Diaper and Wipe Distribution Program.

Existing law requires the State Department of Social Services to administer various public social services programs, including, among others, the California Work Opportunity and Responsibility to Kids (CalWORKs) program, the CalFresh program, and the State Emergency Food Assistance Program (CalFood) . The department has administratively created the Diaper Bank Program, through funding from the Budget Act of 2021, to allocate grants to specified food banks and other regional entities, with the aim of providing diapers to low-income families with infants or toddlers. This bill would require the department to establish and administer the Diaper and Wipe Distribution Program for low-income families with infants or toddlers. The bill would authorize the department to determine the method of distributing program funds, and would require the department to conduct outreach to, and consider, eligible entities for participation in the program, as specified. The bill would require the department to require all participating entities to report on a quarterly basis to the department, at a minimum, specified quantitative information, including the numbers of diapers and wipes distributed and the total dollars expended. The bill would require the department to post on the department's internet website a list of the participating entities. The bill would condition implementation of these provisions on an appropriation, and would require that the funding be spent within 36 months after receipt of those moneys. The bill would authorize the department to use up to 10% of any appropriated program funds for purposes of administrative costs to implement the program. The bill would exempt allocations made to any entity under this bill from certain contracting requirements, and would exempt implementation of these provisions from the Administrative Procedure Act.