Existing law, the California Fostering Connections to Success Act, revises and expands the scope of various programs relating to cash assistance and other services to and for the benefit of certain foster and adopted children, and other children who have been placed in out-of-home care, including children who receive Aid to Families with Dependent Children-Foster Care (AFDC-FC) , Adoption Assistance Program, California Work Opportunity and Responsibility to Kids (CalWORKs) , and Kinship Guardianship Assistance Payment (Kin-GAP) benefits. Among other provisions, the act extends specified foster care benefits to youth up to 21 years of age, if specified conditions are met. Existing law defines a nonminor dependent for these purposes as a foster child who is a current dependent child or ward of the juvenile court, or who is a nonminor under the transition jurisdiction of the juvenile court pursuant to a voluntary reentry agreement, and in accordance with a transitional independent living case plan who has attained 18 years of age while under an order of foster care placement by the juvenile court and is not older than 21 years of age. Existing law defines a nonminor former dependent or ward as a person who meets these criteria who reached 18 years of age while subject to an order for foster care placement, for whom dependency, delinquency, or transition jurisdiction has been terminated, and who is still under the general jurisdiction of the court. This bill would revise the definition of a nonminor dependent and former nonminor dependent to include a person who has not attained 21 years of age, if he or she was adjudged a ward of the court on the basis of criminal activity, was subject to an order for foster care placement at the time the petition to adjudge him or her a ward of the court was filed, and was held in secure confinement when he or she attained 18 years of age. This bill would make conforming changes to allow a court to assume or resume dependency jurisdiction or transition jurisdiction over a nonminor who satisfies this criteria. Because the bill would expand the application of the above county administered programs, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. 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 these statutory provisions.
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Existing federal law provides for the allocation of federal funds through the federal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) block grant program to eligible states. Existing law provides for the California Work Opportunity and Responsibility to Kids (CalWORKs) program under which, through a combination of state and county funds and federal funds received through the TANF program, each county provides cash assistance and other benefits to qualified low-income families. Existing law, with certain exceptions, provides eligible families with homeless assistance, including temporary shelter assistance for one period of up to 16 consecutive calendar days. This bill would eliminate the requirement that the temporary assistance be provided during one period of consecutive days, and instead would limit the temporary assistance to a maximum of 16 calendar days. This bill would require the State Department of Social Services to issue an all-county letter or similar instructions by April 1, 2016, and to adopt regulations to implement the provisions of the bill by July 1, 2017. The bill also would make conforming and technical, nonsubstantive changes. Because this bill would create new administrative duties for counties, it would impose a state-mandated local program. 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. 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 these statutory provisions.
Existing law provides for the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) , known in California as CalFresh, under which supplemental nutrition assistance benefits allocated to the state by the federal government are distributed to eligible individuals by each county. Existing federal law requires that a child receiving benefits under SNAP be certified as eligible for free school lunches and breakfasts without further application. Existing law requires a county welfare department to compile a list of emergency food providers and make that list available upon request. This bill would instead require a county human services agency to compile a list of emergency and supplemental food assistance providers, as specified. The bill would also require a county human services agency to inform households applying for CalFresh that if the household is certified for CalFresh, specified children in the household are income-eligible for the WIC Program and all children in the household are directly certified for the National School Lunch Program and School Breakfast Program without further application. The bill would also require the Department of Social Services to inform all CalFresh households annually, prior to the end of the school year, about the summer meal program using information the department receives the State Department of Education and a method deemed appropriate by the department. The bill would require the department to implement these provisions by all-county letters or similar instructions beginning no later than March 1, 2016, until regulations are adopted, and would require the department to adopt regulations on or before October 1, 2017. The bill would also include a statement of legislative findings and declarations. By increasing the duties of county human services agencies, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. 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 these statutory provisions.
This measure would declare June 6, 2015, to June 14, 2015, inclusive, as the 2015 California Invasive Species Action Week and would urge all Californians to participate in activities that raise awareness of invasive species issues and to take action to prevent their spread.
This measure would commemorate the centennial of the founding of Locke, California, would recognize and honor Locke, California, as the last remaining Chinatown in North America, and would urge all Californians to learn about the important history of Locke, California, and its inhabitants.
This measure would urge the Congress of the United States to support H.R. 167, the federal Wildfire Disaster Funding Act, in order to provide a long-term, stable source of funding for federal agencies to conduct the necessary fuels management on national forest lands, while retaining resources to suppress catastrophic wildfires.
This measure would urge the Congress of the United States to enact legislation allowing immigrants to serve in the military if they are eligible under the President's Executive Order for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals or Executive Order for Deferred Action for Parents of Americans and Lawful Permanent Residents.
