distributor, mfr, or wholesale dealer of soda drink syrup sold in California .  Revenues would be deposited in Calif. Child Health and Achievement Fund, to decrease human and economic costs of obesity in this state.

For status, click here.

The Committee on Education gave the bill a second chance to get needed votes.  It failed and is dead for this year.

SB 1567

Exempts MediCal recipients from any resource (i.e. asset) limits.

For status, click here.

Died in Senate Appropriations.