SB 608: Child health and safety: “Have a Heart, Be a Star, Help Our Kids” license plate program.
- Session Year: 2023-2024
- House: Senate
- Latest Version Date: 2023-02-15
Current Status:
Failed
(2024-02-01: Returned to Secretary of Senate pursuant to Joint Rule 56.)
Introduced
In Committee
First Chamber
In Committee
Second Chamber
Enacted
Existing law requires the Department of Motor Vehicles to issue Have a Heart, Be a Star, Help Our Kids special license plates and imposes additional fees, as specified, for their issuance, renewal, replacement, and transfer. Existing law requires that those additional fees be deposited in the Child Health and Safety Fund, less specified amounts. Existing law requires that 50% of the funds derived from the Have a Heart, Be a Star, Help Our Kids license plates be available, upon appropriation, to the State Department of Social Services for administering various provisions related to childcare licensing, as specified. Existing law requires that, upon appropriation by the Legislature, the balance be available, as described, for programs that address other categories of potential childhood injury, as specified. Existing law requires counties to create local childcare and development planning councils to identify and address childcare needs, among others. Existing law also creates the California Children and Families Commission to promote, support, and improve early childhood development. Existing law provides for funding to county commissions that develop, adopt, promote, and implement local early childhood development programs consistent with specified goals and objectives.
This bill would increase the fees for the initial issuance and renewal of the Have a Heart, Be a Star, Help Our Kids license plates. The bill would continuously appropriate 50% of the fees collected on or after January 1, 2024, to local childcare and development planning councils, as described, for specified purposes, including recruitment and training of new childcare providers. The bill would require a portion of the funds to be allocated to the agency having oversight of new and continuing childcare provider health and safety education and training program curriculum for specified purposes. Of the fees collected on or after January 1, 2024, the bill would also continuously appropriate 5% to the State Department of Public Health in support of the departments injury prevention branch addressing childhood injury prevention and 20% to county commissions, as specified, that elect to receive funding and would limit the spending of those funds for certain purposes, including administering the California Unintentional Injury Prevention Strategic Plan Project. The bill would require that no more than 10% of the funds allocated to the commissions be allocated to the nonprofit organization that provides administrative and staff support to the California Unintentional Injury Prevention Strategic Plan Project and would require the nonprofit organization to support statewide networking of unintentional injury coalitions and support evidence-based technical assistance and training for childhood unintentional injury prevention programs to the county commissions.
(a)Any person described in Section 5101 may also apply for a set of Have a Heart, Be a Star, Help Our Kids license plates, and the department shall issue those special license plates in lieu of the regular license plates. The Have a Heart, Be a Star, Help Our Kids plates shall be distinct from other existing license plates by the inclusion of a well within the portion of the license plate that has the alpha-numeric sequence. The well may be placed in any position within that portion of the license plate. A heart shape, a five-pointed star, a hand shape, a plus-sign shape, shall be imprinted within the well itself. However, for purposes of processing the alpha-numeric sequence, the symbol within the well shall be read as a blank within the alpha-numeric sequence. The Department of Motor Vehicles shall cooperate with representatives of the California Highway Patrol and the Prison Industries Authority to design the final shape and dimension of the symbols for these license plates.
(b)An applicant for a license plate described in subdivision (a) may choose to either accept a license plate character sequence assigned by the department that includes one of the four symbols or request a specialized license plate character sequence determined by the applicant that includes one of the four symbols, in accordance with instructions which shall be provided by the department.
(c)In addition to the regular fees for an original registration, a renewal of registration, or a transfer of registration, the following Have a Heart, Be a Star, Help Our Kids license plate fees shall be paid:
(1)Notwithstanding Section 5106, for those specialized license plates whose character sequence is determined by the license owner or applicant:
(A)Fifty dollars ($50) Ninety dollars ($90) for the initial issuance of the plates. These plates shall be permanent and shall not be required to be replaced.
(B)Forty dollars ($40) Eighty dollars ($80) for each renewal of registration which includes the continued display of the plates.
(C)Fifteen dollars ($15) for transfer of the plates to another vehicle.
(D)Thirty-five dollars ($35) for replacement plates, if the plates become damaged or unserviceable.
