BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    Ó



                                                                  AB 735
                                                                  Page  1


          ASSEMBLY THIRD READING
          AB 735 (Mitchell)
          As Amended  April 11, 2011
          Majority vote 

           LABOR & EMPLOYMENT     6-0      APPROPRIATIONS      17-0        
           
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          |Ayes:|Swanson, Morrell, Alejo,  |Ayes:|Fuentes, Harkey,          |
          |     |Allen, Furutani, Yamada   |     |Blumenfield, Bradford,    |
          |     |                          |     |Charles Calderon, Campos, |
          |     |                          |     |Davis, Donnelly, Gatto,   |
          |     |                          |     |Hall, Hill, Lara,         |
          |     |                          |     |Mitchell, Nielsen, Smyth, |
          |     |                          |     |Solorio, Wagner           |
          |-----+--------------------------+-----+--------------------------|
          |     |                          |     |                          |
           ----------------------------------------------------------------- 
           SUMMARY  :  Establishes a hiring preference for state internships 
          and student assistants for foster youth.  Specifically,  this 
          bill  requires:  

          1)State agencies, when hiring for internships and student 
            assistant positions, to give preference to qualified 
            applicants who are, or have recently been, dependent children 
            in foster care.

          2)County welfare departments to provide dependent children with 
            information notifying them that they may be eligible for this 
            hiring preference.

           FISCAL EFFECT  :  According to the Assembly Appropriations 
          Committee, minor, absorbable one-time costs from various sources 
          to modify application forms.

           COMMENTS  :  According to the author, few groups are at greater 
          risk for homelessness, poverty and school failure than 
          California's foster youth.  Only 50% of foster youth graduate 
          from high school, compared with 75% of their peers who were not 
          a part of the foster care system.  In addition, the unemployment 
          rate among former foster youth is staggering:  60% of former 
          foster youth are unemployed at age 19 compared with 42% of their 
          peers with no history of foster care.









                                                                  AB 735
                                                                  Page  2


          In order to address these issues, this bill states that priority 
          should be given to former or current foster youth when state 
          agencies are hiring for student assistant and/or intern 
          positions.  According to the author, student assistant positions 
          already exist within many state departments. These positions are 
          offered to students currently enrolled in school seeking "on the 
          job" experience.  These positions are a great place for students 
          to learn a skill as well as make valuable contacts within the 
          department which will assist them in establishing a pathway to a 
          career.  The author argues that the state has a unique 
          obligation to current and former foster youth and these 
          internships are excellent pathways to financial stability as 
          well as an added incentive to stay in school.

          Writing in support of this bill, the Children's Advocacy 
          Institute (CAI) argues that when by the authority of state law 
          government enters a home and forcibly removes a child from the 
          care of their parents, the state incurs a moral responsibility 
          heavier than any other.  CAI states that, according to the 
          General Accounting Office, only 3% of foster youth will graduate 
          from a four year college; between 27% and 35% end up in jail or 
          prison.  Though foster youth comprise less than 0.3% of the 
          general population, 40% of all people in homeless shelters were 
          once in foster care.  Women who have emancipated from foster 
          care are four times more likely than other women to receive 
          public assistance.   They conclude that student assistant 
          positions provide a pathway to employment post-graduation and 
          stability that is not only consistent with our moral obligation 
          to these children but a wise step to ensure they do not enter 
          far more expensive state-funded systems and programs.

           
          Analysis Prepared by  :    Ben Ebbink / L. & E. / (916) 319-2091 


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