BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    Ó



                                                                     AB 424


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          Date of Hearing:  April 15, 2015


                        ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS


                                 Jimmy Gomez, Chair


          AB  
          424 (Beth Gaines) - As Amended March 18, 2015


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          Urgency:  No  State Mandated Local Program:  NoReimbursable:  No


          SUMMARY: This bill allows a Court-Appointed Special Advocate  
          (CASA) to be appointed in a delinquency proceeding.   
          Specifically, this bill:


          1)Allows a CASA to be appointed on behalf of a ward subject to  
            juvenile court jurisdiction.








                                                                     AB 424


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          2)Allows a CASA to participate in any delinquency proceeding  
            after the adjudication of delinquency and in any dual-status  
            proceeding.  


          3)Provides that a CASA is not prevented from appearing in a  
            delinquency or criminal court proceeding when the CASA is  
            acting as a support person to the child or is in court on  
            behalf of a child who is a crime victim.


          4)Clarifies that a CASA is considered to be court personnel for  
            purposes of access to court records, thus allowing the CASA  
            access to his or her appointed child's case file.


          FISCAL EFFECT:


          Minor and absorbable General Fund costs to train additional CASA  
          volunteers.


          COMMENTS:


          1.Purpose. According to the author, although current law is  
            ambiguous regarding the appointment of CASAs for wards of the  
            court, many courts today already appoint CASAs in delinquency  
            proceedings. However, some courts do not, based on the  
            restrictive language in the statute. This bill clarifies that  
            CASAs can be appointed to advocate on behalf of wards subject  
            to juvenile court jurisdiction.  This bill limits a CASA's  
            appointment to a ward until after the court has made its  
            initial adjudication of delinquency.   



          2.Background. A CASA is a trained and supervised volunteer,  








                                                                     AB 424


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            appointed at the discretion of the juvenile court judge to  
            help determine the best interests of the child and to advocate  
            on the child's behalf.  When a child is removed from a family  
            due to abuse or neglect, county social workers, dependency  
            counsel, foster parents, and the court are all involved.   
            However, social workers and dependency counsel often have too  
            many cases to adequately give each one the attention it needs.  
             In addition, foster care placements change, sometimes  
            frequently, leaving a child without a constant adult advocate.  
             To better understand the child's needs and provide some  
            constancy for the child, the juvenile court may appoint a CASA  
            when the court determines that a child requires CASA services.  
             
            Analysis Prepared by:Jennifer Swenson / APPR. / (916)  
          319-2081