Bill > AB1074

This bill makes several modifications to the California Work Opportunity and Responsibility to Kids (CalWORKs) program to support families with children in out-of-home care. First, the bill allows the state department to determine that parents can be considered living with their children for longer than six months when the children are in out-of-home care, and extends eligibility for aid even if the parents were not receiving aid independently at the time of child removal. Second, the bill requires counties to develop a CalWORKs reunification plan for welfare-to-work activities, which will be a collaborative plan between child welfare services and CalWORKs that outlines services to help parents reunify with their children. Third, the bill changes immunization-related sanctions, specifying that a sanction for failing to verify a child's immunizations will end when the child is removed from the assistance unit and placed in out-of-home care. The bill will only take effect if the state department determines these changes will be cost-neutral or result in savings, and it does not include a specific appropriation for implementation. Additionally, if the Commission on State Mandates determines the bill creates state-mandated local costs, reimbursement will be provided according to existing statutory procedures.

Budget and Finance, Health and Social Services

https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billStatusClient.xhtml?bill_id=202520260AB1074