BILL ANALYSIS
AB 1393
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Date of Hearing: April 21, 2009
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON HIGHER EDUCATION
Anthony Portantino, Chair
AB 1393 (Skinner) - As Introduced: February 27, 2009
SUBJECT : Foster youth.
SUMMARY : Requests the California Community Colleges (CCC) and
the University of California, and requires the California State
University (CSU), in order to ensure stable housing for current
and former foster youth, to give priority for campus housing to
current and former foster youth with first priority for housing
open for uninterrupted year-round occupation and next priority
for housing open for occupation most days during the calendar
year.
EXISTING LAW :
1)Establishes the child welfare services and foster care
programs, which are overseen and regulated by the state,
administered by the counties, and funded by federal, state,
and county governments, to provide services to abused and
neglected children and their families.
2)Establishes the Cal Grant Programs and various programs at UC,
CSU, and CCC to assist needy students with the payment of fees
and other costs associated with attending college.
3)Establishes, in federal law, the Chafee Education and Training
Vouchers Program, administered by the Administration for
Children and Families in the U.S. Department of Health and
Human Services, to provide resources to states to assist
youths who have aged out of the foster care system or have
been adopted from the public foster care system after age 16.
FISCAL EFFECT : Unknown
COMMENTS : Background : It is estimated that more than 20,000
youth aged 16 and older transition from the foster care system
each year. According to a 2007 report by the Children's
Advocacy Institute, 65% of foster youth emancipate from the
system without a place to live, 51% are unemployed, and 46% have
not completed high school.
AB 1393
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Purpose of this bill : California protects foster youth from
abuse and neglect but needs to do more to help support foster
youth transition to successful adulthood. The author notes that
a college degree is one of the best roads to self-sufficiency;
however, few foster youth continue education after high school
and those that do often encounter significant barriers that
hinder their ability to succeed. Fewer than 10% of foster youth
who graduate from high school go on to college, and fewer than
3% of foster youth who go on to college ever graduate. The
author argues that a significant obstacle facing foster youth is
stability in housing, particularly when on-campus housing closes
during holiday and campus breaks. Without families to go home
to, former foster youth are often left homeless during these
gaps in postsecondary campus housing.
Why request CCC and UC to comply ? While CSU is required to
comply with the provisions of this bill, CCC and UC are only
requested to comply. Ten CCC campuses maintain dormitories,
thus the author believes the CCCs should provide priority
housing to foster youth. However, requesting rather than
requiring the CCCs to comply avoids a state-mandated cost
associated with the bill. The author requests UC to comply with
the provisions of the bill as the California Constitution
(Section 9 of Article IX) establishes that the UC is subject to
legislative control only to the degree necessary to ensure the
security of its funds and compliance with the terms of its
endowments.
Housing as a pathway to college : This bill seeks to provide
priority housing for former and current foster youth on CCC,
CSU, and UC campuses. Many former foster youth lack permanent
relationships after leaving care, and even if they are fortunate
enough to obtain campus housing, they have no place to live
between semesters and school years. Providing priority housing
and first priority for housing open year-round will help provide
former and current foster youth with added stability in their
quest to succeed in college.
Previous legislation : AB 1578 (Leno) of 2007, which was held in
the Senate Appropriations Committee, would have enacted the
Foster Youth Higher Education Preparation and Support Act of
2007.
AB 1532 (Bass) of 2006, which was held in the Senate
Appropriations Committee, would have exempted foster youth from
AB 1393
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all deadlines pertaining to the Cal Grant Entitlement Programs.
AB 2489 (Leno) of 2006, which was held in the Senate
Appropriations Committee, would have provided first-year tuition
and fee assistance to all Cal Grant B students who are current
or were former foster youth, assistance with campus-based fees
in UC and CSU, and campus housing priority for current and
former foster youth in UC and CSU.
REGISTERED SUPPORT / OPPOSITION :
Support
California Alliance of Child and Family Services
Children's Advocacy Institute
County Welfare Directors Association of California
Opposition
None on file
Analysis Prepared by : Laura Metune / HIGHER ED. / (916)
319-3960