STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________

6197--A

2023-2024 Regular Sessions

IN ASSEMBLY

April 3, 2023 ___________

Introduced by M. of A. CLARK, JACKSON, SIMON, LEVENBERG, HEVESI, GONZA- LEZ-ROJAS, MEEKS, SHRESTHA -- 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 -- committee discharged, bill amended, ordered reprinted as amended and recommitted to said committee

AN ACT to amend the social services law, in relation to establishing the mothers and infants lasting change allowance

The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows:

1 Section 1. This act shall be known and may be cited as the "mothers 2 and infants lasting change ("MILC") allowance". 3 § 2. Legislative findings and intent. The legislature hereby finds and 4 declares that child poverty in New York city and cities across New York 5 state is shamefully high and will likely worsen if current economic 6 trends continue. Half of the top six cities in the United States with 7 the highest child poverty rates are in New York state, disproportionate- 8 ly affecting communities and children of color. In New York city, nearly 9 1 in 4 children live in poverty. In Rochester and Buffalo, that number 10 is even higher: 1 in 2 children live in poverty. 11 The legislature hereby finds and declares that New Yorkers are unable 12 to cover their basic necessities and support their families, particular- 13 ly in the face of rising interest rates and inflation. Most notably, the 14 cost of childcare, which already consumes a massive portion of family 15 income, rose 41% during the pandemic, and the total cost of raising a 16 child through high school has risen to more than $300,000, which is a 17 $26,000 increase from five years ago and is likely to present a heavier 18 burden for low-income parents and families for whom expenses such as 19 food, housing, and gas comprise an even larger portion of their income. 20 The legislature hereby finds and declares there is overwhelming 21 evidence that the prenatal-to-three and early childhood development

EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [] is old law to be omitted. LBD04583-05-3

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1 period are critical for a child's future prospects and affects their 2 physical, mental, emotional and social outcomes over a lifetime. A 3 program targeting infants in this formative phase would help break the 4 intergenerational cycle of poverty rather than attempting to mitigate it 5 later on, creating a positive impact on children's lives and saving 6 government funds down the road. 7 The legislature hereby finds and declares it is proven that unre- 8 stricted cash is a direct and effective solution to alleviating poverty 9 and meeting needs for families. This was shown on a national level with 10 the overwhelming success of the expanded Child Tax Credit, which lifted 11 millions of children out of poverty with its monthly payments and led to 12 a 41% spike in child poverty the first month it expired. The unre- 13 stricted cash intervention further proved how an investment in the 14 earliest days of life can have multiplying effects: studies have found 15 that a permanent expansion of the expanded Child Tax Credit would have 16 generated 10 times as much revenue as it cost. New York state has 17 recently made a commitment through the Child Poverty Reduction Act in 18 December 2021 to reduce child poverty by 50% over the course of ten 19 years, with the support of the Child Poverty Reduction Advisory Council, 20 and there is an opportunity for unrestricted cash to support this goal 21 and help the state reach its target. 22 Therefore, the legislature hereby finds and declares that New York 23 state has an opportunity and obligation to invest in its most vulnerable 24 residents by leading the fight against childhood poverty, and toward an 25 equitable economy for all, through a guaranteed income program for 26 infants. 27 § 3. Article 6 of the social services law is amended by adding a new 28 title 4-C to read as follows: 29 TITLE 4-C 30 MOTHERS AND INFANTS LASTING CHANGE ("MILC") ALLOWANCE 31 Section 409-o. Mothers and infants lasting change allowance. 32 § 409-o. Mothers and infants lasting change allowance. 1. Within one 33 year of the effective date of this section, the department shall estab- 34 lish a mothers and infants lasting change allowance pilot program to 35 support low-income families for three months of pregnancy and eighteen 36 months of a child's life. Such pilot program shall be in effect for 37 twenty-one months. 38 2. (a) The department, in coordination with local social services 39 districts, shall develop criteria that local social services districts 40 shall use to select a total of fifteen thousand eligible families for 41 participation in the program. 42 (b) Eligible individuals chosen for participation in the program shall 43 receive a subsidy of one thousand dollars per month for the last three 44 months of pregnancy and the first nine months of a child's life and five 45 hundred dollars per month for the last nine months of participation in 46 the program. 47 (c) The department shall allocate the necessary funds to local social 48 services districts for selected eligible selected participants. 49 (d) Monthly distributions shall be made by local social services 50 districts on the first of each month for the duration of the program to 51 the eligible selected participants. 52 3. Eligible participants shall: 53 (a) have an income which is below two hundred percent of the federal 54 poverty line. Such income shall be proven by providing one of the 55 following: 56 (i) a filed tax return from the previous year;

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1 (ii) a letter from an employer documenting the dates of work of the 2 applicant and the yearly pay from the employer; 3 (iii) a W-2 or 1099 form from the previous tax year; or 4 (iv) a wage notice provided pursuant to section one hundred ninety- 5 five of the labor law that documents employment for a period of time 6 within six months prior to the date the applicant certifies that he or 7 she became eligible; 8 (b) participate in monthly surveys provided by the department; and 9 (c) meet any other criteria deemed necessary by the department. 10 4. Of the fifteen thousand eligible participants: 11 (a) Ten thousand participants shall reside in a city with a population 12 of one hundred forty thousand or more; and 13 (b) Five thousand participants shall reside in a rural area as defined 14 in section twenty-nine hundred fifty-one of the public health law. 15 5. The department, in coordination with local social services 16 districts, shall assist eligible participants with access to resources, 17 subsidy management, and anything else deemed necessary by the depart- 18 ment. 19 6. The department and local social services districts shall conduct a 20 monthly survey to determine the impact of the program. The department 21 shall prepare an interim report regarding the first twelve months of the 22 program which shall be completed by the eighteenth month of the program 23 and a final report shall be made no later than twelve months after the 24 completion of the twenty-one month program. 25 § 4. Paragraph (a) of subdivision 8 of section 131-a of the social 26 services law is amended by adding a new subparagraph (xiv) to read as 27 follows: 28 (xiv) any financial assistance received by individuals from the moth- 29 ers and infants lasting change ("MILC") allowance. Such exemption and 30 disregard shall be applicable for the length of time the individual 31 receives the allowance. The commissioner shall seek federal waiver 32 authority to disregard the income from the mothers and infants lasting 33 change ("MILC") allowance for the purpose of the supplemental nutrition 34 assistance program. 35 § 5. This act shall take effect immediately.