BILL ANALYSIS
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|SENATE RULES COMMITTEE | AB 719|
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THIRD READING
Bill No: AB 719
Author: Lowenthal (D), et al
Amended: 8/19/09 in Senate
Vote: 21
SENATE HUMAN SERVICES COMMITTEE : 4-1, 6/23/09
AYES: Liu, Maldonado, Alquist, Yee
NOES: Runner
SENATE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE : 8-5, 8/27/09
AYES: Kehoe, Corbett, Hancock, Leno, Oropeza, Price, Wolk,
Yee
NOES: Cox, Denham, Runner, Walters, Wyland
ASSEMBLY FLOOR : 75-0, 6/1/09 - See last page for vote
SUBJECT : Transitional food stamps for foster youth
SOURCE : County Welfare Directors Association of
California
DIGEST : This bill provides 12 months of federal food
stamp benefits to youth emancipating from foster care,
effective July 1, 2010.
ANALYSIS :
Existing law:
1. Establishes a system of child welfare services,
CONTINUED
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including foster care, for children who have been or are
at risk of abuse or neglect.
2. Authorizes the juvenile court to retain jurisdiction
over a child who has been adjudicated a dependent
because of abuse or neglect until the ward or dependent
child attains the age of 21 years.
3. Specifies that Aid to Families with Dependent Children -
Foster Care (AFDC-FC) benefits shall be paid on behalf
of any child under the age of 18 who meets additional
eligibility criteria. Exempts from this age-based
requirement foster children between the ages of 18 and
19 who are pursuing specified education-related goals.
4. Establishes the food stamp program, in which food
assistance benefits are provided to eligible households
and administered by state and local agencies.
This bill:
1. Requires the Department of Social Services (DSS) to
propose a "transitional food stamp for foster youth"
demonstration project for independent foster care
adolescents, regardless of income and resources, who are
not eligible for CalWORKs or Supplementary Security
Income program benefits, as specified.
2. Provides the maximum food stamp benefit amount allotted
for a household size of one for an eligible individual.
3. Establishes the county in which the foster care case was
terminated as the county of jurisdiction for the food
stamp case.
4. Provides that the demonstration project proposed by this
bill is to maximize access to benefits and minimize
interim reporting requirements during the certification
period.
5. Provides that individuals eligible for this program
shall not be subject to a fingerprint imaging
requirement.
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6. Makes the program contingent upon the availability of
federal participation and requires DSS to seek all
necessary federal approval no later than March 1, 2010.
7. Specifies that DSS shall implement this program by an
all-county letter or similar instruction from the
director and adopt regulations no later than January 1,
2011, if needed.
FISCAL EFFECT : Appropriation: No Fiscal Com.: Yes
Local: Yes
According to the Senate Appropriations Committee:
Fiscal Impact (in thousands)
Major Provisions 2009-10
2010-11 2011-12 Fund
Caseload increase admin $80
$26General
(state portion)
California Food Assistance $36
$72General
Program caseload increase
DSS workload $20 $20 $20 General
Automation-New Department of $75 General
Health Care Services Aid Code
$225Federal
SUPPORT : (Verified 9/1/09)
County Welfare Directors Association of California (source)
All Saints Church Foster Care Project
American Federation of State, County and Municipal
Employees
California Alliance of Child and Family Services
California Catholic Conference of Bishops
California Food Policy Advocates
California State Association of Counties
California State PTA
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California Youth Empowerment Network
Children's Advocacy Institute
Children's Law Center of Los Angeles
City and County of San Francisco
County of Santa Barbara
Legal Services for Prisoners with Children
Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors
Los Angeles County Department of Children
Regional Council of Rural Counties
Sacramento County Board of Supervisors
Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors
Service Employees International Union
Urban Counties Caucus
ARGUMENTS IN SUPPORT : The author's office reports that
Moody's Investor Services, an independent provider of
credit ratings and financial services research, finds that
food stamps have the highest economic multiplier effect of
all government programs: for every food stamp dollar
spent, $1.74 is generated in economic activity. According
to the author's office, the United States Department of
Agriculture finds this amount to be $1.84.
In addition, the author's office provides studies that find
that as a household benefits from food stamps, about half
of "freed up" household income is spent on additional food
and approximately one-half is spent on taxable items. Food
stamps indirectly generate sales tax revenue.
ASSEMBLY FLOOR :
AYES: Adams, Ammiano, Anderson, Arambula, Beall, Tom
Berryhill, Blakeslee, Blumenfield, Brownley, Buchanan,
Caballero, Charles Calderon, Carter, Chesbro, Conway,
Cook, Coto, De La Torre, De Leon, DeVore, Duvall,
Emmerson, Eng, Evans, Feuer, Fletcher, Fong, Fuentes,
Fuller, Furutani, Gaines, Galgiani, Garrick, Gilmore,
Hagman, Hall, Hayashi, Hernandez, Hill, Huber, Huffman,
Jeffries, Jones, Knight, Krekorian, Lieu, Logue, Bonnie
Lowenthal, Ma, Mendoza, Miller, Monning, Nava, Nestande,
Niello, John A. Perez, V. Manuel Perez, Portantino,
Price, Ruskin, Salas, Saldana, Silva, Skinner, Smyth,
Solorio, Audra Strickland, Swanson, Torlakson, Torres,
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Torrico, Tran, Villines, Yamada, Bass
NO VOTE RECORDED: Bill Berryhill, Block, Davis, Harkey,
Nielsen
CTW/DLW:mw 9/1/09 Senate Floor Analyses
SUPPORT/OPPOSITION: SEE ABOVE
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