SB 152: Human services.

(1) Existing law establishes the Department of Finance with the general powers of supervision over all matters concerning the financial and business policies of the state. Existing law requires the department to calculate changes in cost of living or annual adjustment factors in connection with various state programs and policies, including programs and policies relating to human services.

This bill would, if the department is required by law to make a calculation related to cost of living or annual adjustment factors and necessary data is unavailable, authorize the department to use a reasonable estimate of that data to perform the calculation, as specified.

(2) Existing law requires the State Department of Social Services to license and regulate various community care facilities and programs, including, among others, residential care facilities for persons with chronic, life-threatening illness, residential care facilities for the elderly, childcare centers, and home care services.

This bill would authorize users of information technology systems and services under the jurisdiction of the department, as specified, to use electronic signatures and to electronically pay any fee or civil penalties assessed by the department, as specified. The bill would require a user who elects to make an electronic payment to be responsible for any associated payment processing costs, as specified. The bill would authorize the department to adopt, amend, or repeal any rules and regulations that may be necessary or proper to carry out these provisions.

(3) Existing law, the Home Care Services Consumer Protection Act (act), provides for the licensure and regulation of home care organizations by the State Department of Social Services and the registration of home care aides. Under the act, administration of the program is fully supported by fees and not civil penalties. The act authorizes the provision of initial costs to implement the act’s provisions through a General Fund loan that is to be repaid in accordance with a schedule provided by the Department of Finance. Except for General Fund moneys that are otherwise transferred or appropriated for the initial costs of administering the act, or specified penalties, the act generally prohibits the use of General Fund moneys for any purpose under the act. Existing law makes an additional exception by authorizing use of General Fund moneys as appropriated by the Budget Act of 2023 and the Budget Act of 2024.

This bill would authorize, beginning July 1, 2026, the appropriation of General Fund moneys to help support the program, along with fee revenues. The bill would delete the above-described provision concerning the repayment of the General Fund loan for initial costs.

Existing law authorizes the department to issue a license to a home care organization, and requires the license to be renewed every 2 years. Existing law requires a home care organization to pay an initial license fee and a 2-year license renewal fee, each of which is determined by the department. A violation of the act is a misdemeanor.

This bill would, commencing January 1, 2029, make various changes to transition license renewal for home care organizations from every 2 years to annually. The bill would also generally establish the initial license fee as $5,603. The bill would, until January 1, 2029, generally establish the 2-year license renewal fee as $5,603 and would, beginning January 1, 2029, establish the annual license fee as $2,802. The bill would also, beginning January 1, 2029, establish a late fee, a payment processing fee, and a fee for monitoring a licensee on probation. By expanding the scope of a crime, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program.

Existing law requires the department to adopt regulations, on or before January 1, 2026, to require biennial inspections to ensure that licensed home care organizations possess specified policies.

This bill would instead require the department to adopt those regulations on or before January 1, 2028.

(4) Existing law requires the State Department of Social Services, subject to an appropriation in the annual Budget Act, to administer the California Guaranteed Income Pilot Program to provide grants to eligible entities for the purpose of administering pilot programs and projects that provide a guaranteed income to participants. Existing law requires the department to review and evaluate the pilot programs and projects funded to determine the economic impact of the programs and projects and their impact on the outcomes of individuals who receive guaranteed income payments, as specified. Existing law requires the department to submit a report to the Legislature regarding this review and evaluation and requires the department to post a copy of the report on its internet website. Existing law makes these provisions inoperative on January 1, 2028, and repeals these provisions on January 1, 2029.

This bill would require the department to submit the above-described report and post a copy of the report on its internet website by no later than June 1, 2028. The bill would extend the inoperative date of these provisions to January 1, 2029, and would repeal these provisions on January 1, 2030.

