Newsom vetoes bill that would change food aid rules for immigrants, tell me about this news in (https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/other/newsom-vetoes-bill-that-would-change-food-aid-rules-for-immigrants/ar-AA2cQQVS?ocid=BingNewsVerp)

California Governor Gavin Newsom vetoed Assembly Bill 1049, legislation authored by Assemblymember Celeste Rodriguez that sought to alter financial eligibility rules for immigrants applying for the California Food Assistance Program (CFAP).

Key Details of the Story

• The Program (CFAP): CFAP provides state-funded nutrition assistance to low-income individuals who are ineligible for the federal CalFresh (SNAP) program solely due to their immigration status.

• The Proposed Change: Under existing rules, “sponsor deeming” requires the income and resources of an immigrant’s financial sponsor to be factored into their eligibility determination. AB 1049 sought to modify or limit these sponsor-deeming rules. Advocates argued the current policy creates confusion, intimidates applicants, and discourages eligible individuals facing food insecurity from seeking aid.

• Reason for the Veto: In his veto message, Governor Newsom explained that modifying the rules would create a major discrepancy between the state-funded CFAP and the federally funded CalFresh program, which share the same application process and sponsor-deeming requirements. Newsom expressed concern that introducing divergent standards could create discrepancies vulnerable to federal scrutiny or weaponization. He also noted that existing exemptions within current regulations already provide relief and that the state should focus on raising awareness about those exceptions.

• Current Outcome: With the veto, the existing sponsor-deeming regulations remain active for CFAP applicants and recipients.