BILL ANALYSIS Ó
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THIRD READING
Bill No: AB 2328
Author: John A. Pérez (D)
Amended: 8/19/14 in Senate
Vote: 21
SENATE GOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATION COMMITTEE : 10-0, 06/24/14
AYES: Correa, Berryhill, Cannella, De León, Galgiani, Hernandez,
Lieu, Padilla, Torres, Vidak
SENATE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE : 5-0, 8/14/14
AYES: De León, Hill, Lara, Padilla, Steinberg
NO VOTE RECORDED: Walters, Gaines
ASSEMBLY FLOOR : 76-0, 5/27/14 - See last page for vote
SUBJECT : California AmeriCorps
SOURCE : Author
DIGEST : This bill establishes California AmeriCorps to be
administered by California Volunteers, within the Governors
Office, and operated under existing federal AmeriCorps program
guidelines.
ANALYSIS : Existing law, by Executive Order S-24-06,
establishes California Volunteers with the specific mission to
recruit and mobilize citizens for volunteer service by
identifying service opportunities throughout the state and by
recognizing citizen contributions as volunteers and participants
in public service.
CONTINUED
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This bill:
1.Establishes California AmeriCorps to be administered by
California Volunteers, and operated under the existing federal
AmeriCorps program guidelines.
2.Specifies that members of California AmeriCorps shall be
determined through an application process based on existing
qualifications for AmeriCorps members as well as all of the
following requirements: (a) minimum age of 21; (b) proof of
California residency; (c) completion of an associate or a
baccalaureate degree; and (d) proof of incurred student loan
debt.
3.Allows local agencies to apply individually, in partnership
with a nonprofit entity, or with a local agency partner,
through a competitive request for proposal process, to host
one or more California AmeriCorps members to implement various
programs.
4.Authorizes California Volunteers to solicit and accept private
funding, as specified, to help supplement the costs of
California AmeriCorps. Specifies that no General Fund monies
may be used to fund California AmeriCorps.
Background
California Volunteers duties and responsibilities :
Recruiting and mobilizing citizens for volunteer service by
identifying service opportunities throughout the state and by
recognizing citizens for the contributions they make as
volunteers and participants in public service programs;
Serving as the state's lead agency for community service and
volunteerism, informing the public of the value of and need
for greater community service and volunteerism in California,
calling upon all Californians to become involved, and
challenging public and private institutions to create and
support community service and volunteer opportunities; and
Partnering with other public agencies at the state, county,
and local levels, and the private and nonprofit sectors to
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leverage greater resources and create more opportunities for
service and volunteerism.
AmeriCorps . Is a national network of hundreds of programs
throughout the United States that engage Americans in intensive
service each year at nonprofits, schools, public agencies, and
community and faith-based groups. 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 10-12 months. Members receive a $7,400
stipend and are eligible for an education award (up to $4,725)
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.
AmeriCorps operates under the Corporation for National and
Community Service, which received about $1 billion in funding
from Congress in 2013, supplemented by $480 million in outside
funding and donations. Individual states can receive financial
support for their own AmeriCorps programs, which California does
through California Volunteers.
Comments
According to the author's office, this bill establishes
California AmeriCorps to be administered by California
Volunteers and operated under the existing federal AmeriCorps
program guidelines. California AmeriCorps members will be
determined through an application process and will have certain
eligibility requirements (e.g., state residency, proof of
incurred student loan debt and completion of a degree). Local
entities will compete to host service members through a request
for proposal (RFP) process. The purpose of California
AmeriCorps will be to assist local governments in implementing
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priorities detailed in the RFP.
FISCAL EFFECT : Appropriation: No Fiscal Com.: Yes
Local: No
According to the Senate Appropriations Committee:
Approximately $180,000 annually for administrative costs
(General Fund).
Program costs in the range of $2 million - $4 million
dependent on the number of participants (Various*).
* The total amount of program costs for stipends and education
awards will be dependent on the number of members and grantees
participating in the program. It is anticipated that the
money will come from a combination of private sources, federal
funds, and a local grantee match. California Volunteers
estimates the need for 2.2 personnel years to implement and
administer the program for an estimated 150 members.
SUPPORT : (Verified 8/14/14)
Bay Area Community Resources
California Special Districts Association
California State Association of Counties
Cities of Beaumont, Oakland, and Sacramento
City Year
Corporation for National and Community Service
Counties of Los Angeles and Santa Clara
League of California Cities
Rural County Representatives of California
The Honorable Edwin Lee, Mayor of San Francisco
ARGUMENTS IN SUPPORT : Proponents state that the current
AmeriCorps operation in California is very successful, but
funding limits capacity and there is significant competition in
the application process. Proponents point out that in 2013,
California Volunteers administered 4,000 federally-funded
members that came from an applicant pool of over 17,000. An
additional 7,000 national members were placed in California due
to proportional allocation. Proponents emphasize that the
future prosperity of the state depends upon the economic
viability of younger generations and California AmeriCorps
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addresses this challenge, while also providing a strong public
service experience.
ASSEMBLY FLOOR : 76-0, 5/27/14
AYES: Achadjian, Alejo, Allen, Ammiano, Bigelow, Bloom,
Bocanegra, Bonilla, Bonta, Bradford, Brown, Buchanan, Ian
Calderon, Campos, Chau, Chávez, Chesbro, Conway, Cooley,
Dababneh, Dahle, Daly, Dickinson, Eggman, Fong, Fox, Frazier,
Beth Gaines, Garcia, Gatto, Gomez, Gonzalez, Gordon, Gorell,
Gray, Grove, Hagman, Hall, Harkey, Roger Hernández, Holden,
Jones, Jones-Sawyer, Levine, Linder, Logue, Lowenthal,
Maienschein, Mansoor, Medina, Melendez, Mullin, Muratsuchi,
Nazarian, Nestande, Olsen, Pan, Perea, John A. Pérez, V.
Manuel Pérez, Quirk, Rendon, Ridley-Thomas, Rodriguez, Salas,
Skinner, Stone, Ting, Wagner, Waldron, Weber, Wieckowski,
Wilk, Williams, Yamada, Atkins
NO VOTE RECORDED: Donnelly, Patterson, Quirk-Silva, Vacancy
MW:nl 8/18/14 Senate Floor Analyses
SUPPORT/OPPOSITION: SEE ABOVE
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