BILL ANALYSIS �
SB 803
Page 1
SENATE THIRD READING
SB 803 (DeSaulnier)
As Amended August 20, 2012
Majority vote
SENATE VOTE : 27-11
EDUCATION 7-2 REVENUE & TAXATION 7-0
-----------------------------------------------------------------
|Ayes:|Brownley, Ammiano, |Ayes:|Perea, Beall, Cedillo, |
| |Buchanan, | |Fletcher, Fuentes, |
| |Butler, Carter, Eng, | |Gordon, Nestande |
| |Williams | | |
| | | | |
|-----+--------------------------+-----+--------------------------|
|Nays:|Grove, Wagner | | |
| | | | |
-----------------------------------------------------------------
APPROPRIATIONS 12-5
-----------------------------------------------------------------
|Ayes:|Fuentes, Blumenfield, | | |
| |Bradford, Charles | | |
| |Calderon, Campos, Davis, | | |
| |Gatto, Hall, Hill, Lara, | | |
| |Mitchell, Solorio | | |
| | | | |
|-----+--------------------------+-----+--------------------------|
|Nays:|Harkey, Donnelly, | | |
| |Nielsen, Norby, Wagner | | |
| | | | |
-----------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY : Establishes the California Youth Leadership Project
(CYLP) and creates a new voluntary contribution fund (VCF)
check-off program on the personal income tax (PIT) form for
voluntary contributions to the California Youth Leadership Fund.
Specifically, this bill :
1)Establishes the California Youth Leadership Fund in the State
Treasury to receive contributions made by individuals on the
state tax return and specifies the following:
a) Requires the Franchise Tax Board (FTB) to revise the tax
return form to include a space labeled "California Youth
SB 803
Page 2
Leadership Fund." Requires the form to include in the
instructions information that the contribution may be in
the amount of $1 or more and that the contribution shall be
used to support the CYLP;
b) Specifies that a voluntary contribution designation for
the California Youth Leadership Fund shall be added on the
tax return when another voluntary contribution designation
is removed or as soon as space is available on the tax
return;
c) Requires the moneys transferred to the California Youth
Leadership Fund to be allocated to the FTB and the State
Controller for reimbursement of all costs incurred by the
agencies to administer the provisions in this bill and the
California Department of Education (CDE) to provide for the
CYLP; and,
d) Specifies that the provisions establishing the
California Youth Leadership Fund shall repeal on January 1
of the fifth taxable year following the first appearance of
the California Youth Leadership Fund on the tax return, or
on January 1 of an earlier calendar year, if the FTB
determines that the annual contribution amount will be less
than $250,000, or an adjusted amount, as specified, for
subsequent taxable years.
2)Makes findings and declarations regarding the following: a)
the needs of youth in California, particularly youths with
disabilities and disadvantaged youths, including those who are
homeless, are in foster care, juvenile justice facilities, or
on parole from those facilities; b) the limited civic
engagement opportunities for these disconnected and
disadvantaged youth; and c) that providing more of the five
developmental resources (caring adults, safe places, a healthy
start, an effective education, and opportunities to help
others) for more young people can help avoid millions of
dollars in later prison, health, and welfare costs.
3)Establishes the CYLP under the CDE for the purpose of
promoting youth civic engagement through meaningful
opportunities to improve the quality of life for California's
disconnected and disadvantaged youth.
4)Specifies that the CYLP shall support and promote youth civic
SB 803
Page 3
engagement by awarding scholarships to youths between 14 and
18 years of age. Specifies that youths awarded scholarships
shall be given the opportunity to make meaningful
recommendations regarding legislation and policies that impact
their own lives and the lives of the thousands of other youths
in California whose voices often go unheard. Authorizes an
organization that operates civic engagement programs to submit
applications for participation in the project on behalf of
interested youth.
