BILL ANALYSIS �
AB 254
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Date of Hearing: January 19, 2012
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
Felipe Fuentes, Chair
AB 254 (Beall) - As Amended: January 4, 2012
Policy Committee: Human
ServicesVote:4 - 2
Urgency: No State Mandated Local Program:
No Reimbursable:
SUMMARY
This bill requires Regional Centers (RCs), under the
jurisdiction of the California Department of Developmental
Services (DDS), to use an employment first policy defined in the
bill for Individual Program Planning (IPP) for consumers 14
years and older. Specifically, this bill:
1)States that it is the policy of the state that integrated,
competitive employment is the priority outcome for working-age
individuals with developmental disabilities.
2)Requires RCs be guided by the employment first policy when
developing individual program plans for transition-age youth
and working-age adults.
3)Requires RCs to ensure that, beginning at age 14, consumers
and their parents or legal guardians be provided with the
employment first policy, options for integrated employment,
and services and supports that enable consumers to transition
from school to work.
FISCAL EFFECT
1)Unknown costs, potentially in excess of a few hundred thousand
dollars, for DDS to include school-to-work plans in IPPs for
consumers between the ages of 14 and 16 years old. Under
current, law local educational agencies are responsible for
developing that portion of the IPP, in conjunction with RCs,
for school-age consumers who are 16 and older.
2)Unknown, potentially significant costs, to the extent this
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bill broadens the entitlement contained in the Lanterman
Developmental Disabilities Services Act (Lanterman Act) to
include an entitlement that all working-age consumers receive
a prevailing wage job. This could cause significant increases
in supportive and supplemental employment programs and job
training programs, particularly during periods of high
unemployment. These costs could be partially offset by
shifting consumers from other day programs to
employment-related programs and if more consumers become
employed in non-subsidized jobs.
3)Unknown costs, likely in excess of $100,000, should DDS decide
to revise their data collection to include data on the number
of consumers with prevailing wage jobs, ethnicity, and level
of disability. DDS does not currently collect this
information.
COMMENTS
1)Rationale . The purpose of this bill is to help further the
goals of the Lanterman Act, which requires that services and
support be available for people with developmental
disabilities that allows them to approximate a pattern of
everyday life that is available to people without
disabilities. The author argues that competitive employment
for working-age adults is a key component of everyday life.
2)California's Developmental Services System annually assists
approximately 250,000 individuals with developmental
disabilities and their families through a statewide system of
21 regional centers. Of the $4.7 billion ($2.7 billion GF)
proposed for the 2012-13 budget year, $4 billion ($2.3 billion
GF) is for services provided through the regional centers. The
system employs 90,000 workers. Almost 99% of consumers receive
community-based services and live with their parents or other
relatives, in their own homes or apartments, or in group homes
designed to meet their medical and behavioral needs.
In addition, the state's four Developmental Centers (Fairview,
Lanterman, Porterville, and Sonoma) and one smaller, community
facility (Canyon Springs) provide 24-hour care to about 1,700
individuals with developmental disabilities. The DCs provide a
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full range of care, including medical and recreational
services.
3)Special Education and Employment Services . Under the federal
Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, every special
education student is entitled to an IEP, which is reviewed
periodically between school district officials and a student's
parents. This bill will increase the participation of both the
RCs and schools in IEPs for DDS consumers.
DDS consumers work in a variety of settings. Those requiring
supported employment settings may participate in the
Habilitation Services Program which consists of the Work
Activity Program (WEP) and Supported Employment Program
(SEP). The WEP services are reimbursed at a daily per capita
rate and provide a sheltered work environment. Consumers
participating in SEP work in the community with support
services provided by community rehabilitation programs.
4)Related Legislation .
a) AB 287 (Beall; Chapter 231, Statutes of 2009)
established the Employment First Committee as a standing
committee of the State Council on Developmental
Disabilities to identify strategies and best practices for
significantly increasing the numbers of people with
developmental disabilities in competitive integrated
employment and the number who earn wages at or above
minimum wage.
b) AB 2424 (Beall), 2008 would have established an
employment first policy. Unlike this bill, AB 2424 also
made significant changes to the IPP process and imposed
responsibilities on regional centers and DDS related to the
development of materials, the provision of information, and
the conduct of IPP meetings. AB 2424 also addressed
non-employment-related integrated activities. AB 2424 was
held in the Senate Appropriations Committee.
Analysis Prepared by : Julie Salley-Gray / APPR. / (916)
319-2081
AB 254
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