Amended in Assembly June 1, 2015

Amended in Assembly April 29, 2015

California Legislature—2015–16 Regular Session

Assembly Bill No. 988

Introduced by Assembly Members Mark Stone and Atkins

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(Coauthor: Assembly Member Lopez)

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February 26, 2015

An act to amend Section 5095.4 of, and to add Chapter 14 (commencing with Section 5880) to Division 5 of, the Public Resources Code, relating to parks, and making an appropriation therefor.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL’S DIGEST

AB 988, as amended, Mark Stone. Outdoor Environmental Education and Recreation Grants Program.

Existing law authorizes the expenditure of state funds for local assistance grants to cities, counties, and districts for the acquisition and development of various park and recreational areas and facilities. Existing law, the State Urban Parks and Healthy Communities Act, requires the Director of Parks and Recreation, in consultation with the State Department of Education, to develop a competitive grant program to assist state parks, state conservancies in existence as of January 1, 2003, urbanized and heavily urbanized local agencies, and community-based organizations within those jurisdictions, to provide outdoor educational opportunities to children.

This bill would require the Department of Parks and Recreation to establish, on or before March 30, 2016, an Outdoor Environmental Education and Recreation Grants Program with the purpose of increasing the ability of underserved and at-risk populations to participate in outdoor recreation and educational experiences by awarding grants to public organizations, nonprofit organizations, or both. The bill would require the director to develop criteria as may be necessary to implement the program and to administer the program to ensure that priority is given to underserved populations, as specified. The bill would authorize the director to develop an advisory task force to assist in the development of the program and would require the director to give priority funding to outdoor environmental education and recreation programs that have specified attributes.

This bill would authorize the director to accept private donations made for the support of the program and would authorize the director to solicit and accept private funding sources to help supplement the costs of the program. The bill would provide that, to the extent specified begin delete , end delete bond funds are available for grants under the program, those funds shall be awarded to programs that meet the criteria of the State Urban Parks and Healthy Communities Act. The bill would require that all moneys received for the purposes of the program be deposited into the California Youth Outdoor Education Account, which would be created by the bill and would be continuously appropriated for purposes of the program, thereby making an appropriation.

Vote: majority. Appropriation: yes. Fiscal committee: yes. State-mandated local program: no.

The people of the State of California do enact as follows:

SECTION 1.  

(a) The Legislature finds and declares all of the
following:

(1) Park access, outdoor education, and outdoor recreational
experiences are important to the health and well-being of all
California citizens as well as the continuing stewardship of our
natural resources. Many California communities, however, lack
equitable access to parks and other open-space areas. This lack of
access to the outdoors contributes to higher incidences of certain
health ailments, such as diabetes, hypertension, and nature deficit
disorder, and other negative social indicators, especially in
low-income communities.

(2) According to the recent Parks Forward Commission report,
improving access to parks, outdoor experiences, and recreational
opportunities, particularly for youth and young adults in
disadvantaged communities, will lead to more healthy lifestyles,
better educational outcomes, and improvements to the overall
well-being of California citizens, communities, and our natural
environment.

(3) The Legislature enacted Chapter 663 of the Statutes of 2003,
which established the Outdoor Environmental Education Program
and required a study on the benefits of outdoor environmental
education for at-risk youth and underserved demographic groups.
The study found that the science test scores of children who
participated in the program were raised by 27 percent, and that
these children also had improved conflict resolution and problem
solving skills, better self-esteem, and were more motivated to learn.
The program ended on July 1, 2005.

(4) The Legislature enacted Resolution Chapter 101 of the
Statutes of 2006, which recognized the importance of local
recreational and park agencies in the effort to reverse negative
trends in inactivity, obesity, diabetes, and other health problems
among Californians and encouraged the state to use, and partner
with, local recreation and park providers to create a healthier state.

(b) It is the intent of the Legislature to expand access to parks
and other outdoor educational and recreational opportunities in
underserved areas by, among other things, convening and
developing strategic partnerships to facilitate, promote, and
enhance access to parks, as well as outdoor educational and
recreational experiences in underserved communities.

SEC. 2.  

Chapter 14 (commencing with Section 5880) is added
to Division 5 of the Public Resources Code, to read:

 

Chapter  14. Outdoor Environmental Education and
Recreation Grants Program

 

5880.  

(a) On or before March 30, 2016, the department shall
establish an Outdoor Environmental Education and Recreation
Grants Program to increase the ability of underserved and at-risk
populations to participate in outdoor recreation and educational
experiences by awarding grants to public organizations, nonprofit
organizations, or both.

(b) In developing the program, the director shall do both of the
following:

(1) Develop criteria and procedures as may be necessary to
implement the grant program.

(2) Administer the program to ensure that priority is given to
underserved populations, including both urban and rural areas and
low-income communities where participation in an outdoor
environmental education and recreation program has been limited.

(c) The director may develop an advisory task force composed
of public, private, nonprofit, academic, and other entities and
individuals to assist in the development of the program, including
representatives of the California Environmental Education
Interagency Network.

(d) The director shall give priority for funding to an outdoor
environmental education and recreation program that begin delete has end delete begin insert primarily
serves students who are eligible for free or reduced-price meals,
foster youth, or pupils of limited English proficiency, as defined
in Section 42238.01 of the Education Code, and has end insert at least one
of the following attributes:

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(1) Serves at-risk youth and underserved demographic groups.

end delete begin delete

(2)

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begin insert (1) end insert  Demonstrates partnerships between public, private, and
nonprofit entities.

