BILL NUMBER: SB 174	INTRODUCED
	BILL TEXT


INTRODUCED BY   Senator Wolk
   (Principal coauthors: Assembly Members Cooper, Dodd, and McCarty)
   (Coauthor: Senator Pan)

                        FEBRUARY 5, 2015

   An act to add and repeal Section 1517 of the Health and Safety
Code, relating to crisis nurseries.


	LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST


   SB 174, as introduced, Wolk. Crisis nurseries: study.
   Existing law provides for the licensure and regulation by the
State Department of Social Services of crisis nurseries. Crisis
nurseries are nonprofit corporations that care for and supervise
children under 6 years of age who are voluntarily placed in the
crisis nursery by a parent or legal guardian due to a family crisis
or stressful situation for no more than 30 days.
   This bill, until January 1, 2018, would require the department to
implement a 2-year pilot project in the Counties of Sacramento and
Yolo to conduct a study of the relationship between crisis respite
care and incidents of reported child abuse in those counties, and
report the results of the study to the Legislature. The bill would
make the implementation of this pilot project contingent upon all of
the crisis nurseries in those counties voluntarily participating in
the project and providing funding for 1/2 of the cost of the project.
This bill would express the intent of the Legislature to provide
state funding for crisis nurseries in the Budget Act of 2015 for
community services and this pilot project.
   Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: yes.
State-mandated local program: no.


THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:

  SECTION 1.  Section 1517 is added to the Health and Safety Code, to
read:
   1517.  (a) The department shall implement a two-year pilot project
in the County of Sacramento and the County of Yolo for the purpose
of evaluating the effectiveness of crisis nurseries in lowering the
incidence of child abuse in those counties. This pilot project shall
be implemented only if all of the crisis nurseries in those counties
voluntarily participate in the project and provide private funding
for one-half of the cost of the project. The pilot project shall
consist of both of the following:
   (1) The department shall conduct a study of the relationship
between crisis respite care and incidents of reported child abuse in
pilot project counties.
   (2) The department shall report the results of the study to the
Legislature on or before December 31, 2017. The report shall comply
with Section 9795 of the Government Code.
   (b) It is the intent of the Legislature to provide state funding
for crisis nurseries in the Budget Act of 2015 in order to enable
crisis nurseries to continue to provide services to the community and
to participate in the pilot project established by this section.
   (c) This section shall remain in effect only until January 1,
2018, and as of that date is repealed, unless a later enacted
statute, that is enacted before January 1, 2018, deletes or extends
that date.