Bill Text: CA AB912 | 2023-2024 | Regular Session | Introduced

NOTE: There are more recent revisions of this legislation. Read Latest Draft

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Bill Title: Strategic Anti-Violence Funding Efforts Act.

Spectrum: Moderate Partisan Bill (Democrat 8-2)

Status: (Vetoed) 2024-02-01 - Consideration of Governor's veto stricken from file. [AB912 Detail]

Download: California-2023-AB912-Introduced.html

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CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2023–2024 REGULAR SESSION

Assembly Bill

No. 912

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Introduced by Assembly Member Jones-Sawyer

February 14, 2023

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An act to add Article 13.7 (commencing with Section 33485) to Chapter 3 of Part 20 of Division 2 of Title 2 of the Education Code, to add Title 10.3 (commencing with Section 14138) to Part 4 of the Penal Code, to add Chapter 3.4 (commencing with Section 5660) to Division 5 of the Public Resources Code, and to amend Sections 1450, 1457, 1458, and 1459 of, and to add and repeal Chapter 9 (commencing with Section 8270) of Division 8 of, the Welfare and Institutions Code, relating to youth, and making an appropriation therefor.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST

AB 912, as introduced, Jones-Sawyer. Youth reinvestment.

(1) Existing law establishes the Youth Reinvestment Grant Program within the Board of State and Community Corrections to grant funds, upon appropriation, to local jurisdictions and Indian tribes for the purpose of implementing trauma-informed diversion programs for minors, as specified.

This bill would instead place the Youth Reinvestment Grant Program within the Office of Youth and Community Restoration and would make technical, nonsubstantive changes to reflect the change in administering agency. The bill would make an appropriation of $50,000,000 from the General Fund to the Office of Youth and Community Restoration for awarding grants pursuant to the Youth Reinvestment Grant Program.

(2) Existing law establishes, until January 1, 2025, the California Violence Intervention and Prevention Grant Program, administered by the Board of State and Community Corrections, to award competitive grants for the purpose of violence intervention and prevention.

This bill would establish the Department of Justice Violence Reduction Grant Program to be administered by the department for the purpose of supporting evidence-based, focus-deterrence collaborative programs that conduct outreach to targeted gangs and offer supportive services to preemptively reduce and eliminate violence and gang-involvement. The bill would appropriate a sum of $35,000,000 from the General Fund to the department for the grant program.

(3) Existing law requires the governing board of a school district to give diligent care to the health and physical development of pupils and authorizes the governing board of a school district to employ properly certified persons for the work. Existing law requires a school of a school district or county office of education and a charter school to notify pupils and parents or guardians of pupils no less than twice during the school year on how to initiate access to available pupil mental health services on campus or in the community, or both, as provided.

This bill would create a grant program under the State Department of Education to provide grants to K-12 school districts for the sole purpose of hiring social workers and mental health professionals to provide mental health services to pupils for the improvement in the health and well-being of the youth and school and community stability. The bill would appropriate $50,000,000 from the General Fund to the State Department of Education for this grant program.

This bill would also establish within the California Health and Human Services Agency a 5-year pilot program to evaluate applications and award grants to schools located in the Counties of Alameda, Fresno, Merced, Tulare, Kern, and Los Angeles for implementing the Cognitive Behavioral Intervention for Trauma in Schools (CBITS) program for the improvement in the health and well-being of the youth and school and community stability. The bill would appropriate $50,000,000 from the General Fund to the California Health and Human Services Agency for this grant program.

This bill would make legislative findings and declarations as to the necessity of a special statute for the Counties of Alameda, Fresno, Merced, Tulare, Kern, and Los Angeles.

(4) Existing law requires the Director of Parks and Recreation to establish the Outdoor Equity Grants Program to increase the ability of underserved and at-risk populations to participate in outdoor environmental educational experiences at state parks and other public lands where outdoor environmental education programs take place.

This bill would create a grant program under the Department of Parks and Recreation to award grants to local governments and community-based organizations for the purpose of supporting existing and creating new parks and recreation opportunities and supporting existing and creating new summer programs for youth in order to create and enhance recreation- and health-based interventions for youth during peak times of violence.

