March 11, 2008 - The National Center for Youth Law has joined other California non-profit organizations to defeat AB 1905, a bill which would grant automatic right to appeal when a class is certified. The practical effect of the bill is to stay the entire action during the appeal. Such a stay would delay the ultimate resolution of the case and grant a windfall to defendants.

Read Coalition's Letter to CA State Assembly Judiciary Committee Opposing AB 1905

Sept. 5, 2007 - Both the CA Senate and Assembly have voted in favor of SB 39, which mandates public disclosure of findings and information about children who have died of abuse or neglect. The goal of the bill, authored by Sen. Carole Migden (D-San Francisco), is to promote public scrutiny of cases in order to improve child welfare policy and practice to ensure children’s safety.

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has signed an eight-bill foster care reform package that promises to improve the lives of tens of thousands of foster children. The Governor and Legislature have also included an increase of more than $94 million in foster care funding this year.

• Foster Care Bills
• Child Support Bill
• San Francisco Chronicle Editorial Campaign for Foster Care Reform

In 2005, CA Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed AB 1633, authored by Assemblymember Noreen Evans (D-Santa Rosa) and sponsored by NCYL and the California Youth Connection. NCYL is working closely with the state, counties, and other advocates to ensure that AB 1633 is fully and thoroughly implemented.

• Child Support (pdf)
  
• Keeping At-Risk Children From Entering Foster Care (pdf)

^{*The Summit was held Jan. 18 at the Sacramento Convention Center. Summit panels helped launch the legislative session by unveiling policy proposals on issues affecting CA’s working families. NCYL attorneys Curt Child and Bill Grimm made policy recommendations on child support and child welfare respectively.}

Child support collections should be disregarded for children in the Temporary Assistance Program (TAP) thereby increasing the income of these children. These children by definition, lack a parent with the ability to increase household income through earnings.

NCYL's Juvenile Mental Health Court Initiative is a direct response to America's over-reliance on locking up children with mental health problems. It is estimated that 50 to 90 percent of youth held in juvenile detention facilities suffer from some form of mental illness.

Editorial Campaign on Foster Care Reform

The National Center for Youth Law has been working with the San Francisco Chronicle on its ongoing editorial campaign to reform foster care, providing data and other information.