BILL ANALYSIS Ó
AB 1984
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Date of Hearing: May 11, 2016
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
Lorena Gonzalez, Chair
AB
1984 (Linder) - As Amended April 20, 2016
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|Policy |Human Services |Vote:|7 - 0 |
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Urgency: No State Mandated Local Program: NoReimbursable: No
SUMMARY: This bill creates, until January 1, 2022, the
California Foster Youth Enrichment Grant Program to provide
grants to foster youth to participate in activities that enhance
their skills, abilities, self-esteem, or overall well-being.
Specifically, this bill:
1)Requires the Department of Social Services (DSS), by March 1,
2017, to convene a workgroup to develop an implementation plan
to maximize the grant program's impact and further specifies
that the workgroup shall be composed of members that represent
the interests of foster youth.
2)Requires DSS, by January 1, 2018, and upon appropriation by
the Legislature, to establish the California Foster Youth
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Enrichment Grant Program, as specified.
3)Requires grants awarded to be no more than $500 and to fund a
program, service, product, or any directly related costs that
provide: skill development; academic or school-related
assistance; or recreational or social participation to a
foster youth.
4)Requires DSS to develop a grant application form and other
associated forms for the purpose of data collection.
5)Requires DSS, by January 1, 2021, to submit a report to the
Legislature containing specified data and information on the
grant program and contains a sunset date of January 1, 2022.
FISCAL EFFECT:
1)Total cost of $7.6 million ($2.3 million GF) in FY 2017-18 and
$15.3 million ($10.1 GF) in FY 2018-19 and ongoing until the
program sunsets on January 1 2022. This assumes 30,500
qualified youth take advantage of the maximum grant amount of
$500.
2)Minor and absorbable costs to DSS to convene a working group
and develop an implementation plan.
3)Unknown costs, likely minor, to DSS to compile and submit a
report to the Legislature by January 1, 2021.
COMMENTS:
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1)Purpose. According to the author, "California has been a
trailblazer in aligning policy with the needs of youth through
efforts over a decade ago to establish a prudent parent
standard and provisions in the foster care bill of rights
supporting and promoting involvement in extracurricular and
enrichment activities. However, without financial resources,
youth are unable to take advantage of the intent of the law
and have access to these activities that are so important for
their health and development. By creating a California Foster
Youth Enrichment Grant Program, this bill acts on the growing
body of research that demonstrates the positive impact that
extracurricular enrichment activities such as sports
participation and art and music lessons can play in a young
person's academic performance and well-being."
2)"Normalcy" for Foster Youth. A core principle behind
"normalcy" is recognizing the right of foster children to
engage in extracurricular and social activities on a regular
basis. California recognized the need to support the right of
foster children to engage in a range of activities, and to
call for a prudent parent standard with the adoption of AB 408
(Steinberg), Chapter 813, Statutes of 2003, which stated that,
"every child adjudged a dependent child of the juvenile court
shall be entitled to participate in age-appropriate
extracurricular, enrichment, and social activities," and that,
"caregivers shall use a prudent parent standard in determining
whether to give permission for a child residing in foster care
to participate in extracurricular, enrichment, and social
activities."
Additionally, the Foster Youth Bill of Rights, adopted in 2001
and amended and enhanced over time to include 27 distinct
rights, establishes the right of a foster youth to, "attend
school and participate in extracurricular, cultural, and
personal enrichment activities, consistent with the child's
age and developmental level, with minimal disruptions to
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school attendance and educational stability."
As of January 1, 2016, there were 62,148 children in
California's child welfare system; 32,590 were between the
ages of 6 and 17, and 7,622 were nonminor dependents (i.e.,
between the ages of 18 and 21).
3)Related Legislation. AB 1067 (Gipson), 2016, would require DSS
to convene a working group to develop standardized information
about the rights of all minors and nonminors in foster care.
This bill is pending hearing in the Senate Committee on Human
Services.
4)Prior Legislation.
a) SB 794 (Senate Committee on Human Services), Chapter
425, Statutes of 2015, adopted a number of changes to bring
the state into compliance with the federal Preventing Sex
Trafficking, and Strengthening Families Act (Public Law
113-183), and included, among other things, language to
conform with federal law regarding reasonable and prudent
parent standards.
b) AB 408 (Steinberg), Chapter 813, Statutes of 2003, made
changes in dependency law to help achieve permanency for
older foster youth, including providing that caregivers
shall use a "prudent parent" standard in determining
whether to give permission for a child residing in foster
care to participate in age-appropriate extracurricular,
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enrichment, and social activities.
c) AB 899 (Liu), Chapter 683, Statutes of 2001, adopted
California's Foster Youth Bill of Rights.
Analysis Prepared by:Jennifer Swenson / APPR. / (916)
319-2081