BILL ANALYSIS Ó
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|SENATE RULES COMMITTEE | AB 2448|
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THIRD READING
Bill No: AB 2448
Author: Burke (D)
Amended: 8/8/16 in Senate
Vote: 21
SENATE HUMAN SERVICES COMMITTEE: 5-0, 5/10/16
AYES: McGuire, Berryhill, Hancock, Liu, Nguyen
ASSEMBLY FLOOR: 76-0, 4/25/16 - See last page for vote
SUBJECT: CalWORKs: welfare-to-work: education
SOURCE: California Welfare Directors Association of
California
DIGEST: This bill authorizes a CalWORKs recipient who has not
received a high school diploma or its equivalent to participate
in a high school equivalency program, as specified, in lieu of
participating in a job search or job club, and it prohibits the
county from requiring the recipient to participate in an
assessment before the recipient may engage in a high school
equivalency program in satisfaction of welfare-to-work
requirements.
Senate Floor Amendments of 8/8/16 establish a maximum 12-month
time limit on the proposed exemption from the current 24-month
time clock during which CalWORKs recipients are seeking high
school equivalency.
ANALYSIS: Existing federal law establishes the federal
Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program, which
permits states to implement the program under a state plan. (42
USC § 601 et seq.)
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Existing state law:
1)Establishes the California Work Opportunity and Responsibility
to Kids (CalWORKs) program to provide cash assistance and
social services for low-income families. Under CalWORKs, each
county provides assistance through a combination of state,
county and federal TANF funds. (WIC 10530, WIC 11200)
2)Establishes income, asset and real property limits to
determine eligibility for CalWORKs program participants,
including net income below the Maximum Aid Payment (MAP),
based on family size and county of residence. (WIC 11150 to
11160, 11450 et seq.)
3)Establishes a 48-month lifetime limit of CalWORKs benefits for
eligible adults, which includes a requirement that a recipient
must meet federal work requirements for 24 months in order to
retain eligibility. (WIC 11454, 11322.85)
4)Requires a recipient of CalWORKs benefits to participate in
welfare-to-work activities as a condition of eligibility for
aid. (WIC 11320 et seq.)
5)Mandates the sequence of employment-related activities a
CalWORKs participant must engage in subsequent to the receipt
of aid, unless otherwise exempted under Section 11320.3. (WIC
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11320.1)
6)Requires, generally, all recipients over 16 years of age,
unless they are otherwise exempt, to participate in specified
welfare-to-work activities as a condition of eligibility for
CalWORKs. (WIC 11320.3)
7)Establishes qualifying welfare-to-work activities to include
employment, on-the-job training, community service, adult
basic education, and other specified activities. (WIC 11322.6)
8)Establishes the number of weekly hours of welfare-to-work
participation necessary to remain eligible for aid, including
requirements for an unemployed parent in a two-parent
assistance unit, as specified. (WIC 11322.8)
This bill:
1)Adds participation in a high school equivalency program to the
list of permissible welfare-to-work activities a CalWORKs
participant is required to engage in after orientation and
appraisal, as specified.
2)Requires that any month, for up to 12 months, during which a
recipient participates in a high school equivalency program,
as specified, shall not be counted against the 24-month clock.
Specifically, in order to receive the time clock exemption,
the recipient must have been participating in a high school
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equivalency program for at least six months, but not yet
obtained a certificate of high school equivalency.
Additionally provides that the exemption may apply to a
recipient for no more than six cumulative months, which may be
extended for no more than an additional six cumulative months
based on a likelihood that the recipient will obtain his or
her certificate of high school equivalency during that time
period for a total of 12 possible months.
3)Removes the requirement that assignments to certain
educational activities are limited to situations in which the
education is needed to become employed.
4)Removes the following from the list of one or more
welfare-to-work activities a CalWORKs recipient must
participate in after the 24-month clock is exhausted;
a) Education that is directly related to employment, for
recipients who have not received a high school diploma or
certificate of equivalency, and
b) Satisfactory attendance at a secondary school or a
course of study leading to a certificate of general
equivalence, for recipients who have not completed
secondary school or received such a certificate.
1)Permits a CalWORKs recipient to participate in a high school
equivalency program if it is determined during the appraisal
that the recipient not yet received his or her high school
diploma or its equivalent, as specified.
2)Exempts a CalWORKs recipient who is determined to not have yet
received his or her high school diploma or its equivalent from
having to participate in an assessment prior to, or as a
condition of, participation in a high school equivalency
program.
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Background
According to the author, AB 2448 intends to alleviate the
pressure facing CalWORKs participants who are under the 24-month
clock, and specifically for those working towards high school
equivalency. Under current law, recipients would have to obtain
high school equivalency while under the 24-month clock and find
employment or risk penalties. To mitigate this time restraint,
this bill will guarantee a pre-assessment period where the
24-month clock is not activated as long as the participant is
making sufficient progress toward high school equivalency, per
the author.
CalWORKs
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, California's poverty rate
during 2011-13 was 23.4 percent. This rate was measured by using
the Supplemental Poverty Measure, which takes into account
housing costs and other factors. The Census Bureau also reports
that more than 2 million of California children were living in
poverty in 2014.
California's most essential anti-poverty strategy is the
CalWORKs program, which provides cash assistance to
approximately 540,000 families - including more than 1 million
children, according to 2014 federal data. The CalWORKs program
provides monthly income assistance and employment-related
services aimed at moving children out of poverty and helping
families meet basic needs. Federal funding for CalWORKs comes
from the TANF block grant. In addition to temporary cash
assistance to meet basic family needs, CalWORKs provides
education, employment and training programs. CDSS is the
designated state agency responsible for program supervision at
the state level. The counties are responsible for administering
the caseloads at the local level. The CalWORKs program is
funded with a mix of federal, state, and county funds.
