Assembly Bills

AJR 4 (Beall) Memorializes Congress to amend and repeal portions of the Deficit Reduction Act impacting TANF and child support. Passed the Assembly. Support.

AB 21 (Jones) - Creates a state Earned Income Tax Credit modeled on the federal EITC that would be worth 15% of the federal credit. A two year bill at author's request. Support.

AB 22 (Lieber) - Repeals the maximum family grant for CalWORKs families who have children after they are on assistance by phasing in the repeal over three years. Held in the Assembly Appropriations Committee. Support.

AB 56 (Alarcon) - Creates a state Poverty Czar. A two year bill. No Position.

AB 98 (Niello) - Creates 1,500 subsidized employment positions with 50% of the subsidy coming from the state. Participants would earn a salary, be eligible for the earned income disregard and the federal EITC. Passed the Assembly with no "No" votes. WCLP is a co-sponsor with CWDA.

AB 167 (Bass) - Eliminates the CalWORKs asset eligibility requirement. Passed the Assembly. Support.

AB 171 (Beall) - Restructures the state's loan forgiveness program for lawyers who work in the public service to work more effectively with other forgiveness program operated by the Student Aid commission. Passed the Assembly. Support.

AB 176 (Jones) - Implements child support provisions of the Deficit Reduction Act that would pass through the first $100 of child support for one child and up to $200 for two or more children to CalWORKs families. Passed the Assembly on a 75-2 vote. Support.

AB 298 (Maze) - Gives grandparents and other relative caregivers priority over prospective non-related adoptive parents for children under the jurisdiction of the juvenile court. Passed the Assembly 73-0. WCLP supports.

AB 314 (Soto) - A WCLP sponsored bill to make study time an eligible work activity as permitted under new federal regulations. Passed the Assembly. Support.

AB 335 (de Leon) - A WCLP sponsored bill that permits domestic violence victims to use the Family Violence Option waiver to become eligible for CalWORKs Homeless Assistance more than once in a lifetime. Passed the Assembly 71-6. Support.

AB 370 (Adams ) - Reduces the availability of licensed group home housing opportunities for those on parole and required to register as sex offenders. In the Assembly Appropriations Committee. A two-year bill at author's request. Oppose.

AB 411 (Emerson) - Allows local governments to submit and requires the DSS director to consider additional factors in disapproving group homes beyond overconcentration. Held in the Assembly Appropriations Committee. Oppose.

AB 433 (Beall) - Increases the number of families receiving federal Food Stamps by making them categorically eligible for food benefits if they are already on MediCal. Passed the Assembly. Support.

AB 508 (Swanson) - Opts California completely out of the federal bar on providing federal Food Stamps to person convicted of drug felonies. Passed the Assembly. Support.

AB 650 Lieu) - Requires employers to inform employees that they may be eligible for the federal Earned Income Tax Credit. Passed the Assembly. Support.

AB 674 (Calderon) - Would increase CalWORKs grants for families that participate in their children's school activities. A two year bill. No Position

AB 921 (Krekorian) - A WCLP sponsored bill to require that a request for a state re-hearing of a determination of public benefits is approved unless denied within 15 days by DSS and creates a good cause exception to the statutory re-hearing filing deadlines. Passed the Assembly 56-23. Support.

AB 1060 (Laird) - This bill would require recipients of Food Stamps and CalWORKs to report every six months, rather than every three months. Passed the Assembly. Support.

AB 1062 (Ma) - Creates a six month rental assistance pilot program for families who are meeting work participation requirements and had a recent episode of homelessness. Passed the Assembly 77-0. Support.

AB 1078 (Lieber) - Requires DSS to form a stakeholder group to develop guidelines for maximizing CalWORKs recipients qualifying for federal Earned Income Tax Credits. Passed the Assembly. Support.

AB 1118 (Jones) - This bill would make it an official state goal to end child poverty by 2027 and create a Child Poverty Council chaired by the Secretary of HHS to develop a plan to achieve the goal. Held in the Assembly Appropriations Committee. Support.

AB 1279 (Coto) Permits child care Alternative payment Programs have a 5% reserve for contracts so that they can serve more families on the waiting list. Passed the Assembly. Support

AB 1331 (Evans) - Would require counties to screen emancipating foster youth for eligibility for SSI and to assist foster youth with applying for SSI before they emancipate. Passed the Assembly. Support.

AB 1382 (Leno) - Eliminates the requirement to do finger imaging of applicants for Food Stamps if they are not also applying for General Assistance. Passed the Assembly. Support.

AB 1520 (Portantino) - Would allow welfare fraud investigators to record conversations without the consent of the participant. Passed the Assembly. Oppose.

AB 1571 (DeSalunier) - Allows child care Alternative Payment programs to be reimbursed for up to 5% of the contract amount if they provide child care for a family beyond an AP programs available contract amount. Passed the Assembly. Support

Senate Bills
SB 42 (Torlakson) - Permits CalWORKs applicants to become SIPs if they must wait before they are accepted into a program so long as they meet welfare to work requirements while they wait. Passed the Senate 27 to 11. Support.

SB 58 (Hollingsworth) - The Governor's CalWORKs budget proposals to cut off cash assistance to children. A two year bill. Oppose

SB 135 (Harman) - A spot bill for CalWORKs and military families. A two year bill. No Position.

SB 179 (Ashburn) - The Governor's semi-annual reporting proposal. It would require recipients of Food Stamps and CalWORKs to report income changes anytime it goes up or down by more than $100 cumulatively in a six month period. Passed the Senate. Oppose unless amended.

SB 197 (Ducheny) - This bill would allow a foster child who receives child care to take their child care placement with them if move to a new family. Passed the Senate. WCLP Supports.

SB 269 (McClintock) - Mandates pre eligibility home visits for applicants to CalWORKs. Failed in the Senate Human Services Committee. Oppose.

SB 635 (Margett) - A spot bill for child care fraud. A two year bill. No Position.

SB 693 (Ashburn) - Would not permit DSS to authorize child care payments for license exempt care for Stages 1, 2 and 3 unless they are exempt from Trustline or are approved by Trustline. A two year bill. Oppose.

SB 694 (Ashburn) - A spot bill for CalWORKs child care. A two year bill. No Position.

SB 708 (Dutton) - Permits local governments to impose a conditional use permit on group homes for mentally disordered or otherwise handicapped persons or dependent and neglected children. Failed in the Senate Human Services Committee. Oppose.

SB 709 (Dutton) - Would allow local governments to submit and require the DSS director to consider additional factors in disapproving residential care facilities beyond overconcentration. Held in the Senate Appropriations Committee. Oppose.

SB 710 (Dutton) - Would require foster care group homes to get a letter of recommendation from a local county to receive funding from the state of California. As such it would significantly reduce the number of housing options for foster youth. Failed in the Senate Human Services Committee. Oppose.

SB 752 (Steinberg) - Creates an investment account for all children born in California. A two year bill. Support.

SB 914 (Hollingsworth) - Permits local governments to require business licenses for group homes serving parolees required to register as sex offenders. Failed in the Senate Human Services Committee. Oppose.

SB 1000 (Harman) - Would severely restrict the availability of residential care facilities for those with drug and alcohol addictions. Failed in the Senate Health Committee. Oppose.

By: Mike Herald, Legislative Advocate mherald@wclp.org

For more information on any of these bills go to www.leginfo.ca.gov and click on "Bill Information."