BILL ANALYSIS Ó
AB 988
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Date of Hearing: April 28, 2015
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON WATER, PARKS, AND WILDLIFE
Marc Levine, Chair
AB 988
(Mark Stone/Atkins) - As Introduced February 26, 2015
SUBJECT: Outdoor Environmental Education and Recreation Grants
Program
SUMMARY: Requires the Department of Parks & Recreation (DPR) to
establish an Outdoor Environmental Education and Recreation
Grants Program to increase the ability of underserved at-risk
populations to participate in outdoor recreation and educational
experiences. Specifically, this bill:
1)States legislative findings and declarations regarding the
importance of park access, outdoor education, and outdoor
recreational experiences to the health and well being of
California citizens and for continuing stewardship of our
natural resources, and regarding the public health problems
exacerbated by the lack of equitable access to these places
and experiences in many communities. Makes further
declarations regarding the findings of the Parks Forward
Commission, and the outcomes and benefits of other state
environmental education and local park programs.
2)States the intent of the Legislature to expand access to parks
and other outdoor educational and recreational opportunities
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in underserved areas by convening and developing strategic
partnerships to facilitate, promote and enhance park access as
well as outdoor educational and recreational experiences in
underserved communities.
3)Requires DPR to 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 and nonprofit organizations.
4)Requires the director of DPR in developing the program to meet
specified criteria and give priority to underserved
populations, including both urban and rural areas, and
low-income communities where participation in outdoor
environmental education and recreation programs has been
limited.
5)Authorizes the director of DPR to develop an advisory task
force, as specified, to assist in developing the program.
6)Requires that priority be given in funding to programs that
have one of the following attributes:
a) Serve at-risk youth and underserved demographic
groups
b) Include public, private, and nonprofit partnerships.
c) Contribute to healthy lifestyles
d) Maximize numbers of participants
e) Commit in-kind resources
f) Have a curriculum aligned to the science content
standards for California public schools adopted by the
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State Board of Education
g) Foster stewardship of the environment and includes
curriculum developed under the statewide environmental
education program
h) Integrates instruction in science, technology,
engineering and mathematics
i) Includes service learning and community outreach to
build partnerships between participants and local
communities.
7)Provides that reverted and unencumbered funds from the
California Clean Water, Clean Air, Safe Neighborhood Parks,
and Coastal Protection Act of 2002 (Proposition 40) may be
appropriated by the Legislature for the purpose of this bill,
if consistent with the requirements of that Act.
8)Authorizes the director of DPR to additionally accept private
donations made for support of the program, and to solicit and
accept private funding to help supplement the costs of the
program. Specifies that such funding sources may include, but
are not limited to, foundations, corporate funding, crowd
funding resources, donation drives, and other sources.
9)Requires that all moneys received for these purposes shall be
deposited in the California Youth Outdoor Education Account,
which this bill creates within the State Park and Recreation
Fund, and shall be continuously appropriated to DPR for
purposes of the program.
EXISTING LAW:
1)Establishes DPR which is responsible for administering the
state park system. DPR has also been directed under prior
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bond acts to administer grant programs for local and regional
parks and related programs. Authorizes DPR to provide spaces
within the state park system for schools to use for
environmental education.
2)Establishes guidelines for DPR to use in granting funds for
programs that provide outdoor environmental education
experiences to low-income students on public properties.
3)Establishes a statewide environmental education program, to be
administered by the Office of Education and Environment within
the Department of Resources, Recycling and Recovery, in
cooperation with other agencies. The program, among other
things, calls for development of a unified education strategy
on the environment for elementary and secondary schools,
including environmental education principles.
4)Requires the Office of Education and Environment to develop a
model environmental education curriculum, to submit the
curriculum to the Instructional Quality Commission for review,
to make the curriculum available electronically, and to
coordinate with other state agencies to facilitate its use.
5)Establishes the Environmental Education Account in the State
Treasury and authorizes the Department of Resources, Recycling
and Recovery to expend funds in the Account.
6)States legislative findings and declarations (contained in SB
96 (Leno), the Resources Budget trailer bill of 2013) that the
State's model Education and the Environment Curriculum is the
first of its kind in the nation to receive State Board of
Education approval. Declares that the Department of
Resources, Recycling and Recovery should collaborate across
agencies and disciplines, including the California
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Environmental Education Protection Agency (CalEPA), the
California Department of Education (CDE), and the Natural
Resources Agency, to achieve the goal of promoting
environmental literacy and use of the curriculum.
FISCAL EFFECT: Unknown
COMMENTS: This bill would establish a grant program to be
administered by DPR to provide funding for outdoor environmental
education and recreation programs operated by public entities or
nonprofit organizations. Priority would be given in awarding the
grants to programs serving at-risk youth and underserved
populations, in addition to other factors. Priority would also
be given to programs using curricula aligned with approved state
educational standards. The director of DPR would be responsible
for developing and administering the program.
