California Assembly Bill AB616 Latest Draft

 BILL NUMBER: AB 616AMENDED BILL TEXT AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY APRIL 13, 2009 INTRODUCED BY Assembly Member Blumenfield FEBRUARY 25, 2009  An act relating to community conservation corps.   An act to add Section 13827.3 to the Penal Code, relating to youth violence prevention.  LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST AB 616, as amended, Blumenfield.  San Fernando Valley Community Conservation Corps.   Youth violence prevention: grants.   Existing law establishes the Office of Gang and Youth Violence Policy within the Governor's Office of Emergency Services. Under existing law, that office is responsible for identifying, evaluating, and coordinating gang and youth violence suppression efforts throughout the state, as specified.   This bill would require the Office of Gang and Youth Violence Policy to use federal money it receives from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 to provide grants to certified local conservation corps for programs that would expand and enhance opportunities for at-risk young adults and schoolage youth, as specified.   Existing law creates the Department of Conservation in the Natural Resources Agency.   Existing law defines community conservation corps, for the purposes of the California Beverage Container Recycling and Litter Reduction Act, as a nonprofit public benefit corporation formed or operating pursuant to certain requirements or an agency operated by a city or county that is certified by the California Conservation Corps as meeting specified criteria.   This bill would declare the intent of the Legislature to enact legislation that would require, by July 1, 2010, the department to complete a plan for the establishment of a San Fernando Valley Community Conservation Corps whose primary mission would be to offer at-risk young adults and schoolaged youth with opportunities to succeed by providing them with job training, education, and work skills training with an emphasis on environmental and service projects that benefit the community, and would require the department to seek a one-time grant of youth employment training funds from the federal American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (P.L. 111-5) to pay for the cost of establishing the San Fernando Valley Community Conservation Corps and initial startup operations.  Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee:  no   yes  . State-mandated local program: no. THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:  SECTION 1.   The Legislature finds and declares the following:   (a) Congress has enacted the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 that provides, in part, funding for state discretionary purposes such as grants for employment and training programs.   (b) By employing and training at-risk youth, certified local conservation corps such as the Los Angeles Conservation Corps may offer a strategy for combating gang and youth violence in California.   SEC. 2.   Section 13827.3 is added to the   Penal Code   , to read:   13827.3. The Office of Gang and Youth Violence Policy in the Governor's Office of Emergency Services shall, upon receipt of federal funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, provide nonrenewable grants of up to five hundred thousand dollars ($500,000) to certified local conservation corps. The grant money shall be awarded to certified local conservation corps that show an ability to expand and enhance opportunities for at-risk young adults and schoolage youth to succeed by providing them with job training, education, and work skills training with an emphasis on environmental and service projects that benefit the community, including housing rehabilitation, emergency and disaster relief, graffiti abatement, park improvements, bike and pedestrian trail building and restoration, or other conservation and community service projects and the grant money shall be used for those purposes.   SECTION 1.   It is the intent of the Legislature to enact legislation that does all of the following: (a) By July 1, 2010, the Department of Conservation should complete a plan for the establishment of a San Fernando Valley Community Conservation Corps whose primary mission is to offer at-risk young adults and schoolaged youth opportunities to succeed by providing them with job training, education, and work skills training with an emphasis on environmental and service projects that benefit the community. (b) Functions performed by the San Fernando Valley Community Conservation Corps may include, but would not be limited to, all of the following: (1) Providing services in energy conservation and weatherization. (2) Housing rehabilitation. (3) Emergency and disaster relief. (4) Graffiti abatement. (5) Park improvements. (6) Bike and pedestrian trail building and restoration. (7) Other conservation and community service projects. (c) The Department of Conservation should seek a one-time grant of youth employment training funds from the federal American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 to pay for the cost of establishing the San Fernando Valley Community Conservation Corps and initial startup operations. (d) Once established, the San Fernando Valley Community Conservation Corps should operate as a local nonprofit conservation corps and become certified.