BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    Ó




                   Senate Appropriations Committee Fiscal Summary
                            Senator Kevin de León, Chair


          AB 174 (Bonta) - Public school health centers.
          
          Amended: June 24, 2013          Policy Vote: Health 7-2
          Urgency: No                     Mandate: Yes
          Hearing Date: August 30, 2013                           
          Consultant: Brendan McCarthy    
          
          SUSPENSE FILE. AS AMENDED.
          
          
          Bill Summary: AB 174 would require the Department of Public  
          Health to create a pilot grant program in Alameda County to  
          provide funding for the mental health needs of students impacted  
          by trauma.

          Fiscal Impact (as approved on August 30, 2013): 
              Unknown costs to provide grants (federal funds or private  
              funds). The bill specifies that the program would be limited  
              to a one-year pilot project in Alameda County at up to ten  
              facilities. However, the bill does not specify the total  
              amount of funding or the potential fund source.

              Unknown costs to administer the program (federal funds or  
              private funds). Typically, the cost to administer a grant  
              program is about five percent of total grant spending.  

          Background: Under current law, the Department of Public Health  
          is required to establish a Public School Health Center Support  
          Program to support the establishment of school health centers.  
          The Department is also required to establish a grant program to  
          provide funding to school health centers. To date, no funding  
          has been made available and no program activities have taken  
          place.

          Proposed Law: AB 174 would require the Department of Public  
          Health to create a pilot grant program in Alameda County to  
          provide funding for the mental health needs of students impacted  
          by trauma.

          Specific provisions of the bill would:
              Authorize the Department to delegate administrative duties  
              to Alameda County;








          AB 174 (Bonta)
          Page 1


              Authorize the grant program only for the 2015-16 school  
              year;
              Require a review of the program;
              Specify the allowable uses of grant funds (generally for  
              counseling, outreach and education, violence prevention  
              programs, and other uses);
              Specify grant funding criteria;
              Sunset the program on January 1, 2019.

          Staff Comments: As noted above, the Department of Public Health  
          is currently required to establish a program to provide  
          technical assistance and grant funds for public school health  
          centers. To date, no funding has been authorized and this  
          program has not been implemented.

          By authorizing the Department of Public Health to delegate  
          administrative duties to Alameda County, the bill would create a  
          reimbursable state mandate.

          Committee Amendments: delete the authority for the Department of  
          Public Health to delegate administrative duties to Alameda  
          County and specify that only non-state funds may be used to fund  
          the program.