(2)For those specialized license plates whose character sequence is assigned by the department:
(A)Twenty dollars ($20) Forty dollars ($40) for the initial issuance of the plates. These plates shall be permanent and shall not be required to be replaced.
(B)The legally allowed fee for renewal plus fifteen dollars ($15) thirty dollars ($30) for each renewal of registration, which includes the continued display of the plates.
(C)Fifteen dollars ($15) for transfer of the plates to another vehicle.
(D)Twenty dollars ($20) for replacement plates, if the plates become damaged or unserviceable.
(d)When payment of renewal fees is not required as specified in Section 4000, or when the person determines to retain the Have a Heart, Be a Star, Help Our Kids license plates upon sale, trade, or other release of the vehicle upon which the plates have been displayed, the person shall notify the department and the person may retain the plates.
(e)The revenue derived from the additional special fees provided in this section, less costs incurred by the department, the Department of the California Highway Patrol, and local law enforcement for developing and administering this license plate program pursuant to this section, shall be deposited in the Child Health and Safety Fund, created pursuant to Chapter 4.6 (commencing with Section 18285) of Part 6 of Division 9 of the Welfare and Institutions Code, and, when appropriated by the Legislature shall be available for the purposes specified in that chapter.
(f)It is the intent of the Legislature that the additional special fees specified in subdivision (e) are not used to replace existing appropriation levels in the 199192 Budget Act.
SEC. 2.Section 18285 of the Welfare and Institutions Code is amended to read:18285.(a)There is hereby created in the State Treasury the Child Health and Safety Fund for the purposes specified in this section.
(b)Moneys for this fund shall be derived from the license plate program provided for pursuant to Section 5072 of the Vehicle Code and from civil penalties on child daycare facility providers.
(c)Moneys in the fund shall be expended, upon appropriation by the Legislature, for the purposes specified in subdivisions (d), (e), and (f).
(d)Fifty percent of moneys derived from the license plate program pursuant to Section 5072 of the Vehicle Code before January 1, 2024, shall be available, upon appropriation, to the State Department of Social Services for the purpose of administering provisions of Sections 1596.816, 1596.87, 1596.872b, 1596.893b 1596.893b, 1596.895, 1596.95, 1597.091, 1597.54, 1597.541, 1597.542, 1597.55b 1597.55b, and 1597.62 of the Health and Safety Code. Upon appropriation by the Legislature, an additional five hundred one thousand dollars ($501,000), in excess of the 50 percent derived from the license plate program, also shall be made available for these purposes. The State Department of Social Services shall allocate these special funds according to the following priorities:
(1)Site visits performed pursuant to Sections 1597.091 and 1597.55b of the Health and Safety Code.
(2)The monitoring responsibility of the childcare advocate program.
(3)Training for investigative and licensing field staff.
(4)Other aspects of the childcare advocate program performed pursuant to Section 1596.872b of the Health and Safety Code.
(5)The salary of the chief of the childcare licensing branch.In
(5)The salary of the chief of the childcare licensing branch. In order to implement the list of priorities set forth in this subdivision, and to complete implementation of subdivision (a) of Section 1596.816 of the Health and Safety Code, the State Department of Social Services may, as necessary, fund appropriate administrative support costs.
(e)The balance of funds remaining after the appropriations specified in subdivision (d) derived from the license plate program pursuant to Section 5072 of the Vehicle Code before January 1, 2024, shall be available, upon appropriation, for programs that address any of the following child health and safety concerns and that are either to be carried out within a two-year period or whose implementation is dependent upon one-time initial funding:
(1)Child abuse prevention, except that not more than 25 percent of the moneys in this fund shall be used for this purpose. Ninety percent of the 25 percent shall be deposited in the county childrens trust fund, established pursuant to Section 18966 of the Welfare and Institutions Code, for the support of child abuse prevention services in the community, and 10 percent of the 25 percent shall be deposited in the State Childrens Trust Fund, established pursuant to Section 18969, for public education, training, and technical assistance.
(2)Vehicular safety, including restraint, warnings, and education programs.
(3)Drowning prevention.
(4)Playground safety standards.
(5)Pedestrian Safety. safety.
(6)Bicycle safety.
(7)Gun safety.
(8) Fire safety. Home fire and burn safety and family disaster planning.
