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F I S C A L I M P A C T R E P O R T
SPONSOR Cordova
ORIGINAL DATE
LAST UPDATED
1/30/06
HJM 15
SHORT TITLE
HOMELESS SHELTERS FOR BENEFIT
DISTRIBUTION
SB
ANALYST Weber
APPROPRIATION (dollars in thousands)
Appropriation
Recurring
or Non-Rec
Fund
Affected
FY06
FY07
NFI
(Parenthesis ( ) Indicate Expenditure Decreases)
SOURCES OF INFORMATION
LFC Files
Responses Received From
Human Services Department (HSD)
SUMMARY
Synopsis of Bill
House Joint Memorial 15 requests that HSD promulgate a rule that enables homeless shelter
addresses to be used as distribution points for TANF cash assistance and that HSD identify street
addresses of commonly used homeless shelters throughout the state to assist in this effort.
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS
HSD indicates some minimal administrative costs, under $8 thousand, may be associated with
such an effort.
SIGNIFICANT ISSUES
HSD notes that currently all TANF benefits are issued through Electronic Benefit Transfer
(EBT) to a benefit card similar to an ATM card. All EBT cards are issued at HSD's Income
Support Division (ISD) field offices. A permanent address is not a necessary condition for
receipt of TANF benefits. Homeless individuals pick up their cards at the ISD office, as do all
others receiving public assistance benefits on EBT cards.
Within a few months, ISD will be converting to a central card issuance process where all EBT