BILL ANALYSIS Ó
AB 1579
Page A
ASSEMBLY THIRD READING
AB 1579 (Stone)
As Amended May 27, 2014
Majority vote
HUMAN SERVICES 6-0 APPROPRIATIONS 13-4
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|Ayes:|Stone, Maienschein, |Ayes:|Gatto, Bocanegra, |
| |Ammiano, | |Bradford, |
| |Ian Calderon, Garcia, | |Ian Calderon, Campos, |
| |Hall | |Eggman, Gomez, Holden, |
| | | |Linder, Pan, Quirk, |
| | | |Ridley-Thomas, Weber |
| | | | |
|-----+--------------------------+-----+--------------------------|
| | |Nays:|Bigelow, Donnelly, Jones, |
| | | |Wagner |
| | | | |
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SUMMARY : Establishes the Healthy Babies Act of 2014. Specifically,
this bill :
1)Declares the following legislative findings:
a) Women who experience multiple stressful situations during
pregnancy, such as homelessness, hunger, violence, and deep
poverty, are more likely to have premature and low birth weight
babies, or to experience high rates of mother and infant
mortality. The cost of medical care for pre-term births is
much higher than for full-term births, and the human costs of
infant mortality are immeasurable;
b) Children whose birth mothers experience the harmful stressor
of deep poverty are more likely to suffer poor health and less
likely to succeed academically; and
c) Domestic violence causes more health problems among pregnant
women than any other single cause. Without the support of the
California Work Opportunity and Responsibility to Kids
(CalWORKs) program, low-income pregnant women have few
alternatives and are more likely to endure abuse that will
cause long and short-term harm to both themselves and their
unborn fetus.
AB 1579
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1)Deletes the requirement that a pregnant woman seeking aid with no
aided children only receive CalWORKs assistance during the month
in which the birth is anticipated and for the three prior months,
and instead, beginning July 1, 2015, requires CalWORKs aid to be
provided to an eligible pregnant woman for the month in which the
birth is anticipated and the six prior months.
EXISTING LAW :
1)Establishes under federal law the Temporary Assistance for Needy
Families (TANF) program to provide aid and welfare-to-work
services to eligible families and, in California, provides that
TANF funds for welfare-to-work services are administered through
CalWORKs. (42 United States Code Section 601 et seq., Welfare and
Institutions Code (WIC) Section 11200 et seq.)
2)Establishes income, asset and real property limits used to
determine eligibility for the program, including net income below
the Maximum Aid Payment (MAP), based on family size and county of
residence, which is approximately 40% of the Federal Poverty
Level. (WIC Section 11250 et seq.)
3)Establishes a 48-month lifetime limit of CalWORKs benefits for
eligible adults, including 24 months during which a recipient must
meet federal work requirements in order to retain eligibility.
(WIC Sections 11454 and 11322.85)
4)Establishes the Cal-Learn program to provide intensive case
management, support services, a comprehensive range of health and
social services and other services to teenagers under age 19
without a high school diploma or equivalent, who are pregnant or
parenting. (WIC Section 11331)
5)Requires payment of CalWORKs aid to an eligible pregnant minor at
any time after verification of pregnancy, provided that she is
without a needy child qualified for aid and the Cal-Learn program
is operative. (WIC Section 11450 (b))
6)Requires payment of CalWORKs aid to an eligible pregnant woman for
the month in which the birth is anticipated and for the
three-month period immediately prior to the month in which the
birth is anticipated if the woman provides verification of
pregnancy and is in a family without a needy child qualified for
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aid. (WIC Section 11450 (b))
FISCAL EFFECT : According to the Assembly Appropriations Committee:
1)CalWORKs grant and administrative costs in the range of $3 to $6
million (TANF/GF) annually, beginning in 2015-16. The actual
costs will depend on the number of eligible women who apply for
the earlier benefit and the number of additional months of benefit
they receive.
2)Unknown automation costs to DSS to implement the changes.
COMMENTS : Under current law, a pregnant woman without
CalWORKs-aided children cannot receive CalWORKs assistance until she
is in the third trimester of her pregnancy. This bill seeks to
ensure healthier babies are born to women who are pregnant and in
need of assistance by granting CalWORKs aid to eligible women
beginning in their second trimester of pregnancy.