5)Specifies that the CYLP shall allocate scholarship award funds
to organizations that submit applications on behalf of youth
who are selected to receive scholarship awards. Requires the
organizations to do all of the following:
a) Provide youth participants the tools to examine and
discuss policy and fiscal issues affecting the interests,
needs, and conditions of the youth of California;
b) Provide youth participants the opportunity to formally
advise and make recommendations to the Legislature and the
Governor on specific issues affecting youth, including, but
not limited to, education, employment, access to state and
local governmental services, the environment, behavioral
and physical health, safety, technology, criminal justice,
homelessness, foster care, child welfare, emancipation,
financial literacy, substance abuse, driver's license
requirements, poverty, increased youth participation in
state and local government, issues affecting youth with
disabilities, and any other policy or fiscal issues deemed
appropriate by the CDE;
c) Provide youth participants the opportunity to consult
with any existing local level youth advisory commissions
and community-based, grassroots youth-led organizations for
input and potential solutions on issues related to youth;
d) Provide youth participants the opportunity to convene
and conduct meetings to fulfill the purposes of the CYLP;
e) Provide youth participants the opportunity to act as an
information center on California youth policy and fiscal
issues, including, but not limited to, the issues
identified in b) above; and,
SB 803
Page 4
f) When available, enable individual youth to travel to the
State Capitol to learn the legislative process and, on
occasion, to testify at legislative hearings.
6)Requires an organization that receives a scholarship award on
behalf of youth to use the funds only for youth-related
activities pursuant to this bill.
7)Defines, for purposes of this bill, "disconnected and
disadvantaged youth" as including, but not limited to, youth
who are homeless between 18 and 24 years of age, youth with
disabilities, youth who are from minority racial or ethnic
groups, youth who are in or have been emancipated from foster
care, youth who have been in or are on parole from the
juvenile justice system, youth who are from low-income
households, youth who are high school dropouts or are at risk
of dropping out of school, youth who are pregnant or are young
mothers, and other youth who could benefit from participation
in the California Youth Leadership Project.
8)Establishes the CYLP Committee to oversee the CYLP and
distribute funds collected through the check-off program on
the income tax form.
9)Requires the CYLP Committee, in making youth scholarship
awards, to take into consideration that awarded youth
represent the racial, ethnic, socioeconomic, cultural,
physical, and educational diversity of California. Specifies
that priority for awarding scholarships shall be given to
at-risk or disadvantaged youth between the ages of 14 and 18,
as their participation in the CYLP will provide keen insight
into many of the issues that youth face in their day-to-day
lives.
10)Requires the CYLP Committee to be chaired by the
Superintendent of Public Instruction (SPI), or his or her
designee, and shall include no more than six members.
11)Requires the SPI to appoint the following four members to the
CYLP Committee:
a) A representative from a statewide nonprofit youth
organization;
b) A representative from a community-based nonprofit
SB 803
Page 5
organization that serves youth or deals with youth-related
issues, including, but not limited to, the issues described
in 5 b) above;
c) A representative of a local educational agency or school
district; and,
d) A youth between 14 and 18 years of age who has
participated in a youth leadership program involving
lobbying the Legislature on issue areas affecting youth.
Specifies that this person shall serve only in an advisory
capacity.
12)Specifies that the California Health and Human Services
Agency may also, but is not required to, appoint a member to
the CYLP Committee.
13)Specifies that to the extent possible, members of the CYLP
Committee shall have experience and be trained to work with
youth between 14 and 18 years of age on the issues described
in 5 b) above, and shall have special experience in civic
engagement, advocacy, and at least one of the following issue
areas affecting youth: crisis prevention or intervention;
drug, alcohol, and tobacco abuse prevention or intervention;
foster care; juvenile justice; homelessness; lesbian, gay,
bisexual, and transgender rights and social justice; mental
health, and youth with disabilities.
