BILL ANALYSIS Ó
AB 1603
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(Without Reference to File)
CONCURRENCE IN SENATE AMENDMENTS
AB
1603 (Committee on Budget)
As Amended June 13, 2016
Majority vote. Budget Bill Appropriation Takes Effect
Immediately
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|ASSEMBLY: | | April 28, |SENATE: |29-9 |(June 16, 2016) |
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(Vote not relevant)
Original Committee Reference: BUDGET
SUMMARY: This is the Omnibus Human Services Trailer Bill for
2016-17. It contains necessary changes related to the Budget
Act of 2016. This bill makes various statutory changes to
implement the 2016-17 budget.
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The Senate amendments delete the Assembly version of this bill,
and instead:
1)Makes statutory changes to clarify the intent of SB 873
(Committee on Budget and Fiscal Review) Chapter 685, Statutes
of 2014 and AB 900 (Levine) Chapter 694, Statutes of 2015,
relating to the Unaccompanied Undocumented Minors (UUM)
program, administered by the Department of Social Services
(DSS), which provides legal services funding for unaccompanied
undocumented minors. Specifically, these changes clarify that
special immigrant juvenile status (SIJS) findings can be made
at any point in the court proceedings; prerequisites for SIJS
findings are the same across superior court divisions; and
perceived motivations of the child/juvenile in seeking
classification as a special immigrant juvenile shall not be
included or referred in the findings under this section.
2)Clarifies that children participating in the Approved Relative
Caregiver (ARC) program should receive a $50 child support
pass-through, which reflects the existing practice according
to DSS and the Department of Child Support Services (DCSS).
3)Clarifies that a relative who has been approved under the
resource family approval (RFA) process and who is federally
ineligible for Aid to Families with Dependent Children-Foster
Care (AFDC-FC) is authorized to receive a California Work
Opportunity and Responsibility to Kids (CalWORKs) grant and a
supplemental amount equal to the resource family basic amount
paid to children who are federally eligible for AFDC-FC.
4)Allows non-federally eligible foster youth placed with
relative caregivers under the jurisdiction of the tribal court
to receive a foster care basic rate amount equal to payments
made to federally eligible relative caregivers in tribes that
possess a Title IV-E Agreement with the state.
5)Includes technical and substantive changes to streamline
statute related to the California Work Opportunity and
Responsibility to Kids (CalWORKs) Expanded Subsidized
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Employment program administered by DSS, removing references to
the "AB 98" program that was a precursor to the existing
program.
6)Includes language to make the Temporary Assistance Program
(TAP) statutorily inoperative effective June 30, 2016,
requiring a future statutory change to activate it for use in
the CalWORKs program.
7)States that a recipient of the CalWORKs program who is making
satisfactory progress in a career pathway program established
in accordance with the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity
Act (WIOA) is in compliance with the hourly participation
requirements of the CalWORKs program under specified
conditions. An approved WIOA career pathway results in
industry-recognized credentials or degrees in occupations
recognized as high demand by Local Workforce Development
Boards.
8)Changes the ability for CalWORKs families receiving a
temporary or permanent benefit under the Homeless Assistance
Program (HAP) program to receive this benefit once every 12
month period, versus once in a lifetime pursuant to existing
law, effective January 1, 2017.
9)Repeals the maximum family grant policy ("MFG rule") in the
CalWORKs program, effective January 1, 2017, which precludes a
subsequent child born to a family already on aid from
receiving a benefit, with specified exceptions.
10)Funds the repeal of the MFG rule utilizing the Child Poverty
and Family Supplemental Support Subaccount of the Local
Revenue Fund, appropriating $107 million for 2016-17 and $223
million for every fiscal year thereafter to counties to fund
the increased grant costs.
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11)Increases all CalWORKs maximum aid payments starting October
1, 2016 by 1.43% utilizing the Child Poverty and Family
Supplemental Support Subaccount.
12)Increases the infant supplement paid to a teen parent foster
child who is placed with his or her non-dependent infant or
child in a foster or group home by an additional monthly
amount of $489, effective July 1, 2016. Makes this subject to
an appropriation in the annual Budget Act.
