BILL ANALYSIS Ó Senate Appropriations Committee Fiscal Summary Senator Christine Kehoe, Chair SB 123 (Liu) Hearing Date: 05/26/2011 Amended: 05/03/2011 Consultant: Jolie Onodera Policy Vote: Public Safety 6-1 _________________________________________________________________ ____ BILL SUMMARY: SB 123 would require the California Emergency Management Agency (Cal EMA), subject to the availability of adequate resources, to develop a statewide plan for runaway, homeless, and exploited youth in collaboration with the Senate Office of Research (SOR) and various stakeholders. _________________________________________________________________ ____ Fiscal Impact (in thousands) Major Provisions 2011-12 2012-13 2013-14 Fund Development/coordination $90 $180 $160General of plan Statewide plan Likely substantial future cost pressureGeneral/ to implement the plan Federal* *Various programs/activities addressing at risk youth are eligible for federal funding. _________________________________________________________________ ____ STAFF COMMENTS: SUSPENSE FILE. This bill seeks to address the serious issue of youth homelessness and exploitation by the development of a statewide plan reflecting a range of cost-effective, evidence-based practices for runaway, homeless, and exploited youth. The bill requires the Cal EMA to develop this plan in collaboration with the SOR and a broad spectrum of stakeholders responsible for addressing the needs of this population, including but not limited to government agencies, youth advocates, and others with expertise in the areas of social services, mental health, housing, education, and public safety, as well as homeless youth service providers and impacted youth. The bill specifies that the plan shall include all of the following: A determination for the statewide demand for shelter, housing, and supportive services for runaway, homeless, and exploited youth, as defined; An identification of data and outcome measures from which SB 123 (Liu) Page 3 to evaluate public investment in runaway, homeless, and exploited youth services; An examination of the federal definition of "status offender" and legislative recommendations regarding the relevant sections of state law; A description of the role of the child welfare system in preventing and addressing homelessness for minors experiencing abuse and neglect; and A description of the role of law enforcement in responding to runaway youth. Once the plan is created, the bill requires Cal EMA to be the entity responsible for the coordination of information, support services, and other resources for public and private entities serving runaway, homeless, and exploited youth in California. Cal EMA indicates development of the plan could not be accomplished within existing resources and would require designated staff to lead in the development of the plan and coordinate meetings with various stakeholders as identified in the bill. Cal EMA would require one-full time staff position at an annual cost of approximately $160,000, in addition to $20,000 for coordinating stakeholder meetings during plan development. Upon completion of the plan, continued staff resources would be needed to support CalEMA's responsibility for ongoing statewide coordination. The SOR has indicated its role in the development of the plan could be absorbed within existing resources. The workload on other non-lead agencies participating in the plan development process is unknown, but would likely be minor. There would be substantial cost pressure to implement the plan, once developed. The extent of those costs and the agencies that would incur those costs are unknown and would be dependent upon the specific recommendations and best practices outlined in the plan. To the extent that this bill results in innovative and cost-effective services provided to runaway, homeless, and exploited youth, there will likely be significant savings to local governments and law enforcement agencies. Depending on the nature of these services, there may be significant cost savings to the state in public safety and social services programs in the future. SB 123 (Liu) Page 4