14)Specifies that the duties of the CYLP Committee shall
include, but not be limited to, all of the following:
a) Develop and provide applications for the California
Youth Leadership Project scholarship and collect
applications from youth who would like to apply;
b) Determine ways to promote the program and make
applications available;
c) Establish criteria for the selection of youth, and make
awards based on those criteria and the purposes of the
CYLP;
d) Ensure that there is no discrimination based on race,
religious creed, color, national origin, age, gender,
marital status, disability, sex, or sexual orientation;
SB 803
Page 6
e) Establish the time, location, and number of annual
meetings of the committee. Specifies that the committee
shall meet no less than once each year;
f) If necessary, enter into a mutually agreed upon
interagency agreement with the CDE to carry out
administrative duties related to the project;
g) Submit an annual budget and report to the CDE; and,
h) Determine when there are sufficient funds to support the
project. Specifies that if the committee determines that
there are insufficient funds to cover all costs, the
activities of the CYLP shall cease. Specifies that state
funds shall not be used to support the CYLP.
15)Specifies that the funds for the CYLP shall be allocated from
the California Youth Leadership Fund or from private funds
directed to the CDE and allocated to the CYLP Committee for
the purpose of funding activities of the CYLP.
16)Authorizes the CYLP to accept gifts and grants from any
source, public or private.
17)Specifies that the CYLP Committee shall have the authority to
define its program and utilize its funds in any way necessary
to carry out the duties of this bill, including, but not
limited to, partnering with nonprofit groups or state agencies
to perform various duties, as long as the program or activity
is not in violation of a state law or regulation.
FISCAL EFFECT : According to the Assembly Appropriations
Committee:
1)Based on past tax check-offs, annual revenues are expected to
be in the $300,000-$800,000 range, although some check-offs
have received less revenues.
2)The FTB estimates this bill will cost the state about $20,000
per year in lost revenues as taxpayers deduct these charitable
donations. This estimate assumes the check-off is added in
the 2012-13 fiscal year, donations meet the average amount for
the other tax check-offs and taxpayers deduct these charitable
donations at the historical rate. Revenue losses would be
similar in subsequent years.
SB 803
Page 7
3)The CDE estimates that it will cost approximately $100,000 to
administer the program established by this bill. The costs
for FTB and the State Controller are minor and absorbable.
COMMENTS : According to the author, "Young people need five key
developmental resources in order to become productive citizens:
caring adults, safe places, a healthy start, an effective
education, and opportunities to help others. Furthermore, young
people who receive more of these developmental resources fare
better than young people who receive fewer, and that those young
people are more likely to avoid violence, contribute to their
communities, and achieve high grades in school.
To meet this need, there are several programs that provide youth
leadership opportunities. This bill will make funds available
directly to the youth who participate in such programs."
This bill establishes the CYLP, funded by donations made by
California taxpayers through a new check-off program on the PIT
form. The findings and declarations in the bill focus on the
need and benefits of giving disadvantaged kids (kids who are
homeless, have disabilities, or are in foster care, juvenile
justice facilities or on parole) the opportunity to learn about
policymaking and be provided the opportunities to develop and
provide policy recommendations in a host of issue areas to the
Legislature. The bill attempts to achieve this goal through the
provision of scholarship awards.
The bill requires the CYLP to award youth scholarships to civic
engagement programs that will provide participants (scholarship
recipients) the tools to examine and discuss policy and fiscal
issues, formally advise and make recommendations to the
Legislature and the Governor on a host of issues affecting
youth, provide youth the opportunity to consult with existing
local youth advisory commissions and community-based,
grassroots, youth-led organizations, provide participants the
opportunity to convene and conduct meetings, provide youth with
the opportunity to act as an information center on California
youth policy and fiscal issues, and when available, enable
participants to travel to the State Capitol to learn the
legislative process and testify at legislative hearings.
The bill establishes the California Youth Leadership Fund and
creates a new PIT check-off program whereby taxpayers can make
SB 803
Page 8
donations for the CYLP for a five year period, when an existing
VCF sunsets or when there is room on the form. There are
currently 18 VCFs on the PIT form.
This bill is similar to AB 233 (Hall), pending on the Governor's
desk, which establishes the California YMCA Youth and Government
Fund on the PIT form and allocates $300,000 to the California
YMCA Youth and Government Board of Directors to award nonprofit
civic youth organizations a grant of up to $10,000 each in order
to operate civic education and mock legislative programs.
Analysis Prepared by : Sophia Kwong Kim / ED. / (916) 319-2087
FN:
0005198