Digest Key

Vote: 2/3   Appropriation: YES   Fiscal Committee: YES   Local Program: NO  

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Bill Text

The people of the State of California do enact as follows:

SECTION 1.

 The Legislature finds and declares all of the following:

(a) The Legislative Analyst’s Office (LAO) estimates that savings associated with the closure of prisons and Department of Juvenile Justice (DJJ) facilities, as well as a declining population of incarcerated persons, will total $1.5 billion annually by 2025.

(b) On December 6, 2022, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) announced the closure of Chuckwalla Valley State Prison (CVSP) and exiting of California City Correctional Facility (Cal City). CVSP will close by March 2025. CDCR will terminate the Cal City contract in March 2024 and end the use of that facility as a state prison.

(c) The LAO estimates that savings associated with the closure of CVSP amounts to $100 million in ongoing funds, and the exiting of Cal City amounts to $135.3 million. Therefore, the closure of CVSP and exiting of Cal City amounts to a cost savings of $235.3 million annually.

(d) It is the intent of the Legislature to reinvest the CDCR cost savings from prison closures and declining incarcerated persons’ populations to do all of the following:

(1) Expand the Cognitive Behavioral Intervention for Trauma in Schools (CBITS) program.

(2) Provide ongoing funding for the Youth Reinvestment Grant Fund.

(3) Create a fund to support existing and create new parks and recreation opportunities, as well as summer programs for youth.

(4) Increase the number of social workers and mental health professionals at K-12 schools.

(5) Create a fund to support early intervention programs to reduce violence by mentoring “at-promise” individuals.

SEC. 2.

 Article 13.7 (commencing with Section 33485) is added to Chapter 3 of Part 20 of Division 2 of Title 2 of the Education Code, to read:

Article  13.7. Mental Health Services Grants

33485.

 (a) The department shall award grants to K-12 school districts for the sole purpose of hiring social workers and mental health professionals to provide mental health services to pupils for the improvement in the health and well-being of the youth and school and community stability.

(b) The department shall award grants on a competitive basis and establish minimum standards, funding schedules, and procedures for awarding grants that further the purpose of this article.

SEC. 3.

 Title 10.3 (commencing with Section 14138) is added to Part 4 of the Penal Code, to read:

TITLE 10.3. Department of Justice Violence Reduction Grant Program

14138.

 (a) The Department of Justice shall administer a grant program for the purpose of supporting evidence-based, focus-deterrence collaborative programs that conduct outreach to targeted gangs and offer supportive services to preemptively reduce and eliminate violence and gang involvement. These collaborative programs shall offer supportive services, which include job training, healthcare, and crisis response to shootings and violence, among other services.

(b) The department shall award grants on a competitive basis and establish minimum standards, funding schedules, and procedures for awarding grants that further the purpose of this chapter.

SEC. 4.

 Chapter 3.4 (commencing with Section 5660) is added to Division 5 of the Public Resources Code, to read:

CHAPTER  3.4. Parks and Recreation for Youth

5660.

 (a) The department shall award grants to local governments and community-based organizations for the purpose of supporting existing and creating new parks and recreation opportunities, as well as supporting existing and creating new summer programs for youth, including, but not limited to, extended park hours and expanded programming for nighttime sports, educational activities, and visual and performing arts opportunities, in order to create and enhance recreation- and health-based interventions for youth during peak times of violence.

(b) The department shall award grants on a competitive basis and establish minimum standards, funding schedules, and procedures for awarding grants that further the purpose of this chapter.

SEC. 5.

 Section 1450 of the Welfare and Institutions Code is amended to read:

1450.

 (a) There is hereby established the Youth Reinvestment Grant Program within the Board of State and Community Corrections the Office of Youth and Community Restoration to grant funds pursuant to this chapter, upon an appropriation of funds for the purposes described in this chapter.

(b) (1) Notwithstanding any other law, the board may use any funds that were appropriated to the board in the Budget Act of 2018, but that have not been allocated as of January 1, 2020, for grants, as prescribed in Article 4 (commencing with Section 1456).

