New York A 1597: Establishes the baby bucks allowance

Bill Text

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A01597 Summary:

BILL NOA01597 

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SAME ASSAME AS S02132

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SPONSORClark

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COSPNSRJackson, Simon, Levenberg, Hevesi, Gonzalez-Rojas, Meeks, Shrestha, Epstein, Bichotte Hermelyn,
 Davila, Seawright, McMahon, Tapia, Gallagher, Kelles, Forrest, Zaccaro, Cunningham, Taylor,
 Bronson, Otis, Bores, Rozic, Jacobson, Lunsford, Cruz, Romero, Shimsky, Rosenthal, Reyes, Raga,
 Hooks, Moreno

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MLTSPNSR

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Add Art 6 Title 4-C §409-o, amd §131-a, Soc Serv L

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Establishes the baby bucks allowance to provide income to eligible participants for the last three months of pregnancy and the first 18 months of the child's life; excludes income received from the baby bucks allowance for purposes of supplemental nutrition assistance program eligibility.

Go to top A01597 Actions:

BILL NOA01597 

&nbsp

01/10/2025referred to social services

01/07/2026referred to social services

Go to topA01597 Committee&nbspVotes:

Go to topA01597 Floor&nbspVotes:

There are no Assembly votes for this bill in this legislative session.

Go to topA01597 Text:

 STATE OF NEW YORK
 ________________________________________________________________________

 1597

 2025-2026 Regular Sessions

 IN ASSEMBLY

 January 10, 2025
 ___________

 Introduced by M. of A. CLARK, JACKSON, SIMON, LEVENBERG, HEVESI, GONZA-
 LEZ-ROJAS, MEEKS, SHRESTHA, EPSTEIN, BICHOTTE HERMELYN, DAVILA,
 SEAWRIGHT, McMAHON, TAPIA, GALLAGHER, KELLES, FORREST, ZACCARO,
 CUNNINGHAM, TAYLOR, BRONSON, OTIS, BORES, ROZIC, JACOBSON, LUNSFORD --
 read once and referred to the Committee on Social Services

 AN ACT to amend the social services law, in relation to establishing the
 baby bucks allowance

 The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-
 bly, do enact as follows:

 1 Section 1. This act shall be known and may be cited as the "baby bucks
 2 allowance".
 3 § 2. Legislative findings and intent. The legislature hereby finds and
 4 declares that child poverty in New York city and cities across New York
 5 state is shamefully high and will likely worsen if current economic
 6 trends continue. Half of the top six cities in the United States with
 7 the highest child poverty rates are in New York state, disproportionate-
 8 ly affecting communities and children of color. In New York city, nearly
 9 1 in 4 children live in poverty. In Rochester and Buffalo, that number
 10 is even higher: 1 in 2 children live in poverty.
 11 The legislature hereby finds and declares that New Yorkers are unable
 12 to cover their basic necessities and support their families, particular-
 13 ly in the face of rising interest rates and inflation. Most notably, the
 14 cost of childcare, which already consumes a massive portion of family
 15 income, rose 41% during the pandemic, and the total cost of raising a
 16 child through high school has risen to more than $300,000, which is a
 17 $26,000 increase from five years ago and is likely to present a heavier
 18 burden for low-income parents and families for whom expenses such as
 19 food, housing, and gas comprise an even larger portion of their income.
 20 The legislature hereby finds and declares there is overwhelming
 21 evidence that the prenatal-to-three and early childhood development
 22 period are critical for a child's future prospects and affects their

 EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
 [ ] is old law to be omitted.
 LBD04614-01-5

 A. 1597 2

 1 physical, mental, emotional and social outcomes over a lifetime. A
 2 program targeting infants in this formative phase would help break the
 3 intergenerational cycle of poverty rather than attempting to mitigate it
 4 later on, creating a positive impact on children's lives and saving
 5 government funds down the road.
 6 The legislature hereby finds and declares it is proven that unre-
 7 stricted cash is a direct and effective solution to alleviating poverty
 8 and meeting needs for families. This was shown on a national level with
 9 the overwhelming success of the expanded Child Tax Credit, which lifted
 10 millions of children out of poverty with its monthly payments and led to
 11 a 41% spike in child poverty the first month it expired. The unre-
 12 stricted cash intervention further proved how an investment in the
 13 earliest days of life can have multipl