Amended in Senate June 30, 2015

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

(Coauthor: Assembly Member Lopez)

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 begin delete criteria end delete begin insert criteria, procedures, and accountability measures end insert 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 begin delete sources end delete to help begin delete supplement end delete begin insert offset end insert the costs of the program. The bill would provide that, to the extent specified 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.

begin insert

This bill would require the department to gather specified information from applicants each award year and to annually report this information, commencing on or before September 1, 2017, to the appropriate budget and fiscal committees of the Legislature.

end insert

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, begin insert obesity, end insert and nature
deficit disorder, and other negative social indicators, especially in
low-income communities.

(2) According to the recent Parks Forward Commission report,
begin insert released in February 2015, end insert 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 begin delete California citizens, end delete begin insert California’s citizens end insert
begin insert and end insert communities, begin delete and end delete begin insert as well as end insert our natural environment.

(3)  begin delete The Legislature enacted end delete Chapter 663 of the Statutes of begin delete 2003,
which end delete begin insert 2003 end insert 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)  begin delete The Legislature enacted end delete Resolution Chapter 101 of the
Statutes of begin delete 2006, which end delete begin insert 2006 end insert 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 begin delete department end delete begin insert director end insert
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, begin insert including
local governments and local education agencies, end insert nonprofit
organizations, or both.

(b) In developing the begin insert grant end insert program, the director shall do both
of the following:

(1) Develop begin delete criteria and procedures end delete begin insert criteria, procedures, and
accountability measures end insert as may be necessary to implement the
grant program.

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

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

(d) The director shall give priority for funding to begin delete an end delete outdoor
environmental education and recreation begin delete program end delete begin insert programs end insert that
primarily begin delete serves end delete begin insert provide outreach to and serve end insert 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 begin delete has at least end delete begin insert have end insert one begin insert or more end insert of the following
attributes:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

(8)  begin delete Includes end delete begin insert Include end insert 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 begin delete supplement end delete begin insert offset end insert the costs of the program. These
funding sources may include, but are not limited to, foundations,
corporate funding, crowdfunding 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 the purposes of this chapter.

begin insert

(h) (1) The department shall gather information from applicants
each award year for purposes of evaluating the effectiveness of
outdoor environmental education and recreation programs in
achieving the objectives of the grant program. The department
shall annually summarize and report this information for the
previous award year, commencing on or before September 1, 2017,
to the appropriate budget and fiscal committees of the Legislature.
The information in the annual report shall include the total number
of children served, the total number and types of entities that
received grant awards, appropriate recommendations to improve
the grant program, partnerships formed, educational objectives
achieved, the total number of applications received, and the total
number of children who would have been served had all applicants
for the award year received grant awards.

end insert begin insert

(2) A report pursuant to paragraph (1) shall be submitted in
compliance with Section 9795 of the Government Code.

end insert

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, 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.