SB 1077

SB1077:v98#DOCUMENT

Bill Start

CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2025–2026 REGULAR SESSION

Senate Bill

No. 1077

An act to amend Section 18917 of the Welfare and Institutions Code, relating to CalFresh. An act to add Sections 18921 and 18921.1 to the Welfare and Institutions Code, relating to CalFresh.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST

SB 1077, as amended, Gonzalez. Disaster CalFresh. CalFresh: federal government shutdowns.

Existing federal law provides for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), known in California as CalFresh, under which supplemental nutrition assistance benefits allocated to the state by the federal government are distributed to eligible individuals by each county. Existing federal law, through Disaster SNAP, provides for short-term food assistance benefits to eligible households who are victims of a disaster that disrupts commercial channels of food distribution.

Existing state law requires the State Department of Social Services to identify the necessary elements of a county disaster plan, to issue guidance to county human services agencies, and to offer training on Disaster CalFresh, as specified. Existing law requires the department to maintain updated Disaster CalFresh materials, including, but not limited to, state and county disaster plans, Disaster CalFresh applications, the Disaster CalFresh internet website, and a Disaster CalFresh outreach flyer in all required languages.

This bill would make a technical, nonsubstantive change to those provisions.

This bill would, during a federal government shutdown that impacts the disbursement of CalFresh benefits, require the State Department of Social Services to maintain a clearly marked landing page on the department’s internet website to provide the public with information on how their benefits will be impacted, including information on status of the federal government shutdown and the availability of benefits. The bill would also require the department, in coordination with stakeholders, to establish a strategic communications plan for use during a federal government shutdown that impacts the disbursement of CalFresh benefits that includes notifications for CalFresh participants and daily emergency response briefings for local and state officials, local government agencies, community organizations, and participating retailers, as specified.The bill would require the department to develop a benefit issuance mechanism to allow the department flexibility to rapidly provide nutrition benefits on an emergency basis in response to a federal government shutdown that impacts the disbursement of CalFresh benefits, and would require the mechanism to be designed to issue nutrition benefits through the existing electronic benefits transfer system and in a manner that can target various populations depending on the purpose of the specific benefit.

Digest Key

Vote: MAJORITY Appropriation: NO Fiscal Committee: NOYES Local Program: NO

Bill Text

The people of the State of California do enact as follows:

SECTION 1. The Legislature finds and declares all of the following:(a) No person in California should experience hunger.(b) Families across the country are struggling to afford healthy and adequate groceries. Nearly 3,000,000 California households struggle with food insecurity. Over 1,000,000 households with children struggle with food insecurity.(c) The federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) offers significant vital benefits that over 5,000,000 Californians rely on to afford basic food necessities.(d) SNAP, known in California as CalFresh, is the state’s largest antihunger and antipoverty program. The financial assistance Californians receive from the program helps lower income Californians budget sufficient money to cover rent, utility costs, transportation costs, education costs, and other necessities. Furthermore, every dollar in SNAP benefits generates $1.54 or more in local economic activity, supporting jobs at neighborhood grocery stores and markets and bolstering the incomes of local farmers.(e) California has led the nation in establishing food security programs that provide assistance well above and beyond SNAP.(f) Despite SNAP being a mandatory payment program not subject to discretionary annual appropriations, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has historically treated it as dependent on annual appropriations. As a result, failure to pass the USDA budget for the federal fiscal year places issuance of SNAP benefits at risk.(g) On October 1, 2025, the federal government shut down for a record 43 days. On October 10, 2025, the Food and Nutrition Service of the USDA issued a memo stating there would not be enough funds to pay full SNAP benefits for November 2025. On October 24, 2025, the Food and Nutrition Service of the USDA issued a memo stating that SNAP benefits were suspended for November 2025, meaning over 5,000,000 Californians lost access to essential benefits. California does not currently have the infrastructure or capacity necessary to issue state-funded benefits to SNAP recipients during a federal government shutdown, meaning the state did not have the ability to replace SNAP benefits before low-income individuals were directly affected.(h) On October 28, 2025, the California Attorney General and 26 states filed a lawsuit against the USDA for their unprecedented decision to not release contingency funds to pay SNAP benefits during a federal government shutdown.(i) Until the federal government reopened on November 12, 2025, frequent changes in information coming from the federal government and updates from state officials pursuant to rapidly changing lawsuits resulted in confusion, fear, and uncertainty for the 5,000,000 Californians that rely on SNAP benefits.

SEC. 2.