In order to be eligible for CalWORKs, families must meet income
and asset tests. In addition, children must be deprived of
parental support and care due to the incapacity, death or
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absence of apparent or unemployment of the principal
wage-earner. Persons fleeing to avoid prosecution, custody or
confinement after conviction of a felony are not eligible for
CalWORKs. Per the 2016-2017 Governor's budget, the average
monthly grant for a CalWORKs household is $497.35 and the
maximum aid payment for a family of three is $704, or 42 percent
of Federal Poverty Level.
Welfare-to-Work Requirements
State law provides for a cumulative 48-month lifetime limit on
cash aid for adults. During those 48 months, adults may receive
a total of 24 months of Welfare-to-Work (WTW) services and
activities. WTW activities include subsidized and unsubsidized
employment, community service, adult basic education, community
college, job skills, training, mental health counseling,
substance abuse treatment and other activities necessary to
assist recipients in obtaining employment.
Unless they are exempt, an adult in a one parent assistance unit
is required to participate in WTW activities for an average of
30 hours per week during the month or an average of 20 hours per
week for a parent with a child under age six. In a two-parent
assistance unit, one or both adults must participate in WTW
activities for a combined average of 35 hours per week.
Once the 24 months of WTW activities have been exhausted, adults
must meet the stricter federal work participation requirements
(20, 30, or 35 hours weekly, depending on family composition)
unless they are exempt or receive an extension. If a CalWORKs
recipient who is not exempt from participation does not meet the
welfare-to-work requirements, the recipient may be sanctioned,
and that recipient's portion of the family's grant may be
subtracted from the amount provided to the family.
Educational attainment
According to a report issued by US Department of Labor's Bureau
of Labor Statistics, in 2014, 18.3 percent of the working poor
had not obtained a high school diploma and 8.3 percent of
working individuals who were poor had obtained a high school
diploma, but no college education. In a separate report by the
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Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average weekly income for a
worker with less than a high school diploma in 2015 was $493.
The same report shows high school graduates earned $678 per
week. Additionally, unemployment rates for a worker with less
than a high school diploma were about 8 percent, which was
almost double that of the national average
(http://www.bls.gov/emp/ep_chart_001.htm).
According to the sponsor, recent data shows 46 percent of
CalWORKs Welfare to Work participants without high school
certification achieved high school equivalency in six months or
less, and 19 percent took up to 12 months.
Comments
The bill proposes to "freeze" the 24-month clock for CalWORKs
recipients who are seeking high school equivalency. Recent
amendments establish a 12-month time limit during which the
clock would freeze. If a recipient has received his or her high
school equivalency within six months, the time clock will not be
frozen. However, if a recipient has not yet obtained his or her
high school equivalency, the time clock may be frozen for the
first six months and up to an additional six months (for a total
of 12 months). The six month extension would be based on
likelihood that the recipient will obtain high school
equivalency during that time period.
Related/Prior Legislation
AB 1994 (Lopez, 2016) creates the CalED program to provide a
onetime $500 supplement to eligible CalWORKs participants upon
successful completion of a high school equivalency examination.
AB 2058 (Mayes, 2016) creates the CalWORKs Educational
Opportunity and Attainment Program and awards grant increases to
CalWORKs recipients upon completion of educational milestones,
as specified.
FISCAL EFFECT: Appropriation: No Fiscal
Com.:NoLocal: No
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SUPPORT: (Verified8/9/16)
County Welfare Directors Association of California (source)
Alameda County Board of Supervisors
California Catholic Conference, Inc.
California Family Resource Association
California State Association of Counties
The County of San Bernardino
The Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors
OPPOSITION: (Verified8/9/16)
None received
ARGUMENTS IN SUPPORT: According to the bill's source, the
County Welfare Directors Association of California:
Current law limits adult eligibility for CalWORKs benefits
to 24 months, unless the participant is meeting the federal
work participation requirements or meets other criteria to
have his or her time clock extended. The 24-month
restriction makes it particularly difficult for
participants working towards a high school diploma or its
equivalent because their 24-month clock "ticks" while they
pursue their education.
AB 2448 would remove this barrier by allowing CalWORKs
participants to obtain a high school equivalency degree
prior start of the 24-month time clock. CalWORKs students
would need to maintain satisfactory progress towards their
high school degree in order for the clock to remain stopped
during this time frame.
ASSEMBLY FLOOR: 76-0, 4/25/16
AYES: Achadjian, Alejo, Arambula, Atkins, Baker, Bigelow,
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Bloom, Bonilla, Bonta, Brough, Brown, Burke, Calderon, Campos,
Chau, Chávez, Chiu, Chu, Cooley, Cooper, Dababneh, Dahle,
Daly, Dodd, Eggman, Frazier, Beth Gaines, Gallagher, Cristina
Garcia, Eduardo Garcia, Gatto, Gipson, Gomez, Gonzalez,
Gordon, Gray, Grove, Hadley, Harper, Roger Hernández, Holden,
Irwin, Jones, Jones-Sawyer, Kim, Lackey, Levine, Linder,
Lopez, Low, Maienschein, Mathis, Mayes, McCarty, Medina,
Melendez, Mullin, Nazarian, Obernolte, O'Donnell, Patterson,
Quirk, Ridley-Thomas, Rodriguez, Salas, Santiago, Steinorth,
Mark Stone, Thurmond, Ting, Wagner, Waldron, Weber, Wilk,
Wood, Rendon
NO VOTE RECORDED: Travis Allen, Chang, Olsen, Williams
Prepared by: Taryn Smith / HUMAN S. / (916) 651-1524
8/10/16 15:57:25
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8/10/16 15:57:25