Bill > AB2309

This bill, known as the CalFresh Protection Act, aims to ensure that Californians continue to receive their food assistance benefits even if the federal government fails to provide funding. CalFresh is California's name for the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), which provides food benefits to eligible individuals and families. The bill defines a "federal funding lapse" as any period where the federal government doesn't allocate enough money to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to cover all SNAP benefits for California households. In such an event, the Director of Social Services would be required to declare a lapse, and the State Department of Social Services would then use state funds from the General Fund to continue issuing CalFresh benefits at the same level recipients would have otherwise received. This state funding would be continuously appropriated, meaning funds are automatically available as needed, and would last for the duration of the federal lapse or three months, whichever is shorter. The state would also maintain separate records of these expenditures and seek reimbursement from the federal government once funding is restored. The bill is declared an urgency statute, meaning it takes effect immediately upon passage, to prevent potential mass hunger and economic instability caused by future federal funding disruptions.

https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billStatusClient.xhtml?bill_id=202520260AB2309