BILL ANALYSIS
SB 309
Page 1
SENATE THIRD READING
SB 309 (Ducheny)
As Amended April 14, 2009
Majority vote
SENATE VOTE :25-6
NATURAL RESOURCES 7-2 APPROPRIATIONS 14-1
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|Ayes:|Skinner, Gilmore, |Ayes:|De Leon, Nielsen, |
| |Brownley, Chesbro, De | |Ammiano, Coto, Davis, |
| |Leon, Hill, Huffman | |Duvall, Fuentes, Hall, |
| | | |Harkey, John A. Perez, |
| | | |Skinner, Solorio, Audra |
| | | |Strickland, Torlakskon |
| | | | |
|-----+--------------------------+-----+--------------------------|
|Nays:|Knight, Logue |Nays:|Miller |
| | | | |
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SUMMARY : Gives preference for membership to the California
Conservation Corps (CCC) to emancipated foster and at-risk
youth.
EXISTING LAW:
1)Existing law establishes the CCC, which provides training to
CCC members in areas including, but not limited to, carrying
out conservation projects on environmentally important lands
and waters, public works projects, emergency operations, fire
prevention, and restoration.
2)Requires projects to be directed toward providing
opportunities to the public for their education or the use of
these natural resources and environmentally important public
lands and waters, while at the same time providing young men
and women with an opportunity for personal development in a
variety of basic skills.
3)Requires CCC members to be selected for participation on the
basis of motivation for hard work, personal development, and
public service without regard to their prior employment or
educational background.
SB 309
Page 2
FISCAL EFFECT : According to the Assembly Appropriations
Committee, negligible costs, if any.
COMMENTS : The CCC is a work, service, and training program for
young adults (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 clearance,
wildlife habitat improvement, flood prevention, and respond to
natural disasters. Modeled after the Civilian Conservation CCC
established by President Franklin Roosevelt in 1933, the CCC was
created in 1976 and hires over 3,000 members annually.
While CCC membership has historically included youth consider
"at-risk", the author believes that the statute should be
explicit in this regard, and that emancipated foster youth
(e.g., foster youth discharged from the foster care system)
should enjoy the same preference. According to a 2007 study by
the Children's Advocacy Institute at the University of San
Diego, 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 and under-funded, fail to provide
comprehensive assistance and services, and do not reach a
significant number of former foster youth in a meaningful way.
Analysis Prepared by : Dan Chia / NAT. RES. / (916) 319-2092
FN: 0001744