BILL NUMBER: AB 667 AMENDED
BILL TEXT
AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY JUNE 1, 2005
AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY MAY 26, 2005
AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY APRIL 13, 2005
INTRODUCED BY Assembly Member Jones
FEBRUARY 17, 2005
An act to add and repeal Section 17716
of to the Family Code, relating to child
support.
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
AB 667, as amended, Jones. Child support enforcement.
Existing law establishes the Department of Child Support Services
to administer laws and regulations pertaining to the administration
of child support enforcement obligations. Existing law requires each
county to maintain a local child support agency.
Existing law requires the Director of Child Support Services to
review and approve annual budgets submitted by the local child
support agencies to ensure each local child support agency operates
an effective and efficient program that complies with all federal and
state laws, regulations, and directives. Existing law provides for
the payment of a federal incentive to every county, and also
establishes a state child support incentive funding program
permitting a county that comes within specified standards of
performance to receive state child support incentive funds.
This bill would require the Legislative Analyst's Office to
conduct an evaluation, as specified, of the adequacy of the
current child support services budgeting methodology and make
recommendations for revising the budgeting methodology in order to
ensure accurate and adequate funding of the state child support
program contract with an appropriate and qualified
entity to conduct an evaluation of the child support program, as
specified, and would provide for the convening of an advisory group
in that regard . The bill would require the Legislative Analyst'
s Office to report its the findings and
recommendations of the evaluation to the Legislature on
or before January 1, 2007. The bill also would require the Department
of Child Support Services to provide to the Legislative Analyst's
Office requested caseload performance and expenditure data to ensure
timely completion of the report.
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.
The Legislature finds and declares all of the following:
(a) Child support is critical to the financial security of
children throughout California.
(b) Maximizing federal incentive payments and adequately funding
the child support services program are crucial elements in ensuring
effective child support enforcement.
(c) The existing approach to budgeting and funding of child
support services was established before the current federal incentive
structure was implemented, and it is in the best interest of
children for the Legislature to find out if the program is effective,
the resources available to the program are sufficient, and the
allocation of resources among counties is equitable and adequate to
maximize child support collections for families and to carry out all
federal and state statutory and regulatory requirements governing the
program.
SEC. 2. Section 11716 is added to the
Family Code , to read:
11716.
(a) The Legislative Analyst's Office shall contract with an
appropriate and qualified entity to conduct an evaluation of the
child support program, including the current level of funding for
child support services and allocation methodology, and to make
recommendations for revising the allocation methodology. The
evaluation shall include appropriate caseload levels in order to
ensure accurate, equitable, and adequate funding for the state child
support program and local child support programs. This evaluation
shall, at a minimum, consider the impact of the following factors on
the allocation methodology for local child support programs:
(1) The current state and federal statutory and regulatory
environment for child support services.
(2) The state-of-the-art advancement and best practices.
(3) The potential impact of the California Child Support Automated
System on the workload of workers in the system.
(4) The caseload and workload levels, as well as statutory,
policy, and regulatory requirements, in other states.
(5) The impact on workload of timely establishing and collecting
child support to meet children's needs.
(6) Recruitment and retention issues affecting child support staff
in local programs.
(b) The Legislative Analyst's Office shall convene an advisory
group that shall include representatives of the department, the Child
Support Directors Association of California, the California State
Association of Counties, child support services consumers, children's
advocacy organizations, child support worker organizations, and
appropriate policy and fiscal committees of the Legislature. The
advisory group shall do both of the following:
(1) Provide oversight over the process of selecting an entity to
conduct evaluations under subdivision (a).
(2) Provide oversight over, and technical assistance to, the
entity selected to conduct the evaluations under subdivision (a).
(c) The department shall provide the Legislative Analyst's Office
requested caseload performance and expenditure data to ensure timely
completion of the report required by subdivision (d) of this section.
(d) The Legislative Analyst's Office shall report the findings and
recommendations of the evaluation to the appropriate policy and
fiscal committees of the Legislature on or before January 1, 2007.
SECTION 1.
The Legislature finds and declares both of the following:
(a) Child support is critical to the financial security of
children throughout California.
(b) The existing approach to budgeting and funding of child
support services was established before the current federal incentive
structure was implemented, and it is in the best interest of
children for the Legislature to find out if the system is effective
as a means of maximizing child support collections for families,
maximizing federal incentive payments, and adequately funding the
program today.
SEC. 2. Section 17716 is added to the Family Code, to read:
17716.
(a) The Legislative Analyst's Office shall conduct an evaluation
of the adequacy of the current child support services budgeting
methodology and make recommendations for revising the budgeting
methodology, including appropriate caseload standards, in order to
ensure accurate and adequate funding of the state child support
program. In preparing this evaluation, the Legislative Analyst's
Office shall consider the impact of the following factors on the
budgeting methodology:
(1) The current state and federal statutory and regulatory
environment for child support services.
(2) The state of the art advancements and best practices.
(3) The potential impact of the California Child Support Automated
System on the workload of workers in the system.
(4) The comparable caseload and workload levels in other states.
(5) The impact on workload of timely establishing and collecting
child support to meet children's needs.
(b) In preparing this evaluation, the Legislative Analyst's Office
shall consult with representatives of the department, the Child
Support Directors Association of California, the California State
Association of Counties, child support services consumers, children's
advocacy organizations, child support worker organizations, and
appropriate policy and fiscal committees of the Legislature.
(c) The department shall provide the Legislative Analyst's Office
requested caseload performance and expenditure data to ensure timely
completion of the report required pursuant to subdivision (d).
(d) The Legislative Analyst's Office shall report the findings and
recommendations of the evaluation to the appropriate policy and
fiscal committees of the Legislature on or before January 1, 2007.
(e) This section shall remain in effect only until January 1,
2008, and as of that date is repealed, unless a later enacted
statute, that is enacted before January 1, 2008, deletes or extends
that date.