Section 95-A. State food stamp outreach program

1.  In accordance with
  federal requirements and to the extent that federal matching  funds  are
  available,  the  department shall develop and implement an outreach plan
  to inform low-income households potentially  eligible  to  receive  food
  stamps  of the availability and benefits of the program and to encourage
  the participation of eligible households that wish to participate.
    2.  In developing and implementing such a plan the  department  and/or
  its  local  districts  are  authorized  and  empowered,  subject  to the
  approval of the director of the budget and provided that federal aid  is
  available  therefor,  to  enter  into contractual agreements with public
  and/or private organizations to develop and implement  local,  regional,
  and statewide outreach programs.
    3.    Each commissioner of social services shall develop and submit to
  the department on an annual basis for its  approval,  a  local  outreach
  plan  governing  the use of local social services personnel and services
  provided by federally funded and other  agencies  and  organizations  to
  inform  potentially eligible households of the availability and benefits
  of the program and to encourage  and  facilitate  the  participation  of
  eligible  households.    The  department  shall provide commissioners of
  social services with technical assistance as needed  to  carry  out  the
  provisions of this subdivision.
    4.    As  part  of each local outreach plan, social services officials
  shall take all steps necessary  to  maintain  a  supply  of  information
  leaflets  in  public  buildings,  including  but  not  limited  to local
  unemployment insurance and employment services offices of the department
  of labor, institutions and facilities under the supervision  or  control
  of the department of health, food stores, union halls, community centers
  and local agencies providing services to the elderly to help insure that
  eligible persons are informed of the food stamp program.
    5.    The  department shall periodically distribute to all newspapers,
  and to television  and  radio  stations  throughout  the  state,  public
  service  announcements  describing the food stamp program, including the
  toll-free telephone  numbers  for  food  stamp  information,  and  shall
  promptly  inform  such  media  of  significant  changes  in  the program
  affecting eligibility requirements and/or the amount of the  food  stamp
  bonus.
    6.   The department shall establish procedures in cooperation with the
  industrial commissioner of  the  department  of  labor  to  ensure  that
  informational  leaflets  about  the  food stamp program are sent to each
  local employment services office for distribution  pursuant  to  section
  five hundred and forty of the labor law.  Each leaflet shall include but
  not  be  limited  to: the phone number for the New York State food stamp
  hotline, estimated maximum income eligibility levels by  household  size
  for  participation  in  the  food  stamp program and the availability of
  local social services  departments  to  provide  additional  information
  about the program.
    7.   In accordance with applicable federal laws, rules and regulations
  the department shall make available appropriate bilingual  materials  so
  that  potentially  eligible  non  English  speaking  individuals  may be
  informed about the food stamp program.
    8.  The department shall promulgate rules and  regulations,  and  take
  all  other  actions  necessary  for the effective implementation of this
  section.