AB 227

Bill Subjects

Abstract

Existing law requires each county to provide cash assistance and other social services to needy families through the California Work Opportunity and Responsibility to Kids (CalWORKs) program using federal, state, and county funds. Under existing law, a recipient of CalWORKs is required to participate in welfare-to-work activities for a specified number of hours each week as a condition of eligibility for aid. Existing law authorizes certain welfare-to-work participants to engage in adult basic education in satisfaction of these work requirements. Existing law requires the State Department of Social Services to perform various administrative duties in connection with the CalWORKs program, including establishing rules and regulations ensuring the uniform statewide application of the schedule governing the payment of CalWORKs benefits. Existing law establishes the Cal-Learn Program, under which a recipient of CalWORKs aid who is under 19 years of age and who does not have a high school diploma or its equivalent is required to participate in the program as a student attending school on a full-time basis. Existing law provides for a supplement to, or a reduction in, a Cal-Learn participant's aid grant based on his or her performance in school. This bill would, contingent upon the appropriation in the Budget Act of an amount sufficient to carry out the purposes of the bill, as determined by the department, create the CalWORKs Educational Opportunity and Attainment Program. The bill would provide CalWORKs recipients with a monthly education incentive grant of $100 for attainment of a high school diploma or its equivalent as an ongoing adjustment to the recipient's monthly cash grant, if the recipient meets certain eligibility criteria. The bill would authorize a CalWORKs recipient to apply to receive education stipends totaling no more than $2,400 per year for enrollment in an education or training program leading to an associate's degree, career technical education program certificate, or bachelor's degree. The bill would require a CalWORKs recipient who applies for an education incentive grant or stipend, to submit evidence of completion of a high school educational program, or enrollment in an education or training program, as applicable, to the county. The bill would require the county, upon verification, as specified, to certify that the recipient is eligible for the grant or stipend and to ensure that the recipient's monthly cash grant is increased, or that the recipient receives the stipend, as applicable. By imposing additional administrative duties on counties, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program. Existing law establishes the CalWORKs Recipients Education Program in the California Community Colleges. Existing law requires, to the extent that funding is provided in the annual Budget Act, a community college district to receive funding for purposes of providing special services for CalWORKs recipients, including job placement and workstudy. This bill would, contingent upon an appropriation of $20,000,000 in the annual Budget Act for this purpose, allocate $20,000,000 to the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges to fund services provided under that program. The bill would require that $10,000,000 of this amount be used specifically to support CalWORKs recipients in working toward completion of their high school diploma or its equivalent. The bill would require the board to submit a report to the Legislature, on or before March 31, 2019, regarding the additional services provided as a result of the appropriation, as specified. 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 the statutory provisions noted above. 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.