BILL ANALYSIS Ó
SENATE COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION
Senator Carol Liu, Chair
2015 - 2016 Regular
Bill No: AB 982
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|Author: |Eggman |
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|Version: |April 21, 2015 Hearing |
| |Date: July 1, 2015 |
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|Urgency: |No |Fiscal: |Yes |
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|Consultant: |Olgalilia Ramirez |
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Subject: Child care and development: eligibility: homeless
children
Note: This bill has been referred to the Committees on
Education and Human Services. A "do pass" motion should include
referral to the Committee on Human Services.
SUMMARY
This bill specifically identifies homeless youth as a criterion
for meeting federal and state subsidized child development
eligibility requirements and modifies the list of entities that
may identify a child for such services.
BACKGROUND
Existing law declares the legislative intent to give priority to
children of families that qualify for applicable federal public
assistance and other low-income and disadvantage families.
(Education Code § 8205)
Existing law specifies that children are eligible for subsidized
child care if the family currently receives aid, meets specified
income eligibility requirements, is homeless, or if the child is
the recipient of protective services, or has been identified as
neglected, abused or exploited (or at risk of such). (EC §
8263)
Existing law requires in order to be eligible for subsidized
child development services to be identified by a legal, medical,
or social services agency, or emergency shelter as being a
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recipient of a protective service. (EC § 8263)
The McKinney-Vento Act requires each local educational agency to
designate a staff person as a liaison for homeless children and
youth, and carry out specific duties, such as ensuring immediate
enrollment, access to educational opportunities offered to other
students, and providing notice of the rights of homeless youth.
(42 U.S.C. § 11432(g)(1)(j)(ii))
ANALYSIS
This bill specifically identifies homeless youth as a criterion
for meeting federal and state subsidized child development
eligibility requirements and modifies the list of entities that
may identify a child for such services. Specifically this bill:
1)Expands the existing list of entities that may identify a child
for subsidized child development services to include local
educational agency liaisons for homeless children and youth,
Head Start programs, and emergency and transitional shelters.
2)Adds "being homeless" as a criterion for which a child may be
identified as needing subsidized child cares services by
specified entities.
3)Includes the prioritization of homeless families within existing
legislative intent provisions.
STAFF COMMENTS
1)Need for the bill. Local educational agency (LEA) Liaisons for
homeless children and youth are required to ensure homeless
youth get the education and health care services they need.
According to the author, LEA liaisons are not statutorily
authorized to identify families as homeless for purposes of
child care prioritization. The author also notes that
parents experiencing homelessness are less able to access
child care subsidies than other low-income parents. This bill
seeks to enhance access to federal and state subsidized
childcare and development services for homeless families by
adding LEA liaisons for homeless children and youth, Head
start programs, and emergency and transitional shelters to the
list of entities that may identify a child for subsidize care.
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2)Child care eligibility. Existing law specifies that children are
eligible for subsidized child care if the family currently
receives aid, meets specified income eligibility requirements,
is homeless, or if the child is the recipient of protective
services, or has been identified as neglected, abused or
exploited (or at risk of such). In addition, the family must
be in need of the child care services due to specified social
service circumstances, engaged in vocational training, seeking
employment, searching for housing or other specified needs.
3)Homeless children and youth. State regulations define
"homeless," to mean a person or family that lacks a fixed,
regular and adequate night time residence and further defines
the term to mean a person or family to have a primary night
time resident that is supervised publicly or privately,
operated by shelter or a place not traditionally designed for
sleeping accommodation. Research by Institute for children,
poverty, and homelessness reports that parents experiencing
homelessness are less able to access child care subsidies than
other low-income parents. Mothers who have experienced
homelessness receive government subsidies for child care much
less often than poor families at risk of homelessness and are
more likely to be forced to leave jobs or school due to lack
of child care.
This bill seeks to articulate legislative intent to prioritize
homeless children and youth for child care services but does
not require prioritization of the population for those
services. To note, current law identifies homelessness as a
criteria for qualifying for subsidized child care services.
This bill also attempts to include entities who regularly
engage homeless and have experience addressing their unique
needs.
SUPPORT
Alliance Against Family Violence and Sexual Assault
Bakersfield Homeless Center
California Equity Leaders Network
California State PTA
Coalition for Youth
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Citrus Heights HART
Housing California
LIUNA Locals 777 and 792
Los Angeles Unified School District
National Association for the Education of Homeless Children and
Youth
National Center for Youth Law
Public Counsel
Santa Cruz County Office of Education
The Ed Ladder
Western Center on Law and Poverty
OPPOSITION
None received.
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