Bill > AB2299

This bill, the California Antihunger Response and Employment Training Act of 2026, aims to address food insecurity for individuals who lose or are denied CalFresh benefits, which is California's version of the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), due to a federal rule limiting benefits for able-bodied adults without dependents (ABAWDs) to three months unless they meet work requirements. The bill establishes a new state-funded program called CARET (California Antihunger Response and Employment Training) to provide these individuals with benefits equivalent to what they would have received under CalFresh, and also makes them eligible for CalFresh Employment and Training (CalFresh E&T) program services, with providers also eligible for state reimbursement for serving CARET recipients. Additionally, the bill requires the State Department of Social Services to develop guidance to maximize the use of existing federal "percentage exemptions" that can extend CalFresh benefits beyond the three-month limit for ABAWDs, potentially allowing for redistribution of these exemptions between counties to better prevent hunger, with this guidance to be in place before the CARET program becomes operational.

https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billStatusClient.xhtml?bill_id=202520260AB2299