BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    



                                                                  SB 2183
                                                                  Page  1

          Date of Hearing:   July 5, 2000

                        ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS 
                              Carole Migden, Chairwoman

                     SB 2183 (Soto) - As Amended:  May 26, 2000 

          Policy Committee:                             Public  
          SafetyVote:7-0

          Urgency:     No                   State Mandated Local Program:  
          No     Reimbursable:               

           SUMMARY  

          This bill:

          1)Appropriates $1.55 million (GF) to the Office of Criminal  
            Justice Planning (OCJP) for
            the first year of a three-year pilot program to expand an  
            existing child trauma reduction program operated by UCLA in  
            one high school and two junior high schools in northwest  
            Pasadena that treats youth who need post-violence and  
            post-disaster mental health services.   

          2)Expands the program from one to five school 'clusters,' two in  
            northern California and three in southern California with  
            specific sites to be selected by the project partners and  
            OCJP.

          3)Requires the LAO to conduct, or contract with another entity  
            to conduct, an evaluation in which students treated in the  
            program are compared against a control group. 

          4)Requires OCJP to provide annual reports to the Legislature.  
                        
           FISCAL EFFECT  

          1)Appropriates $1.55 million (GF) to OCJP to fund the expanded  
            program for the first year of a three-year pilot.

          2)Appropriates $150,000 (GF) to the LAO to fund an evaluation.

          3)States legislative intent that alternative funding options be  
            pursued and that no additional GF appropriation be made unless  








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            and until the required evaluation demonstrates the feasibility  
            of statewide implementation.
                       
           COMMENTS  

           1)Background  . The UCLA Trauma Psychiatry Program and OCJP have  
            operated a pilot program in northwest Pasadena for three  
            years. The program reports that students in the program have  
            realized a significant decrease in chronic post-traumatic  
            stress disorder (PTSD), increased concentration in the  
            classroom, improved grades, and less violent and disruptive  
            behavior.

            The program, based at a school cluster consisting of a high  
            school and two middle schools, conducts a school-wide  
            screening to identify traumatized youth to participate in a  
            one-semester, specialized group trauma/grief-focused  
            intervention. 

            In 1997, UCLA published a long-term treatment outcome study  
          among adolescents 
            exposed to catastrophic trauma and death. This study  
            demonstrated the effectiveness of school-based  
            trauma/grief-focused intervention in alleviating chronic  
            post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). School surveys indicate  
            that 3% to 7% of middle and high school students in high crime  
            areas have had significant exposure to violence as victims and  
            witnesses. 

           1)Concerns  .

              a)   Funding  . At the time this analysis was written, the  
               proposed 2000-01 budget bill contained $1.7 million for  
               this program expansion. If the funding remains in the  
               budget, the appropriation should be deleted from this bill.  


              b)   Noncompetitive grants  . The bill is not clear on how the  
               new sites would be selected and it is silent on who would  
               run the expanded programs. Presumably OCJP would somehow  
               select the sties and the program would be based on the UCLA  
               model. Generally, however, it is preferable to open program  
               expansion to competitive proposals. The bill should be  
               amended to require OCJP to seek competitive proposals via  
               the request-for-proposal process. 








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             c)   Evaluation  . The LAO is not the entity to conduct, or  
               contract for, the required evaluation and analysis of the  
               program. UCLA, for example, as a research institution, has  
               the experience and would be more appropriate.

              d)   Efficacy  . It is not clear whether a school-site-based  
               program serving a relatively small number of students is  
               the most effective use of resources.

              e)   Sites  . It is not clear why the proposed expansion should  
               be limited to four sites in southern California and two in  
               northern California.  Site selection should be based on  
               competitive proposals from north, south and central  
               portions of the state.




           Analysis Prepared by  :    Geoff Long / APPR. / (916)319-2081