(2) Funds appropriated to the board in the Budget Act of 2019 for purposes of the Youth Reinvestment Fund grant program shall be used for grants, as prescribed in Article 4 (commencing with Section 1456).

(3) Funds appropriated to the board in the Budget Act of 2019 for purposes of the Tribal Youth Diversion grant program shall be used for grants, as prescribed in Article 2 (commencing with Section 1452).

(c) Three percent of the funds in the Youth Reinvestment Grant Program shall be used for administrative costs to the board resulting from the implementation of this chapter.

SEC. 6.

 Section 1457 of the Welfare and Institutions Code is amended to read:

1457.

 For purposes of this article, the following definitions apply:

(a) “Applicant” means a nonprofit organization or local governmental entity.

(b) “Area of high need” means either of the following:

(1) A city or a ZIP Code with rates of youth arrests that are higher than the county average, based on available arrest data, as described by the applicant.

(2) A city or a ZIP Code with racial or ethnic disparities in youth arrests that are higher than their representation in the county population, as described by the applicant.

(c)“Board” means the Board of State and Community Corrections.

(c) “Office” means the Office of Youth and Community Restoration.

(d) “Diversion program” means a program that promotes positive youth development by relying on responses that prevent a young person’s involvement or further involvement in the justice system. Diversion programs, which may follow a variety of different models, aim to divert youth from justice system engagement at the earliest possible point. Departments or agencies that may refer youth to diversion programs include, but are not limited to, schools, service organizations, police, probation, or prosecutors.

(e) “Local governmental entity” means a local government agency, including, but not limited to, a county child welfare agency, county probation department, county behavioral health department, county public health department, school district, or county office of education.

(f) “Nonprofit organization” means a private, community-based organization that is exempt from taxation pursuant to Section 501(c)(3) or 501(c)(4) of the Internal Revenue Code, and that is nongovernmental and does not carry out any law enforcement duties.

SEC. 7.

 Section 1458 of the Welfare and Institutions Code is amended to read:

1458.

 (a) The board office shall allocate funds appropriated pursuant to Section 1450 through a competitive grant process for the purpose of implementing trauma-informed diversion programs for youth.

(b) The board office shall distribute a grant under this article pursuant to all of the following conditions:

(1) A local governmental entity or nonprofit organization shall be awarded no less than fifty thousand dollars ($50,000) and no more than two million dollars ($2,000,000).

(2) (A) An applicant shall provide at least a 25-percent cash or in-kind match to the grant that it receives pursuant to this article. Funds used to provide the 25-percent match amount may include a combination of federal, other state, local, or private funds.

(B) Notwithstanding subparagraph (A), an applicant entity may provide less than a 25-percent match, but at least a 10-percent cash or in-kind match, to the grant if the applicant identifies the service area as high need with low or no local infrastructure for diversion programming.

(3) Ninety percent of the funds awarded to a local government entity shall pass through to community-based organizations to deliver services in underserved communities with high rates of youth arrests, as described by the applicant.

(4) (A) Services shall be community based, located in communities of local jurisdictions with high needs.

(B) Services shall be evidence based or research supported, trauma informed, culturally relevant, and developmentally appropriate.

(C) Direct service providers who receive funding from a grant pursuant to this article shall be nongovernmental and not law enforcement or probation entities.

(D) Direct service providers shall have experience effectively serving at-risk youth populations.

(E) Diversion programs shall include alternatives to arrest, incarceration, and formal involvement with the juvenile justice system. Diversion programs shall also include one or more of the following:

(i) Educational services, including academic and vocational services.

(ii) Mentoring services.

(iii) Behavioral health services.

(iv) Mental health services.

(c) Multiple applicants may apply for funding under this article on a regional basis in a single application and receive the aggregate amount of funds that they would have received if awarded as independent applicants.

SEC. 8.

 Section 1459 of the Welfare and Institutions Code is amended to read:

1459.

 The board office shall be responsible for administration oversight and accountability of the grant program under this article and shall perform both of the following duties:

(a) Support grantee data collection and analysis and require grantees to provide outcomes of the funded programs.