(5) Existing law establishes the California Hope, Opportunity, Perseverance, and Empowerment (HOPE) for Children Trust Account Program to provide a trust fund account for eligible children, defined to include minor California residents who are specified dependents or wards under the jurisdiction of the juvenile court in foster care with reunification services terminated by court order, or who have a parent, Indian custodian, or legal guardian who died due to COVID-19 during the federally declared COVID-19 public health emergency and meet the specified family household income limit. Existing law prohibits funds deposited and investment returns accrued in a HOPE trust account from being considered as income or assets when determining eligibility and benefit amount for any means-tested program until an eligible youth withdraws or transfers the funds from the HOPE trust account, as specified.

Existing federal law, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, enacted July 4, 2025, provides for a tax-deferred investment account for children known as a “Trump account.”

This bill would similarly prohibit funds deposited and investment returns accrued in a Trump account from being considered as income or assets when determining eligibility and benefit amount for any means-tested program until an account beneficiary withdraws or transfers the funds from the account, as specified. The bill would make these provisions operative on July 1, 2026, or on the date that the State Department of Social Services notifies the Legislature that the California Statewide Automated Welfare System or the California Automated Response and Engagement System (CWS-CARES) can perform the necessary automation to implement these provisions, whichever date is later. To the extent that the bill would expand county duties, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program.

(6) Existing federal law provides for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), known in California as CalFresh, under which supplemental nutrition assistance benefits allocated to the state by the federal government are distributed to eligible individuals by each county.

Existing law requires each county to pay 30% of the nonfederal share of costs of administering the CalFresh program.

This bill would cap the amount the county is required to contribute during the 2026–27 to 2028–29 fiscal years, inclusive, to the lower of the amount the county expended in its contribution in the 2024–25 fiscal year or the amount the county was required to contribute to receive its full allocation of General Fund moneys under the Budget Act of 2024, and would require the county to receive the full General Fund allocation for administration of CalFresh once the county has reached that amount. This bill would make those provisions inoperative on July 1, 2030, and would repeal them as of January 1, 2031.

Existing law requires the department to also establish the California Food Assistance Program (CFAP) to provide nutrition benefits to households that are ineligible for CalFresh benefits solely due to their immigration status, as specified. Existing law requires that CFAP benefits be equivalent to SNAP benefits. Under existing law, operative on the date that the department notifies the Legislature that the Statewide Automated Welfare System can perform the necessary automation for this purpose, an individual 55 years of age or older is eligible for CFAP benefits, subject to an appropriation.

Existing law requires that current and future CalFresh benefits be reduced in order to recover an overissuance caused by intentional program violation, fraud, or inadvertent household error. Existing law sets forth certain procedures and criteria for a county when establishing a claim for recovery of that overissuance of CalFresh benefits.

This bill would require, commencing October 1, 2027, or once the Statewide Automated Welfare System can perform specified automation activities, that CalFresh and CFAP overissuance claims arising out of the same error or intentional program violation be recovered through minimum allotment reductions consecutively, as specified. By expanding county duties relating to the administration of benefits, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program.

Existing law requires the department to establish the County Administrative Cost Control Plan and requires the plan to establish standards and performance criteria, including workload, productivity, and support services standards.

This bill would require the department to utilize certain information that is necessary to assess performance of, monitor the efficacy and impact of administrative funding of, facilitate technical assistance with county welfare departments related to, and inform the public about service delivery in, the CalFresh program. The bill would require county welfare departments and the California Statewide Automated Welfare System Consortium to provide the information and access to necessary data identified by the department within 60 days, as specified. By increasing county duties, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program.

This bill would appropriate $344,000 from the General Fund to the State Department of Social Services for the 2026–27 fiscal year for the purpose of implementing CalFresh transparency initiatives, and would make these funds available for encumbrance or expenditure until September 30, 2029.

(7) Existing law establishes the California Work Opportunity and Responsibility to Kids (CalWORKs) program, under which each county provides cash assistance and other benefits to qualified low-income families using federal, state, and county funds. Existing law establishes maximum aid grant amounts to be provided to each family receiving aid under CalWORKs. Existing law, commencing October 1, 2024, increases the maximum aid payments in effect on July 1, 2024, by 0.3%.

