2014 State Legislation
Priority legislation being considered by California’s legislature identified for its impact to the clients, staff and communities of Crittenton.
AB 1441 (Stone) Pupils in foster care: transfers between schools: educational record: course credit (Died in Committee)
Clarifies procedures for the transfer of students in foster care between schools by requiring the education agency from which the student is transferring to complete the education record and determine credits earned for completed coursework. Specifically requires the local education agency to award credit for a course in proportion to the period of time the pupil was enrolled and achieving a passing grade. Also requires a local education agency to accept coursework for which a student in foster care received a passing grade while attending another school, and would prohibit an educational agency from requiring a student to retake a course if they have received a passing grade and completed the entire course in another school. At a regularly scheduled public hearing, each local educational agency, would be required to adopt a policy establishing a method to award partial credit to children in foster care transferring between schools.
Position: Support
AB 1454 (Calderon) Care facilities: regulatory visits
Would require community care facilities, residential care facilities, child day care centers and family day care homes to be subject to an annual unannounced visit by the Department of Social Services. Under other specified circumstances, more frequent unannounced visits would be required.
Position: Following
AB 1502 (Mullin) CalWORKS: Family Unity Act of 2015
Clarifies eligibility guidelines for families receiving CalWORKS, that a child is deprived of parental support or care, and is therefore eligible to receive assistance, due to the unemployment, underemployment, or low wages of parent, provided that the family does not exceed the applicable gross or net income limits. Would also exempt nonparent caretaker relatives responsible for caring for a dependent or ward of the juvenile court from participating in the welfare-to-work requirement, if necessary circumstances are present.
Position: Following
AB 1579 (Stone) Cal WORKS: pregnant mothers
Extends CalWORKS eligibility to qualified low-income pregnant women, beginning the month after which verification information is submitted regarding her pregnancy to the county.
Position: Support
Crittenton’sAB 1579 Support Letter to the author
AB 1718 (Wagner) Disorderly Conduct: prostitution (Died in Committee)
Revises punishment for individuals who solicits, agrees to engage or engages in any act of prostitution with a minor. Would make the offense punishable by time in county jail and a fine, and in cases where the victim is a minor, would make that offense punishable by an extended period in state prison, a fine and when the victim is a minor under age 16, requires the purchaser to register as a sex offender.
Position: Support
AB 1761 (Hall) Dependent children: placement
Clarifies that when a minor is removed from their parent’s custody, they may be placed with a relative or non-related extended family member (NREFM) while in temporary custody pending a detention hearing.
Position: Support
AB 1790 (Dickinson) Foster Children: mental health services
Requires the state’s Department of Social Services to convene a stakeholder group that will identify barriers to mental health providers specializing in permanency and adoption issues within the child welfare framework.
Position: Following
AB 1882 (Cooley) CalWORKS: Relative Caregivers
Requires a county mental health plan to prioritize referrals of pre- and postadoptive or guardianship families for specialty mental health services that are adoption and permanency competent. Requires the county mental health plan to attempt to ensure that an adequate number of adoption and permanency competent specialty mental health providers are available to meet the needs of the children.
Position: Following
AB 2035 (Chesbro) Sexually exploited and trafficked minors
Authorizes a child who has been sexually exploited, or who has participated in survival sex, to come under the jurisdiction of child welfare to receive specialized services. Further outlines the training requirements for foster agencies, group homes and relative caregivers who may be in contact with this population.
Position: Support
AB 2111 (Ammiano) Child Development Services: Pregnant and Parenting Teens: Cal-SAFE (Died in Committee)
Recasts the Cal-SAFE program, specifying that a Cal-SAFE program may provide for any or all of the supportive services for teen parents or any early learning and educational support program for the children of the teen parents. Authorizes education to participate in the program and authorizes funds to be appropriated.
Position: Following
AB 2583 (Dababneh) Foster Parent Evaluations (Died in Committee)
Requires the State Dept. Of Social Services to develop, implement and deliver a foster parent evaluation process. This evaluation would allow foster youth over 12 years old and non-minor dpendents to provide feedback on the quality of care they receive in foster homes and group homes once a year, and upon their exit of that placement. Also requires the evaluation process to include the development of an evaluation tool in partnership with current and former foster youth and their caregivers.
Position: Following
AB 2607 (Skinner) Juveniles: detention
Provides additional clarification for youth who are in both the juvenile justice and child welfare systems simultaneously (“crossover youth”) and extends protections for crossover non-minor dependents. Tries to ensure that youth will not be held in detention facilities, or jails, longer than was prescribed by the charges.
Position: Following
AB 2668 (Quirk-Silva) Foster Care: Non-minor Dependent Parents
Authorizes a non-minor dependent (NMD) parent living in a supervised living placement to develop a parenting support plan with a parenting mentor and representative of the county agency with jurisdiction over the NMD, submit that plan to the county agency and receive additional foster care payments to assist in the parenting of their child.
Position: Support
SB 473 (Block) Human Trafficking (Died in Committee)
Adds human trafficking to the list of criminal activities that may be used to establish a pattern of criminal gang activity and amends Proposition 21.
Position: Following
SB 738 (Yee) Sexually Exploited and Trafficked Minors (Dead)
Provides that a minor identified as a victim of human trafficking or sexual exploitation come under the jurisdiction of child welfare if the parent or guardian failed or was unable to protect the child. Enacts the State Plan to Serve and Protect Sexually Exploited Trafficked Minors and requires the California Health & Human Services Agency to convene an interagency work group to identify policies and practices to identify and serve this population.
Position: Support
Crittenton’s SB 738 Support Letter to Assembly Human Services Committee (6/27/2013)
SB 909 (Pavley) Dependent children: health screenings (Died in committee)
Allows a social worker to authorize an initial medical, dental and mental health screening of a child in custody without requiring the consent of the parent or a court order. Also adds mental health treatment to the medical and dental care that can be authorized for a dependent child.
Position: Support
SB 982 (Huff) Prostitution: minors: punishment (Died in Committee)
Makes the procurement or attempt to procure sex from a prostitute under 18 years of age a felony punishable in a county jail for 16 months, 2 or 3 years in addition to a fine.
Position: Support
Crittenton’s SB 982 Support Letter to the author’s office
SB 1023 (Liu) Community Colleges: Foster Youth
Authorizes the Chancellor’s Office of the California Community Colleges, with the Department of Social Services and county welfare agencies to provide additional funds for services for post-secondary education of foster youth. Services may include but aren’t limited to child care and transportation allowances, books and supplies, mental health services, and other services. Requires a participating student be a current or former foster youth in California whose dependency was established on or after the student’s 16th birthday and be no older than 25 years old, and taking at least 9 course credits.
Position: Support
SB 1084 (Walters) Human Trafficking (Died in Committee)
Amends the definition of human trafficking to be a serious and violent crime, thereby enhancing penalties.
Position: Neutral
SB 1085 (Walters) Human Trafficking (Died in Committee)
Makes an individual convicted of human trafficking ineligible for probation.
Position: Neutral
SB 1099 (Steinberg) Dependent Children: Sibling Visitation
Makes clarifying changes to existing child welfare code to strengthen sibling visitation provisions. Also adds language for visitation for siblings in instances where one child is in placement and their sibling is still in the care of a mutual biological parent.
Crittenton’s SB 1099 Support Letter to the author’s office