BILL ANALYSIS Ó AB 2000 Page 1 Date of Hearing: May 11, 2016 ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS Lorena Gonzalez, Chair AB 2000 (Campos) - As Amended March 28, 2016 ----------------------------------------------------------------- |Policy |Judiciary |Vote:|9 - 1 | |Committee: | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |-------------+-------------------------------+-----+-------------| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |-------------+-------------------------------+-----+-------------| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | ----------------------------------------------------------------- Urgency: No State Mandated Local Program: YesReimbursable: Yes SUMMARY: This bill requires the juvenile court to conduct a hearing when terminating jurisdiction over a ward and to ensure that certain information, documents, and services are provided by a probation AB 2000 Page 2 officer to the ward in conjunction with termination of the court's jurisdiction, similar to those provided to a foster youth transitioning from the dependency system. The bill also requires the Judicial Council to develop and implement standards and adopt appropriate forms. FISCAL EFFECT: 1)Unknown, but likely in the hundreds of thousands of dollars, reimbursable mandate costs for county probation departments to provide the required information, documents, and services and to participate in hearings when necessary. 2)Minor and absorbable costs to the courts. COMMENTS: 1)Purpose. The sponsor, Juvenile Court Judges of California explains the need for the legislation as follows: Information such as medication needs, a Social Security card or copy, a copy of the youth's birth certificate, driver's license, and a health and education summary should be in the file. Assistance with obtaining Medi-Cal, and referrals for assistance for housing, employment, financial support, and college or vocational school applications are all resources that most juvenile justice probation departments have at their disposal. This legislation seeks a more concerted effort to rally behind a youth prior to leaving the system and is unlikely to cause a greater burden for the probation department to document or research because most of the information is already in the file or easily obtainable. AB 2000 Page 3 This bill does not propose assistance with certain of the items listed above but instead proposes referrals for assistance, for example, a resources print out of options rather than specific assistance to obtain those services. Medi-Cal assistance has been included because many youth lose their Medi-Cal coverage while incarcerated, and upon exit lack the resources and information to resume coverage. 2)Background. Current law ensures that foster youth who age out of the dependency system when they become adults (or 21 years of age for "nonminor dependents") are provided with a number of documents and resources when leaving the dependency system. Prior to termination of the juvenile court's jurisdiction, the county welfare department is required to do a number of things to help the nonminor transition to living without the support of the juvenile court and the county welfare department. This bill requires that a number of those same services and items of information to be provided to probation youth prior to the juvenile delinquency court terminating its jurisdiction over the youth. Instead of requiring the county welfare department to provide those services, documents and information, this bill requires the county probation department to provide similar services, documents, and information to the ward. Because not all of the services and information that are required to be provided to foster youth are necessary or appropriate for probation youth, some of the requirements have been modified or eliminated. Analysis Prepared by:Jennifer Swenson / APPR. / (916) AB 2000 Page 4 319-2081