BILL ANALYSIS �
SB 996
Page 1
SENATE THIRD READING
SB 996 (Evans)
As Amended March 18, 2014
Majority vote
SENATE VOTE :34-0
HUMAN SERVICES 6-0 JUDICIARY 9-0
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|Ayes:|Stone, Maienschein, |Ayes:|Wieckowski, Wagner, |
| |Ammiano, | |Alejo, Chau, Dickinson, |
| |Ian Calderon, Garcia, | |Garcia, Maienschein, |
| |Lowenthal | |Muratsuchi, Stone |
| | | | |
|-----+--------------------------+-----+--------------------------|
| | | | |
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APPROPRIATIONS 17-0
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|Ayes:|Gatto, Bigelow, | | |
| |Bocanegra, Bradford, Ian | | |
| |Calderon, Campos, | | |
| |Donnelly, Eggman, Gomez, | | |
| |Holden, Jones, Linder, | | |
| |Pan, Quirk, | | |
| |Ridley-Thomas, Wagner, | | |
| |Weber | | |
|-----+--------------------------+-----+--------------------------|
| | | | |
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SUMMARY : Requires specific information to be provided to minors
and nonminors in foster care and recasts and revises the Welfare
and Institutions Code (WIC) Section 391 regarding the
termination of a minor or nonminor's dependency jurisdiction.
Specifically, this bill :
1)Requires a county welfare agency (CWA), at a dependent child's
first regularly scheduled court hearing after he or she turns
16 years of age, to submit a report verifying that the
following information, documents, and services have been
provided to the minor:
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a) Social security card;
b) Certified copy of the birth certificate;
c) Driver's license, as specified;
d) Assistance in obtaining employment;
e) Assistance in preparing and applying for admission to a
postsecondary educational institution or vocational
training program;
f) Information notifying the minor of his or her right to
be granted preference for a student assistant or internship
position with state agencies; and
g) Information notifying the minor of any financial
literacy programs or other available resources provided
through the county or other community organizations to help
the youth obtain financial literacy skills, including, but
not limited to, banking, credit card debt, student loan
debt, credit scores, credit history, and personal savings.
2)Reorganizes the requirements for the termination of a
nonminor's dependency jurisdiction.
FISCAL EFFECT : According to the Assembly Appropriations
Committee:
1)Potential first-year increased state General Fund (GF) costs
(non-reimbursable) of approximately $600,000 to the extent the
provisions of this bill result in increased county social
worker workload in the first year of implementation.
2)On-going annual net GF costs of at least $400,000 for the
workload associated with providing all 16-year old foster
youth with the required information. That workload would be
partially offset by the workload savings associated with
providing less information to foster youth who are 17 and
older and have already received their required documents.
COMMENTS : According to the California Child Welfare Indicators
Project (CCWIP), which is a collaborative data collection and
dissemination system operated between the University of
California at Berkeley (UCB) and DSS, between 6,000 and 7,000
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youth between the ages of 16 and 21 have exited the state's CWS
system each year over the past three years. Unfortunately, the
outcomes for foster youth are bleak. A November 2011,
University of Pennsylvania's School of Social Policy and
Practice study of young adult outcomes of youth who aged out of
or otherwise exited Los Angeles County's child welfare
supervised foster care system and/or juvenile probation system
found that:
1)Twenty-five percent of former foster youth were incarcerated
by the age of 20;
2)Sixty-five percent leave foster care without a place to live,
and 27% of the homeless population spent time in foster care;
3)Although half complete some college, less than one in ten
former foster youth obtain a degree; and
4)During the four years after leaving foster care more than half
of the youth have no earnings, and those who do average an
income of only $7,500 per year.
When foster youth emancipate from the CWS system, they are often
not provided access to all of the information they would
otherwise need as adults who had not been in the system, such as
health and educational records. Whereas many children's parents
maintain their child's health and educational records and
provide guidance as to how and when to utilize these records,
foster youth do not have that regular parental support. Rather,
they are faced with having to act as both parent and child for
themselves when it comes to important records.
In an effort to ensure former foster youth are better prepared
to face the challenges of adulthood, the Legislature has passed
a number of laws which require that specified information,
documents, and services are available to foster youth prior to
emancipation from the dependency system, which traditionally
occurs at 18 years of age. AB 686 (Aroner), Chapter 911,
Statutes of 2000, required the county child welfare department
to verify to the court that it has provided specified
information and services, including the social security card,
certified birth certificate, identification card, death
certificate of parent or parents, and proof of citizenship or
residence to the dependent prior to termination of the court's
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jurisdiction, and authorizes the court to continue jurisdiction
if the information is not provided, under certain circumstances.
That bill also required that a dependent receive assistance in
completing an application for Medi-Cal or other health
insurance, assistance in securing housing, and assistance in
obtaining employment or other financial support prior to
emancipation.
Stating the need for this bill, the author writes:
Under current law, when a foster youth ages out of the
system, the County Welfare Agency is required to
provide a designated list of documents, information
and services to youth to equip them for independence.
This information is required to be given at his or her
dependency termination proceedings, which prior to the
California Fostering Connections to Success Act (AB 12
(Beall), Chapter 559, Statutes of 2010), was generally
at age 18, but now occurs for many at age 21.
While many of their non-foster peers face the typical
challenges of adulthood with the help of parents or
guardians, foster youth are expected to tackle these
trials on their own. Prior to transitioning out of
care, many youth will seek employment, college or
vocational education, and other activities that
require access to personal documents.
To ensure the greatest opportunity for success, these
documents must be provided to youth at an earlier age
to better support their endeavors to find a job, or
enroll in higher education, and allow a successful
transition to independence.
Analysis Prepared by : Chris Reefe / HUM. S. / (916) 319-2089
FN: 0004961