WELFARE

• AB 121, Committee on Budget. Developmental services. This is the Developmental Services Omnibus Trailer Bill, with statutory changes related to the 2023 Budget Act. An act to amend Sections 56850, 56851, 56853, 56857.5, 56858, 56858.5, 56859, and 56863 of the Education Code, to amend Sections 95020 and 95021 of, and to amend and repeal Section 19242 of, the Government Code, and to amend Sections 4474.17, 4512, 4519.5, 4519.10, 4646, 4646.4, 4685.10, 4686.2, 4689.1, 4783, 4785, 7502.6, and 7505 of, to amend, repeal, and add Section 4868 of, and to add Sections 4688.22, 4785.2, and 4868.5 to, the Welfare and Institutions Code, relating to developmental services, and making an appropriation therefor, to take effect immediately, bill related to the budget.

• AB 289, Holden. Mental health services: representation. This bill expands the list of local stakeholders with which a county mental health program is required to develop and update the three-year program and expenditure plan pursuant to the Mental Health Services Act. An act to amend Section 5848 of the Welfare and Institutions Code, relating to mental health services.

• AB 393, Luz Rivas. Childcare: dual language learners. Requires the Director of the California Department of Social Services (CDSS) to develop procedures for general or migrant childcare and development contractors to identify and report data on dual language learners (DLLs) in General Childcare and Development Programs (CCTRs) or Migrant Childcare and Development Programs (CMIGs) and further requires the Superintendent of Public Instruction (SPI) and the Director of CDSS (Director) to coordinate their efforts in developing procedures and reporting data regarding DLLs. An act to amend Section 8241.5 of the Education Code, and to add Section 10209.6 to the Welfare and Institutions Code, relating to childcare.

• AB 426, Jackson. Unlicensed residential foster care facilities: temporary placement management. Authorizes the California Department of Social Services (CDSS) to assess an immediate civil penalty in the amount of $1,000 per day for providing unlicensed residential care to children. Requires CDSS to inform the County Welfare Director and the Board of Supervisors by written notice identifying the legal compliance issues if a county is failing to comply with current law and CDSS determines that county action is necessary. An act to amend Section 1547 of the Health and Safety Code, and to amend Section 10605 of the Welfare and Institutions Code, relating to foster care.

• AB 712, Wendy Carrillo. CalFresh: hot and prepared foods. This bill declares the intent of the Legislature to maximize food access and food choices for CalFresh recipients, and requires the California Department of Social Services (CDSS) to seek all available federal waivers and approvals related to CalFresh to maximize food choices for recipients. An act to add Section 18919.1 to the Welfare and Institutions Code, relating to public social services.

• AB 857, Ortega. Vocational services: formerly incarcerated persons. Requires Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) to provide each inmate, upon release and regardless of speculative eligibility, informational written materials in a format prescribed by the Department of Rehabilitation (DOR) for vocational rehabilitation services and independent living programs, and an application for vocational rehabilitation services; Updates the definition of vocational rehabilitation services to also mean "services to formerly incarcerated persons with disabilities, designed to promote rehabilitation and reduce the likelihood of recidivism." An act to add Section 3007.09 to the Penal Code, and to amend Section 19150 of the Welfare and Institutions Code, relating to vocational services.

• AB 928, Rendon. CalFresh Data Dashboard: students. Deletes the existing requirement that the California Department of Social Services (CDSS) update the CalFresh Data Dashboard with certain information related to CalFresh utilization by college students over time, and instead requires the dashboard be updated on an annual basis. An act to amend Section 18928.5 of the Welfare and Institutions Code, relating to CalFresh.

• AB 1417, Wood. Elder and dependent adult abuse: mandated reporting. This bill reorganizes and updates provisions relating to mandated reporters of elder abuse. An act to amend Section 15630 of the Welfare and Institutions Code, relating to elder and dependent adult abuse.

• AB 1457, Ortega. Public social services: merit or civil service employee. This bill adds the In-Home Supportive Services (IHSS) program, California Food Assistance Program (CFAP), Cash Assistance Program for Immigrants (CAPI), and the Adult Protective Services (APS) program to the social services programs requiring decisions governing eligibility to be made exclusively by a merit or civil service employee. An act to amend Section 10503 of the Welfare and Institutions Code, relating to public social services.

