BILL NUMBER: AB 1994AMENDED BILL TEXT AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY APRIL 6, 2016 AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY MARCH 28, 2016 INTRODUCED BY Assembly Member Lopez FEBRUARY 16, 2016 An act to add Article 3.7 (commencing with Section 11340) to Chapter 2 of Part 3 of Division 9 of the Welfare and Institutions Code, relating to CalWORKs. LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST AB 1994, as amended, Lopez. CalED Program. Existing law requires each county to provide cash assistance and other social services to needy families through the California Work Opportunity and Responsibility to Kids (CalWORKs) program using federal, state, and county funds. Under existing law, a recipient of CalWORKs is required to participate in welfare-to-work activities for a specified number of hours each week as a condition of eligibility for aid. Existing law authorizes certain welfare-to-work participants to engage in adult basic education in satisfaction of these work requirements. Existing law establishes the Cal-Learn Program, under which a recipient of CalWORKs aid who is under 19 years of age and who does not have a high school diploma or its equivalent is required to participate in the program as a student attending school on a full-time basis. Existing law provides for a supplement to, or a reduction in, a Cal-Learn participant's aid grant based on his or her performance in school. This bill would create the CalED Program for the purpose of assisting CalWORKs recipientswho are at least 19 years of ageto obtain high school diplomas or equivalencycertificates.certificates, if they are at least 19 years of age and satisfy specified eligibility criteria. The bill would provide a one-time $500 aid supplement ifthea participant in the program successfully completes high school or a general educational development test approved by the State Board of Education and administered by a testing center approved by the State Department of Education. The bill would provide that participation in the program is optional and would authorize recipients of CalWORKs to opt out in writing. The bill would require the department to develop a comprehensive form that explains the benefits of the program and would require the county, at the time it conducts a welfare-to-work appraisal, to provide the form to the recipient. The bill would also require counties to arrange for the provision of education and supportive services that an individual needs to successfully participate in the CalED Program. By imposing these duties on counties,thisthe bill would impose a state-mandated local program. The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement. This bill would provide that, if the Commission on State Mandates determines that the bill contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement for those costs shall be made pursuant to these statutory provisions. Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: yes. State-mandated local program: yes. THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS: SECTION 1. Article 3.7 (commencing with Section 11340) is added to Chapter 2 of Part 3 of Division 9 of the Welfare and Institutions Code, to read: Article 3.7. CalED Program 11340. (a) This article shall be known, and may be cited, as the CalED Program. (b) The Legislature finds and declares that the connection between education and long-term welfare dependency has been well documented by social science research. Average time on aid for parents without a high school diploma or its equivalent is significantly longer than for parents who have completed high school or an equivalent program. (c) The Legislature finds that CalWORKs recipients have unique education, vocational, training, health, and other social service needs that are not specifically provided for as part of the welfare-to-work activities. Research shows that successful programs that help CalWORKs recipients achieve self-sufficiency increase the earning capacity of those individuals. 11341. A recipient of aid under this chapter is eligible to participate in the CalED Program if all of the following requirements are met: (a) The person is at least 19 years of age. (b) The person does not have a high school diploma or its equivalent.(c) The person is attending school on a full-time basis, as normally defined by the school in which the participant enrolls.(d)(c) The person is participating in welfare-to-work activities pursuant to Article 3.2 (commencing with Section 11320). 11342. (a) Participation in the CalED Program is optional. If a person declines to participate, he or she shall opt out in writing. (b) At the time the county conducts an appraisal pursuant to Section 11325.2, the county shall inform each person who does not have a high school diploma or its equivalent that he or she may participate in the CalED Program or may opt out in writing, and shall give the person the form described in subdivision (c). (c) The State Department of Social Services shall develop a comprehensive form that explains the benefits of the program, including the bonuses that are available pursuant to Section 11344, in order to empower the person to make an informed decision. 11343. (a) Counties shall arrange for the provision of education and supportive services that a person needs to successfully participate in the CalED Program. The county shall identify the need of each person for, and the method of providing, the following services: (1) Supportive services, including child care and transportation, as specified in Section 11323.2. Supportive services shall be limited to those that are necessary to enable the person to attend school regularly. (2) Any other services necessary for the person to successfully participate in the CalED Program, which may include, but not be limited to, mental health services and substance abuse treatment. (b) CalED participants may participate in programs provided for in Section 52500 of the Education Code in order to obtain the certificate described in Section 51420 of the Education Code.11344. (a)11344. (a) A participant in the CalED Program shall do all of the following: (1) Attend an educational program on a full-time basis, as normally defined by the school in which the participant enrolls. (2) Maintain adequate progress in the educational program. (3) Submit grades, if available, to the county welfare department on a basis to be determined by the county welfare department. (b) A participant who fails to demonstrate that he or she has made adequate progress in school, either by failing to provide a report card or based on the grades on the report card, shall be assigned to another welfare-to-work activity.(b)(c) A participant who successfully completes high school or a general educational development test approved by the State Board of Education and administered by a testing center approved by the State Department of Education shall receive a one-time supplement in the amount of five hundred dollars ($500). The five hundred dollar ($500) supplement shall be paid to the participant in the month following submission of the record of completion, if received by the county no later than the 11th calendar day of the month, or in the second month following submission of the record of completion, if received by the county after the 11th calendar day of the month. (d) For purposes of this section, "adequate progress" means maintaining a grade point average of at least 1.0 on a scale where A equals 4.0 points and F equals 0 points. SEC. 2. If the Commission on State Mandates determines that this act contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement to local agencies and school districts for those costs shall be made pursuant to Part 7 (commencing with Section 17500) of Division 4 of Title 2 of the Government Code.