BILL ANALYSIS �
AB 989
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ASSEMBLY THIRD READING
AB 989 (Mitchell)
As Amended May 27, 2011
Majority vote
HEALTH 15-1 HUMAN SERVICES 6-0
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|Ayes:|Monning, Ammiano, Atkins, |Ayes:|Beall, Jones, Ammiano, |
| |Bonilla, Eng, Gordon, | |Grove, Butler, Swanson |
| |Hayashi, | | |
| |Roger Hern�ndez, Bonnie | | |
| |Lowenthal, Mitchell, | | |
| |Nestande, Pan, | | |
| |V. Manuel P�rez, Smyth, | | |
| |Williams | | |
| | | | |
|-----+--------------------------+-----+--------------------------|
|Nays:|Mansoor | | |
| | | | |
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APPROPRIATIONS 12-5
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|Ayes:|Fuentes, Blumenfield, |
| |Bradford, Charles |
| |Calderon, Campos, Davis, |
| |Gatto, Hall, Hill, Lara, |
| |Mitchell, Solorio |
| | |
|-----+--------------------------|
|Nays:|Harkey, Donnelly, |
| |Nielsen, Norby, Wagner |
| | |
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SUMMARY : Requires counties to include programs that consider
the needs of transition age foster youth in their three-year
plans for funding from the Mental Health Services Act (MHSA).
FISCAL EFFECT : According to the Assembly Appropriations
Committee, negligible net state fiscal impact. Depending on how
counties interpret and apply these provisions and the extent to
which counties are currently providing services for transition
age foster youth, this bill could result in unknown potential
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cost shifts. Potential cost shifts would likely not exceed the
low millions of dollars.
COMMENTS : According to the author, transition age foster youth
between the ages of 16 and 25 suffer among the worst rates of
mental illness of any population as a result of being uniformly
abused and neglected by their parents, separated from their
siblings and grandparents, shuffled from placement to placement,
and kicked to the streets to fend for themselves when they turn
18 and age out of the system. The author notes that while the
MHSA directly references the need to fund programs that ensure
that transition age youth (TAY) ages 16-25 achieve
self-sufficiency successfully, transition age foster youth are a
subgroup of this population that warrants special treatment and
elevated priority because they have uniquely acute mental health
needs that separate them from their TAY peers.
In January 2010, the Children's Advocacy Institute (CAI), the
sponsor of this bill, released a report that reviewed whether or
not MHSA-funded programs are reaching the state's transition age
foster youth. The report notes that foster youth transitioning
out of care have unique standing among priority populations for
programs funded by MHSA for numerous reasons. Specifically, the
report finds that transition age foster youth lack parental
support to help them cope with their mental health challenges
and, as children of the state, they are owed a special moral as
well as legal obligation to ensure their emotional and mental
wellness; they are cloaked by a confidential child welfare
system that makes it difficult for them to provide input to
county officials when making local planning decisions; they
experience mental illnesses, including suicidal behavior, major
depressive disorder, and post-traumatic stress disorder, at
significantly higher rates than the general population, and,
lastly, they lack the traditional roots provided by a family
structure so they tend to move between counties as they exit the
foster care system and are unable to take advantage of county
programs that do not accept out-of-county youth.
In November 2004, voters passed MHSA or Proposition 63. MHSA
requires each county mental health department to prepare and
submit a three-year plan to the Department of Mental Health
(DMH). DMH is required to provide guidelines to counties
related to each component of the MHSA, including, among other
things, community services and support content to provide
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integrated mental health and other support services to those
whose needs are not currently met through other funding sources;
prevention and early intervention content to provide services to
avert mental health crises; and, innovative program content to
improve access to mental health care. In their three-year
plans, counties are required to include a list of all programs
for which MHSA funding is being requested that identifies how
the funds will be spent and which populations will be served.
CAI writes in support that, because transition age foster youth
have unique experiences and unique characteristics as a group,
any program attempting to address their mental health and
well-being must be equally unique, and specifically tailored to
meet these specific issues. CAI states that this bill simply
clarifies for local MHSA authorities that funding for programs
for transition age youth includes programs that address the more
acute and desperate needs of the smaller subcategory of
transition age foster youth. The California Alliance of Child
and Family Services adds that the inclusion of transitional
foster youth in county MHSA plans will ensure that this fragile
population is better able to access mental health services to
address their needs.
Analysis Prepared by : Cassie Royce / HEALTH / (916) 319-2097
FN: 0001001