Bill > AB119

This bill is a comprehensive public social services trailer bill that makes numerous changes to California's welfare, child welfare, and social services systems. Key provisions include: creating a new Mandated Reporting Advisory Committee to address racial disparities in child welfare reporting; developing a standardized curriculum for mandated reporters that emphasizes community support and family preservation; modifying the CalWORKs welfare-to-work program to provide more flexible engagement activities and reduce sanctions; updating the Immediate Needs Program for foster children to provide more targeted support based on individual assessments; extending the Tiered Rate Structure for foster care payments; delaying certain implementation deadlines for various social services programs; and developing new methodologies for estimating CalFresh participation rates and outreach strategies. The bill aims to reduce systemic barriers, improve support for families, and create more trauma-informed and culturally responsive social service approaches. Many of these changes are designed to take effect on July 1, 2026, with some provisions subject to automation readiness in the California Statewide Automated Welfare System. The bill also appropriates $100,000 from the Federal Trust Fund to the State Department of Social Services for child welfare programs and contains provisions to implement these changes through all-county letters and guidance until formal regulations can be developed.

Budget and Finance

Budget (Assembly)

https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billStatusClient.xhtml?bill_id=202520260AB119