Bill Text: CA AB366 | 2023-2024 | Regular Session | Amended
Bill Title: County human services agencies: workforce development.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Enrolled) 2024-08-31 - Senate amendments concurred in. To Engrossing and Enrolling. (Ayes 77. Noes 0.). [AB366 Detail]
Download: California-2023-AB366-Amended.html
Amended
IN
Senate
August 23, 2024 |
Amended
IN
Senate
September 01, 2023 |
Amended
IN
Assembly
May 18, 2023 |
Amended
IN
Assembly
March 23, 2023 |
Introduced by Assembly Member Petrie-Norris |
February 01, 2023 |
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
Existing law generally provides for various human services programs, including, but not limited to, child welfare services. Existing law requires the state, through the department and county welfare departments, to establish and support a public system of statewide child welfare services to be available in each county of the state, and requires all counties to establish and maintain specialized organizational entities within the county welfare department, which have sole responsibility for the operation of the child welfare services program.
This bill would require the State Department of Social Services to establish a stipend program, subject to an appropriation by the Legislature, for the purpose of providing grants in the form of educational
stipends to community college students who have an interest in public child welfare work. The bill would require the department to administer the program through existing mechanisms applicable to other postsecondary education stipend programs administered by the department for which the state receives matching funds pursuant to specified federal law. The bill would require the program to provide stipends to students who either reside in, or are enrolled in a community college in, counties with a population of 500,000 or less, and who are in a relevant program of coursework, as specified.
Digest Key
Vote: MAJORITY Appropriation: NO Fiscal Committee: YES Local Program: NOBill Text
The people of the State of California do enact as follows:
SECTION 1.
The Legislature finds and declares all of the following:SEC. 2.
Section 19812 is added to the Government Code, to read:19812.
(a) (1) Notwithstanding Sections 19801 and 19803, for local agencies that are not administering their own merit systems pursuant to this chapter,(iii)Waiving examination components.
(3)Any alternative processes requiring departmental approval shall be responded to within seven calendar days of the receipt of the request from the county.
(4)Any alternative processes shall comply with all applicable departmental regulations.
(5)If employees with the applicable bargaining unit are represented by an employee organization represented by an employee organization recognized pursuant to applicable law, the local agency may implement alternative examination requirements and waive examination components pursuant to this subdivision only after meeting and conferring with, and obtaining the mutual agreement of, the employee organization.
(6)
(b)(1)(A)The department shall convene representatives of local agencies and applicable state departments, including, but not limited to, the State Department of Social Services, the Department of Child Support Services, and representatives from employee organizations that represent local agency employees,
to develop and implement streamlined processes and requirements in the implementation of a merit-based personnel system for local agencies that are not implementing their own merit systems pursuant to this chapter. The department shall comply with this requirement no later than July 1, 2026. Notwithstanding the rulemaking provisions of the Administrative Procedure Act (Chapter 3.5 (commencing with Section 11340) of Part 1 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Government Code), the department may implement any policy changes through departmental memoranda, which shall have the same force and effect as regulations, until regulations are adopted.
(B)Counties shall not implement policy changes that are contrary to a memorandum of understanding with an employee organization. Before a county implements a policy change for a bargaining unit represented by an employee organization recognized pursuant to applicable law, the county shall provide the employee organization with notice and the opportunity to negotiate over the impact and effect of the change.
(2)The department shall adopt regulations to implement this subdivision by July 1, 2027.
(a)The Legislature finds that as California’s human services and safety net programs rely almost exclusively on implementation and administration by California’s counties, it is critical that counties have an educated, well-trained, and diverse workforce. It is, therefore, the intent of the Legislature to fund educational programs focused on human services and county administration of programs to be prioritized to address significant workforce shortages to ensure California’s citizens have access to services in which they are entitled to participate.
(b)(1)The State Department of Social Services shall create the Building Diversity in Human
Services Workforce Program in accordance with this subdivision to establish education and training grants in human services programs.
(2)Subject to an appropriation for this purpose in the annual Budget Act, the department shall establish a stipend program, which shall be known as the California Community College Workforce and Economic Development Grant Program, for the purpose of providing grants, in the form of educational stipends, to community college students who have an interest in public child welfare work.
(A)The program shall be administered by the department through existing mechanisms applicable to other stipend programs administered by the
department pursuant to Title IV-E of the federal Social Security Act, in association and agreement with the California Social Work Education Center (CalSWEC), the County Welfare Directors Association of California (CWDA), county human services agencies, and the California Community Colleges, to the extent permitted by federal law.
(B)The program shall provide stipends to both of the following:
(i)Students who are enrolled in a community college located in a county with a population of 500,000 or less, and are in a relevant program of coursework.
(ii)Students who reside in a county with a population of 500,000 or less, are enrolled in any community college in the state, and are in a relevant program of coursework.
(C)State-level agencies may use up to a total of 5 percent of the appropriated funds for administration of the grant program.