1)Author's Statement: This bill creates educational opportunities
about the environment and outdoor education for California
children, prioritizing opportunities for underserved and
low-income students, in order to promote lifelong connections to
the outdoors, encourage better stewardship of California's
natural resources, and learn about living a healthy lifestyle.
This bill seeks to accomplish these goals by funding outdoor
environmental education and recreational experiences for
students from park poor communities, and by awarding grants to
public entities and nonprofit organizations for these purposes.
The author notes that "in many underserved communities outdoor
environmental education and recreation programs provide the only
exposure that children have to nature and the environment.
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Outdoor environmental education provides students with memorable
real-world experiences which increase interest in science and
environmental stewardship. Encouraging such interests may also
help students increase their interest and abilities in science,
technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) subjects, which
will help ensure that California remains a leader in these
fields in the future."
2)Outdoor Environmental Experiences Enhance Learning and
Motivation: AB 1330 (Simitian), Chapter 633, Statutes of 2003,
established the Outdoor Environmental Education Program,
administered by the CDE, to support outdoor environmental
programs serving primarily at-risk youth. The program involved
participation in outdoor environmental activities, including
service learning and community outreach components. The program
was in effect for one year, sunset on January 1, 2005, and was
repealed on January 1, 2006.
AB 1330 called for an independent study of the benefits of the
program. The study was performed by the American Institutes for
Research and focused on 255 sixth-grade students from four
elementary schools who attended three outdoor education programs
in Tulare, Los Angeles, and San Diego Counties in 2004. The
study found that, among other things, the science test scores of
children who participated in these programs were raised by 27%.
The children also exhibited measurable improvements in conflict
resolution and problem solving, self-esteem, and learning
motivation. Children who attended the outdoor science programs
showed statistically significant positive gains in all eight
constructs on which they were rated. Also of note, 56% of the
participants reported that the outdoor school experience
represented the first time they had spent time in a natural
setting. The study did note that due to the small sample size,
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"findings cannot be generalized to all students attending
outdoor education programs in California, particularly because
of the range of programs that exist. However, this research
indicates a large number of positive outcomes for at-risk
children who attend resident outdoor science schools certified
by the California Department of Education."
3)DPR Grant Administration Experience: DPR has a long history of
administering grant programs, many of which have been temporary
programs funded with state bond funds. Some of those programs
have included a recreational program component, though most of
them have been for acquisition or development of park lands or
facilities used for outdoor recreation rather than for funding
of the programmatic costs themselves. These grant programs are
administered by DPR's Office of Grants and Loans, and are
dependent largely on availability of bond funding. Since 2000,
over 90% of the grant funds administered by DPR have come from
bond acts approved by the voters. The most recent of these was
Proposition 84, which, among other things, made $368 million
available for a statewide park program emphasizing creation of
park space for underserved communities. Those funds have all
been awarded at this point. DPR indicates that over 900
applications were received requesting over $3 billion in funding
for the $368 million available.
DPR also administers several outdoor education and recreation
programs funded entirely with outside private donations. For
example, DPR's Office of Community Involvement administers a
youth leadership program entitled "Outdoor Youth Connection"
which trains youth leaders to conduct outdoor recreational
outings, DPR's FamCamp Program which introduces families from
low income urban communities to camping, and an Outdoor
Recreational Leadership Training program that trains community
leaders of other organizations to lead their own outdoor
recreational activities. DPR indicates that over the past four
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years these programs collectively have been funded through an
average of $125,000 received annually in donations from private
sources. While these programs have been well received by
participants, they have been limited in scope and capacity due
to the limited nature of the funding.
Finally, DPR's Division of Interpretation and Education offers a
summer learning program for urban schools funded through a grant
from the Packard Foundation and the California State Parks
Foundation, and administers a distance learning
videoconferencing program known as PORTS which brings park
interpretation to kids in K-12 public school classrooms through
their computers.
4)Other state Environmental Education Programs: While there are
other existing state programs related to environmental
education, few if any of these are focused specifically on
providing grant funding for actual development and
implementation of outdoor environmental education programs
serving at-risk youth. In addition to the programs mentioned
above, the CDE develops curricula for use by educators in the
classroom, and the Office of Environment and Education in the
Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery coordinates the
development of model environmental education curricula. However,
neither of these offices provides grants for actual development
and implementation of outdoor environmental education programs.
Some county offices of education and local school districts
operate outdoor environmental education resident science
programs. However, these programs are generally operated as fee
for service programs, which not all schools can afford, and are
not available statewide.
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5)What is the CEEIN? This bill provides that the California
Environmental Education Interagency Network (CEEIN) could serve
as an advisor to the director of DPR in developing the program.
