BILL ANALYSIS
SB 516
Page 1
Date of Hearing: June 30, 2009
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON HUMAN SERVICES
Jim Beall, Jr., Chair
SB 516 (DeSaulnier) - As Amended: June 24, 2009
SENATE VOTE : 24-14
SUBJECT : California Youth Legislature
SUMMARY : Establishes the California Youth Legislature (CYL),
composed of students, ages 14 to 18 years, inclusive, and,
subject to specified considerations, appointed by Members of the
Legislature, to provide model legislation and advocate for the
needs of youth. Specifically, this bill :
1)Establishes in the State Treasury the California Fund for
Youth to receive contributions from tax return designations to
support the sessions of the CYL.
2)Provides for the repeal of this contribution provision for
this fund on January 1 of the 5th taxable year following the
first appearance of the California Fund for Youth on the tax
return or on January 1 of an earlier calendar year, if the
Franchise Tax Board estimates that the annual contribution
amount will be less than $250,000, or an adjusted amount, as
specified, for subsequent taxable years.
3)Provides that the CYL shall be funded by the California Youth
Fund or private funds directed to the Legislature for purposes
of funding the CYL.
4)Specifies the composition of the CYL, whose members are to be
ages 14 to 18, inclusive, and currently enrolled in school.
5)Provides that CYL members are to be appointed by the
Legislature, with each Senator and each Assemblymember
appointing one member, who shall take into consideration that
the CYL membership is to represent the racial, ethnic,
socioeconomic, cultural, physical, and educational diversity
of California.
6)Provides that the CYL shall do the following:
a) Examine and discuss policy and fiscal issues affecting
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the interests, needs, and conditions of the youth of
California;
b) Formally advise and make recommendations to the
Legislature and the Governor on specific issues affecting
youth; and,
c) Consult with existing local level youth advisory
commissions and community-based, grassroots youth-led
organizations for input and potential solutions on issues
related to youth.
7)Requires the CYL to enter into an interagency agreement with
the Joint Committee on Rules (JCR) to carry out administrative
duties related to its program, which shall provide for
reimbursement to the JCR for its administrative costs from
funds available to the CYL.
8)Provides that the JCR shall determine when sufficient funds
are available to support the CYL, and if the JCR determines
that there are insufficient funds, the CYL's activities shall
cease.
9)Makes findings and declarations related to the CYL.
EXISTING LAW establishes the California Senior Legislature to
provide model legislation for older citizens and advocate for
the needs of seniors.
FISCAL EFFECT : Unknown
COMMENTS : The author explains the need for this bill as
follows:
Young people need five key developmental resources in order
to become productive citizens: caring adults, safe places,
a healthy start, an effective education, and opportunities
to help others. Furthermore, young people who receive more
of these developmental resources fare better than young
people who receive fewer, and that those young people are
more likely to avoid violence, contribute to their
communities, and achieve high grades in school.
SB 516 will establish the California Youth Legislature to
provide model legislation and advocate for the needs of
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youth. This will model healthy civic engagement for youth
while utilizing their unique insights to best inform the
very policies and practices intended to serve them.
Many states and local governments have made a commitment to
help youth mature into successful adults. The California
Youth Legislature will be a guiding framework to improve
coordination and effectiveness of youth programs, and to
include youth in policy and decision making. Nationally
youth commissions are being developed and implemented in at
least 20 states.
This bill is modeled after the California Senior Legislature.
The purpose is to advise the Governor and the Legislature on the
key issues affecting; the interests, needs and conditions of the
youth in California. Some of the issues affecting youth may
include; education, employment, foster care, poverty and
substance abuse. It is a program to allow the youth of
California to prepare to meet the leadership and governmental
policy challenges of the future and to make recommendations to
the policy makers of today. The CYL is designed to provide
policy makers with direct feedback from young people on issues
affecting youth. Members of the CYL will not only be learning
about the legislative process, but will have an opportunity to
influence the legislative process and make sure the voices of
young people are heard.