This bill would, commencing October 1, 2026, increase the maximum aid payments in effect on July 1, 2026, by 1.8%.

Existing law continuously appropriates moneys from the General Fund to defray a portion of county costs under the CalWORKs program.

This bill would instead provide that the continuous appropriation would not be made for purposes of implementing the bill.

Existing law provides for the establishment of a methodology to develop the CalWORKs single allocation annual budget. Existing law also requires the State Department of Social Services to reconsider the costs of county operations for county administrative costs in the CalWORKs single allocation for the 2024–25 fiscal year and every 3rd fiscal year thereafter.

This bill would instead require the department to do the above-described reconsideration for the 2024–25 fiscal year, the 2028–29 fiscal year, and every 3rd fiscal year thereafter.

(8) Existing law establishes the In-Home Supportive Services (IHSS) program, administered by the State Department of Social Services and counties, under which qualified aged, blind, and disabled persons are provided with services in order to permit them to remain in their own homes. Existing law requires the department to review the budgeting methodology used to determine the annual funding for county administration of the IHSS program and examine the ongoing workload and administrative costs to counties as part of the review beginning with the 2025–26 fiscal year and every 3rd fiscal year thereafter.

This bill would instead require the department to do the above-described review and examination for the 2025–26 fiscal year, the 2029–30 fiscal year, and every 3rd fiscal year thereafter.

Existing law requires each county to act as, or establish, an employer for in-home supportive service providers. Existing law authorizes a county board of supervisors to elect to contract with a nonprofit consortium or establish a public authority to provide for the delivery of in-home supportive services. Existing law requires a specified mediation process, including a factfinding panel recommending settlement terms, to be held if a public authority or nonprofit consortium and the employee organization fail to reach agreement on a bargaining contract with IHSS workers. Existing law subjects a county to a withholding of 1991 Realignment funds if, among other things, the county does not reach an agreement with the employee organization within 30 days after the release of the factfinding panel’s recommended settlement terms and the collective bargaining agreement for IHSS providers in the county has expired.

This bill, beginning July 1, 2026, would require a county that has not reached an agreement after the release of the factfinding panel’s recommended settlement terms released prior to June 30, 2026, to have 90 days to reach an agreement with the employee organization. If no agreement is reached within 90 days, the bill would require the above-described withholding to occur on October 1, 2026.

(9) Existing law, the Mello-Granlund Older Californians Act, establishes the California Department of Aging in the California Health and Human Services Agency and sets forth its mission to provide leadership to the area agencies on aging in developing systems of home- and community-based services that maintain individuals in their own homes or the least restrictive homelike environments. Existing law requires the department, in consultation with area agencies on aging and stakeholders, to, no later than September 30, 2026, take various actions, including, among others, identifying older adult and family caregiver support programs and services and developing a statewide consumer engagement plan.

This bill would instead require the department to take the above-described actions no later than September 30, 2027.

(10) Existing law provides for the establishment of a statewide electronic benefits transfer (EBT) system, administered by the State Department of Social Services, for the purpose of providing financial and food assistance benefits. Existing law prohibits a recipient of nutrition benefits or cash benefits from incurring any loss of benefits taken by an unauthorized contact, withdrawal, removal, or use of the benefits that does not occur by the use of a physical electronic benefits transfer card issued to the recipient or authorized third party to directly access the benefits. Existing law requires the State Department of Social Services to establish a protocol to use state funds to replace benefits taken under these circumstances. Existing law authorizes the department to issue an all-county letter or similar instructions to implement and amend the requirements and protocols to replace the nutrition benefits, pending the adoption of regulations by June 30, 2026.

