California CalFresh Minimum Benefit Adequacy Act of 2023.

Existing federal law provides for the federal 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. Existing law sets maximum allotment amounts by household size. Existing law, until July 1, 2024, requires the State Department of Social Services to create the Safe Drinking Water Supplemental Benefit Pilot Program to provide time-limited additional CalFresh nutrition benefits to residents of prioritized disadvantaged communities that are served by public water systems that consistently fail to meet primary drinking water standards. This bill would, by January 1, 2025, require the department to establish the CalFresh Minimum Nutrition Benefit (MNB) Program to provide a household with a monthly CalFresh allotment of less than a minimum monthly benefit, established by the bill to be $50, with an additional state-funded monthly MNB that is equal to the difference between their monthly CalFresh allotment and $50. The bill would require the department to annually adjust the minimum monthly benefit amount, as prescribed, and would require these benefits to be delivered through the electronic benefits transfer (EBT) system. By imposing additional duties on counties administering the program, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. 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. 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.