BILL NUMBER: AB 1790	AMENDED
	BILL TEXT

	AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY  APRIL 6, 2016

INTRODUCED BY   Assembly Member Weber

                        FEBRUARY 4, 2016

   An act to add Section 11322.81 to the Welfare and Institutions
Code, relating to CalWORKs.


	LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST


   AB 1790, as amended, Weber. CalWORKs: welfare-to-work.
   Existing law establishes the California Work Opportunity and
Responsibility to Kids (CalWORKs) program, under which each county
provides cash assistance and other benefits to qualified low-income
families using federal, state, and county funds. Existing law
requires a recipient of CalWORKs to participate in welfare-to-work
activities as a condition of eligibility. Existing law limits the
time period in which a participant may engage in certain
state-authorized work activities, in satisfaction of welfare-to-work
requirements, to 24 cumulative months during a participant's
lifetime, and requires the participant to engage in federally defined
work activities after that period expires. Existing law requires
that necessary supportive services be available to every participant
in order to participate in the program activity to which he or she is
assigned.
   This bill would require an adult recipient who meets 
minimum federal   the federally required minimum average
number or hours per week of  welfare-to-work participation
 requirements  to be deemed to be in compliance with
 CalWORKs   '  welfare-to-work hours requirements,
as specified. The bill would require the county to arrange for the
provision of necessary supportive services for these recipients,
thereby imposing a state-mandated local program. The bill would
exempt these adults from sanctions for failure or refusal to comply
with welfare-to-work program requirements. The bill would direct the
department to issue an all-county letter or similar instruction on or
before January 1, 2018.
   Existing law continuously appropriates moneys from the General
Fund to defray a portion of county costs under the CalWORKs program.
   This bill would instead provide that the continuous appropriation
would not be made for purposes of implementing the bill.
   The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local
agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the
state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that
reimbursement.
   This bill would provide that, if the Commission on State Mandates
determines that the bill contains costs mandated by the state,
reimbursement for those costs shall be made pursuant to these
statutory provisions.
   Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: yes.
State-mandated local program: yes.


THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:

  SECTION 1.  Section 11322.81 is added to the Welfare and
Institutions Code, to read:
   11322.81.   (a)    Notwithstanding any other
law, an adult recipient who meets the  federally required 
minimum  federal   average number of hours per
week of  welfare-to-work participation  requirements
  as  set forth in Section 607 of Title 42 of the
United States  Code,   Code  shall be
deemed to be in compliance with Section 11322.8.  Necessary

    (b)     Necessary  supportive services
shall be provided to recipients described in this section in
accordance with Sections 11323.2 and 11323.4.  Recipients

    (c)     Recipients  described in this
section shall not be subject to sanctions for failure or refusal to
comply with program requirements under Section 11327.4. 
   (d) This section does not entitle a person to a corrective payment
issued pursuant to subdivision (k) of Section 11004 for any month
before January 1, 2017. 
  SEC. 2.  Notwithstanding the rulemaking provisions of the
Administrative Procedure Act (Chapter 3.5 (commencing with Section
11340) of Part 1 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Government Code),
the State Department of Social Services shall implement this act
through an all-county letter or similar instruction from the
director. The all-county letter or similar instruction shall be
issued no later than January 1, 2018.
  SEC. 3.  No appropriation pursuant to Section 15200 of the Welfare
and Institutions Code shall be made for purposes of implementing this
act.
  SEC. 4.  If the Commission on State Mandates determines that this
act contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement to local
agencies and school districts for those costs shall be made pursuant
to Part 7 (commencing with Section 17500) of Division 4 of Title 2 of
the Government Code.