A 9358: Directs the commissioner of the office of temporary and disability assistance to develop and implement a program to replace all magnetic-strip electronic benefit transfer cards issued by or on behalf of the state with chip-enabled smart cards; provides for reimbursement of benefits.

  
  STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 9358 2025-2026 Regular Sessions  IN ASSEMBLY December 19, 2025 ___________ Introduced by M. of A. COLTON -- read once and referred to the Committee on Social Services AN ACT to amend the social services law, in relation to establishing an electronic benefit card replacement program The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. The social services law is amended by adding a new section 2 152-e to read as follows: 3 § 152-e. Electronic benefit card replacement. 1. For the purposes of 4 this section: 5 (a) "Commissioner" means the commissioner of the office of temporary 6 and disability assistance. 7 (b) "Office" means the office of temporary and disability assistance. 8 (c) "Electronic benefit transfer card" means any card or device issued 9 in connection with the electronic benefit transfer system established in 10 section twenty-one-a of this chapter that allows individuals to access 11 public assistance or benefit funds including: 12 (i) any medical assistance card, food stamp assistance card, public 13 assistance card, or any other identification, authorization card or 14 electronic access device issued by the state or a social services 15 district as defined in subdivision seven of section two of this chapter 16 which entitles a person to obtain public assistance benefits under a 17 local, state or federal program administered by the state, its political 18 subdivisions or social services districts; or 19 (ii) any unemployment insurance program card, occupational training 20 act program card, adoption subsidy electronic payments program card, or 21 card issued by the New York child support program which entitles a 22 person to receive funds under a local, state or federal program adminis- 23 tered by the state, its political subdivisions or social services 24 districts. EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [ ] is old law to be omitted. LBD14214-01-5 
 A. 9358 2 1 2. (a) Within one year of the effective date of this section, the 2 commissioner shall develop and implement a program to replace all elec- 3 tronic benefit transfer cards issued by or on behalf of the state that 4 utilize magnetic-strip technology with chip-enabled smart cards. Within 5 one year of the commencement of the program, no additional electronic 6 benefit transfer magnetic-strip cards shall be issued by or on behalf of 7 the state to an existing or new holder of such cards. 8 (b) The state shall reimburse the holder of an electronic benefit 9 transfer card utilizing magnetic-strip technology for benefits stolen 10 from the card until such time as the holder is provided by or on behalf 11 of the state with a chip-enabled smart card, provided the holder of the 12 card is not implicated in the theft of the benefits from the magnetic- 13 strip electronic benefit transfer card. 14 3. The commissioner shall promulgate rules and regulations as neces- 15 sary to implement the provisions of this section. 16 § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.