The bill would delete the above-described authority and instead authorize the department to issue all-county letters or similar written instructions to implement, interpret, or make specific requirements and protocols to replace cash and nutrition benefits, pending the adoption of regulations by June 30, 2030.

Existing law establishes the California Fruit and Vegetable EBT Pilot Project, and requires the department, in consultation with the Department of Food and Agriculture and specified stakeholders, to include within the EBT system a supplemental benefits mechanism that allows an authorized retailer to deliver and redeem supplemental benefits to CalFresh recipients. Existing law repeals the pilot project on January 1, 2027.

The bill would extend the operation of the pilot project to June 30, 2028.

(11) Existing law requires the State Department of Social Services, in consultation with the Commission on Asian and Pacific Islander American Affairs, to administer a grant program that provides support and services to victims and survivors of hate incidents and hate crimes and their families and facilitates hate incident or hate crime prevention measures, as specified. Existing law authorizes the department to use up to 5% of the funds appropriated for department administrative costs, and provides that any funds in excess of 5% may be authorized not sooner than 30 days after notification in writing of the necessity therefor is provided to the chairperson of the Joint Legislative Budget Committee, or not sooner than whatever lesser time after that notification the Chairperson of the Joint Legislative Budget Committee, or their designee, may in each instance determine. Until October 1, 2025, existing law requires the department, in consultation with the commission, to submit a report for the prior fiscal year that includes certain information, including a list of grant recipients and the amounts allocated to each grantee, as specified. Existing law repeals these provisions on June 30, 2026.

This bill would require the department to submit the above-described report on March 1, 2027, as specified. The bill would remove the provisions relating to administrative costs. The bill would make the remaining provisions inoperative on June 30, 2029, and would repeal them as of January 1, 2030.

Existing law requires the State Department of Social Services, subject to an appropriation, to provide grants to qualified nonprofit organizations through contracts in order to provide persons with certain immigration-related legal services. Under existing law, a component of that program aims to provide legal counsel and social work services to certain minors without a lawful immigration status. Existing law also includes as a component of that program the provision of legal services to unaccompanied undocumented minors who are transferred to the care and custody of the federal Office of Refugee Resettlement and who are present in the state.

This bill would expand eligibility for legal services provided under the latter component of the program to also include immigrants younger than 21 years of age in removal proceedings and would expand the services to which eligible individuals are entitled under that component to include social services.

Existing law requires a contract awarded pursuant to those provisions to meet specified requirements, including, among other things, to provide for legal services to unaccompanied and undocumented minors. Existing law requires that the contracts include administrative and supervisory costs and court fees.

This bill would instead require those contracts to provide for legal and social services to immigrant youth. The bill would also authorize, instead of require, the contracts to include administrative and supervisory costs and court fees, as well as client services. The bill would require those contracts to prioritize the provision of social services to eligible immigrant youth, either directly or through partnerships, as specified.

Existing law, subject to the availability of funding, requires the department to provide grants to organizations to provide free education and outreach regarding the services above. Existing law requires the department to provide the Legislature with specified information regarding these grants in the course of budget hearings, including the ethnic communities served.

This bill would remove the requirement to update the Legislature on the ethnic communities served.

(12) Existing federal law, the Indian Child Welfare Act of 1978 (ICWA), governs the proceedings for determining the placement of an Indian child when that child is removed from the custody of the child’s parent or guardian. Existing law specifies that the state is committed to protecting the essential tribal relations and best interest of an Indian child by promoting practices in accordance with ICWA. Existing law also provides for the state and an Indian tribe to enter into an agreement regarding the care and custody of Indian children and jurisdiction over Indian child custody proceedings. Existing law establishes, in order to provide additional funds to eligible Indian tribes that have entered into an agreement with the state pursuant to those provisions, the Tribally Approved Homes Compensation Program to provide funds to recruit and approve homes for the purpose of foster or adoptive placement of an Indian child and the Tribal Dependency Representation Program to provide funds to pay for legal counsel to represent the Indian tribe in a California Indian child custody proceeding.

