BILL ANALYSIS Ó
AB 2328
Page 1
Date of Hearing: April 9, 2014
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON ACCOUNTABILITY AND ADMINISTRATIVE REVIEW
Jim Frazier, Chair
AB 2328 (John A. Pérez) - As Introduced: February 21, 2014
SUBJECT : California Service Corps
SUMMARY : Establishes the California Service Corps (CSC) in
state government. Specifically, this bill :
1)Creates the CSC to be administered by CaliforniaVolunteers
(Cal Volunteers), an entity in the Governor's Office
established by Executive Order S-24-06.
2)Requires the CSC to operate under the existing federal
AmeriCorps guidelines.
3)Specifies that members of the CSC must be determined through
an application process and establishes eligibility criteria
based on the existing qualifications for AmeriCorps and all of
the following:
a) The applicant must have an associate or a bachelor's
degree;
b) The applicant must provide proof of incurred student
loan debt;
c) The applicant must be 21 years of age or older; and,
d) The applicant must provide proof of two or more years of
continuous California residency.
4)Permits local governments to apply to Cal Volunteers to host
CSC members through a competitive request for proposal (RFP)
process.
5)Declares the purpose of the CSC is to assist local governments
in implementing priorities described in the RFP.
6)Allows Cal Volunteers to solicit and accept private funding
from a variety of sources to help supplement the costs of the
CSC.
EXISTING LAW establishes Cal Volunteers in the Governor's Office
to manage programs and initiatives for service and volunteerism.
AB 2328
Page 2
FISCAL EFFECT : Unknown
COMMENTS : AmeriCorps is a national network of hundreds of
programs throughout the US that engage Americans in intensive
service each year at nonprofits, schools, public agencies, and
community and faith-based groups across the country. AmeriCorps
consists of three main programs: AmeriCorps State and National,
whose members serve with national and local nonprofit and
community groups; AmeriCorps Volunteers in Service to America,
through which members serve full time fighting poverty; and
AmeriCorps National Civilian Community Corps, a team-based
residential program for young adults ages 18-24 who carry out
projects in public safety, the environment, youth development,
and disaster relief and preparedness.
AmeriCorps service assignments may be part time or full time and
generally range from ten to 12 months. Members receive a $7,400
stipend and are eligible for an education award that can be used
to pay for college or pay back student loans. To be eligible
for a position with AmeriCorps, qualification guidelines focus
on several factors, including citizenship, age, work experience,
and education. Additional qualifications may vary depending on
the particular program.
Individual states can receive financial support for their own
AmeriCorps programs, which California does through Cal
Volunteers. Cal Volunteers was established by Executive Order
S-24-06 with the specific mission to recruit and mobilize
citizens for volunteer service by identifying service
opportunities throughout California and by recognizing citizen
contributions as volunteers and participants in public service.
This bill tasks Cal Volunteers with administering the CSC.
The author notes that the current AmeriCorps operation in
California is widely successful, but funding limits capacity and
there is significant competition in the application process.
This bill requires the CSC to operate similarly to AmeriCorps
and establishes additional eligibility requirements for
applicants, including completion of a degree, proof of incurred
student loan debt, and state residency. The author states that
this bill will ensure that members of the CSC provide community
support to local governments seeking to implement various public
service priorities identified in an RFP process.
REGISTERED SUPPORT / OPPOSITION :
AB 2328
Page 3
Support
Bay Area Community Resources
California Special Districts Association
California State Association of Counties
City of Oakland
City of Sacramento
City Year
Corporation for National and Community Service
League of California Cities
Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors
Rural County Representatives of California
Opposition
None on file.
Analysis Prepared by : Cassie Royce / A. & A.R. / (916)
319-3600