BILL NUMBER: AB 1984INTRODUCED BILL TEXT INTRODUCED BY Assembly Member Linder FEBRUARY 16, 2016 An act to add Section 16007 to the Welfare and Institutions Code, relating to foster youth. LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST AB 1984, as introduced, Linder. Foster youth: enrichment activities. Existing law provides that it is the policy of the state that all minors and nonminors in foster care have specified rights, including, among others, the right to attend school and participate in extracurricular, cultural, and personal enrichment activities, consistent with the child's age and developmental level, with minimal disruptions to school attendance and educational stability. This bill would require the State Department of Social Services, on or before May 1, 2017, and after consultation with a workgroup composed of individuals and groups that represent the interests of foster youth, to submit a report to the Joint Legislative Budget Committee that outlines a program to provide grants to foster youth to enable the foster youth to participate in enrichment activities. The bill would require the report to address, among other things, the criteria and review process for youth to submit applications for grants for enrichment activities. The bill would require the department, on or before July 1, 2017, an upon appropriation by the Legislature, to implement the program outlined in the report. Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: yes. State-mandated local program: no. THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS: SECTION 1. Section 16007 is added to the Welfare and Institutions Code, to read: 16007. (a) (1) The Legislature finds and declares all of the following: (A) California foster youth face many challenges. Approximately three-fourths of youth in foster care have spent two or more years in the system between birth and 12th grade. While in foster care, about 70 percent of youth had three or more placements. Less than half of foster youth complete high school. (B) Although the state has seen a reduction in the number of children in foster care and a decreased reliance on group homes, it continues to struggle to find stable, fulfilling families for children. (C) Participating in enrichment activities, including, but not limited to, sports leagues, camps, college preparation courses, arts, music, and formative social experiences, can greatly contribute to a foster youth's sense of normalcy and increase the likelihood of a successful transition to adulthood. (2) The purpose of this section is to create a program to provide grants to foster youth to participate in enrichment activities and provide for the program's transition from public funding and control to private funding and control. (b) On or before February 1, 2017, the State Department of Social Services shall convene a workgroup composed of individuals and groups that represent the interests of foster youth. (c) On or before May 1, 2017, the State Department of Social Services, after consultation with the workgroup established pursuant to subdivision (b), shall submit a report to the Joint Legislative Budget Committee that outlines a program to provide grants to foster youth to enable the foster youth to participate in enrichment activities. The report shall address, at a minimum, all of the following: (1) The nonprofit organization that will receive the funds appropriated for the program and serve as administrator of the program. (2) The criteria and review process for youth to submit applications for grants for enrichment activities, including a list of preapproved categories of enrichment activities. (3) The maximum amount of the grant. (4) The means by which grants will be disbursed. (5) A plan to transition the program from public funding to private funding and control. (d) On or before July 1, 2017, upon an appropriation by the Legislature, the State Department of Social Services shall implement the program, as outlined in the report.