The proposed legislation, General Assembly Raised Bill No. 154, mandates that the Department of Social Services and the Department of Developmental Services submit detailed reports by January 1, 2027. These reports must outline the costs associated with programs that serve children and families, specifically focusing on those programs where eligibility is determined by comparing annual family income to the federal poverty level. The reports are required to include the total costs of administering these programs, projected costs if eligibility were expanded to include families with incomes above the federal poverty level but below the ALICE Threshold of Financial Survival, the number of additional families that would qualify under such expanded criteria, and an analysis of the feasibility of adopting the ALICE Threshold for eligibility determinations.

The bill introduces new legal language that establishes these reporting requirements as new sections in the law, while deleting any previous language that may have been related to these requirements. The intent of the bill is to provide a clearer understanding of the financial implications of current and potential eligibility criteria for programs aimed at supporting children and families, thereby facilitating informed decision-making by the General Assembly regarding these critical services.