BILL ANALYSIS Ó AB 309 Page 1 Date of Hearing: April 17, 2013 ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS Mike Gatto, Chair AB 309 (Mitchell) - As Amended: March 19, 2013 Policy Committee: Human ServicesVote:7 - 0 Urgency: No State Mandated Local Program: Yes Reimbursable: Yes SUMMARY This bill clarifies requirements pertaining to CalFresh applications submitted by homeless children and youth who are not accompanied by a parent or guardian. Specifically, this bill: 1)Clarifies that there are no minimum age requirements for CalFresh eligibility except for those imposed by federal law. 2)Adds CalFresh eligibility criteria and specific information regarding the eligibility of homeless children and youth to annual trainings offered by the county welfare departments to homeless shelter operators. 3)Requires county welfare agencies, upon receipt of a CalFresh application from an unaccompanied child or youth, to determine the child or youth's eligibility without unnecessary delay, which shall include determining whether the child or youth is eligible to apply as the sole member of the household and screening the application for entitlement to expedited services. 4)Requires county welfare agencies to provide written notice to an unaccompanied homeless child or youth if his or her CalFresh application is denied. 5)Adds information about targeting expedited CalFresh services to unaccompanied homeless children and youth to the information the Department of Social Services is already required to develop on targeting services to the greater homeless population, and requires that information to be AB 309 Page 2 provided to local education agency liaisons for homeless children and youth, as well as homeless shelters, emergency food programs, and other community agencies that provide services to homeless people. FISCAL EFFECT Costs associated with this legislation should be minor and absorbable within existing resources. COMMENTS 1)Purpose . The intent of this bill is to ensure that unaccompanied homeless youth, who are not under the care of a parent or guardian, are able to access CalFresh benefits. Additionally, this bill clarifies California law so that county implementation is properly aligned with the intentions of federal law. According to the author, unaccompanied homeless minors are sometimes denied CalFresh food benefits in counties where interpretation of state law leads to the denial of CalFresh benefits for unaccompanied youth. Unaccompanied youth include young people who have run away, have been forced out, and/or have been abandoned by their parent or guardian. Every year, about 200,000 young people in California run away or are forced out of their homes. Many flee their homes as a result of physical and sexual abuse or neglect, are forced out because they are pregnant, gay or lesbian, or are exiting from the child welfare or juvenile justice system without an identified housing destination. Some of these youth have reported being denied CalFresh food benefits based on their status as an unaccompanied youth. Analysis Prepared by : Julie Salley-Gray / APPR. / (916) 319-2081