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<ns0:Id>20250SB__073999INT</ns0:Id>
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<ns0:Action>
<ns0:ActionText>INTRODUCED</ns0:ActionText>
<ns0:ActionDate>2025-02-21</ns0:ActionDate>
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<ns0:SessionYear>2025</ns0:SessionYear>
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<ns0:MeasureType>SB</ns0:MeasureType>
<ns0:MeasureNum>739</ns0:MeasureNum>
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<ns0:AuthorText authorType="LEAD_AUTHOR">Introduced by Senator Arreguín</ns0:AuthorText>
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<ns0:Legislator>
<ns0:Contribution>LEAD_AUTHOR</ns0:Contribution>
<ns0:House>SENATE</ns0:House>
<ns0:Name>Arreguín</ns0:Name>
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<ns0:Title> An act to amend Section 18917 of the Welfare and Institutions Code, relating to CalFresh.</ns0:Title>
<ns0:RelatingClause>CalFresh</ns0:RelatingClause>
<ns0:GeneralSubject>
<ns0:Subject>Disaster CalFresh: county resources: status.</ns0:Subject>
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<ns0:DigestText>
<html:p>Existing federal law provides for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), known in California as CalFresh, under which supplemental nutrition assistance benefits allocated to the state by the federal government are distributed to eligible individuals by each county.</html:p>
<html:p>Existing federal law, through Disaster SNAP, provides for short-term food assistance benefits to eligible households who are victims of a disaster that disrupts commercial channels of food distribution. Existing state law requires the State Department of Social Services to identify the necessary elements of a county disaster plan, to issue guidance to county human services agencies, and to offer training on Disaster CalFresh, as specified.</html:p>
<html:p>Existing law requires the department to provide to an affected county, upon request,
support necessary for out-stationed application intake locations to support timely, adequate, and safe access to Disaster CalFresh during or following a disaster. Existing law also requires the department to maintain and make available to affected counties, free of charge, technology and equipment to support the mobile issuance of electronic benefit transfer (EBT) cards to recipients of Disaster CalFresh or replacement benefits.</html:p>
<html:p>This bill would additionally require the department to inquire of the ability of each county facility that serves CalFresh participants in the impacted area to provide timely and adequate service. To the extent that the bill would create new duties for counties to provide Disaster CalFresh-related information to the department, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program.</html:p>
<html:p>The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for
certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement.</html:p>
<html:p>This bill would provide that, if the Commission on State Mandates determines that the bill contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement for those costs shall be made pursuant to the statutory provisions noted above.</html:p>
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<ns0:VoteRequired>MAJORITY</ns0:VoteRequired>
<ns0:Appropriation>NO</ns0:Appropriation>
<ns0:FiscalCommittee>YES</ns0:FiscalCommittee>
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<ns0:Preamble>The people of the State of California do enact as follows:</ns0:Preamble>
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<ns0:Num>SECTION 1.</ns0:Num>
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Section 18917 of the
<ns0:DocName>Welfare and Institutions Code</ns0:DocName>
is amended to read:
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<ns0:Num>18917.</ns0:Num>
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<html:p>
(a)
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<html:b/>
(1)
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The department, in consultation with stakeholders, shall identify the necessary elements of a county disaster plan, and shall issue guidance to county human services agencies informing them of the obligations to submit a disaster plan pursuant to paragraph (2), and of the necessary elements that shall be included in the plan.
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<html:p>
(2)
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A county human services agency shall annually submit to the department a disaster plan that includes the creation of mutual aid regions consisting of two or more counties to ensure there are sufficient resources necessary to continue adequate access to benefits during a disaster. The disaster plan shall include elements specified in paragraph (1).
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<html:p>
(b)
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The department shall offer training on Disaster CalFresh to county human services agencies and organizations, institutions, and agencies receiving federal reimbursements pursuant to Section 18904.3.
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<html:p>
(c)
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The department shall maintain updated Disaster CalFresh materials, including, but not limited to, state and county disaster plans, Disaster CalFresh applications, the Disaster CalFresh internet website, and a Disaster CalFresh outreach flyer in all required languages.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(d)
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If the President of the United States issues a major disaster declaration for individual assistance, the department and the county human services agency shall request to operate a federal
Disaster Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (D-SNAP) for the regions affected by the major disaster. The request shall include a waiver request to provide automatic, mass replacement benefits to eligible households and a waiver request to allow households to purchase hot, prepared foods at authorized retailers with their benefits.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(e)
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It is the intent of the Legislature that the department shall maximize the capacity of counties to maintain timely, adequate, and safe access to all applicable benefits during a disaster. In order to ensure that disaster victims are not required to travel through dangerous routes to apply for, and to receive their electronic benefit transfer (EBT) card to access, Disaster CalFresh or replacement benefits, the department shall do all
of the following:
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<html:p>
(1)
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If requested by an affected county, provide to the county and its contracted county consortium staff support necessary for out-stationed application intake locations to support timely, adequate, and safe access to Disaster CalFresh during or following a disaster.
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<html:p>
(2)
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Maintain and make available to affected counties, free of charge, technology and equipment to support the mobile issuance of EBT cards to recipients of Disaster CalFresh or replacement benefits.
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<html:p>
(3)
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Inquire of the ability of each county facility that serves CalFresh participants in the impacted area to provide timely and adequate service.
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<ns0:Num>SEC. 2.</ns0:Num>
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<html:p>If the Commission on State Mandates determines that this act contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement to local agencies and school districts for those costs shall be made pursuant to Part 7 (commencing with Section 17500) of Division 4 of Title 2 of the Government Code.</html:p>
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