BILL NUMBER: AB 1978	INTRODUCED
	BILL TEXT


INTRODUCED BY   Assembly Member Jones-Sawyer

                        FEBRUARY 19, 2014

   An act to amend Section 11155.5 of the Welfare and Institutions
Code, relating to public social services.


	LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST


   AB 1978, as introduced, Jones-Sawyer. Foster care.
   Existing law states the Legislature's finding and declaration that
the foundation and central unifying tool in child welfare services
is the case plan and requires, when appropriate, for a child who is
16 years of age or older and, commencing January 1, 2012, for a
nonminor dependent, the case plan to, among other things, include the
transitional independent living plan, which describes the goals and
objectives of how the child or nonminor will make progress in the
transition to living independently and assume incremental
responsibility for adult decision making. Existing law authorizes a
child who is declared a ward or dependent child of the court who is
16 years of age or older, or a nonminor dependent, as defined, who is
participating in a transitional independent living case plan to
retain specified cash resources and still remain eligible to receive
public social services.
   This bill would make a technical, nonsubstantive change to that
provision.
   Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: no.
State-mandated local program: no.


THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:

  SECTION 1.  Section 11155.5 of the Welfare and Institutions Code is
amended to read:
   11155.5.  (a) In addition to the personal property permitted by
other provisions of this part, a child declared a ward or dependent
child of the juvenile court, who is 16 years of age or older, or, on
and after January 1,  2012   2012,  a
nonminor dependent, as defined in subdivision (v) of Section 11400,
who is participating in a transitional independent living case plan
pursuant to the federal Fostering Connections to Success and
Increasing Adoptions Act of 2008 (Public Law 110-351), may retain
resources with a combined value of not more than ten thousand dollars
($10,000), consistent with Section 472(a) of the federal Social
Security Act (42 U.S.C. Sec. 672(a)) as contained in the federal
Foster Care Independence Act of 1999 (Public Law 106-169) and the
child's transitional independent living plan. Any cash savings shall
be the child's own money and shall be deposited by the child or on
behalf of the child in any bank or savings and loan institution whose
deposits are insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or
the Federal Savings and Loan Insurance Corporation. The cash savings
shall be for the child's use for purposes directly related to the
child's or nonminor dependents' transitional independent living case
plan goals.
   (b) The withdrawal of the savings by a child shall require the
written approval of the child's probation officer or social worker
and shall be directly related to the goal of emancipation. This
written approval is not required for withdrawals by a nonminor
dependent.