13)Increases the state portion of the Supplemental Security
Income/State Supplementary Payment (SSI/SSP) grant by 2.76%
effective January 1, 2017.
14)Restores the 7% across-the-board In-Home Supportive Services
(IHSS) hours reduction and specifies that the restoration will
remain in effect until the Managed Care Organization provider
tax expires pursuant to current law or July 1, 2019.
15)Makes technical changes to align the county sharing ratio for
the CalWORKs Safety Net, Fleeing Felon and Long-Term Sanction
populations, consistent with current practice.
16)Includes oversight and governance provisions related to the
design, development, and implementation of the Child Welfare
Digital Services information technology project managed by DSS
and the Office of Systems Integration. Requires, among other
related monitoring provisions, the existing Child Welfare
Services/Case Management Systems (CWS/CMS) operations'
functionality be maintained and not decommissioned until the
full statewide implementation of the new system in all
counties.
17)Establishes the Bringing Families Home program under DSS,
subject to an appropriation in the annual Budget Act.
Requires DSS to award program funds to counties for the
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purpose of providing housing-related supports to eligible
families in the child welfare system experiencing
homelessness. Specifies that housing-related supports include
an assessment of each family's housing needs, and a plan to
assist them in meeting those needs, housing navigation or
search assistance, housing-related financial assistance, and
housing stabilization services. Specifies that the department
shall award program funds to counties according to criteria
developed by the department, in consultation with the County
Welfare Directors Association, the Corporation for Supportive
Housing, and Housing California. Counties that receive state
funds under this program will match that funding on a dollar
by dollar basis.
18)Requires that all CalFresh households be assigned
recertification periods that are the maximum number of months
allowable under federal law.
19)Deems an agreement between DSS and a local government or
non-profit organization that provides for a contract relating
to outreach programs related to CalFresh to be a "cooperative
agreement," as defined, and specifies that these changes apply
retroactively.
20)Establishes the Housing and Disability Income Advocacy
Program under the DSS, subject to an appropriation in the
annual Budget Act. Provides state grant funds to
participating counties for the provision of outreach, case
management, and advocacy services to assist clients who are
homeless or at risk of becoming homeless to obtain disability
benefits. Provides that a county receiving state funds shall
match that funding on a dollar for dollar basis; that a
participating county shall provide, or contract for, outreach,
active case management, and advocacy services related to the
SSI/SSP program, the federal Social Security Disability
Insurance (SSDI) program, the Cash Assistance Program for
Immigrants, and Veterans benefits provided under federal law;
and that counties shall give highest priority to individuals
who are chronically homeless or rely the most heavily on
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state- and county-funded services, and other populations
targeted include general assistance or general relief
applicants or recipients who are homeless or at risk of
homelessness.
21)Requires DSS and Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) to
update the budget committees of the Legislature on the
implementation of the Continuum of Care Reform, including
specialty mental health services provided to foster children
in short term residential treatment centers, by foster family
agencies, and by resource families.
22)Requires DSS to convene stakeholders and legislative staff no
later than July 1, 2016 to discuss the proposed foster care
rates and rate structure. DSS will report to the budget
committees of the Legislature no later than August 10, 2016 on
the results of these discussions. If proposed rates change,
the department must provide updated projected costs no later
than January 10, 2017.
23)Provides authority to the state to implement and administer
these changes to law through all-county letters or similar
instructions until regulations are adopted, and provides
authority for emergency regulations to be adopted by later
than January 1, 2018.
24)Specifies that to the extent that this act has an overall
effect of increasing the costs already borne by a local agency
for programs or levels of services mandated by the 2011
Realignment Legislation, California Constitution Article XIII,
Section 36 shall govern this act's application to local
agencies and the state's funding of those programs or levels
of service.
25)Designates this act as a bill providing for appropriations
related to the Budget Act and that it is identified as such in
the Budget Bill, and shall take effect immediately.
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COMMENTS: This bill is a budget trailer bill within the overall
2016-17 budget package to implement actions taken affecting the
Department of Social Services, Department of Child Support
Services, Department of Health Care Services, and the Office of
Systems Integration within the Health and Human Services Agency.
Analysis Prepared by:
Nicole Vazquez / Budget / 916-319-2099 FN:
0003437