2023 New York Laws › SOS - Social Services › Article 5 - Assistance and Care › Title 1 - General Provisions › 131-ZZ - Child Poverty Reduction.

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