California Senate Bill SB660 Amended / Bill

 BILL NUMBER: SB 660AMENDED BILL TEXT AMENDED IN SENATE APRIL 25, 2011 INTRODUCED BY Senator Runner FEBRUARY 18, 2011 An act to add Section 34327.4 to the Health and Safety Code, relating to housing authorities. LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST SB 660, as amended, Runner. Housing authorities: housing certificates. Existing law establishes in each county and city a housing authority which is authorized, among other things, to prepare, carry out, acquire, lease, and operate housing projects for persons of low income, and housing developments for persons of low income. Existing law authorizes county public housing agencies to apply for, process, and distribute housing certificates issued pursuant to federal law to eligible families. This bill would authorize any housing authority that administers a housing program and distributes federal housing certificates to eligible families with children to make  regular school attendance   compliance with the Compulsory Education Law  a continuing condition of certificate eligibility.  The bill   would   authorize the denial of federal housing benefits to a parent   or guardian of an elementary school pupil who is a chronic truant if the parent or guardian   has been convicted of   specified crimes relating to the pupil's behavior and   the truancy persists following the relevant criminal conviction.  Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: no. 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) A regular program of education during a child's formative years is essential to the child's physical and mental well-being.   (b) Truancy is a lead indicator for at-risk children, who are susceptible to involvement with drugs, crime, and street gangs.   (c) Chronic truants often engage in criminal activity during regular school hours, which undermines safety in the community.   (d) This state's prisons are filled with offenders who have limited work skills due to their earlier truancy from school.   SEC. 2.   This act shall be known, and may be cited, as the No Tolerance for Truancy Act.   SECTION 1.   SEC. 3.  Section 34327.4 is added to the Health and Safety Code, to read: 34327.4.  (a)    Any housing authority that administers a housing program pursuant to this chapter and distributes federal housing certificates issued pursuant to Section 8 of the United States Housing Act of 1937 (42 U.S.C. Sec. 1437 et seq.) to eligible families with children may make  regular school attendance   compliance with the Compulsory Education Law (Chapter 2 (commencing with Section 48200) of Part 27 of the Education Code)  a continuing condition of certificate eligibility.  (b) A person who is both a voucher recipient and the parent or guardian of an elementary school pupil who is a chronic truant as defined in Section 48260.6 of the Education Code, may be denied benefits if both of the following apply:   (1) He or she has been convicted of Section 270.1 or 272 of the Penal Code because of the chronic truancy of a child who is in kindergarten or any of grades one to eight, inclusive.   (2) The truancy persists following the criminal conviction.