Section 18921 is added to the Welfare and Institutions Code, to read:

18921. (a) (1) During a federal government shutdown that impacts the disbursement of CalFresh benefits, the department shall maintain a clearly marked landing page on the department’s internet website to provide the public with information on how their benefits will be impacted, and that includes, but is not limited to, all of the following information:(A) Status of the federal government shutdown and the availability of benefits.(B) To the extent possible, a timeline with the most updated information possible, of when benefits will be disrupted and which beneficiaries will be affected, as well as when benefits will be disbursed.(C) A “Frequently Asked Questions” section addressing questions and misinformation about the availability of benefits.(D) Where impacted Californians can access emergency food assistance, including, but not limited to, information about how to find their local food banks.(E) Any relevant litigation being pursued by the State of California or other entities related to CalFresh benefits and the federal government shutdown.(2) In developing the information to include on the landing page, the department shall consider information from previous government shutdowns that remains current and consider information provided by state and county partners, community organizations, food banks, and participating retailers.(3) The department shall include accommodations for accessibility and language services.(4) The department shall review and update the landing page at least every 24 hours until the CalFresh benefits are being fully disbursed and the federal government has reopened.(b) The department, in coordination with stakeholders, including, but not limited to, county human services agencies, the County Welfare Directors Association of California, the exclusive representatives of CalFresh eligibility workers, representatives of CalFresh authorized retailers, advocates for CalFresh participants, and the California Association of Food Banks, shall establish a strategic communications plan for use during a federal government shutdown that impacts the disbursement of CalFresh benefits. The communications plan shall include, but is not limited to, both of the following:(1) Initial notification to all CalFresh participants within 24 hours of the department being notified by the Food and Nutrition Service of the United States Department of Agriculture that there will be a disruption in CalFresh disbursement, and regular notification to impacted CalFresh participants, thereafter, that includes, but is not limited to, all of the following information:(A) The current status of benefit disbursement.(B) How to check their accessible CalFresh benefit balance.(C) Whether the past month’s benefit balances are available for use.(D) Where to find factual, updated information on the federal government shutdown and the impacts on the disbursement of CalFresh benefits.(E) Emergency food resources.(2) Daily emergency response briefings for local and state officials, local government agencies, community organizations, and participating retailers during the time that a federal government shutdown impacts the disbursement of CalFresh benefits that includes information on all of the following:(A) The current status of benefit disbursement.(B) Whether the past month’s benefit balances are available for use.(C) Pertinent updates on court filings and decisions regarding benefit availability.(D) Where to find factual, updated information to share with the public on the federal government shutdown and the impacts on the disbursement of CalFresh benefits.(E) Emergency actions the state is taking, including, but not limited to, additional funding and staffing for food banks.(c) The department shall issue guidance to county human services agencies for use during a federal government shutdown that impacts the disbursement of CalFresh benefits.

SEC. 3.

Section 18921.1 is added to the Welfare and Institutions Code, to read:

18921.1. The department shall develop a benefit issuance mechanism to allow the department flexibility to rapidly provide nutrition benefits on an emergency basis in response to a federal government shutdown that impacts the disbursement of CalFresh benefits. The benefit issuance mechanism shall comply with both of the following:(a) The mechanism shall be designed to issue nutrition benefits through the electronic benefits transfer system created pursuant to Section 10072, and in a manner that can target various populations depending on the purpose of the specific benefit.(b) The mechanism shall comply with all applicable state and federal law governing privacy and confidentiality.

SECTION 1.Section 18917 of the Welfare and Institutions Code is amended to read:

18917.

(a)(1)The department, in consultation with stakeholders, shall identify the necessary elements of a county disaster plan, and shall issue guidance to county human services agencies informing them of the obligations to submit a disaster plan pursuant to paragraph (2), and of the necessary elements that shall be included in the plan.

(2)A county human services agency shall annually submit to the department a disaster plan that includes the creation of mutual aid regions consisting of two or more counties to ensure there are sufficient resources necessary to continue adequate access to benefits during a disaster. The disaster plan shall include elements specified in paragraph (1).

(b)The department shall offer training on Disaster CalFresh to county human services agencies and organizations, institutions, and agencies receiving federal reimbursements pursuant to Section 18904.3.

(c)The department shall maintain updated Disaster CalFresh materials, including, but not limited to, state and county disaster plans, Disaster CalFresh applications, the Disaster CalFresh internet website, and a Disaster CalFresh outreach flyer in all required languages.

(d)If the President of the United States issues a major disaster declaration for individual assistance, the department and the county human services agency shall request to operate a federal Disaster Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (D-SNAP) for the regions affected by the major disaster. The request shall include a waiver request to provide automatic, mass replacement benefits to eligible households and a waiver request to allow households to purchase hot, prepared foods at authorized retailers with their benefits.

(e)It is the intent of the Legislature that the department shall maximize the capacity of counties to maintain timely, adequate, and safe access to all applicable benefits during a disaster. In order to ensure that disaster victims are not required to travel through dangerous routes to apply for, and to receive their electronic benefit transfer (EBT) card to access, Disaster CalFresh or replacement benefits, the department shall do both of the following:

(1)If requested by an affected county, provide to the county and its contracted county consortium staff support necessary for out-stationed application intake locations to support timely, adequate, and safe access to Disaster CalFresh during or following a disaster.

(2)Maintain and make available to affected counties, free of charge, technology and equipment to support the mobile issuance of EBT cards to recipients of Disaster CalFresh or replacement benefits.