BILL ANALYSIS �
SB 154
Page 1
SENATE THIRD READING
SB 154 (Wolk)
As Amended April 5, 2011
Majority vote
SENATE VOTE :21-17
JUDICIARY 6-4
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|Ayes:|Feuer, Atkins, Dickinson, | | |
| |Huffman, Monning, | | |
| |Wieckowski | | |
| | | | |
|-----+--------------------------+-----+--------------------------|
|Nays:|Wagner, Beth Gaines, | | |
| |Huber, Jones | | |
| | | | |
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SUMMARY : Extends indefinitely a program that allows Solano County
to increase specified fees to fund domestic violence prevention
programs. Specifically, this bill :
1)Extends indefinitely the authority of the Solano County Board of
Supervisors, upon making specified findings and declarations, to
increase fees for marriage licenses, confidential marriage
licenses, and certified copies of marriage certificates, fetal
death records, and death records by up to $2 (subject to Consumer
Price Index increases) to be used for governmental oversight and
coordination of domestic violence and family violence prevention,
intervention, and prosecution efforts.
2)Requires the Solano County Board of Supervisors to submit to the
Assembly and Senate Judiciary Committees, no later than July 1,
2014, a report about the annual amounts of funds received and
expended from fee increases in 1) and the outcomes achieved.
FISCAL EFFECT : None
COMMENTS : Over the last decade, the Legislature has authorized, on
a pilot basis, five counties to increase fees for marriage licenses
and for marriage, birth and death certificates to fund governmental
oversight and coordination of domestic violence prevention,
intervention, and prosecution programs. These programs have been
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highly successful and have led to the creation of a family justice
center (FJC) in Alameda County, a youth intervention program in the
City of Berkeley and significantly greater coordination of services
in Contra Costa County. As a result of their successes, the
Legislature, after reviewing program reports required as a condition
of the pilots, made the programs in Alameda and Contra Costa
Counties and the City of Berkeley permanent.
Originally authorized by AB 2010 (Hancock), Chapter 830, Statutes of
2004, Solano County's program to raise the fees of marriage licenses
and of certified copies of vital records to fund governmental
oversight and coordination of domestic violence prevention and
intervention was scheduled to sunset on January 1, 2010. In 2009,
SB 635 (Wiggins), Chapter 356, Statutes of 2009, extended the sunset
for an additional year, until January 1, 2011; and, last year SB
1222 (Wolk), Chapter 520, Statutes of 2009 again extended the sunset
for one more year, until January 1, 2012. This bill seeks to lift
the sunset and allow Solano County to extend the program
indefinitely.
According to the author, the fees collected by the Solano County
Board of Supervisors through this pilot program are an important
source of domestic violence program funding for the county, and are
deposited into a fund to be used for the construction of a family
justice center (FJC). The author explains that Solano County would
like to continue this effort.
Pursuant to AB 2010 (Hancock), Solano County was required to submit
a report to the Assembly and Senate Judiciary Committees by July 1,
2009, containing information regarding: 1) the annual amounts of
funds received and expended from fee increases for the purposes of
governmental oversight and coordination of domestic violence
prevention, intervention, and prosecution efforts in the county;
and, 2) outcomes achieved as a result of the activities associated
with implementation of the pilot program. Solano County's report
outlined plans for the construction and opening of an FJC, similar
to one in Alameda County.
The FJC model is designed to create a coordinated,
single-point-of-access center offering comprehensive services for
victims of domestic violence, thereby reducing the number of
locations a victim must visit in order to receive critical services.
The United States Department of Justice, through its Office on
Violence Against Women (OVW), has identified the FJC model as a best
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practice in the field of domestic violence. According to the OVW,
positive FJC outcomes include a reduction in the rate of homicide;
increased victim safety; improved offender prosecution; reduced fear
and anxiety for victims and their children; increased efficiency
among service providers through the provision of collaborative
services; and, increased community support for the provision of
services to victims and their children. (Casey Gwinn and Gael
Strack, Hope for Hurting Families: Creating Family Justice Centers
Across America (Volcano Press, 2006).)
While the establishment of an FJC is a laudable goal, the revenue
raised by Solano County, as indicated in Solano County's updated
2010 report, through the increased fees is not nearly sufficient to
fund the construction and operation of an FJC. Thus, last year the
Legislature gave the County a short, one-year sunset in order to
provide Solano County an opportunity to assess and demonstrate
whether construction of an FJC is a feasible goal, or alternatively,
what other ways the funds could be used to accomplish the laudable
purposes set forth in statute.
Since that time, Solano County has decided not to construct a new
building for its FJC and has recognized that it may be more
cost-effective to acquire existing space for the FJC. Currently,
the County is implementing a three-phase process to relocate the FJC
partners. Five staff members including social workers, a victim
empowerment coordinator, a confidential advocate and the FJC
coordinator have been relocated to new space. In July, they will
move into a new larger space within the District Attorney's office
and eight more staff members will move over. Finally, by the end of
2011 an ideal space will have been identified and acquired and will
accommodate at least 23 partners.
Since last year, Solano County has also secured additional grant
funds. In addition to the revenues generated from the vital records
fees Solano County, through the county's Office of Family Violence
and Prevention, has received three grants from the United States
Department of Justice, Office on Violence Against Women. This grant
money will be used for the FJC project.
Based on the progress made, it would appear to be appropriate to
delete the sunset provision to allow Solano County to continue its
fee authority to fund domestic violence prevention programs.
SB 154
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Analysis Prepared by : Leora Gershenzon / JUD. / (916) 319-2334
FN: 0001271