BILL ANALYSIS
AB 2216
Page 1
Date of Hearing: May 10, 2006
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
Judy Chu, Chair
AB 2216 (Bass) - As Amended: April 19, 2006
Policy Committee: Human
ServicesVote:5 - 2
Urgency: No State Mandated Local Program:
Yes Reimbursable: Yes
SUMMARY
This bill makes various changes at the state level to the child
welfare system, including creating a Child Welfare and Foster
Care Undersecretary. Specifically, this bill:
1)Moves the foster care ombudsperson's office from the
Department of Social Services to the California Health and
Human Services Agency, thus making it an autonomous entity.
2)Expresses the intent of the Legislature to increase the budget
for the foster care ombudsperson's office.
3)Creates the Child Welfare and Foster Care Undersecretary
within the California Health and Human Services Agency.
4)Permits the Undersecretary to coordinate the work of the state
department and state agency and to collaborate across
departments and agencies and requires the undersecretary to be
responsible for overseeing the California Child and Family
Service Review.
5)Requires the Undersecretary to convene the stakeholders
workgroup outlined in current law.
6)Creates the California Child Welfare Council to serve as an
advisory body responsible for improving the collaboration of
the various state agencies, departments, and courts that
provide services to children in the child welfare system.
7)Requires the Council to issue advisory reports to the
governor, the Legislature, the Judicial Council and the public
AB 2216
Page 2
no less than once a year.
8)Requires the Judicial Council to adopt performance measures
designed to compliment and promote the current outcome
measures and performance goals required by the federal Child
and Family Services Review.
FISCAL EFFECT
1)Annual General Fund costs in excess of $150,000 to create the
undersecretary position and to provide support and analytical
staff.
2)Minimal costs for the Judicial Council to develop and
implement performance measures.
COMMENTS
1)Background. Both the Little Hoover Commission and the
governor's California Performance Review have noted that a key
problem in the state's child welfare services program is a
lack of leadership and accountability. In order to address
that problem, both recommended the creation of a state foster
care leader within the Health and Human Services Agency,
outside of the Department of Social Services.
Currently, the Department of Social Services has a Children's
Deputy Director that should be serving in that role as
statewide leader. However, based on the findings in these two
reports, that leadership position appears unable to provide
the coordination and interaction between departments and
agencies that is critical to improving the child welfare
system. However, it is unclear that adding another
bureaucratic layer to the Human Services Agency would bring
about significant improvements to the system.
2)Rationale . This bill is one in a series of bills that is
designed to implement the recommendations of the Foster Care
Select Committee. AB 2216 attempts to address the lack of
coordination among the various agencies and departments that
share responsibility for children in the foster care system.
According to the author, there is currently no statewide
leadership that counties and the courts can turn to for
vision, direction, and accountability.
AB 2216
Page 3
3)Prior Legislation . SB 693 (Murray), in 2003, required the
creation of an Undersecretary for Foster Care position within
the Health and Human Services Agency. That bill was held on
the suspense file in this committee.
Analysis Prepared by : Julie Salley-Gray / APPR. / (916)
319-2081