The CalWORKs program provides monthly income assistance and
employment-related services aimed at moving children out of poverty
and helping families meet basic needs. Federal funding for CalWORKs
comes from the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) block
grant. The average monthly cash grant for a family of three on
CalWORKs (one parent and two children) is $463. According to recent
data from the California Department of Social Services, 554,292
families rely on CalWORKs, including over one million children.
Nearly 80% of the children are under age twelve.
In addition to aiding eligible needy families with children,
CalWORKs provides assistance to eligible pregnant women, without
other children in the household qualified to receive aid, who are in
their third trimester of pregnancy and have provided verification of
pregnancy to the county office. During these three months preceding
birth, the pregnant woman is eligible for CalWORKs aid for an
assistance unit of one (for herself) plus a $47 benefit to meet
special needs resulting from pregnancy.
Poverty and pregnancy: Numerous studies have revealed the
correlation between poverty and stress, as well as the higher
incidence of problems during pregnancy and birth due to maternal
stress. A 2008 study published in the American Psychological
Association's Health Psychology journal showed correlations between
the psychological state of a pregnant woman and the health of the
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fetus. Women experiencing a high amount of stress during pregnancy
deliver their infants earlier and at lower birth weights, with both
factors leading to a higher risk for "infant mortality, infant
morbidity, and health problems that may persist into childhood,
adolescence and adulthood."<1> The study also found that stress
directly related to concerns about the pregnancy and associated life
changes is an even more powerful contributor to birth outcomes than
general stress. The effects of stress during pregnancy multiply
when a lack of financial resources results in an inability to afford
a healthy diet, thereby impeding healthy fetal development.
Other states: California is one of 31 states that provide TANF
benefits to eligible pregnant women with no other aided children,
according to July 2012 data from the Urban Institute's "Welfare
Rules Databook." That same year, there were 11 states that provided
benefits earlier than California's third trimester policy, 10 of
which, including New York, Washington, and Kansas, provided benefits
as early as the first month of pregnancy.
Need for the bill: In addition to providing benefits that can help
needy pregnant women lead healthier lives during pregnancy and
decrease stress levels due to financial instability, the California
Partnership to End Domestic Violence (CPEDV) also notes the
correlation between financial stability and freedom from domestic
violence. In support of this bill, CPEDV states, "Domestic violence
often contributes to the stress that many women eligible for
CalWORKs basic needs grants experience, but this stress may be
exacerbated by pregnancy. Often domestic violence begins or
escalates in severity during pregnancy. The University of
California San Francisco (UCSF) reports that domestic violence is
more common than any other health problem among women during
pregnancy. Also according to UCSF, pregnancy is the second most
likely time that an abuser will kill their victim, thereby
increasing the risk of death for both the mother and the unborn
child. Financial dependence often forces women to remain in abusive
relationships, and during pregnancy that financial dependence
increases. In some cases, abusers will intentionally impregnate
their partners to exploit this financial control and assert their
power."
Also in support of this bill, the Western Center on Law and Poverty
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<1> Lobel, Marci, et. al. "Pregnancy-Specific Stress, Prenatal
Health Behaviors, and Birth Outcomes." Health Psychology 27.5
(2008): 604 -615.
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states, "Delaying basic needs cash assistance for very low-income
pregnant women not only impacts the health of children born into
deep poverty, but it also endangers the health and wellbeing of
pregnant women. By not ensuring uninterrupted supportive services
to women who may be experiencing multiple stressful situations
during their pregnancies, very poor women are more likely to
experience complicated pregnancies and premature labor. Pregnant
women are more likely to experience workplace discrimination and
lose their jobs during pregnancy than at any other time, making
CalWORKs assistance even more necessary? Because many low-income
workers are not aware of their rights vis-à-vis their employers,
they may need the help of the CalWORKs program to remain housed if
they lose their income as a result of discrimination."
There is no opposition on file.
Analysis Prepared by : Myesha Jackson / HUM. S. / (916) 319-2089
FN: 0003843