Department of Parks and Recreation: swimming lesson vouchers.

Existing law establishes the Natural Resources Agency, which consists of various departments, including the Department of Parks and Recreation. Existing law requires the Director of Parks and Recreation to establish the Outdoor Equity Grants Program to increase the ability of underserved and at-risk populations to participate in outdoor environmental educational experiences at state parks and other public lands where outdoor environmental education programs take place. This bill would establish the Swimming Lesson Voucher Program and require the department to administer the program, for the purpose of increasing water safety in this state by offering vouchers for swimming lessons at no cost to children 4 years of age or younger whose families have an income of no more than 200% of the federal poverty level. The bill would require the department to contract with, and establish a network of, swimming lesson vendors that accept swimming lesson vouchers offered by the program in exchange for providing swimming lessons, to verify those vendors have adequate and appropriate training to provide swimming lessons, to establish the application method and eligibility criteria for swimming lesson vouchers, as provided, to issue swimming lesson vouchers for eligible children, and to adopt rules and regulations necessary to administer the program. The bill would make implementation of these provisions contingent upon an appropriation for these purposes in the annual Budget Act or another statute.