This bill would, upon an appropriation by the Legislature, establish the Tribal Foster Care Prevention Initiative to provide state funding to assist any federally recognized Indian tribe located in California, or with lands that extend into California, in funding the costs associated with services aimed at preserving families and preventing the entry of children into foster care, as specified. The bill would require a federally recognized Indian tribe that seeks funding for this purpose to submit an annual letter of interest to the department by May 1 of each year. The bill would require the department, subject to an appropriation in the annual Budget Act for this purpose, to provide each federally recognized Indian tribe that enters into a specified agreement and submits a letter of interest an annual allocation. The bill would require a federally recognized Indian tribe that receives funds to submit a progress report regarding specified information, including the number of Indian children and their families served, to the department on or before September 30 following the close of the fiscal year in which funding was received.

(13) Existing law establishes the Adoption Assistance Program (AAP), administered by the State Department of Social Services, to benefit children residing in foster homes by providing the stability and security of permanent homes. Existing law requires the department or the county, whichever is responsible for determining the child’s AAP eligibility, to assess the needs of the child and the circumstances of the family, with the amount of a cash benefit being determined based on those factors. Existing law authorizes payment to be made on behalf of an otherwise eligible child in a state-approved group home, short-term residential therapeutic program, or residential care treatment facility if the department or county responsible for determining payment has confirmed that the placement is necessary for the temporary resolution of mental or emotional problems related to a condition that existed before the adoptive placement.

This bill would instead require, before January 1, 2028, the department or county responsible for determining payment to confirm that the placement is necessary for the temporary resolution of mental health, behavioral health, or emotional health needs of the child.

This bill would, commencing January 1, 2028, revise and recast the provisions governing payment of AAP benefits on behalf of a child residing in an in-state, out-of-home placement by, in part, only permitting these payments if the child is residing in a licensed short-term residential therapeutic program and limiting authorization to a 12-month cumulative period of time, subject to an extension of a one-time 6-month cumulative period of time, as specified. The bill would, commencing January 1, 2028, authorize benefits to be paid on behalf of an otherwise eligible child for wraparound services in lieu of an out-of-home placement if, among other things, the responsible public agency has confirmed that the wraparound services are necessary, as specified. The bill would permit the authorization of payment for wraparound services for a 12-month cumulative period of time, and would permit consecutive reauthorizations, as specified.

Existing law prohibits the AAP rate paid on behalf of a child for these placements from exceeding the rate paid for a short-term residential therapeutic program. Existing law establishes a Tiered Rate Structure, as specified, upon which the per child per month rate for every child in foster care is based, which includes 3 components, including an amount paid to the foster care provider for care and supervision of the child, a strengths-building allocation to provide for a child’s strengths-building objectives, and an immediate needs allocation to provide for the child’s immediate needs, and establishes payment tiers, as specified. Existing law requires the 3 components of the Tiered Rate Structure to become operative on July 1, 2027, or the date that the department notifies the Legislature that the California Statewide Automated Welfare System can perform the necessary automation to implement the Tiered Rate Structure and the Legislature makes an appropriation for those purposes, whichever is later.

This bill would prohibit the AAP rate for an in-state, out-of-home placement funded by AAP, or for wraparound services funded by AAP, from exceeding the rate paid for a foster care placement in a short-term residential therapeutic program, or, until the 3 components of the Tiered Rate Structure become operative and the Legislature makes an appropriation for that purpose, would instead prohibit the AAP payment rate from exceeding the sum of the 3 components of the Tiered Rate Structure, as specified.

This bill would require the department to develop, and distribute to counties, a curriculum, no later than January 1, 2028, that includes, at a minimum, education on maintaining AAP benefits, adolescent development and trauma, the importance of maintaining Medi-Cal, the benefits of using adoption-competent clinicians, and how to secure trauma-informed services. The bill would require the department to consult with county placing agencies and community partners in the development of this curriculum.

