BILL ANALYSIS
SENATE HEALTH
COMMITTEE ANALYSIS
Senator Deborah V. Ortiz, Chair
BILL NO: SB 1062
S
AUTHOR: Bowen
B
AMENDED: As Introduced
HEARING DATE: April 6, 2005
1
FISCAL: Rules / Appropriations
0
6
CONSULTANT:
2
Vazquez / ak
SUBJECT
Domestic violence
SUMMARY
This bill would provide that if an agency that provides
domestic violence services receives funding from both the
Comprehensive Statewide Domestic Violence Program and the
Maternal and Child Health Branch funding programs during
any grant cycle, the two programs shall coordinate agency
site visits and share performance assessment data to reduce
administrative costs.
ABSTRACT
Existing law:
1.Requires the Maternal and Child Health (MCH) Branch of
the State Department of Health Services (DHS) to
administer a comprehensive shelter-based grant program to
battered women's shelters.
2.Creates in the Office of Emergency Services (OES) a
Comprehensive Statewide Domestic Violence Program (CSDVP)
to provide financial and technical assistance to domestic
Continued---
STAFF ANALYSIS OF SENATE BILL 1062 (Bowen) Page
2
violence shelter service providers (DVSSPs).
3.Specifies in the Health and Safety Code Section governing
the MCH program that if an agency receives funding from
both the MCH Branch of DHS and the CSDVP in OES during
any grant cycle, the MCH and the CSDVP shall, to the
extent feasible, coordinate agency site visits and share
performance assessment data with the goal of improving
efficiency, eliminating duplication, and reducing
administrative costs.
4.Requires the MCH Branch and OES to conduct a minimum of
one site visit per grant term and one site visit every
three years, respectively, for each agency funded under
the programs.
5.Specifies that the purpose of the site visit is to
conduct a performance assessment of, and provide
subsequent technical assistance for, each agency visited.
This bill:
1.Duplicates in the Penal Code that if an agency receives
funding from both the CSDVP in OES and the MCH Branch of
DHS during any grant cycle, the CSDVP and the MCH shall,
to the extent feasible, coordinate agency site visits and
share performance assessment data with the goal of
improving efficiency, eliminating duplication, and
reducing administrative costs.
2.Makes technical changes to the language governing the
administration of the MCH Branch's domestic violence
program to reflect the correct names of the CSDVP and the
OES.
FISCAL IMPACT
The coordination called for by the measure may result in
cost savings for the administration of both programs
affected by the bill.
BACKGROUND AND DISCUSSION
The bill extends the same requirement for site visit
Continued---
STAFF ANALYSIS OF SENATE BILL 1062 (Bowen) Page
3
coordination and data-sharing currently specified for the
DHS-funded domestic violence to the area of law governing
the OES-funded CSDVP providers.
Background
According to the author, more than 80% of victim shelters
receive funding from both OES and DHS. Most shelters
operate on low budgets and rely heavily on volunteer
assistance to keep their doors open. Because both OES and
DHS are required to conduct site visits to assess basic
operating procedures, the author states that there is great
reason for the two agencies to consolidate visits and share
assessment data, saving the state and shelters time,
energy, and valuable resources.
Continued---
Required site visits
Current law requires the MCH program and CSDVP to conduct a
minimum of one site visit per grant term and a minimum of
one site visit every three years, respectively, to each
agency funded to provide shelter-based services to battered
women and their children. The purpose of the site visit is
for it to act as a performance assessment of and provide
technical assistance for each agency visited. Under both
programs, the performance assessment includes, but is not
limited to, a review of the following:
Progress in meeting program goals and objectives.
Agency organization and facilities.
Personnel policies, files, and training.
Recordkeeping, budgeting, and expenditures.
Documentation, data collection, and client
confidentiality.
Subsequent to each site visit, the respective programs are
required to provide a written report to the agency
summarizing the agency's performance, any deficiencies
noted, and any corrective action needed. The law governing
CSDVP prescribes in detail how this assessment information
shall be utilized in the evaluation of current and future
funding for providers.
Arguments in support
The California Alliance Against Domestic Violence writes in
support that the measure offers a sensible solution to the
streamlining of grant administration. By requiring the OES
and DHS to work together, the bill will significantly
reduce the amount of duplication and wasted time and energy
by both state agencies and the shelters. This will allow
shelter staff to focus on the provision of services to
victims rather than on unnecessarily duplicative state
bureaucracy.
Prior legislation
SB 914 (Bowen, Chapter 840, Statutes of 2004) was an
urgency measure that provided for a detailed and
structured process by which OES administers the CSDVP.
This included clarification of the process and standards
to determine whether a shelter is either approved or
denied funding. It also included language on the site
visit and assessment to parallel language governing the
MCH program in DHS. In addition, SB 914 created a
Continued---
STAFF ANALYSIS OF SENATE BILL 1062 (Bowen) Page
5
grading system for CSDVP, based on the site visit
evaluation, which is used to determine future funding,
renewal, or denial.
SB 185 (Bowen, Chapter 439, Statutes of 2001) was the
initial measure that required the MCH Branch of DHS to
conduct a site visit to each agency that receives funding
received through the grant program for a performance
assessment and to provide technical assistance to each
agency.
POSITIONS
Support: California Alliance Against Domestic
Violence
Oppose: None received.
-- END --