BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    



                                                                  SB 309
                                                                  Page  1

          Date of Hearing:   July 1, 2009

                        ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
                                Kevin De Leon, Chair

                   SB 309 (Ducheny) - As Amended:  April 14, 2009 

          Policy Committee:                              Natural  
          ResourcesVote:7-2

          Urgency:     No                   State Mandated Local Program:  
          No     Reimbursable:              No

           SUMMARY  

          This bill would give preference to emancipated foster youth and  
          "at-risk" youth for membership in the California Conservation  
          Corps (CCC).

           FISCAL EFFECT  

          Negligible costs, if any.

           COMMENTS 

           1)Rationale  .  According to the author, the law should explicitly  
            direct CCC to prefer at-risk youth and emancipated foster  
            youth when considering membership in the corps.

           2)Background.   

              a)   California Conservation Corps.   The CCC is a work,  
               service, and training program for young adults (ages 18 to  
               25), engaging in natural resource conservation and public  
               service as a means for personal growth.  CCC members  
               perform a variety of outdoor work, including landscaping,  
               trail building, tree planting, brush clearing, wildlife  
               habitat improvement, flood prevention, and natural disaster  
               response.  Modeled after the Civilian Conservation  
               established by President Roosevelt in 1933, the CCC was  
               created in 1976 and hires over 3,000 members annually.  The  
               CCC is a state agency and distinct from the community  
               conservation corps that perform similar functions to CCC at  
               the local level.









                                                                  SB 309
                                                                  Page  2

               CCC membership historically has included youth consider at  
               risk.  However, current law provides no explicit preference  
               for such youth being considered for CCC membership.

              b)   Emancipated Foster Youth Oftentimes "At Risk".    
               According to a 2007 study by the Children's Advocacy  
               Institute at the University of San Diego, as cited by the  
               policy committee analysis, 65% of foster youth emancipate  
               without a place to live, less than three percent go to  
               college, and 51% are unemployed.  The study also found that  
               current programs for emancipating foster youth are  
               fragmented, under funded, fail to provide comprehensive  
               assistance, and do not reach a significant number of former  
               foster youth.
           
          Analysis Prepared by  :    Jay Dickenson / APPR. / (916) 319-2081