(b) (1) Set aside up to two hundred fifty thousand dollars ($250,000) of funds appropriated for purposes of the grant program, exclusive of the funds set aside for administrative costs to the board office pursuant to subdivision (c) of Section 1450, to contract with a research firm or university to conduct a statewide evaluation of the grant program and its outcomes over a three-year grant period.

(2) The board office shall make available on its internet website a report of grantees, projects, and outcomes at the state and local levels within 180 days of completion of the grant cycle.

(3) The board office shall assist the research firm or university by providing relevant, existing data for the purposes of tracking outcomes. Measures may include, but are not limited to, any of the following:

(A) Reductions in law enforcement responses to youth for low-level offenses, court caseloads and processing, days the youth spend in detention, placement of youth in congregate care, school and placement disruptions, and facility staff turnover.

(B) Improvement in the health and well-being of the youth, school and community stability, educational attainment, and employment opportunities.

(C) Projected state and local cost savings as a result of the diversion programming.

SEC. 9.

 Chapter 9 (commencing with Section 8270) is added to Division 8 of the Welfare and Institutions Code, to read:

CHAPTER  9. Cognitive Behavioral Intervention for Trauma Pilot Program

8270.

 (a) The California Health and Human Services Agency shall administer a five-year pilot program to evaluate applications and award grants to schools located in the Counties of Alameda, Fresno, Merced, Tulare, Kern, and Los Angeles for the purpose of implementing the Cognitive Behavioral Intervention for Trauma in Schools (CBITS) program, and to an organization to study specified student outcomes, for the improvement in the health and well-being of the youth and school and community stability.

(b) The agency shall award grants on a competitive basis and establish minimum standards, funding schedules, and procedures for awarding grants that take into consideration, but not be limited to, the jurisdiction’s capacity and commitment to coordinate social services and to work to ensure that the discretionary decisions made by each participant in the administration of the program operates in a manner consistent with the purposes of this chapter.

8270.3.

 This chapter shall remain in effect only until January 1, 2029, and as of that date is repealed.

SEC. 10.

 The Legislature finds and declares that a special statute is necessary and that a general statute cannot be made applicable within the meaning of Section 16 of Article IV of the California Constitution because of the high rate of violent crime in the Counties of Alameda, Fresno, Merced, Tulare, Kern, and Los Angeles.

SEC. 11.

 The sum of two hundred thirty five million dollars ($235,000,000) is hereby appropriated from the General Fund for the purpose of delivering diversion and alternative-sanction programs, academic- and vocational-education services, mentoring, behavioral health services, and mental health services, as follows:

(a) The sum of fifty million dollars ($50,000,000) to the California Health and Human Services Agency for the purposes administering the Cognitive Behavioral Intervention for Trauma in Schools (CBITS) pilot program pursuant to Chapter 9 (commencing with Section 8270) of Division 8 of the Welfare and Institutions Code.

(b) The sum of fifty million dollars ($50,000,000) to the Office of Youth and Community Restoration for the purpose of awarding grants pursuant to the Youth Reinvestment Grant Program pursuant to Chapter 5 (commencing with Section 1450) of Part 1 of Division 2 of the Welfare and Institutions Code.

(c) The sum of fifty million dollars ($50,000,000) to the Department of Parks and Recreation to award grants pursuant to Chapter 3.4 (commencing with Section 5660) of Division 5 of the Public Resources Code.

(d) The sum of fifty million dollars ($50,000,000) to the State Department of Education to provide additional funds to K-12 schools for the sole purpose of hiring social workers and mental health professionals to provide mental health services to pupils pursuant to Section 33485 of the Education Code.

(e) The sum of thirty five million dollars ($35,000,000) to the Department of Justice for the purposes of providing funds to support evidence-based, focus-deterrence collaborative programs that conduct direct outreach to targeted gangs in order to preemptively reduce and eliminate violence and gang-involvement pursuant to Title 10.3 (commencing with Section 14138) of Part 4 of the Penal Code.