BILL ANALYSIS Ó SENATE COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS Senator Ricardo Lara, Chair 2015 - 2016 Regular Session AB 80 (Campos) - Interagency Task Force on the Status of Boys and Men of Color ----------------------------------------------------------------- | | | | | | ----------------------------------------------------------------- |--------------------------------+--------------------------------| | | | |Version: August 17, 2015 |Policy Vote: G.O. 13 - 0 | | | | |--------------------------------+--------------------------------| | | | |Urgency: No |Mandate: No | | | | |--------------------------------+--------------------------------| | | | |Hearing Date: August 17, 2015 |Consultant: Mark McKenzie | | | | ----------------------------------------------------------------- This bill meets the criteria for referral to the Suspense File. Bill Summary: AB 80 would establish a 20-member Interagency Task Force on the Status of Men and Boys of Color (BMoC Task Force) in state government to support departments and agencies in coordinating actions to improve outcomes for boys and men of color. The BMoC Task Force would sunset on January 1, 2026. Fiscal Impact: Potentially significant state operations costs, likely in the range of $300,000 to $500,000 annually, for staff and related costs to support the BMoC Task Force until 2026. (General Fund) AB 80 (Campos) Page 1 of ? Likely minor staff and support costs to specified state entities with designated officials or designees identified as members of the BMoC Task Force. (General Fund and various Special Funds) Background: On February 27, 2014, President Obama established the My Brother's Keeper Task Force to develop a coordinated federal effort to significantly improve the expected life outcomes for boys and young men of color. The President directed the task force to focus on evidence-based intervention points and issues facing these young men, with particular emphasis on access to early childhood supports, grade school literacy, pathways to college and a career (including issues arising from school disciplinary action), access to mentoring services and support networks, and interactions with the criminal justice system and violent crime. The initiative explores how the federal government's 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. Existing law establishes various advisory boards and commissions in state government with specified duties and responsibilities. Among these are the 17-member Commission on the Status of Women and Girls, established by Ch. 579/1977, and the 13-member Commission on Asian and Pacific Islander American Affairs, established by AB 116 (Nakano), Ch. 716/2002. Proposed Law: AB 80 would establish a 20-member BMoC Task Force within state government, comprised of one appointed Member of each house of the Legislature and 18 specified state government officials or their designees. This bill would also: Require the BMoC Task Force to hold its first hearing by January 1, 2016, and to meet at least quarterly thereafter. Meetings are subject to open meeting laws. Provide the BMoC Task Force with specified powers and duties, including the authority to employ necessary administrative, technical, or other personnel. Require the BMoC Task Force to complete the following activities by July 1, 2016: AB 80 (Campos) Page 2 of ? o Assess existing state programs that align with the priorities of the 2014 My Brother's Keeper Task Force Report to the President and identify state opportunities to partner and coordinate with that federal Task Force. o Assess the Governor's Budget to identify areas in which budget priorities align with the objectives of the BMoC Task Force. o 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. Specify long-term, ongoing responsibilities of the BMoC Task Force, including: assessing relevant state policies, regulations, and programs, and developing strategies to achieve desired outcomes; preparing relevant population and agency-specific data, and making it publicly available; and serving as a liaison to departments and agencies to ensure engagement and partnership with other public, nonprofit, and philanthropic entities, as specified. Require the BMoC Task Force to prepare an annual report to the Legislature on department and agency findings related to BMoC Task Force activities. Establish the Boys and Men of Color Task Force Fund in the State Treasury as a fund to support the task force, upon appropriation by the Legislature. Subject to approval from the Department of Finance, all moneys collected or received by the BMoC Task Force from gifts, bequests, or donations must be deposited into the new Fund in accordance with specified terms of gifts or donations. Sunset the BMoC Task Force on January 1, 2026. Related Legislation: AB 914 (Bradford) was amended on the Senate Floor in the final days of the 2013-14 Session to include provisions that were nearly identical to this bill. AB 914 would also have established a 20-member BMoC Task Force, but the bill was not heard in any committee. SB 301 (Alarcon), which was vetoed in 2003, would have established a 15-member Commission on Latino/Latina Affairs to advise the Governor and Legislature on social and economic issues and interests of that community. The veto message conveyed Governor Scwarzenegger's belief that the establishment of a new commission for this purpose was unnecessary. AB 80 (Campos) Page 3 of ? AB 116 (Nakano), Ch. 716/2002, established a 13-member Commission on Asian and Pacific Islander American Affairs to advise the Governor, Legislature, and state departments and agencies on economic and social development issues of interest to that community. Staff Comments: AB 80 establishes a 20-member task force and authorizes the body to employ staff necessary for the performance of its powers and duties. Staff assumes the BMoC Task Force would require at least two full-time staff, plus administrative support, to perform necessary functions and responsibilities, at an estimated annual cost of approximately $300,000, including salaries, benefits, and operating expenses and equipment. These costs could be higher to the extent the Task Force is funded more robustly, which is dependent upon the level of General Fund support and non-state donations. For illustrative and comparative purposes, the Commission on the Status of Women and Girls, upon which some of this bill is modeled, has operated in recent years with 2.1 PY of support staff and a budget of approximately $400,000 comprised of both General Fund and private donations. The Commission was provided with a $500,000 General Fund augmentation in the 2015-16 budget year, bringing the total budget to $874,000 with a staff of 4.2 PY. Several other state commissions that examine issues related to particular populations, such as the Commission on Aging and the Commission on Disability Access, function with staffs of 3-4 PY and budget appropriations of approximately $500,000 from various state, federal, and donated funds. Staff notes that the bill requires the BMoC Task Force to hold its inaugural meeting by January 1, 2016 and complete initial specified tasks by July 1, 2016, but the Task Force would not have funding to hire staff necessary to perform its powers and duties until at least the 2016-17 fiscal year, to the extent the Legislature appropriates funds for that purpose. AB 80 (Campos) Page 4 of ? -- END --