Tribal gaming: compact ratification.

All provisions amending Welfare and Institutions Code Sections 16553, 16555, and adding Section 16551.5 were removed. These provisions had authorized participating entities in the Children's Crisis Continuum Pilot Program to substitute a comparable residential treatment component for a crisis residential program, allowed grant extensions up to July 1, 2030, and required the department to report on these changes.

The bill's short title no longer references 'Children's Crisis Continuum Pilot Program' or amendments to the Welfare and Institutions Code. It now only describes adding Section 12012.123 to the Government Code relating to tribal gaming.

Adds Section 12012.123 to the Government Code, ratifying an amendment to the tribal-state gaming compact between California and the Yuhaaviatam of San Manuel Nation executed on June 23, 2026. This introduces a completely new policy area (tribal gaming) into a bill that previously only addressed the Children's Crisis Continuum Pilot Program.

Provides that certain actions related to the amended tribal gaming compact are exempt from CEQA review in deference to tribal sovereignty, including: execution of the amendment, execution of the amended compact, intergovernmental agreements between the tribe and local governments or state agencies negotiated under the compact, and on-reservation impacts of compliance with the compact.

Declares the bill an urgency statute that takes effect immediately, citing the need to enhance economic development, stability, and self-sufficiency of the Yuhaaviatam of San Manuel Nation and protect interests of the tribe, surrounding community, and California public at the earliest possible time.

The required vote threshold changes from a simple majority to two-thirds (2/3) in each house, likely triggered by the urgency clause or the compact ratification requirement under the California Constitution.

The sponsoring legislator's name is corrected from 'Ramos' to 'Ramos Valencia.'

The bill now amends Section 16555 of the Welfare and Institutions Code in addition to Section 16553, expanding the legislative footprint of the bill.

A new interim report is required by April 1, 2027, submitted jointly by the department and DHCS to the Assembly and Senate Human Services Committees. The report must cover pilot outcomes (reduced reliance on hospitals, emergency departments, out-of-state facilities, and law enforcement), youth demographics and lengths of stay, services provided, 6-month and 12-month outcomes for safety/well-being/permanency, best practice recommendations, and a detailed explanation of why the children's crisis residential program component has not been fully established, including barriers and a plan with timelines to address them.

The provision allowing entities to substitute a comparable residential treatment component for a crisis residential program now carries specific substantive requirements: the component must provide short-term, intensive, and highly individualized services; demonstrate enhanced direct care staffing ratios, increased clinical support, and strengthened system integration; include descriptions of intensity in licensing submissions; receive departmental approval; and the entity must demonstrate the continuum remains fully integrated with the comparable component serving a functionally equivalent role to crisis residential care.

The department is now explicitly required to determine whether a proposed comparable residential treatment component satisfies the new intensity and integration requirements, giving the state a gatekeeping role over substitutions.

New Section 16551.5 authorizes the department to extend a participating entity's grant agreement upon written request, provided the entity demonstrates it has unexpended and available grant funds and that the extension is necessary to complete implementation or closeout activities.

Any approved extension is limited to the minimum time necessary to complete authorized activities and expend remaining funds, and no extended grant may continue beyond July 1, 2030.

A participating entity that does not request an extension or has fully expended its grant funds is not required to continue operating the pilot program beyond its original grant agreement end date, except for reporting, audit, record retention, and other closeout requirements.