BILL ANALYSIS Ó
AB 1579
Page A
CONCURRENCE IN SENATE AMENDMENTS
AB 1579 (Stone)
As Amended August 19, 2014
Majority vote
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|ASSEMBLY: |59-15|(May 29, 2014) |SENATE: |27-3 |(August 21, |
| | | | | |2014) |
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Original Committee Reference: HUM. S.
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.
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.
AB 1579
Page B
The Senate amendments authorize the Department of Social
Services (DSS) to implement this change to a pregnant woman's
eligibility for CalWORKs through all-county letters or similar
instructions, as specified.
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 aid. (WIC Section 11450 (b))
FISCAL EFFECT : According to the Senate Appropriations
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Committee:
1)Ongoing increased costs of $7.2 million (General Fund) to
provide CalWORKs benefits three months earlier than provided
for under existing law, assuming continuing operation of the
Cal-Learn Program.
2)Potential loss of savings in excess of $20 million (General
Fund) annually, if Cal-Learn is suspended in the future, as
over 9,000 pregnant teens would have otherwise been eligible
for CalWORKs benefits only during their third trimester under
existing law upon suspension of the Cal-Learn Program.
3)One-time potentially significant costs to the DSS for
automation changes necessary due to changing eligibility
criteria for this program.
4)Unknown, potential future cost savings in health and other
governmental program services costs to the extent the
provision of assistance earlier during a woman's pregnancy
results in healthier children and better overall life outcomes
for these families.
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 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
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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 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
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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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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 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: 0005125