BILL ANALYSIS �
SB 343
Page 1
Date of Hearing: August 14, 2013
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
Mike Gatto, Chair
SB 343 (Yee) - As Amended: August 6, 2013
Policy Committee: JudiciaryVote:10 -
0
Human Services 7 - 0
Urgency: No State Mandated Local Program:
Yes Reimbursable: Yes
SUMMARY
This bill requires specific information be provided to minors
and nonminors in foster care and recasts and revises Section 391
of the Welfare and Institutions Code (WIC) regarding the
termination of a minor or nonminor's dependency jurisdiction.
Specifically, this bill:
1)Requires a county welfare agency (CWA), at a dependent child's
first regularly scheduled court hearing after he or she turns
16 years of age, to submit a report verifying that the
following information, documents, and services have been
provided to the minor:
a) Social security card.
b) Certified copy of the birth certificate.
c) Driver's license.
d) Assistance in obtaining employment.
e) Assistance in preparing and applying for admission to a
postsecondary educational institution or vocational
training program.
f) Information notifying the minor of his or her right to
be granted preference for a student assistant or internship
position with state agencies.
2)Reorganizes the requirements for the termination of a
nonminor's dependency jurisdiction.
FISCAL EFFECT
1) Potential first-year increased state GF costs
SB 343
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(non-reimbursable) of approximately $600,000 to the extent
the provisions of this bill result in increased county social
worker workload in the first year of implementation.
2) On-going annual net GF costs of at least $400,000 for the
workload associated with providing all 16-year old foster
youth with the required information. That workload would be
partially offset by the workload savings associated with
providing less information to foster youth who are 17 and
older and have already received their required documents.
3) Proposition 30, passed by the voters in November 2012, among
other provisions, eliminated any potential mandate funding
liability for any new program or higher level of service
provided by counties related to the realigned programs.
Although the provisions of this bill are a mandate on local
agencies, any increased costs do not appear to be subject to
reimbursement by the state. Rather, Proposition 30 specifies
that for legislation enacted after September 30, 2012, that
has an overall effect of increasing the costs already borne
by a local agency for realigned programs, the provisions
shall apply to local agencies only to the extent that the
state provides annual funding for the cost increase.
COMMENTS
1)Rationale . This bill seeks to help foster youth more
successfully transition out of the dependency system, whether
at 18 or 21 years of age, by requiring they receive certain
documents, services and information prior to their
emancipation from the dependency system.
The author argues that as a result of California's expansion
of foster care, which allows nonminors to remain voluntarily
in the system up to age 21, many youth remain in foster care
after they have legally reached adulthood. Current law
ensures that essential personal documents belonging to a
foster youth such as the social security card, copy of the
birth certificate, and other important information are
provided to a foster youth at his or her dependency
termination proceedings which, prior to 2012, was generally at
age 18, but now for many youth occurs at age 21.
For many nonminor dependents, information such as the social
security card and birth certificate are important to have
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during the youth's transition to independence for the purpose
of participating in educational programs, obtaining
independent housing, obtaining a driver's license or securing
employment.
2)Related Legislation . AB 212 (Beall, Ch. 459, Statutes of 2011)
expanded the documents required to be provided prior to a
court terminating jurisdiction over a dependent, to include an
advance health care directive form.
AB 12 (Beall & Bass; Chapter 559, Statutes of 2010) allowed
the state to opt in to two provisions of the federal Fostering
Connections to Success and Increasing Adoptions Act of 2008
(Fostering Connections Act). Specifically, the California
Fostering Connections to Success Act shifted California's
existing state and county-funded Kin-GAP program to align it
with new federal requirements and allow the state to bring
federal financial participation into our kinship guardian
assistance program for the first time, and, provided
transitional foster care support to qualifying foster youth
ages 18 to 21, phased-in over three years, beginning in 2012.
AB 273 (Jones, 2007) required the county to provide a report
to the court demonstrating the county has assisted the child
in understanding his or her health care needs and in locating
health care providers that will be able to meet those needs.
This bill was held on the Senate Appropriations Committee
Suspense File.
Analysis Prepared by : Julie Salley-Gray / APPR. / (916)
319-2081