§ 131-ZZ — Child poverty reduction

* § 131-zz. Child poverty reduction. 1. Legislative findings. The\nlegislature hereby declares that New York should take any steps\nnecessary to reduce the overall child poverty rate by fifty percent in\nthe next ten years. Nearly three million New Yorkers are living in\npoverty, eight hundred ninety-five thousand of which are children. In\nfact, one in five New York children struggle to meet basic needs, and\nalthough several efforts have been undertaken, the overall poverty rate\nin New York has failed to see a reduction over the last decade. The\nlegislature finds that reducing child poverty will protect the health\nand general well-being of all New Yorkers. To effectuate this reduction,\nthe child poverty reduction advisory council shall be established to\nresearch policy ideas, develop best practices, and continually monitor\nrelevant benchmarks to ensure that New York continues to work towards\nreducing child poverty by fifty percent in ten years.\n 2. Child poverty reduction advisory council established. (a) To\neffectuate a reduction in child poverty in the state, there is hereby\nestablished an advisory council, to be known as the "child poverty\nreduction advisory council", hereafter referred to as the "advisory\ncouncil". The advisory council shall carry out the required acts set\nforth in subdivision four of this section.\n (b) The members of the advisory council shall be chaired by a\nrepresentative of the executive chamber and the commissioner of the\noffice of temporary and disability assistance, or their designees.\nEnsuring adequate geographic representation, members of the advisory\ncouncil shall be appointed in the following manner:\n (i) two members shall be appointed by the temporary president of the\nsenate;\n (ii) two members shall be appointed by the speaker of the assembly;\n (iii) two members shall be appointed by the commissioner of the office\nof temporary and disability assistance;\n (iv) at least one member shall be appointed by the governor from each\nof the following entities:\n (1) the office of children and family services;\n (2) the New York state council on children and families;\n (3) the department of taxation and finance;\n (4) a regional economic development council;\n (5) a statewide non-profit poverty advocacy organization; and\n (6) a non-profit organization with a focus on poverty issues; and\n (v) two individuals who are directly impacted by poverty in the state.\n (c) The members of the advisory council shall receive no compensation\nfor their services but shall be allowed their actual and necessary\nexpenses incurred in the performance of their duties.\n (d) The advisory council shall convene within sixty days after the\neffective date of this section. A quorum shall consist of a majority of\nthe members of the advisory council entitled to vote on the matter under\nconsideration. Approval of any matter shall require the affirmative vote\nof a majority of the members voting thereon. The advisory council shall\nadopt by-laws for the management and regulation of its affairs,\nincluding the creation of committees and subcommittees to effectuate the\nwork required.\n 3. Appointments to the advisory council. (a) Appointments to the\nadvisory council shall be made no later than forty-five days after the\neffective date of this section.\n (b) If any such appointment is not made by such date, the appointing\nofficial may make the appointment after that date, but such vacant\nappointment shall not count for the calculation of a quorum until such\nvacancy is filled.\n (c) Any vacancies in the advisory council shall be filled in the same\nmanner as the original appointment was made.\n 4. Policy proposal review and recommendations. The advisory council\nshall:\n (a) develop and publish a timeline, inclusive of yearly benchmarks,\nfor reducing child poverty in the state by fifty percent in ten years.\nSuch timeline shall be made publicly available.\n (b) consider policy proposals that shall include, but not be limited\nto, the following proposals and release a report outlining the effect\nthat the enactment of such proposals may have on the rate of childhood\npoverty in New York:\n (i) expanding and strengthening the state's earned income tax credit\nto align with the state's minimum wage to cover individual taxpayer\nidentification number filers and young, childless adults and to be paid\nout quarterly;\n (ii) expanding and strengthening the state's child tax credit to\ninclude young children, and to eliminate the minimum income threshold;\n (iii) expanding work training and employment programs in the state;\n (iv) expanding access to subsidized housing; and\n (v) expanding access to subsidized child care.\n (c) investigate the effects that each of the proposals listed in\nparagraph (b) of this subdivision may have if enacted by itself, as well\nas the effect the proposals may have if enacted in conjunction with the\nother proposals, including related changes to federal policies. The\nadvisory council shall include the cost to the state related to the\nimplementation of such policies, as well as the projected savings in\nboth the short and long term that the state could realize by reducing\npoverty.\n (d) review agency programs that can be modified, suspended, or\notherwise changed to immediately reduce the child poverty rate.