BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    



                                                                  AB 2031
                                                                  Page  1

          Date of Hearing:   April 5, 2006

                        ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
                                   Judy Chu, Chair

                AB 2031 (Cohn and Bass) - As Amended:  March 29, 2006 

          Policy Committee:                              Human  
          ServicesVote:6 - 0

          Urgency:     No                   State Mandated Local Program:  
          No     Reimbursable:              

           SUMMARY  

          This bill requires the Department of Social Services (DSS) to  
          establish a stakeholder group to draft best practice guidelines  
          for the use of advanced technology to assist counties in  
          identifying relatives and non-relative extended family members  
          on behalf of foster children.

           FISCAL EFFECT  

          Minor, absorbable workload to DSS to help the stakeholder group  
          draft the best practice guidelines.

           COMMENTS  

           1)Rationale.  According to the author, there are counties that  
            use internet searches and other innovative approaches in order  
            to locate family members for children in foster care.  This  
            increases the number of placement options for these children  
            and improves their outcomes. By creating guidelines, more  
            counties could employ these best practices to reunite children  
            and family members.

           2)Related Legislation.  The Legislature passed a similar bill  
            last year, AB 880 (Cohn). AB 880 was vetoed primarily because  
            it required DSS to conduct a cost benefit analysis of using  
            locator technology. This bill does not require that type of  
            analysis.

           Analysis Prepared by  :    Julie Salley-Gray / APPR. / (916)  
          319-2081