Under existing law, the State Department of Public Health licenses and regulates health facilities, including, among others, pediatric day health and respite care facilities. Existing law defines "pediatric day health and respite care facility" as a facility that provides an organized program of therapeutic social and day health activities and services and limited 24-hour inpatient respite care to medically fragile children 21 years of age or younger, including terminally ill and technology-dependent children. This bill would authorize an individual who is 22 years of age or older to continue to receive care in a pediatric day health and respite care facility, if the facility receives approval from the State Department of Public Health for a Transitional Health Care Needs Optional Service Unit. The bill would also authorize a patient who previously received services from a pediatric day health and respite care facility and who is 22 years of age or older to receive care in an optional service unit, as provided. The bill would establish a licensing process for a pediatric day health and respite care facility to operate an optional service unit, and would impose certain requirements on those optional service units, including, among others, that the optional service unit provide care for patients who are 22 years of age or older in a distinct part of the pediatric day health and respite care facility or optional service unit, separate from the area where care is provided to younger patients, except under specified circumstances. This bill would authorize a pediatric day health and respite care facility to implement policies and procedures that prohibit smoking by patients, parents, staff, visitors, or consultants within the facility or on the premises, if the prohibition is clearly stated in the admission agreement and notices are posted at the facility. This bill would establish procedures for the issuance of a provisional license to a pediatric day health and respite care facility. The bill would specify additional procedures relating to the licensure of a pediatric day health and respite care facility and renewals of those licenses, including, among others, requiring the department to initiate an initial licensing inspection of an optional service unit within 60 days of receipt of a pediatric day health and respite care facility's completed application and requiring periodic inspections by a duly authorized representative of the department and specified reports related to those inspections. The bill would authorize the department to make reasonable accommodation for exceptions to the licensing standards if the health, safety, and quality of patient care is not compromised. The bill would also specify the grounds upon which those licenses may be revoked, including, among others, willful omission or falsification of a material fact in the application for a license. The bill would require proceedings for the denial, suspension, or revocation of licenses, or denial or withdrawal of approval, to be conducted in accordance with specified provisions of law. Existing law requires facilities serving persons who are terminally ill, catastrophically and severely disabled, mentally alert but physically disabled, or any combination of these persons, to comply with specified provisions of the California Code of Regulations, and exempts those facilities from certain requirements of that code relating to required services for skilled nursing facilities. This bill would provide additional exemptions from that code for a pediatric day health and respite care facility. Existing law specifies the services that a pediatric day health and respite care facility is required to provide, including, among others, pharmacy services. This bill would require that pharmacy services by a pediatric day health and respite care facility satisfy certain requirements, including, among others, that medications be administered only upon written and signed orders of the patient's attending physician. This bill would require a pediatric day health and respite care facility to have a patient care committee to address quality of care provided in the facility, including, but not limited to, patient care policies, pharmacy services, and infection control. The bill would specify the composition of the committee, impose specified meeting requirements, and outline the committee's responsibilities. Existing law requires pediatric day health and respite care facilities to meet the same fire safety standards adopted by the State Fire Marshal and the same seismic safety standards that apply to community care facilities. Existing law provides that a pediatric day health and respite care facility is not subject to architectural plan review or field inspection by the Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development, and requires, as part of the application for licensure, an applicant to submit evidence of compliance with local building code requirements and that the physical environment is adequate to provide the level of care and service required by the clients of the facility as determined by the department. This bill would provide that those provisions do not prohibit the use of alternate space utilization, new concepts of design, treatment techniques, equipment and alternate finish materials, or other flexibility, if written approval is granted by the local building authority. This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.
The Joint Exercise of Powers Act authorizes 2 of more public agencies to enter into an agreement to jointly exercise any power common to the contracting parties. This bill would provide that, notwithstanding any other provision of the act, a private, nonprofit corporation that provides services to homeless persons or for the prevention of homelessness may form a joint powers agency or enter into a joint powers agreement with a public agency for the purpose of providing frequent user coordinated care housing services, defined by to mean housing combined with other supportive services, as defined, for homeless persons identified by a city or county as the most costly, frequent users of publicly funded emergency services. The bill would require the public agency or agencies to determine the composition of a board of directors to govern an agency formed pursuant to these provisions and would prohibit representation of private nonprofit corporations on the board in excess of 50%. The bill would repeal these provisions as of January 1, 2024. The Planning and Zoning Law requires a city or county to adopt a general plan for land use development that includes, among other things, a housing element. A housing element is required to include an analysis of any special housing needs. This bill would provide that the analysis of special housing needs by a city or county may include an analysis of the need for frequent user coordinated care housing services.
This measure would proclaim April 14, 2015, as Equal Pay Day in recognition of the need to eliminate the gender gap in earnings by women and to promote policies to ensure equal pay for all.