(9)Poison control and safety.
(10)In-home safety.
(11)Childhood poisoning, including from prescription medications, lead, and other toxic substances.
(12)Sleep suffocation and sudden infant death syndrome.
(13)Children left in parked cars and children run over by cars moving forward or backward.
(14)Sports-related concussions, heat stroke, cardiac arrest, and spinal injury safety.
(15)Unintentional injuries associated with mental health.
(f)Moneys derived from civil penalties imposed on daycare facility providers shall be made available, upon appropriation, to the State Department of Social Services exclusively for the technical assistance, orientation, training, and education of child daycare facility providers.
SEC. 3.Section 18286 is added to the Welfare and Institutions Code, to read:18286.(a)Notwithstanding Section 13340 of the Government Code, 75 percent of the moneys in the Child Health and Safety Fund derived from license plate program fees collected on or after January 1, 2024, pursuant to Section 5072 of the Vehicle Code are continuously appropriated, without regard to fiscal years, to the following:
(1)Five percent of the funds shall be allocated to the State Department of Public Health in support of the departments injury prevention branch addressing childhood injury prevention.
(2)Twenty percent of the funds shall be allocated to those First 5 county commissions, created pursuant to Section 130140.1 of the Health and Safety Code, that elect in an annual survey conducted each fiscal year by the nonprofit housing the California Unintentional Injury Prevention Strategic Plan Project to receive and utilize the funding.
(A)Each county commission electing to receive these funds shall receive an amount as provided in this subparagraph:
(i)County commissions in counties with populations over 100,000 shall receive equal shares of 80 percent of the available funds for distribution to county commissions opting into receiving these funds based on the survey completed pursuant to this paragraph.
(ii)County commissions in counties with populations under 100,000 shall receive equal shares of 20 percent of the available funds for distribution to county commissions opting into receiving these funds based on the survey completed pursuant to this paragraph.
(B)The county commissions receiving these funds can utilize them only for programs that address any of the categories in paragraphs (2) to (15), inclusive, of subdivision (e) of Section 18285 that are either to be carried out within a two-year period or whose implementation is dependent upon one-time initial funding.
(C)The county commissions electing to receive this funding shall use the funds for any of the following:
(i)To support local programs that further unintentional injury prevention in one or any of the unintentional injury categories in paragraphs (2) to (15), inclusive, of subdivision (e) of Section 18285.
(ii)To supplement and not supplant existing funding supporting programs furthering child health and safety and aligned with childhood unintentional injury prevention.
(iii)On promoting and practicing those evidence-based best prevention practices addressing childhood unintentional injury provided or recommended by the California Unintentional Injury Prevention Strategic Plan.
(iv)At the county commissions discretion, to participate with the California Unintentional Injury Prevention Strategic Plan Project pursuant to the projects responsibilities in subparagraph (D).
(v)Where appropriate, collaborate with regional or local childhood unintentional injury prevention coalitions or programs, including childhood unintentional injury prevention coalitions or programs in tribal lands.
(vi)The commissions may use the funds described in this section to participate at the annual California Children and Families Commission conference or biennial Safer California Unintentional Injury Prevention conference.
(D)Each year, 10 percent of the 25 percent of the funding dedicated to childhood unintentional injury prevention pursuant to this paragraph shall be distributed to the nonprofit providing administration and staffing to the California Unintentional Injury Prevention Strategic Plan Project. The nonprofit organization shall utilize the funding only for the following purposes:
(i)Support statewide networking of local childhood unintentional injury prevention coalitions and programs.
(ii)Support evidence-based, best-practice technical assistance and training programs for childhood unintentional injury prevention, including sharing successful local models of unintentional injury prevention, for local prevention coalitions, programs, and county commissions as described in Section 130140.1 of the Health and Safety Code.
(iii)Oversee the updating of childhood unintentional injury prevention strategic planning.
(iv)Planning activities for the biennial Safer California Unintentional Injury Prevention conference.
(v)Support public policy to prevent childhood unintentional injury.
(vi)Conduct an annual survey of the county commissions created through Section 130140.1 of the Health and Safety Code to determine which of the county commissions elect to receive this funding, and to transmit that survey result to the state for distribution of the funding to the county commissions.
