BILL ANALYSIS Ó
AB 883
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Date of Hearing: January 23, 2014
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
Mike Gatto, Chair
AB 883 (Cooley) - As Amended: January 6, 2014
Policy Committee: Human
ServicesVote:5-0
Urgency: No State Mandated Local Program:
No Reimbursable: No
SUMMARY
This bill establishes the Child Sexual Abuse Prevention Program
as a pilot program, in no more than three counties, for the
purpose of establishing new programs or supplementing funding
for existing programs that provide child sexual abuse prevention
and early intervention services. The bill requires the
Department of Social Services (DSS) to select the counties that
will participate in the pilot program based on certain
qualifying criteria, and appropriates $50,000 per year from the
state General Fund (GF) to each county selected by DSS that
conducts a pilot program. The bill establishes a January 1,
2017 sunset date for the pilot program.
FISCAL EFFECT
1)Appropriation: Assuming three counties are selected by DSS to
conduct a pilot program, annual GF cost of $150,000 per year
until the January 1, 2017 sunset date.
2)Additional costs: Minor administrative costs to DSS to review
applications and select participating counties.
COMMENTS
1) Purpose. The author contends the pilot programs would bring
focus to preventing child sexual abuse before it occurs by
funding efforts to teach adults about the early warning signs
of abuse.
Supporters, including the California Catholic Conference,
claim the vast majority of abuse cases go unreported, and
AB 883
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heightened awareness and open dialogue are necessary for
effective prevention.
2) Existing Law.
a) Establishes the federal Child Abuse Prevention and
Treatment Act, under which state child protective services
systems and child abuse prevention activities are
supported.
b) Establishes the Child Abuse and Neglect Reporting Act,
which defines abuse and neglect, enumerates 40 categories
of child abuse mandated reporters, and requires any person,
as specified, who reasonably believes he or she has
observed the commission of a murder, rape or forcible
molestation against a child to notify a peace officer.
c) Establishes the Maxine Waters Child Abuse Prevention
Training Act of 1984, under which the Office of Child Abuse
Prevention is established within DSS.
3) Child sexual abuse in California. In the US Department of
Health and Human Services' 2011 Child Maltreatment Report,
there were 4,890 cases of child sexual abuse reported in
California.
4) Concerns.
a) The author and committee may wish to consider whether
the annual $50,000 funding is sufficient to run an
effective pilot program of this nature, particularly given
the breadth and detail of the application and reporting
requirements. Additional funding may lead to a more
competitive county bidding process and potentially more
creative pilot programs.
b) The author and committee may wish to consider providing
additional clarity as to the intended outcomes of the pilot
program and how those outcomes will be measured. A
narrower scope, focused on a single defined outcome (for
example, an increase in the percentage of child sexual
abuse cases identified or reported) could help ensure the
results of the three pilot programs are comparable and can
be extrapolated for implementation on a broader scale.
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c) The author and committee may wish to consider whether
the duration of the pilot program is sufficient to develop
conclusive results, and whether a certain level of
monitoring or oversight from the relevant counties or state
authorities would ensure that program activities remain
within the appropriate scope.
Analysis Prepared by : Joel Tashjian / APPR. / (916) 319-2081