BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    



                                                          SB 305
                                                          Page  1

Date of Hearing:   August 18, 1999

              ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS 
                    Carole Migden, Chairwoman

           SB 305 (Vasconcellos) - As Amended: 7/7/99 

Policy Committee:                               
EducationVote:12-5

Urgency:     No                   State Mandated Local  
Program:YesReimbursable:          Yes

  SUMMARY  :

This bill requires school districts to provide parenting  
education to all students in grades 9-12.  Specifically, this  
bill: 

1)Requires all pupils in grades 9-12 to receive parenting  
  education from trained instructors beginning in 2000-01.

2)Requires juvenile court schools to provide their students with  
  parenting education.

3)Requires the Department of Health Services (DHS) to convene a  
  summit and to develop a master plan for parenting education in  
  a non-school setting by 3/1/2000.

  FISCAL EFFECT  :

1)Unknown GF (Prop 98) costs, potentially over $4 million  
  annually to school districts and juvenile court schools, to  
  provide a parenting course taught by an appropriately trained  
  teacher.  The Department of Finance notes that funding for  
  this program may be similar to the cost to provide AIDS  
  prevention instruction, which is budgeted at $4 million  
  annually.

2)To the extent that private funding is not available, there  
  would be a one-time GF (non-Prop 98) cost of $500,000 to the  
  DHS to convene a summit and develop a master plan for  
  parenting education.  The bill requires that DHS make every  
  effort to secure private funding for the summit.









                                                          SB 305
                                                          Page  2

  COMMENTS  :

  1)Purpose  . The author contends that a good start in life  
  provides an important foundation for success and  
  responsibility. 75% of all prison inmates were abused as  
  children, and inappropriate or inadequate parenting is among  
  the strongest predictors of later delinquency.

  2)Prior legislation.  SB 2138 (Vasconcellos) and SB 669  
  (Vasconcellos), of the 1997-98 session, were similar to this  
  bill, both were vetoed. AB 262 (Vasconcellos), of the 1995-96  
  session, is also similar to this bill. AB 262 failed passage  
  in the Assembly Appropriations Committee. 

  Analysis Prepared by  :    Jai Sookprasert / APPR. / (916)  
319-2081