• SB 43, Eggman. Behavioral health. This bill expands the definition of "gravely disabled," for purposes of involuntarily detaining an individual with a severe substance use disorder (SUD), or a co-occurring mental health (MH) disorder and a severe SUD, or chronic alcoholism that is unable to additionally provide for personal safety or necessary medical care. This bill deems statements of specified health practitioners, for purposes of an expert witness in a proceeding relating to the appointment or reappointment of a conservator, as not made inadmissible by the hearsay rule, as specified. An act to amend Section 1799.111 of the Health and Safety Code, and to amend Sections 5008, 5350, 5354, and 5402 of, and to add Section 5122 to, the Welfare and Institutions Code, relating to mental health.

• SB 138, Committee on Budget and Fiscal Review. Human services. This bill provides for statutory changes necessary to enact human services related provisions of the Budget Act of 2023. An act to amend Sections 8609 and 8610 of the Family Code, to amend Section 14670.35 of the Government Code, and to amend Sections 4418.7, 4642, 6500, 6509, and 7505 of, and to add Sections 4418.8, 4435, 4435.1, 4435.2, and 19629.5 to, the Welfare and Institutions Code, relating to human services, and making an appropriation therefor, to take effect immediately, bill related to the budget.

• SB 407, Wiener. Foster care: resource families. This bill requires resource families to demonstrate an ability and willingness to meet the needs of a child, regardless of the child's sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression and adds specified responsibilities to the California Department of Social Services (CDSS) and counties related to ensuring that foster youth will be placed with lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, questioning, or another diverse identity (LGBTQ)-affirming resource families. An act to amend Sections 16519.5 and 16519.61 of the Welfare and Institutions Code, relating to foster care.

• SB 462, Wahab. General assistance. Provides that restrictions related to the sharing of the personal information of people applying for or receiving county general assistance or general relief (GA/GR) do not prohibit the sharing of that information for purposes directly connected with the administration of GA/GR in any county or for purposes directly connected with the administration of public social services, as defined in current law. An act to add Section 17006.1 to the Welfare and Institutions Code, relating to public social services.

• SB 465, Wahab. Refugees. This bill requires the California Department of Social Services (CDSS) to post a list of resources available to refugees and a link to the internet website of each county human assistance agency on its website. An act to add Section 10609.98 to the Welfare and Institutions Code, relating to public social services.

• SB 521, Smallwood-Cuevas. CalWORKs: pregnancy or parenting. This bill (1) adds 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 not participating in the California Work Opportunity and Responsibility to Kids (CalWORKs) welfare-to-work (WTW) activities; (2) excludes all months a teen participates in the Cal-Learn Program (Cal-Learn) from being counted toward their time on aid limit, as specified; (3) removes sanctions and case management referral for failure to participate, or as a result of noncompliance; and (4) expands the list of reasons a county may exempt a teen from Cal-Learn participation. An act to amend Sections 11320.3, 11320.31, 11331.5, and 11332.7 of, and to repeal and add Section 11333.7 of, the Welfare and Institutions Code, relating to CalWORKs.

• SB 628, Hurtado. State Healthy Food Access Policy. This bill declares that it is the established policy of the state that every human being has the right to access sufficient, affordable, and healthy food and requires all relevant state agencies to consider this policy when revising, adopting, or establishing policies, regulations, and grant criteria when those policies, regulations, and criteria are pertinent to the distribution of sufficient affordable food. An act to add Chapter 9.5 (commencing with Section 18700) to Part 6 of Division 9 of the Welfare and Institutions Code, relating to food access.

• SB 717, Stern. County mental health services. This bill requires an individual who has a misdemeanor charge or charges that are dismissed by the court, who is found incompetent to stand trial (IST), and who is not receiving court directed services to be notified by the court of their need for mental health services, as evidenced by having been found IST. Requires a county behavioral health department to make these individuals a top priority for engagement of mental health services. An act to add Section 5623.6 to the Welfare and Institutions Code, relating to mental health services.