CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2025–2026 REGULAR SESSION
99
Introduced by Senator Reyes
February 13, 2026
An act to amend Sections 17850 and 17851 of the Welfare and Institutions Code, relating to public social services.
Vote: majority Appropriation: no Fiscal committee: no Local program: no
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL’S DIGEST
Existing law establishes various public social services programs to provide eligible recipients with certain aid or health care benefits, among others. Existing law also requires each county to provide aid to its indigent residents who are not supported by other means under programs known as general assistance programs.
Existing federal law, the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 (PRWORA), makes specified persons without lawful status in the United States ineligible for state and local public benefits unless a state law is enacted that affirmatively provides for that eligibility, and defines “state or local public benefit” to mean, among other things, any retirement, welfare, health, disability, public or assisted housing, postsecondary education, food assistance, unemployment benefit, or any other similar benefit for which payments or assistance are provided to an individual, household, or family eligibility unit by an agency of a state or local government or by appropriated funds of a state or local government. Existing state law authorizes a city, county, city and county, or hospital district, at its discretion, to provide aid, including health care, to persons who, but for the previously described provision of the federal PRWORA, would meet the eligibility requirements for any program of that entity.
This bill would clarify that the above-described authorization for provision of aid is an authorization to provide a state or local public benefit, as defined by the federal PRWORA.
The people of the State of California do enact as follows:
SECTION 1.
Section 17850 of the Welfare and Institutions Code is amended to read:
17850.
(a) It is the intent of the Legislature in enacting this part to affirm the ability of counties, cities, and hospital districts to provide a state or local public benefit, including health care and other services services, to all residents, if any of these entities has decided to do so at its own discretion.
(b) For purposes of this part, “state or local public benefit” has the same meaning as that term as defined in Section 411 of the federal Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 (P.L. 104-193; 8 U.S.C. Sec. 1621) or any successor provision.
SEC. 2.
Section 17851 of the Welfare and Institutions Code is amended to read:
17851.
A city, county, city and county, or hospital district may, at its discretion, provide aid, a state or local public benefit, including health care, care and other services, to persons who, but for Section 411 of the federal Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 (P.L. 104-193; 8 U.S.C. Sec. 1621), would meet eligibility requirements for any program of that entity.
the state or local public benefit.