(3)Fifty percent of funds shall be allocated to childcare safety and health in accordance with the following:
(A)Eighty-five percent of the funds described in this paragraph shall be allocated to the local childcare planning council described in Section 10485 in each county on a per-capita basis, as follows:
(i)One-half percent of the 85 percent to counties with populations less than 2,000.
(ii)One percent of the 85 percent to counties with populations between 2,000 up to 100,000.
(iii)One and one-third percent of the 85 percent to counties with populations between 100,000 up to 249,999.
(iv)One and two-thirds percent of the 85 percent to counties with populations between 250,000 up to 499,999.
(v)Two percent of the 85 percent to counties with populations between 500,000 and 1,000,000.
(vi)Four percent of the 85 percent to counties with populations over 1,000,000.
(B)Funds allocated pursuant to subparagraph (A) shall be used for one or both of the following:
(i)Recruiting new childcare providers.
(ii)Supporting education and training for new childcare providers or continuing education for existing childcare providers, including licensed and exempt providers.
(C)Fifteen percent of the funds described in this paragraph shall be allocated to the state agency having oversight of new and continuing childcare provider health and safety education and training program curriculum to be used for the following purposes:
(i)Review and approval of childcare provider health and safety education and training as established in Chapter 1.1 (commencing with Section 100000.1) of Division 9 of Title 22 of the California Code of Regulations.
(ii)Onsite reviews of approved education and training programs to ensure approved curriculum is adhered to and to observe the quality of the education and training program delivery.
(iii)Coordination with relevant bodies involved in improving access, quality, and affordability of childcare, including, but not limited to, childcare provider recruitment and planning agencies, academic institutions, and childcare and child development agencies or councils.
(b)Twenty-five percent of funds derived from the license plate program fees collected on or after January 1, 2024, pursuant to Section 5072 of the Vehicle Code, shall be available, upon appropriation by the Legislature, for programs that address child abuse prevention pursuant to paragraph (1) of subdivision (e) of Section 18285.
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Date
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Status
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|---|---|
| Feb 1, 2024 | Returned to Secretary of Senate pursuant to Joint Rule 56. |
| May 18, 2023 | May 18 hearing: Held in committee and under submission. |
| May 12, 2023 | Set for hearing May 18. |
| Apr 24, 2023 | April 24 hearing: Placed on APPR suspense file. |
| Apr 14, 2023 | Set for hearing April 24. |
| Apr 12, 2023 | From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 14. Noes 0. Page 689.) (April 11). Re-referred to Com. on APPR. |
| Mar 30, 2023 | Set for hearing April 11. |
| Mar 21, 2023 | From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on TRANS. (Ayes 5. Noes 0. Page 426.) (March 20). Re-referred to Com. on TRANS. |
| Feb 28, 2023 | Set for hearing March 20. |
| Feb 22, 2023 | Referred to Coms. on HUMAN S. and TRANS. |
| Feb 16, 2023 | From printer. May be acted upon on or after March 18. |
| Feb 15, 2023 | Introduced. Read first time. To Com. on RLS. for assignment. To print. |
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Date
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Description
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Location
|
Votes
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|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 24, 2023 | Placed on suspense file | Senate Standing Committee on Appropriations |
Passed |
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| Apr 11, 2023 | Do pass, but first be re-referred to the Committee on [Appropriations] | Senate Standing Committee on Transportation |
Passed |
|
| Mar 20, 2023 | Do pass, but first be re-referred to the Committee on [Transportation] | Senate Standing Committee on Human Services |
Passed |
This list shows positions taken on this bill by organizations on the date displayed, which is linked to the original source.
Positions by individuals are not included.
|
Organization
|
Position
|
Date
|
|---|---|---|
| 1 private citizen | ** Against | |
| Association Of California Life & Health Insurance Companies | ** Support | |
| California Coalition for Children's Safety and Health | * Support | Apr 11, 2023 |
| Children's Advocacy Institute Center for Public Interest Law | ** Support | |
| First Five Association of California | * Support | Apr 11, 2023 |
| Lucile Packard Children's Hospital_stanford Children's Health | ** Support | |
| Safe Moves | ** Support | |
| Yolo County | * Support | Apr 11, 2023 |
SENATE COMMITTEE ON
Senator Anthony Portantino, Chair
2023 - 2024 Regular Session
SB 608 (Becker) - Child health and safety: “Have a Heart, Be a Star, Help Our Kids” license plate program
Version: | Policy Vote: |
Urgency: | Mandate: |
Hearing Date: April 24, 2023 | Consultant: |
Bill Summary:
SB 608 would increase the fees for issuance and renewal of “Have a Heart, Be a Star, Help our Kids” (Kids’ Plate) license plates and would revise the allocation of funds derived from that program.