This bill requires that the members of the CYL represent the
racial, ethnic, socioeconomic, cultural, physical, and
educational diversity of California and that there be a
particular emphasis placed on reaching out to at-risk or
disadvantaged youth to serve as members. The author notes that
their participation will provide keen insight to many of the
issues that youth face in their day-to-day lives and recognize
the significant number of California's youth who live
disadvantaged lives. The author further points out that youth
who are homeless, in the juvenile justice system, or in foster
care have limited opportunities to participate in the policies
process that ultimately impacts their well-being.
Arguments in opposition : The YMCA believes that this bill is
duplicative of the California YMCA Youth and Government program
and that the author should amend the bill to redirect the funds
to their existing program. In response, the author says that
the CYL is not duplicating the YMCA program. "These are
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distinct programs, both covering different aspects of civic
engagement and education. The YMCAs Youth in Government program
is a mock legislature dealing with all issues while the
California Youth Legislature focuses on youth issues and
provides counsel to the California Legislature." The author
further points out that there are at least 9 other states that
have both a YMCA program and a legislative youth advisory
council.
Related Tax Check-off bills introduced in the 2009/10 Session
AB 292 (Yamada), of 2009, extends the expiration date of the
Alzheimer's Disease and Related Disorders Research Fund from
January 1, 2010, to January 1, 2015.
AB 1049 (Torrico), of 2009, creates a voluntary contribution
fund (VCF) designation on the personal income tax return for
taxpayers to contribute to the Safely Surrender Babies Fund.
AB 1088 (Fletcher), of 2009, creates a VCF designation on the
personal income tax return in order for taxpayers to contribute
to the Morale, Welfare, and Recreation Fund for each of the
veterans' homes, as provided.
SB 91 (Correa), of 2009, extends the expiration date of the
California Fund for Senior Citizens from January 1, 2010, to
January 1, 2015.
2008 Check-offs
--------------------------------------------
|Voluntary Contribution Fund | 2008 |
| |Contribution|
| | s |
| | |
|-------------------------------+------------|
|Alzheimer's Disease/Related | $505,510 |
|Disorders Fund | |
| | |
|-------------------------------+------------|
|California Breast Cancer | $596,729 |
|Research Fund | |
| | |
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|-------------------------------+------------|
|California Firefighters' | $250,060 |
|Memorial Fund | |
| | |
|-------------------------------+------------|
|California Fund for Senior | $288,695 |
|Citizens | |
| | |
|-------------------------------+------------|
|California Military Family | $306,750 |
|Relief Fund | |
| | |
|-------------------------------+------------|
|California Peace Officer | $184,261 |
|Memorial Foundation Fund | |
| | |
|-------------------------------+------------|
|California Sea Otter Fund | $294,966 |
| | |
|-------------------------------+------------|
|Emergency Food for Families | $438,582 |
|Fund | |
| | |
|-------------------------------+------------|
|Rare and Endangered Species | $580,823 |
|Preservation Fund | |
| | |
|-------------------------------+------------|
|State Children's Trust for the |$528,609 |
|Prevention of Child Abuse | |
| | |
--------------------------------------------
Newly added as of January 2009 :
-------------------------------
|ALS/Lou Gehrig's Disease |
|Research Fund |
| |
|-------------------------------|
|California Cancer Center |
|Research Fund |
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| |
|-------------------------------|
|California Ovarian Cancer |
|Research Fund |
| |
|-------------------------------|
|California Seniors Special |
|Fund |
| |
|-------------------------------|
|Municipal Shelter Spay and |
|Neuter Fund |
| |
| |
-------------------------------
DOUBLE REFERRAL . This bill has been double-referred. Should
this bill pass out of this committee, it will be referred to the
Assembly Revenue and Taxation Committee.
REGISTERED SUPPORT / OPPOSITION :
Support
Los Angeles Unified School District
California Coalition for Youth
Youth Leadership Institute
California Youth Empowerment Network (CAYEN)
California Association of Student Councils
Opposition
California State Alliance of YMCAs (unless amended)
Analysis Prepared by : Eric Gelber / HUM. S. / (916)
319-2089