AB 3224 : Public social services: county employees.

In December of 2017, President Trump’s Department of Agriculture issued guidance inviting states to request a waiver to a long-standing regulation that prevents privatized workers to determine eligibility in the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), known as CalFresh in California. AFSCME represents thousands of county eligibility workers serviced through Council 57 and 36 whose jobs would be in jeopardy of being outsourced by special interests to for profit companies. After expressing our concerns to Assemblymember Tony Thurmond (D- Richmond) about the impact this guidance would have on our workers, the member partnered with AFSCME to put forward AB 3224. 

AB 3224 requires that any decisions governing eligibility for assistance for Medi-Cal, CalWORKs or CalFresh that are made by a county pursuant to provisions relating to public social services shall be determined exclusively by a merit or civil service employee of the county. For profit companies are not held to the same quality and accountablity standards as our local government employees and it is important to ensure these determinations are made by those with the experience to do so. 

After passing through both the Senate and Assembly, the bill was sent to Governor Brown and was signed on August 20, 2018. 

AB 3224