BILL ANALYSIS
------------------------------------------------------------
|SENATE RULES COMMITTEE | AB 2342|
|Office of Senate Floor Analyses | |
|1020 N Street, Suite 524 | |
|(916) 651-1520 Fax: (916) | |
|327-4478 | |
------------------------------------------------------------
THIRD READING
Bill No: AB 2342
Author: Evans (D)
Amended: 8/17/10 in Senate
Vote: 21
SENATE HUMAN SERVICES COMMITTEE : 3-2, 6/22/10
AYES: Liu, Romero, Yee
NOES: Emmerson, Runner
SENATE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE : Senate Rule 28.8
ASSEMBLY FLOOR : 54-20, 6/2/10 - See last page for vote
SUBJECT : Foster youth: outreach programs
SOURCE : Author
DIGEST : This bill requires the Office of the State
Foster Care Ombudsperson to develop a resource guide for
emancipating foster youth, and directs the Office to
incorporate the resource guide into its existing Web site
and print publications.
ANALYSIS :
Existing law:
1. Establishes the Office of the State Foster Care
Ombudsperson as an autonomous entity within the
Department of Social Services (DSS) to provide children
CONTINUED
AB 2342
Page
2
placed in foster care with the means to resolve issues
related to their care, placement and services. (Section
16161 of the Welfare and Institutions Code [WIC])
2. Requires the ombudsperson to disseminate information
regarding the rights of children and youth in foster
care, and allows the Office, counties, foster care
providers and others to use that information in
fulfilling their responsibilities to inform foster youth
about their rights. (WIC Section 16164)
This bill:
1. Requires the Office of the State Foster Care
Ombudsperson to develop a resource guide for
emancipating foster youth outlining statewide programs
and services related to education, including preparing
for an assessing postsecondary or vocation education and
financial aid, health and health care coverage, housing
assistance and transitional living programs, mental
health services, independent living programs, accessing
and obtaining person identification documents, personal
finance, career planning, and job training
opportunities.
2. Directs the Office to incorporate the resource guide
into its existing Web site and print publications.
3. Requires the Office to consult with relevant state
departments, the administrative office of the courts,
and foster youth stakeholders, including the California
Youth Connection, to develop the resource guide.
4. Makes various findings and declarations, including the
fact that 64 percent of children who emancipated in 2008
and 2009 lived last with someone who was neither a
relative or a guardian.
Comments
The ombudsman maintains a Web site that was developed by a
former foster youth:
www.fosteryouthhelp.ca.gov/default.htm . It provides
information and resources related to foster youth rights,
AB 2342
Page
3
education, housing, and employment, among other topics. In
addition, the ombudsman has developed a printed publication
for foster youth, which is unavailable electronically.
FISCAL EFFECT : Appropriation: No Fiscal Com.: Yes
Local: No
SUPPORT : (Verified 8/17/10)
Aspiranet
California State PTA
California Probation Parole and Correctional Association
Child Abuse Prevention Council of Contra Costa County
Planned Parenthood Advocacy Project of Los Angeles County
Planned Parenthood Affiliates of California
Planned Parenthood Mar Monte
Six Rivers Planned Parenthood
OPPOSITION : (Verified 8/17/10)
Department of Social Services
ARGUMENTS IN SUPPORT : According to the author, "There
are many local and state, and public and nonprofit
organizations in California that have developed their own
version of a resource guide for foster youth, however,
these resource guides usually include information for each
specific organization only, or are not developed
specifically to include information for foster youth.
Developing and distributing a resource guide will provide
foster youth, particularly those foster youth 'aging out'
of the system, with a valuable tool that they can use to
navigate the complex, and sometimes intimidating, system of
public agencies and organizations statewide."
The author's office believes the resource guide will be a
useful tool for foster parents, social workers, teachers,
mentors and others who work with foster youth, in helping
them to access the supports and services they need to
successfully transition to adulthood.
ARGUMENTS IN OPPOSITION : The Department of Social
Services writes: "The proposed policy would require the
development and distribution of the resource guide to be
AB 2342
Page
4
contingent upon CDSS seeking and receiving public and
private grants for this purpose. This would pose an
additional workload upon CDSS to seek and obtain other
funds, and adhere to the reporting requirements that other
fund sources may require. Additionally, there may be
pressure to the State General Fund to fund the resource
guide if other funds are insufficient to cover the entire
cost of preparing and distributing the guide. Whether
there is grant funding or not, creating a resources guide
would take staff time away from other mandated activities."
ASSEMBLY FLOOR :
AYES: Ammiano, Arambula, Bass, Beall, Blakeslee, Block,
Blumenfield, Bradford, Brownley, Buchanan, Caballero,
Charles Calderon, Carter, Chesbro, Coto, Davis, De La
Torre, De Leon, Eng, Evans, Feuer, Fletcher, Fong,
Fuentes, Furutani, Galgiani, Gilmore, Hall, Hayashi,
Hernandez, Hill, Huber, Huffman, Jones, Bonnie Lowenthal,
Ma, Mendoza, Monning, Nava, Nestande, V. Manuel Perez,
Portantino, Ruskin, Salas, Saldana, Skinner, Solorio,
Swanson, Torlakson, Torres, Torrico, Villines, Yamada,
John A. Perez
NOES: Adams, Anderson, Cook, DeVore, Emmerson, Fuller,
Gaines, Garrick, Hagman, Harkey, Jeffries, Knight, Logue,
Miller, Niello, Nielsen, Norby, Silva, Smyth, Tran
NO VOTE RECORDED: Bill Berryhill, Tom Berryhill, Conway,
Lieu, Audra Strickland, Vacancy
CTW:mw 8/17/10 Senate Floor Analyses
SUPPORT/OPPOSITION: SEE ABOVE
**** END ****