Senate Social Services Committee hears county, district warnings on HR 1 and reports seven bills to finance

Senator Roxanne Persaud, chair of the New York State Senate Social Services Committee, opened the panel's first meeting of the year and said the committee will continue work to expand rental assistance and reduce homelessness.

Two outside presenters told the committee federal policy changes and funding shifts will add substantial costs and operational burdens to counties and social service districts. "It primarily revolves around TANF funding," Paul Brady, executive director of the New York Public Welfare Association, said, warning that an HHS withholding letter could affect cash assistance and related child-welfare and childcare funding. He flagged an administrative-cost shift tied to SNAP that he said will transfer about $168,000,000 of expense to local districts and described a $93,000,000 social services block grant as an immediate issue that may be affected by litigation.

Dave Lucas, director of finance and intergovernmental affairs at the New York State Association of Counties, urged delaying SNAP implementation tied to HR 1 and said counties need more lead time and training to meet expanded work requirements. "We're pushing... to do a delay on the SNAP implementation," Lucas said, citing a proposal to push deadlines to 2030. He also told members that staffing shortages, higher salary pressures and rising pension and health costs have deepened county budget stress; he said 10 counties are projected to exceed the property tax cap in 2026 and that roughly $600,000,000 in enhanced FMAP funds previously available to counties was retained at the state level.

Members followed the presentations with a slate of seven bills. Dennis read bill summaries and the committee acted on each measure, mostly moving them to the Finance Committee. Notable actions included:

Votes at a glance

- Senate bill 180e (by Senator Versalles): amends the Social Services Law to increase amounts eligible for enhanced residential care — moved to Finance.

- Senate bill 182 (by Senator Prasad): raises the federal poverty level requirement for a one-time income disregard after job entry for up to six months — reported to Finance; the record shows at least one abstention by Senator White.

- Senate bill 184 (by Senator Assad): establishes a full-year youth and young adult employment immersion program — members questioned where full-year funding will come from; motion moved and bill reported to Finance.

- Senate bill 1465 (by Senator Serrano): implements an electronic benefit transfer (EBT) system — members urged faster adoption of chip technology to reduce theft; bill reported to Finance.

- Senate bill 3787 (by Senator Myrie): eliminates rent for homeless shelters — committee vote recorded as '5 Aye' with named negatives from Senator Murray and Senator White; bill reported to Finance.

- Senate bill 7738 (by Senator Gennard): authorizes certain shelters to be reimbursed for housing a single individual in a room intended for double occupancy — moved and reported to Finance.

- Senate bill 8570 (by Senator Prasad): establishes a fiscal cliff task force to study fiscal cliffs in public assistance programs — presented as first reading and reported; members noted prior vetoes and urged executive cooperation.

What it means

Presenters and members framed this year's work around two linked challenges: preventing service disruptions for New Yorkers who rely on public benefits, and ensuring counties have the staffing, funding and technology to implement federal changes without creating gaps. Committee members repeatedly pressed for explicit budget lines for new or expanded programs, noting that legislation without funding places a burden on local governments.

The committee adjourned after reporting the bills and hearing from county and district representatives. Several members said the groups would remain available for follow-up as the Legislature and executive branch finalize budget and implementation plans.