Senate Social Services Committee refers bill to raise monthly-need standards to finance after questions on fiscal impact

The New York State Senate Committee on Social Services on Jan. 22 voted to refer Senate Bill 113, sponsored by Senator Cleary, to the Senate Finance Committee after brief discussion about its likely fiscal impact.

Sponsor remarks and a fiscal question framed debate. Senator Cleary described the proposal as “such an important bill” as New Yorkers face rising costs, saying the measure would provide an allowance increase for people receiving public assistance. Another senator raised concern that the draft bill would amount to “about a 312% increase” and said the committee still lacked a fiscal estimate; the committee’s cost-and-fiscal-impact entry for the measure was recorded as “undetermined” in the materials distributed at the meeting.

Committee procedure and vote. Committee staff read the bill title into the record. A motion to refer SB 113 to the Finance Committee was made and seconded. The committee took a voice vote and the bill was reported to Finance. Committee members recorded as “without rec” in the transcript at the time of the referral include Senator Murray and Senator White; no roll-call tally with full yes/no counts was recorded in the meeting transcript.

What the bill would do. The bill was described as “an act to amend the social services law in relation to the standards of monthly need for persons in receipt of public assistance.” The meeting packet listed the statutory target as the Social Services Law; no legislative language beyond the title and no enacted fiscal estimate was provided on the record at the committee meeting.

Why it matters. If enacted, the change would affect eligibility calculations and benefit amounts for people receiving public assistance statewide. Committee members who pressed for a fiscal number said they needed a concrete cost estimate to judge affordability and fiscal accountability before advancing the measure toward enactment.

Next steps. SB 113 will be considered by the Senate Finance Committee, which prepares fiscal analyses and budget-related recommendations. The committee chair said members will receive the committee’s 2024 legislative report online in the days following the meeting.

Ending: The Social Services Committee convened its first meeting of 2025 and moved a nine-bill agenda; SB 113 was one of the measures sent to Finance for further review.