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NCYL initiated its legislative efforts in January 2005 by sponsoring five bills to improve foster care programs, increase vulnerable youth's access to public benefits, and ensure greater accountability, efficiency, and effectiveness of programs designed to benefit children and their families. The following is a summary of the scope and status of those five bills.
Assemblymember Noreen Evans
AB 1633, co-sponsored by NCYL and the California Youth Connection, was introduced by Assembly Member Noreen Evans (D-Santa Rosa) on February 22, 2005 to help disabled foster youth gain access to Social Security and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits, and to help foster youth complete their high school education. AB 1633 was passed by the Assembly on June 1, 2005 and by the Senate on August 23. The Governor signed AB 1633 into law on October 7, 2005.
Assemblymember Karen Bass
Co-sponsored by NCYL, the Children's Advocacy Institute, and the Children's Law Center of Los Angeles, AB 863 was introduced by Assembly Member Karen Bass (D-Los Angeles) on February 18, 2005. It calls for statewide leadership and accountability in California's child welfare system, where one in five of the nation's foster children live.
Assemblymember Noreen Evans
AB 1298, co-sponsored by NCYL and the Western Center on Law and Poverty, was introduced by Assemblymember Noreen Evans (D-Santa Rosa) on February 22, 2005. Its goal is to establish a less complex, more coordinated system of delivering public benefits to low-income Californians by: (1) simplifying the verification of assets; and (2) developing a comprehensive system by aligning rules, procedures, and improving technology for Medi-Cal, Healthy Families, nutrition assistance, child care, child support, and CalWORKs.
Senator Sheila Kuehl
Co-sponsored by NCYL and Planned Parenthood, SB 493 was introduced on February 18, 2005 by Senator Sheila Kuehl (D-Los Angeles). Although the bill died in the Assembly Appropriations Committee, there may still be an opportunity to pass the reforms offered in the bill (see below). The purpose of SB493 was to assist poor pregnant or parenting teens gain access to cash assistance and supportive services, and to complete high school through the Cal-Learn program.
The timely receipt of child support payments is crucial to family self-sufficiency and child well-being. For many low-income families, the only assistance they receive from noncustodial parents is through California's child support program. The California Department of Child Support Services (DCSS) is responsible for establishing child support orders and collecting payments for parents who choose to utilize the system and for families receiving CalWORKs benefits. In FY 2004, the program collected nearly $2.3 billion, with almost 75 percent of that going directly to families.
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