BILL ANALYSIS
AB 2051
Page 1
ASSEMBLY THIRD READING
AB 2051 (Cohn)
As Amended May 26, 2006
Majority vote
JUDICIARY 6-2 PUB. S. 4-2
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|Ayes:|Jones, Evan, Laird, |Ayes:|Leno, Cohn, Dymally, |
| |Levine, Lieber, Monta?ez | |Hancock |
| | | | |
|-----+--------------------------+-----+--------------------------|
|Nays:|Harman, Haynes |Nays:|La Suer, Cogdill |
| | | | |
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APPROPRIATIONS
(vote not available)
SUMMARY : Expands education and training requirements to include
lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) domestic violence
issues. Specifically, this bill requires the:
1)Maternal and Child Health Branch of Department of Health
Services (DHS), which issues grants to battered women's
shelters to provide emergency shelter for women and their
children escaping family violence, to include grants to
underserved communities, including the LGBT community.
2)Advisory council established to consult with DHS regarding the
Maternal and Child Health Branch grants to battered women's
shelters to include individuals with an interest and expertise
in LGBT domestic violence.
3)Training program required for law enforcement officers on the
handling of domestic violence complaints to include adequate
instruction on the nature and extent of domestic violence in
the LGBT community.
4)Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) that
is charged with developing the course of instruction for the
training program to consult with, among others, individuals
with an interest and expertise in LGBT domestic violence.
5)Statewide training workshops on domestic violence conducted by
AB 2051
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the Office of Emergency Services (OES) include a curriculum on
LGBT domestic abuse.
EXISTING LAW requires:
1)The Maternal and Child Health Branch of DHS to administer
grants to battered women's shelters to provide emergency
shelter for women and their children escaping family violence,
including grants to underserved communities. Creates, until
January 1, 2010, an advisory council to consult with DHS
regarding the funding program, consisting of, among others,
domestic violence advocates, battered women service providers
and law enforcement.
2)POST to implement a training program on the handling of
domestic violence complaints for law enforcement officers in
California and to consult with various groups on development
of the program.
3)The OES Comprehensive Statewide Domestic Violence Program to
provide assistance to local domestic violence centers through
a grant program and requires OES to conduct statewide training
workshops on domestic violence.
FISCAL EFFECT : According to the Assembly Appropriations
Committee:
1)One-time GF costs of $100,000 for POST to incorporate
LGBT-related domestic violence into the existing domestic
violence training program and for the additional law
enforcement training.
2)One-time costs of around $50,000 for OES to develop curriculum
on LGBT domestic violence for its training workshops.
COMMENTS : This bill, sponsored by Equality California, seeks to
provide culturally appropriate education for domestic violence
involving the LGBT community. According to information provided
by the author, law enforcement and health care workers are
usually not specifically trained to deal with LGBT abuse and, as
a result, victims do not necessarily receive appropriate
services as compared with heterosexual victims.
Existing law requires POST to implement a training program on
AB 2051
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the handling of domestic violence complaints for law enforcement
officers in California and consult with various groups on
development of the program. This bill requires that the
training include adequate instruction on the nature and extent
of domestic violence in the LGBT community and that POST when
developing the course of instruction for the training program,
consult with, among others, individuals with an interest and
expertise in LGBT domestic violence. Statewide domestic
violence training conducted by OES would, under the bill, be
required to include a curriculum on LGBT domestic abuse.
This bill requires that certain existing grants for domestic
service providers be directed to LGBT service providers and
creates a new granting program with DHS for grants solely to
LGBT domestic abuse service providers. First, the Maternal and
Child Health Branch of DHS, which administers grants to battered
women's shelters to provide emergency shelter for women and
their children escaping family violence, currently is required
to serve underserved communities and ethnic and racial
communities. This bill would include LGBT communities within
the underserved communities that the Maternal and Child Health
Branch must fund.
Analysis Prepared by : Leora Gershenzon / JUD. / (916)
319-2334
FN: 0014773