BILL ANALYSIS Ó SB 118 Page 1 Date of Hearing: August 19, 2015 ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS Jimmy Gomez, Chair SB 118 (Liu) - As Amended August 17, 2015 ----------------------------------------------------------------- |Policy |Health |Vote:|17 - 0 | |Committee: | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |-------------+-------------------------------+-----+-------------| | |Education | |7 - 0 | | | | | | | | | | | |-------------+-------------------------------+-----+-------------| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | ----------------------------------------------------------------- Urgency: No State Mandated Local Program: NoReimbursable: No SUMMARY: This bill modifies an existing unfunded grant program administered by the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) to provide grants to schools. Specifically, this bill: SB 118 Page 2 1)Adds substance abuse as an allowable service, updates terms, and modifies grant amounts. 2)Changes the purposes of "sustainability grants" from operating expenses to development of sustainable funding models. 3)Creates a new "population health grant" category to fund obesity prevention, asthma programs, and similar public health topics. It also contains chaptering amendments for AB 766 (Ridley-Thomas), which amends the same code section. FISCAL EFFECT: Unknown cost pressure, exceeding $150,000 GF or other unknown fund source, to fund designated grants. The bill authorizes a new category of grants. The current program has been authorized in statute for eight years, but was never funded. COMMENTS: 1)Purpose. This bill intends to update existing program parameters and definitions of an authorized grant program, creating a stronger framework upon which schools may expand and seek additional resources to fund their school-based health centers. 2)School-based Health Centers (SBHCs). There are approximately 200 SBHCs in California, many of them operating in schools SB 118 Page 3 with a high share of low-income students. SBHCs are administered by a variety of organizations, including school districts, community clinics, counties, hospitals, and private physician groups. They are financed through school funding; grants from state, local, and private sources; as well as reimbursements from public programs and some private insurance. An existing partnership between the California Department of Education and CDPH related to school-based health, of which the unfunded grant program was a component, was also suspended in 2013 due to loss of funding. 3)Related Legislation. AB 766 (Ridley-Thomas) expands the characteristics of schools that receive preference in the awarding of grant funds from the program that is the subject of this bill. That bill is pending in the Senate Appropriations Committee. Analysis Prepared by:Lisa Murawski / APPR. / (916) 319-2081