The CEEIN is a state government consortium of environmental
educators representing departments, boards, and commissions of
the CDE, CalEPA, Natural Resources Agency, and Department of
Food and Agriculture (CDFA). The partnership is solidified by a
memorandum of understanding, which has been signed by the state
Superintendent of Public Instruction and the secretaries of
CalEPA, Natural Resources Agency, and CDFA. The California
Coastal Commission currently hosts the CEEIN Web site.
6)Parks Forward Commission Report: The Parks Forward Commission
is an independent commission that was appointed by the Secretary
of the Natural Resources Agency to conduct a comprehensive
review of the state park system. The Commission issued its
final report and recommendation on January 30, 2015. One of the
top priority recommendations of the Commission was that the
state should improve park access to underserved communities,
with a particular emphasis on the needs of younger generations.
As the legislative findings in this bill indicate, the
Commission found, among other things, that improving access to
parks, outdoor experiences, and recreational opportunities,
particularly for youth 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.
7)Prior and Related Legislation: AB 1603 (Stone) of 2014 was
similar to this bill and passed this committee but was held in
the Assembly Appropriations Committee. One significant
difference between AB 1603 and this bill is that AB 1603
proposed to fund the program from the General Fund, whereas this
bill proposes that the program be funded from reverted and
unencumbered Proposition 40 bond funds, which specifically
authorized a portion of the proceeds from the sale of the bonds
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to be used to fund outdoor environmental education and
recreation programs serving disadvantaged youth.
AB 2989 (Fuentes) of 2008 was similar to this bill and passed
the Assembly but was held on the Senate Appropriations Committee
suspense file. AB 2989 initially proposed that funding for the
program come from the Environmental License Plate Fund (ELPF)
but was later amended to make implementation contingent on
funding being provided in the annual budget act, without a
specific source being identified.
SB 207 (Padilla) of 2007, also substantially similar to this
bill, proposed that funding come from the General Fund and
donations. SB 207 died on the Senate Appropriations Committee
suspense file.
SB 1649 (Alarcon) of 2006 proposed to fund the program from the
Resources Trust Fund (tidelands revenue) and the ELPF. SB 1649
also died on the Senate Appropriations Committee suspense file.
AB 1330 (Simitian), Chapter 633, Statutes of 2003 enacted the
original pilot program, and provided that the program and its
evaluation would be implemented only if the Department of
Finance determined that private funds were made available for
purposes of the costs of the program and its evaluation.
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AB 2150 (Rendon) of 2014 would have created a new division of
community initiatives and park access within DPR, and called for
the development of a strategic action plan for improving park
access and relevancy for underserved populations. It also
included an emphasis on development of partnerships to address
park and recreational needs of underserved youth and young
adults, and to connect youth with nature and the outdoors. AB
2150 was vetoed by the Governor.
SB 204 (Pavley), which is currently pending in the Senate, among
other things, authorizes DPR to accept donations of real
property or money from public or private sources to fund
programs to benefit youth, and to enter into cooperative
agreements with public or nonprofit organizations to provide
service and learning opportunities for youth.
Support Arguments: Supporters emphasize that this bill will
fill a gap in California's education programs by connecting
underserved and low-income students with nature. They note that
studies show participating in outdoor education leads to
increased learning motivation and self-esteem, encouraging
interest in science, environmental stewardship, mathematics, and
other STEM subjects. Supporters also cite studies and reports
documenting the many benefits of outdoor education programs,
including more positive social relationships, learning conflict
resolution, academic success, improved mental health, and civic
engagement.
Opposition Arguments: None received.
Suggested Committee amendments: The author proposes technical
and clarifying amendments which committee staff recommends be
adopted in committee as committee amendments. The amendments
clarify applicability of certain eligibility criteria for
projects funded with Proposition 40 bond funds that may be used
to fund the program, require separate accounting of funds
appropriated or received for the program, and clarify that the
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projects may include projects in the coastal zone.
REGISTERED SUPPORT / OPPOSITION:
Support
Audubon California
Big Sur Land Trust
Bolsa Chica Land Trust
California Association of Local Conservation Corps
California Black Health Network
California Coastal Protection Network
California League of Conservation Voters
California Park and Recreation Society
California Releaf
California State Parks Foundation
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Defenders of Wildlife
Environment California
Latino Coalition for a Healthy California
League to Save Lake Tahoe
Los Angeles Neighborhood Land Trust
Mountains Recreation & Conservation Authority
O'Neill Sea Odyssey
San Diego County Board of Supervisors
Save the Redwoods League
Sierra Club California
Sonoma County Water Agency
Tahoe Resource Conservation District
West Marin Environmental Action Committee
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Opposition
None on file
Analysis Prepared by:Diane Colborn / W., P., & W. / (916)
319-2096