BILL ANALYSIS Ó
AB 80
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Date of Hearing: April 15, 2015
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
Jimmy Gomez, Chair
AB
80 (Campos) - As Amended March 16, 2015
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Urgency: No State Mandated Local Program: NoReimbursable: No
SUMMARY:
This bill establishes the 20-member Interagency Task Force on
the Status of Boys and Men of Color (task force) within state
government. Specifically, this bill:
AB 80
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1)Requires the 20-member advisory task force be comprised of two
ex-officio members of the Legislature and 18 other specified
state leaders from across all sectors.
2)Requires the task force to complete various activities within
six months, including:
a) Evaluate existing department and agency programs to
identify state opportunities to partner and coordinate with
the work of the federal My Brother's Keeper Task Force;
b) Assess the Governor's Budget to identify areas in which
the budget priorities are in alignment with the objectives
of the task force;
c) Review the action plan of the Final Report and Policy
Platform for State Action (2012-18) of the Assembly Select
Committee on the Status of Boys and Men of Color.
3)Requires the task force to complete various longer term
activities, including assessing state policies, regulations,
and programs; preparing, and make publicly available,
population and agency-specific data; and serving as a liaison
to departments and agencies to ensure engagement and enhance
partnerships.
4)Provides the task force with powers and authority to carry out
its duties, including employing administrative, technical and
other personnel, holding hearings, and signing agreements.
5)Directs the task force to hold its first meeting by January
31, 2016, and to meet quarterly thereafter, and requires the
task force to annually report its findings to the Legislature
and to the Select Committee on the Status of Boys and Men of
Color.
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6)Establishes a separate fund in the State Treasury in support
of the task force, and requires DOF to approve all gifts,
bequests or donations collected or received by the task force
for deposit into the fund. Appropriations from the fund would
require Legislative approval.
FISCAL EFFECT:
1)Ongoing annual costs in the range of $210,000 to $250,000
(GF), assuming two full-time positions and one part-time
office assistant position, to staff the work of the Task
Force.
2)Ongoing annual costs for operating expenses and equipment in
the range of $70,000 (GF).
3)Ongoing, unknown but likely minor, costs (GF) to various
agencies to provide the required data to the Task Force for
analysis.
4)Potential offsets to General Fund costs to the extent
donations or other monies are received and deposited in the
Boys and Men of color Task Force Fund in the State Treasury
and subsequently appropriated by the Legislature for support
of the Task Force.
COMMENTS:
1)Purpose. According to the author, by 2050, California's male
population will be nearly 80% boys and men of color, and a
disproportionate number will be trapped in a cycle of poverty,
prison, and disadvantage. AB 80 seeks to address the racial
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disparities and the systematic barriers that limit the success
of California's young men of color.
2)Background. In February 2014, President Obama took steps to
address the issues facing these young men of color when he
announced the "My Brother's Keeper" initiative and convened a
task force aimed at coordinating efforts of community based
organizations and government agencies to close systemic gaps
and provide new opportunities for these disadvantaged youth to
succeed. The author states that the task force proposed in
this bill builds on the federal initiative and would serve as
a coordinated state body for action between the numerous
agencies and departments that impact California's young men.
In 2012, the California State Assembly formed the Select
Committee on the Status of Boys and Men of Color to respond to
the needs of young men of color across the state. The Select
Committee held a series of regional informational hearings
throughout California, and issued its Final Report and Policy
Platform for State Action (2012-2018). One of the report's
many policy recommendations is the creation of a state
coordinating body within the Governor's Office to target
programs and services to these at-risk individuals,
particularly those who are involved in multiple systems or who
are disconnected from family, public programs, and the
workforce.
3)Amendments Needed. The bill does not indicate where the Task
Force will be housed and is silent on paying per diem or
covering the expenses of its Task Force members. The author
may wish to amend the bill to clarify these issues.
4)Prior Legislation. AB 914 (Bradford) of 2014, in its final
version, was nearly identical to this bill. AB 914 was a
gut-and-amend on the Senate Floor in the final days of session
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in 2014, and was held in the Senate Rules Committee without a
hearing.
Analysis Prepared by:Jennifer Swenson / APPR. / (916)
319-2081