SB 521

Bill Subjects

Abstract

Existing law establishes the California Work Opportunity and Responsibility to Kids (CalWORKs) program, under which, through a combination of federal, state, and county funds, each county provides cash assistance and other benefits to qualified low-income families. Under the CalWORKs program, as a condition of eligibility for aid, recipients are required to participate in certain welfare-to-work activities, except for specified individuals, including, among others, individuals under 16 years of age and recipients who are pregnant. Existing law requires that a recipient be excused from participation for good cause if the county has determined that there is a condition or other circumstance that temporarily prevents or significantly impairs the recipient's ability to be regularly employed or to participate in welfare-to-work activities. Existing law requires the county human services agency to review the good cause determination for its continuing appropriateness in accordance with the projected length of the condition, or circumstance, but not less than every 3 months. Under existing law, conditions that may be considered good cause include, but are not limited to, lack of necessary supportive services, licensed or license-exempt childcare for a child 10 years of age or younger is not reasonably available during the individual's hours of training or employment, arrangements for childcare have broken down or have been interrupted, or childcare is needed for a child who meets specified criteria. Existing federal law, known as Title IX, prohibits a person, on the basis of sex, from being excluded from participation in, being denied the benefits of, or being subject to discrimination under, any education program or activity receiving federal financial assistance. This bill would add denial of reasonable accommodations for pregnant or parenting students, in violation of Title IX, to the list of conditions that may be considered good cause for excuse from participation in welfare-to-work activities. Existing law prohibits the application of sanctions for a failure or refusal to comply with CalWORKs program requirements for reasons related to employment, an offer of employment, an activity, or other training for employment. Under existing law, those reasons include, among others, that the employment-related circumstance involves conditions that are in violation of applicable health and safety standards or it discriminates on any of specified protected characteristics. This bill would add to those reasons the circumstance of the recipient requiring pregnancy- or parenting-related accommodations covered under Title IX, or other specified laws, and not having received adequate accommodations. The bill would make a change to a related provision under existing law concerning a stakeholder workgroup. Under existing law, a parent or caretaker relative is not eligible for CalWORKs aid when the parent or caretaker has received aid for a cumulative total of 48 months. Existing law increases that time limit to 60 months on May 1, 2022, or upon a specified notification to the Legislature from the State Department of Social Services. Existing law provides that all months of aid received under the CalWORKs program apply toward those time limits, except when certain conditions apply, or as otherwise specified by law. Existing law establishes the Cal-Learn Program, which requires certain CalWORKs recipients who are under 19 years of age and are pregnant or custodial parents to participate in the program until the participant earns a high school diploma or its equivalent. Existing law requires counties to arrange for the provision of education and supportive services that teenage parents need to successfully participate in the Cal-Learn Program. Existing law requires a county to exempt a teenage parent from the Cal-Learn Program if specified conditions occur, including, but not limited to, if the teenage parent is expelled from school, childcare is necessary and unavailable, or the teenage parent has a verified illness, injury, or incapacity, as specified. Existing law generally excludes months when a CalWORKs recipient is eligible for, participating in, or exempt from the Cal-Learn Program from the limit on cumulative total months of CalWORKs aid. Existing law does not limit the amount of time a teenage parent may participate in the initial education components of the Cal-Learn Program in order to obtain a high school diploma or its equivalent. Existing law also authorizes a teen who begins participation in the program before 19 years of age to continue to receive intensive case management services after 19 years of age, until the individual earns a high school diploma or its equivalent. This bill would revise references of "teenage parent" in some provisions of the Cal-Learn Program to refer instead to "teen." The bill would require the county to exempt a teen from the program when the teen is in a situation or a crisis that is destabilizing their family, as specified. The bill would make all exemptions subject to annual redetermination. The bill would specifically exclude all months in which a teen participates in the initial education components of the Cal-Learn Program and months the individual continues to receive intensive case management services after 19 years of age from being counted toward their cumulative total months of CalWORKs aid. Existing law requires a participant in the Cal-Learn Program who maintains satisfactory progress in school to receive a $100 supplement to the amount of cash aid paid to the participant, as specified, as well as a $500 supplement for a participant who successfully completes high school or a California high school equivalency examination. Under existing law, if a participant fails to demonstrate that they have made adequate progress in school, as prescribed, the participant is subject to a $100 sanction from the amount of cash aid that the participant would otherwise be paid. Existing law requires the case manager of a participant who fails or refuses to comply with Cal-Learn Program requirements without good cause to inform the client of the consequences of nonparticipation and provide the participant with specified contact information for the local welfare rights organization or legal aid society for further assistance. This bill would delete those sanctions and related case manager duties for noncompliance in the Cal-Learn Program. The bill would delete a provision requiring the supplement to be paid to the assistance unit of which the teen is a member under a specified timeline. By increasing the duties of counties administering the CalWORKs program, the bill 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 these provisions. 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.