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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.
For the 83 percent of teen parents who are also low-income, the challenges of raising a child while finishing high school and trying to earn money often prove overwhelming. In fact, only 30 percent of teen mothers complete high school by age 30. These teen parents, an estimated 50-60 percent of whom have been victims of abuse, are among the most vulnerable Californians as they strive to care for themselves and for their young children.
The California legislature created the Cal-Learn program to help pregnant and parenting teens participating in CalWORKs complete high school. While enrolled in the Cal-Learn program, a participant must attend school on a full-time basis and live in an approved adult-supervised setting. In certain cases, a teen who meets certain qualifications may be exempt from this requirement. Cal-Learn provides cash assistance, school support, case management, transportation, and childcare-all crucial in helping these teens break the cycle of poverty. A recent evaluation of the program underscored its success. Teens participating in Cal-Learn achieved GEDs at significantly higher rates than teens who did not participate.
Unfortunately, teens are frequently denied access to Cal-Learn. Some are told-incorrectly-that an adult must apply on their behalf. Others are told they are ineligible because they fail to meet either the living arrangement rule or the school attendance provisions. When this happens, there is no one designated to provide teens with assistance in meeting the program's requirements or prove they are already eligible. Without such tools, many teens will not find an appropriate living and/or school arrangement that would make them eligible for Cal-Learn.
SB 493 would have made two improvements to the Cal-Learn program. First, it would have created a transitional compliance period, allowing a teen parent to receive Cal-Learn for up to six months to meet the living arrangement and school attendance requirements. This gives teens time to find out about alternative living arrangements, childcare programs, and/or educational programs needed to become eligible. Second, SB 493 would guide development of model policies to assist workers in processing teen parent applications. Developing, circulating, and adopting model policies among CalWORKs offices would help ensure that teen parents receive the assistance necessary to become Cal-Learn eligible. This change would also ensure that aid is not unfairly denied to eligible teens.
SB 493 was co-sponsored by Planned Parenthood. Many of its affiliates, as well as pregnant and parenting teens, wrote hundreds of letters in support of the legislation.
SB 493 passed in the Senate on May 31, 2005 by a vote of 27 to 13. On June 14, the bill was passed out of the Assembly Human Services Committee, and was referred to the Assembly Appropriations Committee, where the bill died.
However, there may still be a chance to pass the reforms offered by SB 493. Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), the 1996 welfare law that replaced AFDC, has been due for reauthorization since 2002. In March 2004, the Senate Finance Committee passed reauthorization legislation providing states the option to enact a transitional compliance period for pregnant and parenting teens. In November 2005, the House passed its reauthorization legislation as a part of the larger "budget reconciliation" bill, which does not include the transitional compliance option. It remains to be seen whether the final version will provide states with the option of using federal dollars to enact a transitional compliance period. Regardless of what is contained in the final legislation, reauthorization provides an opportunity for California to reconsider its welfare rules and improve programs for families, including implementation of a transitional compliance program for minor parents.
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