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(3)

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begin insert (2) end insert  Contributes to healthy lifestyles, sound nutritional habits,
and improved outdoor educational and recreational experiences.

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(4)

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begin insert (3) end insert  Maximizes the number of participants that can be served.

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(5)

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begin insert (4) end insert  Commits in-kind resources.

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(6)

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begin insert (5) end insert  Has a curriculum that is aligned to the science content
standards for California public schools adopted by the State Board
of Education.

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(7)

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begin insert (6) end insert  Fosters stewardship of the environment and includes, when
available, curriculum established pursuant to Part 4 (commencing
with Section 71300) of Division 34.

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(8)

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begin insert (7) end insert  Integrates instruction in science, technology, engineering,
and mathematics.

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(9)

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begin insert (8) end insert  Includes service learning and community outreach
components for purposes of building partnerships between
participants and local communities.

(e) Reverted and unencumbered funds from the California Clean
Water, Clean Air, Safe Neighborhood Parks, and Coastal Protection
Act of 2002 may be appropriated by the Legislature for the purpose
of this chapter, if consistent with the requirements of the California
Clean Water, Clean Air, Safe Neighborhood Parks, and Coastal
Protection Act of 2002. To the extent that grants may be awarded
from those funds, they shall be awarded only to programs that
meet all of the criteria specified in Section 5095.4.

(f) The director may also accept private donations made for the
support of the program. The director may solicit and accept private
funding to help supplement the costs of the program. These funding
sources may include, but are not limited to, foundations, corporate
funding, begin delete crowd funding end delete begin insert crowdfunding end insert resources, donation drives,
or any other funding sources that may be available.

(g) All moneys received pursuant to subdivisions (e) and (f) for
the purpose of this program shall be deposited in the California
Youth Outdoor Education Account, which is hereby created within
the State Park and Recreation Fund. Notwithstanding Section
13340 of the Government Code, moneys in the California Youth
Outdoor Education Account shall be continuously appropriated to
the department for begin insert the end insert purposes of this chapter.

SEC. 3.  

Section 5095.4 of the Public Resources Code is
amended to read:

5095.4.  

(a) The director, in consultation with the State
Department of Education, shall develop a competitive grant
program to assist state parks, state conservancies in existence as
of January 1, 2003, urbanized and heavily urbanized local agencies,
and community-based organizations within those jurisdictions,
working in collaboration, to provide outdoor educational
opportunities to children.

(1) Applicant entities shall provide a 25-percent matching
contribution in community resources. The matching contributions
may be in the form of money, including funds from other state or
local assistance programs, gifts of real property, equipment, and
consumable supplies, volunteer services, free or reduced-cost use
of land, facilities, or equipment, and bequests and income from
wills, estates, and trusts. The department may establish findings
for hardships to waive the matching requirement when an applicant
cannot meet the requirement.

(2) The department may give additional consideration to
applicant entities collaborating with other entities, including, but
not limited to, school districts, faith-based groups begin insert , end insert and others
providing outreach programs to identify and attract urbanized
youth most in need of organized, constructive recreational
activities.

(b) The department shall make one-third of any funds
appropriated for the purposes of this chapter available to give
special priority to providing increased access for elementary
schoolage children in grades 2 to 8, inclusive, to conservancy or
state, community, and regional park properties, including public
properties within the coastal zone, and, in addition, shall give
priority, in awarding a grant pursuant to this section, to all of the
following:

(1) Programs that use curriculum tied to the science content
standards and science framework adopted by the State Board of
Education.

(2) Applicants that serve children with family incomes below
the statewide average, based on the most recent figures computed
and established by the Department of Finance.

(3) Applicants that provide access to children who are
underserved or lack access to parks or other outdoor venues suitable
to conduct appropriate environmental education instruction.

(4) Applicants that have developed working collaboratives to
develop environmental education partnerships.

(5) Applicants working in collaboration with local educational
agencies to identify those children lacking adequate opportunities
to access outdoor environmental education curriculum or
innovative or alternative recreation programming.

(c) The amount of a grant awarded pursuant to this section may
not be less than twenty thousand dollars ($20,000) or more than
two hundred thousand dollars ($200,000). A grant may be
expended for any of the following purposes:

(1) Staffing that is directly associated with the programming.

(2) Staff training or development directly associated with the
programming.

(3) Costs associated with transporting youth between a
community or school and the proposed environmental education
venue.

(4) Medical insurance for the participants, only if the insurance
is a requirement pursuant to the activity.

(5) Operational costs, such as the rental equipment, food, and
supplies.

(6) Applicants that can demonstrate that the administrative costs
associated with this activity will not exceed more than 7.5 percent
of the amount of the grant.

(d) The department may gather information from the applicants
as to the effectiveness of these programs in meeting program
objectives. The department shall summarize this information and
report to the appropriate budget and fiscal committees of both
houses of the Legislature as to the number of children served, the
educational objectives met, and the level of demand.

(e) Applicant agencies may enter into contracts with other public
agencies or entities to provide unique interpretive skills or to
present authentic, curriculum-based programs in units of
conservancy properties or state, community, or regional park
systems for services not otherwise provided. The purpose of this
subdivision is to authorize the applicants to provide programming
services, equipment, and materials that assist in the curriculum
program or provide educational activities that assist in the
presentation of cultural traditions.