\n (e) deliver to the governor, the speaker of the assembly and the\ntemporary president of the senate, reports containing the timeline\nrequired pursuant to paragraph (a) of this subdivision, the review of\nthe policy proposals required pursuant to paragraph (b) of this\nsubdivision, the investigation of the effects of such policies pursuant\nto paragraph (c) of this subdivision and the review of agency programs\nrequired pursuant to paragraph (d) of this subdivision on or before\neighteen months from the effective date of this section.\n (f) develop recommendations for additional policies and procedures to\nreduce the state's child poverty rate by fifty percent in ten years from\nthe effective date of this section. In developing such policies and\nprocedures, the advisory council shall consider:\n (i) the disproportionate impact poverty may have on various racial and\nethnic communities and what policies may assist in alleviating such\ndisparities;\n (ii) ways to improve access to public benefits for individuals\nregardless of their immigration status;\n (iii) policies that assist families to obtain and maintain financial\nstability, including policies that assist individuals with educational\nadvancements as well as securing employment that provides a living wage;\nand\n (iv) any other factors that may impact a family, parent, or child's\nability to stay above the poverty level, including, but not limited to:\n (1) stability and predictability of income;\n (2) equitable and ready access to programs;\n (3) equitable treatment across racial, immigration and ethnic groups;\n (4) positive environmental conditions;\n (5) the individual health and well-being of the parents and children;\nand\n (6) the cost to the state, including the short-term costs of the\nprograms and the long-term savings from having such programs in place.\n (g) deliver to the governor, the speaker of the assembly and the\ntemporary president of the senate the recommendations of the advisory\ncouncil as required pursuant to paragraph (f) of this subdivision on or\nbefore two years after the effective date of this section.\n (h) release annual reports starting September first, two thousand\ntwenty-three, detailing the progress that the state has made in reducing\nthe child poverty rate in line with the recommendations set forth in\nthis subdivision.\n (i) collaborate with experts in the field of poverty research, utilize\navailable data from other relevant statewide studies of poverty, and\nsolicit input from stakeholder interests including, but not limited to\npersons impacted by poverty, non-profit organizations that assist those\nliving in poverty, individuals or organizations that work to end racial\ndisparities in New York, and child poverty advocacy organizations. The\nadvisory council shall also conduct formal public hearings, which shall\ntake place in at least four regions of the state, as defined by the\nempire state development corporation, and shall be offered during\nnon-traditional hours to allow for persons unable to normally testify\ndue to work requirements to so testify.\n 5. Implementation of recommendations. The legislature may utilize\nrecommendations provided to prioritize the implementation of programs\nand services, as they deem appropriate, that would facilitate the goals\nof reducing child poverty by fifty percent over the next ten years from\nthe effective date of this section.\n 6. Budget proposal review. No later than ten days after the governor\noffers any amendments to the executive budget submission pursuant to\narticle seven of the constitution, the advisory council shall submit to\nthe chairs of the senate finance committee and the assembly ways and\nmeans committee, a report analyzing the proposals contained within the\nexecutive budget submission that are expected by the advisory council to\nimpact the child poverty rate.\n 7. Advisory council staff and agency liaison. (a) The commissioner of\nthe office of temporary and disability assistance shall designate such\nemployees of the office of temporary and disability assistance as are\nreasonably necessary to provide support services to the advisory\ncouncil. The advisory council, acting by the chair of the advisory\ncouncil, may employ additional staff and consultants, who shall be paid\nfrom amounts made available to the advisory council for such purpose.\n (b) All state agencies, public authorities, and public benefit\ncorporations shall provide such assistance as may be reasonably\nrequested by the chair of the advisory council. Provided however, any\ninformation provided shall be kept confidential and shall be used only\nfor the specific purpose of effectuating the duties of the council.\n 8. Deliberations of the advisory council. The deliberations, meetings\nand other proceedings of the advisory council and any committee or\nsubcommittee thereof shall be governed by article seven of the public\nofficers law. Any one or more members of a committee or subcommittee may\nparticipate in a meeting of such committee or subcommittee by means of a\nconference telephone, conference video or similar communication or\nelectronic communication, provided that such communication allows all\npersons participating in the meeting, and all persons observing the\nmeeting, including members of the public, to hear each other at the same\ntime. Participation by such means shall constitute presence at a\nmeeting. If a meeting other than an executive session is to be conducted\nby means of a conference telephone, conference video or similar\ncommunication or electronic communication, the public notice for such\nmeeting shall inform the public that such equipment will be used, and\nfurther identify the means by which the public may listen to such\nmeeting.\n * NB Repealed December 1, 2032\n