BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    Ó




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          |SENATE RULES COMMITTEE            |                        ACR 24|
          |Office of Senate Floor Analyses   |                              |
          |(916) 651-1520    Fax: (916)      |                              |
          |327-4478                          |                              |
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                                    THIRD READING


          Bill No:  ACR 24
          Author:   Chu (D), et al.
          Amended:  4/9/15 in Assembly 
          Vote:     21  

          ASSEMBLY FLOOR:  Read and adopted, 4/9/15

           SUBJECT:   Child Abuse Prevention Month


          SOURCE:    Child Abuse Prevention Center


          DIGEST:  This resolution acknowledges the month of April 2015 as  
          Child Abuse Prevention Month, and encourages the people of the  
          State of California to work together to support youth-serving  
          child abuse prevention activities in their communities and  
          schools.


          ANALYSIS:   This resolution makes the following legislative  
          findings:


          1)Child abuse and neglect continue to pose serious threats to  
            our children.  According to the United States Department of  
            Health and Human Services, 85 children in California died as a  
            result of child abuse and neglect in 2012.


          2)Prevention of child abuse and neglect depends on the  
            involvement of people throughout the community.  Providing  
            community-based prevention services to families is less costly  
            than addressing the emotional and physical damage that can  
            result from child abuse and neglect, including the costs of  








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            protective services, law enforcement, the judicial system,  
            foster care, and the treatment of adults recovering from abuse  
            as children.


          3)Children who have been abused or neglected have a higher risk  
            of developing various health problems as adults, including  
            alcoholism, depression, drug abuse, eating disorders, obesity,  
            suicide, and certain chronic diseases.


          4)California's children deserve to grow up in a safe and  
            nurturing environment free from fear, abuse, and neglect.   
            Victims of child abuse, whether the abuse is physical, sexual,  
            or emotional, or any combination of these, should have access  
            to a safe place to live, appropriate medical care, and  
            counseling or mental health services.


          5)In recent years, child abuse prevention groups have organized  
            Blue Ribbon Campaigns to increase public awareness and promote  
            ways to prevent child abuse and neglect.  Pinwheels are  
            displayed to increase the awareness of child abuse and to  
            focus on the positive message of preventing child abuse and  
            neglect by supporting families and strengthening communities  
            during Child Abuse Prevention Month.


          This resolution acknowledges the month of April 2015 as Child  
          Abuse Prevention Month, and encourages the people of the State  
          of California to work together to support youth-serving child  
          abuse prevention activities in their communities and schools  
          during that month and throughout the year.


          Prior Legislation


          HR 38 (Quirk-Silva, 2014), which was adopted by the Assembly,  
          recognized the month of April 2014 as Child Abuse Prevention  
          Month to support youth-serving child abuse prevention activities  
          in the communities and schools during the month and throughout  








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          the year. 


          ACR 34 (Cooley, Resolution Chapter 32, Statutes of 2013)  
          acknowledged the month of April 2013 as Child Abuse Prevention  
          Month.


          FISCAL EFFECT:   Appropriation:    No          Fiscal  
          Com.:NoLocal:    No


          SUPPORT:   (Verified4/16/15)


          Child Abuse Prevention Center (source)
          Association of Regional Center Agencies
          State Public Affairs Committee of the Junior Leagues of  
          California


          OPPOSITION:   (Verified4/16/15)


          None received








          Prepared by:Karen Chow / SFA / (916) 651-1520
          4/17/15 14:26:25


                                   ****  END  ****


          









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