BILL ANALYSIS �
SENATE COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION
Carol Liu, Chair
2013-2014 Regular Session
BILL NO: AB 1518
AUTHOR: Eggman
AMENDED: May 23, 2014
FISCAL COMM: No HEARING DATE: June 18, 2014
URGENCY: No CONSULTANT:Lenin Del Castillo
NOTE : This bill has been referred to the Committees on
Education and
Veterans Affairs. A "do pass" motion should include
referral to the Committee
on Veterans Affairs.
SUBJECT : Military: National Guard: youth challenge
program.
SUMMARY
This bill would codify the authority in federal law for the
existing California National Guard Youth ChalleNGe Program
and specify certain geographic areas to be served, subject
to the availability of funding.
BACKGROUND
Existing law authorizes the Secretary of Defense to use the
California National Guard to conduct a civilian youth
opportunities program-the National Guard Youth ChalleNGe
Program, which shall consist of at least a 22 week
residential program and a 12 month post-residential
mentoring period. (� 509 of Title 32 of the United States
Code)
Existing law also provides that the Adjutant General of the
California National Guard may enter into a cooperative
agreement with the governing board of a school district or
a county office of education for the purpose of
establishing, pursuant to existing authority in the
Education Code, a military academy to be operated as a
charter school or as one of the existing alternative
education options available under the Education Code. The
program would provide a structured, disciplined environment
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that would be conducive to learning in a college
preparatory environment. In addition to academic skills,
students would develop leadership, self-esteem, and a
strong sense of community. An academy established pursuant
to this section shall comply with the Education Code.
Additionally, existing law provides that a new California
National Guard Youth Program, except for the California
Cadet Corps, may only be established as provided in this
section if funds are appropriated for purposes of the
program in the annual Budget Act or any other act.
(Military and Veterans Code � 532)
ANALYSIS
This bill codifies the authority in federal law for the
California National Guard Youth ChalleNGe Program.
Specifically, this bill:
1) Requires the Adjutant General to conduct a civilian
youth opportunities program, to be known as the
"National Guard Youth ChalleNGe Program," which shall
consist of at least a 22 week residential program and
a 12 month post-residential mentoring period, and
subject to funds appropriated for this purpose in the
annual budget.
2) Provides that the program shall serve at risk teens in
areas of the state, including, but not limited to, the
San Joaquin Valley and Northern California, and shall
be subject to all of the following:
a) The program shall seek to improve
life skills and employment potential of
participants by providing military-based
leadership development, promoting fellowship and
community service, developing life-coping skills
and job skills, improving physical fitness,
providing health and hygiene training, and
assisting participants to receive a high school
diploma or its equivalent.
b) The Adjutant General may accept
federal funding to implement the program and may
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appoint a director and other service members and
employees, permanent or temporary, to operate the
program.
c) The Military Department shall
enter into a memorandum of agreement with an
appropriate school district or a county office of
education for the purpose of providing
educational services for students enrolled in a
program. The school district or county office of
education with which the department contracts
shall be responsible for ensuring compliance with
any applicable requirements imposed by the
Education Code.
3) Requires that a new program, except for the California
Cadet Corps, may only be established if funds are
appropriated for that purpose in the annual Budget Act
or any other act.
STAFF COMMENTS
1) Need for the bill . According to the author's office,
there are two National Guard Youth Challenge programs
in California-one in Los Alamitos and the other in San
Luis Obispo. The programs are successful, serving
approximately 800 students per year. However, demand
for these programs is high with half of their 1,600
annual applicants being turned away each year.
Additionally, the programs serve students from all
over the state and many parents and students prefer
not to be distant from one another.
The author's office also indicates the high school
dropout rate in San Joaquin County has regularly
exceeded the statewide average of 13.1 percent. There
is a strong correlation between dropout rates and
violent crime, and San Joaquin County also leads the
state's other counties in youth and young adult
homicides, with a per capita rate nearly three times
California's overall rate. Adding another program
could help prevent future dropouts. In 2012, the RAND
Corporation published, A Cost-Benefit Analysis of the
National Guard Youth ChalleNGe Program and determined
that the program is extremely cost effective, with a
return on investment of $2.66 for every dollar spent.
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2) National Guard Youth ChalleNGe Program . This program
is currently authorized and funded through the
Department of Defense. It is an intensive residential
and mentoring program for high school dropouts ages
16-18. The program currently operates in 27 states as
well as Puerto Rico and is designed to prevent at-risk
youth from dropping out of high school. Program
participants, called cadets, are housed together,
typically on a National Guard base or at a training
center, for the first 22 weeks of the program. During
these weeks, the program immerses cadets in a
quasi-military environment in which they focus on
discipline, academic excellence, teamwork, physical
fitness, leadership, and service to the community.
SUPPORT
California State PTA
OPPOSITION
None on file.