Existing law authorizes AAP payments for placement in an out-of-state residential treatment facility, as defined, if one or more of the adoptive parents reside in the state in which the residential treatment facility is located and the responsible public agency, defined as the department or county adoption agency responsible for determining a child’s AAP eligibility and initial and subsequent payment amount, has confirmed that placement is necessary.

This bill would, subject to an appropriation by the Legislature for these purposes, require the department to directly, or through contract with a service provider, ensure transition support services are made available to adoptive families, and would require the responsible public agency to refer the family to postpermanency services at the local level to support the adoptive family in navigating postpermanency services, as specified. The bill would also require, subject to an appropriation by the Legislature for these purposes, the department to interview adoptive parents who agree to submit the information regarding the reason an out-of-state placement was necessary and the current status of their adoptive children who returned to California on or after July 1, 2025, among other things. The bill would require the department to submit a report to the Legislature, as specified. By imposing duties on counties, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program.

(14) Existing law creates the Office of Youth and Community Restoration within the California Health and Human Services Agency to promote trauma-responsive, culturally informed services for youth involved in the juvenile justice system, as specified. Existing law grants the office the responsibility and authority to report on youth outcomes, identify policy recommendations, identify and disseminate best practices, and provide technical assistance to develop and expand local youth diversion opportunities.

Existing law requires the office to have an ombudsperson and authorizes the ombudsperson to, among other things, investigate complaints from youth and access facilities serving youth involved in the juvenile justice system. Under existing law, an ombudsperson is authorized to meet or communicate privately with any youth, personnel, or volunteer in a juvenile facility and interview any relevant witnesses and to take notes, audio or video recording, or photographs during the meeting or communication with youth, to the extent not otherwise prohibited by applicable federal or state law. Existing law requires the ombudsperson to have access to, review, receive, and make copies of any record of a local agency, including all juvenile facility records at all times, expect as otherwise prohibited.

This bill would specify that the ombudsperson can meet or communicate privately with any youth, individually or in groups of youth. The bill would specify the equipment that an ombudsperson is permitted to carry with them when meeting or communicating with youth pursuant to these provisions includes, but is not limited to, state-issued computers, audio or video recording devices, cameras, or technology to provide the ombudsperson internet access. The bill would also expand the definition of “record” under these provisions to include grievances or complaints. By imposing additional duties on local entities, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program.

Existing law establishes the Youth Bill of Rights, which includes the right to live in a safe, healthy, and clean environment conducive to treatment and rehabilitation, to contact attorneys, ombudspersons, and other advocates regarding conditions of confinement or violations of rights, and to receive a quality education. Existing law requires the Office of the Ombudsperson of the Office of Youth and Community Restoration to design posters and provide the posters to specified juvenile facility operators. Existing law requires every juvenile facility to provide youth placed in the facility with an orientation that includes an explanation and copy of the rights and responsibilities and to post a listing of the rights in a conspicuous location. Existing law requires that a copy of the rights of youth be included in orientation packets provided to parents or guardians of wards.

This bill would specify that the copy of the rights and responsibilities of youth to be provided to youth during orientation needs to be as designed and provided by the Ombudsperson of the Office of Youth and Community Restoration. The bill would require that the posters designed and provided by the ombudsperson be posted in a conspicuous area, including near the telephones that youth can use to call the ombudsperson. The bill would also require that the rights be provided to parents or guardians of each youth placed in a juvenile facility and that copies of the posters and brochures be made available in lobbies and visiting areas of juvenile justice facilities, as specified. By imposing additional duties on local entities, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program.

(15) 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 with regard to certain mandates no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason.

With regard to any other mandates, this bill would provide that, if the Commission on State Mandates determines that the bill contains costs so mandated by the state, reimbursement for those costs shall be made pursuant to the statutory provisions noted above.

(16) This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as a bill providing for appropriations related to the Budget Bill.