BILL ANALYSIS Ó
SENATE COMMITTEE ON GOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATION
Senator Isadore Hall, III
Chair
2015 - 2016 Regular
Bill No: AB 80 Hearing Date: 7/14/2015
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|Author: |Campos |
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|Version: |7/6/2015 Amended |
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|Urgency: |No |Fiscal: |Yes |
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|Consultant:|Arthur Terzakis |
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SUBJECT: Interagency Task Force on the Status of Boys and Men of
Color.
DIGEST: This bill establishes a 20-member Interagency Task
Force on the Status of Boys and Men of Color (Task Force) within
state government to serve as a support mechanism for department
and agency leaders by taking coordinated action in meeting the
myriad challenges facing boys and men of color in California,
and assisting the respective departments and agencies in more
successfully improving the life outcomes for this population.
ANALYSIS:
Existing law:
1)Establishes various advisory boards and commissions in state
government with specified duties and responsibilities.
2)Creates within state government the Commission on the Status
of Women and Girls, consisting of 17 members, including 6
Members of the Legislature, and 11 public appointees, as
specified.
This bill:
1)Creates the 20-member Task Force, a multiagency advisory body
comprised of two ex-officio members of the Legislature (one
AB 80 (Campos) Page 2 of ?
appointed by the Senate Committee on Rules and one by the
Speaker of the Assembly) and 18 other public officials, as
specified.
2)Specifies that meetings of the Task Force are subject to the
Bagley-Keene Open Meetings Act.
3)Requires the Task Force to complete various activities within
six months, including:
a) An assessment of existing department and agency programs
that align with the May 2014 federal My Brother's Keeper
Task Force;
b) An assessment of the Governor's Budget to identify areas
in which the budget priorities are in alignment with the
objectives of the Task Force;
c) A review of 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.
4)Requires the Task Force to complete various longer term
activities, including assessing state policies, regulations,
and programs; preparing population and agency-specific data,
and make it publicly available; and, serving as a liaison to
departments and agencies to ensure engagement and partnerships
with other public, nonprofit, and philanthropic entities.
5)Grants the Task Force the powers and authority to carry out
the duties imposed upon it, including employing
administrative, technical and other personnel, holding
hearings, signing agreements, appointing advisors or advisory
committees. Also, provides that the Task Force may accept
federal funds, gifts, donations, grants or bequests for all or
any purposes of the Task Force.
AB 80 (Campos) Page 3 of ?
6)Stipulates that the Task Force must summon its first meeting
by January 31, 2016, and meet quarterly thereafter. Also,
requires the Task Force to annually report its findings to the
Legislature and to the Assembly Select Committee on the Status
of Boys and Men of Color.
7)Creates the Boys and Men of Color Task Force Fund in the State
Treasury in support of the Task Force, upon appropriation by
the Legislature.
8)Makes it explicit that the Task Force is an advisory body
only, and that there shall be no right or obligation on the
part of the state to implement the findings of the Task Force
unless there is further legislation in this regard.
9)Makes various findings relative to My Brother's Keeper
Initiative, launched by the President in February 2014, and
declares that as California becomes more diverse, we must
nurture and harness the talents, skills, and hopes of young
people of color - boys and young men in particular.
Background
Purpose of AB 80. This bill seeks to address the racial
disparities and the systematic barriers that limit the success
of California's young men of color. According to the author's
office, "AB 80 creates California's first ever Interagency Task
Force on the Status of Boys and Men of Color. The Task Force
would be modeled after the federal task force created within the
My Brother's Keeper initiative announced by President Obama last
year. The 20 member advisory body will serve as a support
mechanism for state agencies to take coordinated action in
meeting the challenges facing our young men of color. Most
importantly, the body will be tasked with assessing policy
recommendations of the Assembly Select Committee on the Status
of Boys and Men of Color and identifying state policy goals for
our young men of color."
The President's "My Brother's Keeper" Initiative, is based on
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the premise that opportunity has lagged behind for boys and
young men of color. It was established in February, 2014 as an
interagency effort, chaired by Assistant to the President and
Cabinet Secretary Broderick Johnson, to determine what public
and private efforts are working and how to expand communities'
approaches to help put boys and young men of color on the path
to success. The initiative would explore how the Federal
Government's own policies and programs can support these
efforts, and how to better involve State and local officials,
the private sector, and the philanthropic community in these
efforts. The author's office states that the task force
proposed in this bill builds on the federal initiative and will
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
recommendations included the creation of a state coordinating
body within the Governor's Office to target programs and
services to at-risk individuals, particularly those who are
involved in multiple systems or who are disconnected from
family, public programs, and the workforce.
Prior/Related Legislation
SB 1098 (Torres, 2014) would have added the Deputy Secretary of
Women Veterans Affairs in the Department of Veterans Affairs, as
an ex officio, nonvoting member of the Commission on the Status
of Women and Girls. (Held in this Committee at author's
request)
AB 914 (Bradford, 2013) would have created the Interagency Task
Force on the Status of Boys and Men of Color, a multiagency
advisory body that would serve as a support mechanism for
department and agency leaders by taking coordinated action in
meeting the myriad challenges facing boys and men of color in
California, and assisting the respective departments and
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agencies in more successfully improving the life outcomes for
this population. (This bill was a gut-and-amend on the Senate
Floor in the final days of session in 2014, and was held in the
Senate Rules Committee without a hearing.)
HR 23 (Bradford, 2013) resolved that the Assembly encourage the
Select Committee on the Status of Boys and Men of Color to
continue to advance its legislative agenda to improve the lives
of young people of color, including its work to reduce the use
of policies and practices that push boys out of school and to
instead promote common sense discipline that keeps pupils in
school and on track. Also, further resolved that the Assembly
encourage the Select Committee to support growing state and
national efforts to shine a spotlight on the needs and
aspirations of young men of color across the United States,
including the newly formed Congressional Caucus on Black Men and
Boys.
SB 301 (Alarcon, 2003) would have created a 15-member Commission
on Latino/Latina Affairs to, among other things, advise the
Governor, the Legislature, and state agencies, departments, and
commissions on issues relating to the social and economic
development, and the rights and interests of Latino/Latina
communities. (Vetoed by Governor)
FISCAL EFFECT: Appropriation: No Fiscal
Com.: Yes Local: No
SUPPORT:
Alliance for Boys and Men of Color (Sponsor)
National Compadres Network (Co-Sponsor)
Attorney General Kamala D. Harris
American Civil Liberties Union of California
American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees,
AFL-CIO
California Black Health Network
California Communities United Institute
California Pan-Ethnic Health Network
California Immigrant Policy Center
California School Boards Association
California State PTA
California Teachers Association
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California Workforce Association
Legal Services for Prisoners with Children
Policy Link
San Jose Evergreen Valley College District
The Greenlining Institute
Numerous individuals
OPPOSITION:
None received
ARGUMENTS IN SUPPORT: Proponents point out that "the
challenges facing boys and young men of color affect others, and
it is important to break down barriers wherever they exist and
identify means of creating ladders of opportunity for all."
Proponents emphasize that "Our state's future prosperity and
health depend on all Californians having a fair chance to thrive
and succeed. One of the best investments we can make is to be
certain we do everything possible to help young people become
healthy, productive adults. As California becomes more diverse,
we must nurture and harness the talent, skills, and hopes of
young people of color."