Assembly BillVetoedWelfare and Institutions
AB 1049: California Food Assistance Program: sponsor deeming rules.
What AB 1049 does, verified September 20, 2026
This bill aims to amend the California Food Assistance Program by removing the application of federal deeming rules and exemptions. As a result, counties would be responsible for determining eligibility and amount of aid for non-citizens and their spouses. The bill would also impose a state-mandated local program, requiring counties to create new duties for CFAP eligibility. The state would be responsible for reimbursing local agencies and school districts for the mandated costs, if the Commission on State Mandates determines that the bill contains such costs.
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Last action: Vetoed by Governor. (2026-09-18)Alert me
Author and sponsors
Full contact details, staff, and committees with Connect, $16/moUnlockRecent actions25 total · showing 5
| Sep. 18, 2026 | Vetoed by Governor. |
| Sep. 04, 2026 | Enrolled and presented to the Governor at 4 p.m. |
| Aug. 27, 2026 | Senate amendments concurred in. To Engrossing and Enrolling. (Ayes 59. Noes 15. Page 6694.). |
| Aug. 27, 2026 | In Assembly. Concurrence in Senate amendments pending. |
| Aug. 26, 2026 | Read third time. Passed. Ordered to the Assembly. (Ayes 30. Noes 10.). |
Latest bill textEnrolled version, September 1, 2026 · 958 words
| Enrolled September 01, 2026 |
| Passed IN Senate August 26, 2026 |
| Passed IN Assembly August 27, 2026 |
| Amended IN Senate August 19, 2026 |
CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2025–2026 REGULAR SESSION
Assembly Bill
No. 1049
| Introduced by Assembly Member Celeste Rodriguez (Coauthor: Assembly Member Lee) |
February 20, 2025 |
An act to amend, repeal, and add Section 18932 of the Welfare and Institutions Code, relating to food assistance.
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
AB 1049, Celeste Rodriguez. California Food Assistance Program: sponsor deeming rules.
Existing federal law establishes 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 state law establishes, in addition to CalFresh, the California Food Assistance Program (CFAP) to provide nutrition benefits to households that are ineligible for CalFresh benefits solely due to their immigration status, as specified. Existing law sets forth provisions relating to state funding for CFAP.
Under existing federal and state law, in determining the eligibility and amount of aid for a person who is not a citizen or national of the United States under certain public social services programs, the income and resources of the person are deemed to include the income and resources of any person who has executed an affidavit of support on behalf of the person and the spouse of that person, with certain exemptions.
Existing state law requires that federal deeming rules and exemptions governing SNAP also govern CFAP, with certain exceptions.
Under this bill, beginning January 1, 2028, or when the department notifies the Legislature that the Statewide Automated Welfare System can perform the necessary automation to implement these provisions, whichever is later, federal sponsor deeming rules and noncitizen exemptions governing SNAP would instead not apply to CFAP. By creating new duties for counties relating to CFAP eligibility, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program.
The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement.
This bill would provide that, if the Commission on State Mandates determines that the bill contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement for those costs shall be made pursuant to the statutory provisions noted above.
The people of the State of California do enact as follows:
SECTION 1.
Section 18932 of the Welfare and Institutions Code is amended to read:18932.
(a) Except as otherwise provided in this chapter, the federal and state laws and regulations governing the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program shall also govern the program provided for under this chapter.(b) Federal deeming rules and exemptions governing the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program shall also govern the program provided for under this chapter, except that for immigrants with affidavits of support under Section 1183a of Title 8 of the United States Code who do not meet exemptions from deeming, the period for deeming of a sponsor’s income and resources shall be three years from the date of the sponsor’s execution of the affidavit of support pursuant to Section 1183a of Title 8 of the United States Code.
(c) Notwithstanding any other provision in this chapter, immigrants who are victims of abuse by their sponsor or sponsor’s spouse shall be exempt from deeming. Abuse shall be defined in the same manner as provided in Section 11495.1 and Section 11495.12. A sworn statement of abuse by a victim, or the representative of the victim if the victim is not able to competently swear, shall be sufficient to establish abuse if one or more additional items of evidence of abuse is also provided. Additional evidence may include, but is not limited to, the following:
(1) Police, government agency, or court records or files.
(2) Documentation from a domestic violence program, or from a legal, clinical, medical, or other professional from whom the applicant or recipient has sought assistance in dealing with abuse.
(3) A statement from any other individual with knowledge of the circumstances that provided the basis for the claim.
(4) Physical evidence of abuse.
(5) If the victim cannot provide additional evidence of abuse, then the sworn statement shall be sufficient if the county makes a determination documented in writing in the case file that the applicant is credible.
(d) This section shall become inoperative on January 1, 2028, or on the date the department notifies the Legislature that the Statewide Automated Welfare System can perform the necessary automation to implement Section 18932, as added by the act that added this subdivision, whichever date is later, and, as of January 1 of the following year, is repealed.
SEC. 2.
Section 18932 is added to the Welfare and Institutions Code, to read:18932.
(a) Except as otherwise provided in this chapter, the federal and state laws and regulations governing the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program shall also govern the program provided for under this chapter.(b) The federal sponsor deeming rules and sponsored noncitizen exemptions governing the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, as specified in paragraphs (2) and (3) of subdivision (c) of Section 273.4 of Title 7 of the Code of Federal Regulations, respectively, shall not apply to the program established under this chapter.
(c) This section shall become operative on January 1, 2028, or on the date the department notifies the Legislature that the Statewide Automated Welfare System can perform the necessary automation to implement this section, whichever date is later.
SEC. 3.
If the Commission on State Mandates determines that this act contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement to local agencies and school districts for those costs shall be made pursuant to Part 7 (commencing with Section 17500) of Division 4 of Title 2 of the Government Code.Text of AB 1049 as enrolled, from the official record. Connect Plus keeps every version and highlights what changed.Compare versions