CalWORKs: postsecondary education.

Existing law establishes the California Work Opportunity and Responsibility to Kids (CalWORKs) program, under which each county provides cash assistance and other benefits to qualified low-income families using federal, state, and county funds. Under the CalWORKs program, recipients are required to participate in specified welfare-to-work activities, except for specified persons. Existing law requires that specified CalWORKs eligible individuals who are participating either full time in an educational activity or part time in an educational activity and meeting the hourly participation rates based on the number of academic units, as specified, at a publicly funded postsecondary educational institution and making satisfactory progress, as specified, receive a standard payment of $175 to $500 per semester or quarter, which may be provided, in whole or in part, in the form of a book voucher, or reimbursement for verified actual expenses for the purpose of paying costs associated with attending the postsecondary educational institution. Existing law prohibits those participants from being required to participate in job club, a required welfare-to-work activity. Existing law requires an individual who meets certain requirements and who wishes to receive supportive services to sign a welfare-to-work plan, as specified. This bill would prohibit those educational activity participants from being required to participate in orientation and appraisal more than once, except as specified, or to participate in welfare-to-work activities to satisfy instructional hours during semester or quarter breaks. The bill would also additionally authorize the CalWORKs eligible individuals who participate in a full-time or part-time educational activity at a nonprofit postsecondary educational institution to receive those standard payments. The bill would include summer session as a quarter for these purposes. The bill would instead base the hourly participation rates described above on instructional hours, as defined. The bill would also make other changes to provisions relating to an individual who wishes to receive supportive services and signs a welfare-to-work plan. By imposing a higher level of service on county employees, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. Existing law requires a recipient of CalWORKs to participate in welfare-to-work activities as a condition of eligibility, but permits a student who is enrolled in an undergraduate degree or certificate program that leads to employment to continue in that program under specified conditions. This bill would specify that this provision does not apply to students who are receiving the standard payments described above. The bill would authorize the State Department of Social Services to implement these provisions by means of all-county letters or similar written instructions until regulations are adopted. The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement. This bill would provide that, if the Commission on State Mandates determines that the bill contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement for those costs shall be made pursuant to the statutory provisions noted above. Existing law continuously appropriates moneys from the General Fund to defray a portion of county costs under the CalWORKs program. This bill would instead provide that the continuous appropriation would not be made for purposes of implementing the bill.