BILL ANALYSIS Ó
AB 1790
Page 1
Date of Hearing: May 4, 2016
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
Lorena Gonzalez, Chair
AB
1790 (Weber) - As Amended April 20, 2016
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Urgency: No State Mandated Local Program: YesReimbursable:
Yes
SUMMARY:
This bill prohibits sanctions for adult California Work
Opportunity and Responsibility to Kids (CalWORKs) program
recipients who are meeting federal work requirements.
Specifically, this bill:
1)Requires that an adult CalWORKs recipient who meets the
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minimum average per-week federal welfare-to-work participation
requirements is deemed to be in compliance with state CalWORKs
welfare-to-work requirements, as specified.
2)Requires that necessary supportive services be provided to
recipients meeting federal welfare-to-work requirements, as
specified.
3)Prohibits sanctioning of adults who are meeting federal work
participation but who fail or refuse to comply with specified
CalWORKs program requirements, as specified.
4)Prohibits the provisions of this bill from entitling a person
to a corrective payment, as specified, prior to the effective
date of those provisions.
5)Requires the provisions of this bill to be implemented by the
Department of Social Services (DSS) via all-county letter or
similar instruction issued no later than January 1, 2018, as
specified.
FISCAL EFFECT:
1)Unknown, but not likely significant impacts to DSS for
increased grant amounts and required supportive services.
Approximately 2,200 CalWORKs recipients meeting federal work
requirements were sanctioned last year, with an average
monthly grant reduction of $120. The bill does not require
counties to actively seek out these recipients and it is
unlikely the entire caseload would report their status to the
county. If from one percent to ten percent of the recipients
had their sanctions removed, statewide grant costs would
increase by $32,000 to $317,000 annually.
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2)Unknown, but likely minor costs to counties, potentially
reimbursable, to arrange for necessary supportive services for
any client who is entitled as a result of no longer being
sanctioned.
COMMENTS:
1)Purpose. According to the author, "This bill would prohibit
the imposition of financial sanctions against a family
receiving the CalWORKs program when adults in the family are
meeting the federal work participation requirement. This bill
streamlines the process between the federal work participation
requirement and the CalWORKs program and ensures families are
not penalized."
2)Sanctions for noncompliance. If a CalWORKs participant fails
or refuses to comply with program requirements without good
cause, he or she may be subject to financial sanctions which
involve removing his or her portion of aid from the CalWORKs
grant received by the household. Reasons an individual may be
sanctioned include not agreeing to a welfare-to-work plan, not
showing satisfactory progress in a welfare-to-work activity,
or quitting or refusing a job without sufficient reason.
Participants facing potential sanction have the opportunity to
claim good cause or enter into a compliance plan; failure to
comply with that plan or show good cause results in sanction.
In Federal Fiscal Year 2014, the average CalWORKs monthly
grant for a single-parent-headed household was $519, compared
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to an average grant of $399 for a sanctioned (no aided adult)
household.
This bill will exempt a recipient from sanction for failure or
refusal to comply with welfare-to-work program requirements
without the recipient engaging in a compliance plan or
otherwise having to cure the sanction.
Analysis Prepared by:Jennifer Swenson / APPR. / (916)
319-2081