BILL ANALYSIS �
AB 845
Page 1
Date of Hearing: May 15, 2013
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
Mike Gatto, Chair
AB 845 (Cooley) - As Amended: April 18, 2013
Policy Committee: Human
ServicesVote:5 - 0
Urgency: No State Mandated Local Program:
No Reimbursable:
SUMMARY
This bill requires the Department of Social Services (DSS) to
develop and implement, by January 1, 2015, a pilot program
designed to increase awareness about Shaken Baby Syndrome.
Specifically, this bill:
1)Requires DSS, in consultation with the Department of Public
Health, the Department of Justice, First 5 California, and
other interested stakeholders to develop and implement the
Shaken Baby Syndrome Education Program by July 1, 2015, which
is required to provide information about the syndrome based on
scientific and evidence based practices.
2)Requires DSS, in consultation with the indicated state
departments and other stakeholders, to develop a process for
county selection and select the counties to participate in the
pilot program, provided that the counties are eligible and
volunteer to participate.
3)Requires DSS to submit a report to the Legislature evaluating
the effectiveness of the pilot by January 1, 2020.
4)Provides that the pilot and process for its development shall
be funded using money from the Children's Trust Fund and
prohibits the use of General Fund dollars.
5)Authorizes DSS to accept and expend other private funds that
are donated to DSS for purposes of developing or implementing
the pilot.
6)Sunsets the pilot on January 1, 2020.
AB 845
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FISCAL EFFECT
1)Costs in excess of $450,000 to be paid from the State
Children's Trust Fund for DSS to develop, administer and
evaluate the pilot project and report to the Legislature.
2)The trust fund generates approximately $700,000 in revenue
each year. In 2011-12 the state spent $2.6 million from the
trust fund on allowable activities, thus generating a
remaining fund balance of $3.4 million for the following year.
Approximately half of that is budgeted to be spent in 2012-13
on child abuse and neglect prevention, leaving a balance of
$2.8 million that will be carried forward into 2013-14. The
governor's budget proposes spending $1.3 million of the
estimated $3.5 million balance in the fund, leaving a balance
of $2.2 million to be carried into 2014-2015.
3)The language in the bill prohibits the use of GF and requires
the funding to come from the State Children's Trust Fund.
However, statute pertaining to the fund limits the use of the
fund for state operations to 5%. Since the state is currently
maximizing that 5% for other child safety purposes, it is
unclear how the pilot will be funded.
COMMENTS
1)Purpose . The author asserts that current state efforts to
provide information on shaken baby syndrome (SBS) to new
parents and other caregivers can be improved. Citing the
results of a program in a region of New York State that
reduced the incidence of shaken baby syndrome by almost 50%
over five years, the author believes that a five-year
educational program, coordinated by DSS, would reduce the
incidence of shaken baby syndrome here.
2)State Children's Trust Fund . The State Children's Trust Fund
is made up from funding provided by a surcharge on birth
certificates, voluntary contributions and other sources. The
funding is to be used for innovative child abuse and neglect
prevention and intervention projects, including the promotion
of public awareness regarding child abuse.
3)Shaken Baby Syndrome . SBS is a type of traumatic brain injury
that happens when a baby is violently shaken. A baby has weak
AB 845
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neck muscles and a large, heavy head. Shaking makes the
fragile brain bounce back and forth inside the skull and
causes bruising, swelling, and bleeding, which can lead to
permanent, severe brain damage or death. The characteristic
injuries of shaken baby syndrome are bleeding in the brain,
bleeding in the retina, damage to the spinal cord and neck,
and fractures of the ribs and bones. These injuries may not be
immediately noticeable. Symptoms of shaken baby syndrome
include extreme irritability, lethargy, poor feeding,
breathing problems, convulsions, vomiting, and pale or bluish
skin. Shaken baby injuries usually occur in children younger
than two years old, but may be seen in children up to the age
of five.
According to the National Center on Shaken Baby Syndrome, the
data on SBS is limited. However, based on a North Carolina
research project published in the Journal of the American
Medical Association in August of 2003, approximately 1,300
U.S. children experience severe or fatal head trauma from
child abuse every year. The same study revealed that
approximately 30 per 100,000 children under age one suffered
inflicted brain injuries.
4)Current Prevention Efforts . Currently health facilities,
midwives, and the DSS are required to distribute any available
educational materials regarding SBS to new parents and to
child care providers. The DSS, the state Children and Families
(First 5) Commission, and some county First 5 commissions
currently engage in SBS-prevention efforts. In addition, there
are local, state and national non-profit organizations
dedicated to educating families and caretakers about the
dangers of SBS.
5)Related Legislation . SB 468 (Padilla) in 2007 and SB 825
(Padilla) in 2008, both substantially similar bills, were held
on this committee's Suspense File.
Analysis Prepared by : Julie Salley-Gray / APPR. / (916)
319-2081