Fiscal Impact:
- According to the California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV), Kids Plate program revenues to the Child Health and Safety Fund were $3,371,401 in 2019-20, $3,237,394 in 2020-21, and $3,018,705 in 2021-22. DMV does not anticipate significant workload costs to implement the proposed fee increases.
Staff notes unknown increased fee revenues to the Child Health and Safety Fund. While fees would nearly double, the number of vehicle owners that choose to apply for or renew the Kids’ Plate license plates has declined in recent years.
- The California Department of Social Services (CDSS) estimates a reduction of over $2 million annually from the Child Health and Safety Fund for child care licensing activities under the proposed redirection of funds. This would result in General Fund cost pressures to backfill the loss in revenues to support the child care licensing program.
- The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) estimates a reduction in CDPH’s annual allocation from the Child Health and Safety Fund from $526,000 to approximately $200,000 for programs that fund unintentional injury prevention grants to counties and other community-based organizations. The CDPH anticipates a potential reduction in administrative workload as there would be less local funding to administer and oversee.
Background:
The Kids’ Plate program allows vehicle owners to choose a hand, heart, star or plus sign for their license plate. Fees generated from the Kids’ Plate program are deposited into the Child Health and Safety Fund and upon appropriation, used for regulation of licensed child care facilities, child abuse prevention programs, and efforts to prevent childhood injuries.
Current law specifies that the first 50 percent of the Kids’ Plate revenues plus an additional $501,000 is dedicated to support CDSS’ responsibilities for child care licensing. Up to 25 percent of the remaining funds support child abuse prevention efforts administered by the counties and CDSS. The remaining funds support programs that address child injury prevention.
Proposed Law:
Specific provisions of the bill would:
- Increase the fee for a Kids’ Plate special license plate, whose character sequence is determined by the license owner or applicant, from $50 to $90 for initial issuance and from $40 to $80 for renewal.
- Increase the fee for a Kids’ Plate special license plate, whose character sequence is determined by the DMV, from $20 to $40 for initial issuance and from $15 to $30 for renewal.
- Specify a new allocation of moneys in the Child Health and Safety Fund derived from the license plate program fees collected on or after January 1, 2024:
- 5 percent, continuously appropriated, to the CDPH in support of the department’s injury prevention branch addressing childhood injury prevention.
- 20 percent, continuously appropriated, to First 5 county commissions, as specified.
- 50 percent, continuously appropriated, to childcare safety and health programs, of which 85 percent would be allocated to local childcare planning councils and 15 percent to the state for child care provider health and safety education and training.
- 25 percent, upon appropriation by the Legislature, for child abuse prevention programs.
-- END --
SENATE COMMITTEE ON TRANSPORTATION
Senator Lena Gonzalez, Chair
2023 - 2024 Regular
Bill No: SB 608 Hearing Date: 4/11/2023
Author: | Becker | ||
Version: | 2/15/2023 | ||
Urgency: | No | Fiscal: | Yes |
Consultant: | Jacob O'Connor | ||
SUBJECT: Child health and safety: “Have a Heart, Be a Star, Help Our Kids” license plate program
DIGEST: This bill increases the fees for issuance and renewal of “Have a Heart, Be a Star, Help our Kids” license plates and revises allocation of funds derived from that program. This bill reduces the percentage provided to the California Department of Social Services Community Care Licensing Division and increases the allocation of funds to childcare safety and health and First 5 county commissions.
ANALYSIS:
Existing law:
- Establishes the “Have a Heart, Be a Star, Help Our Kids” (Kids’ Plate) special interest license plate program. These plates are distinguished by the inclusion of a well which is imprinted with a heart, star, hand, or plus sign shape. (Vehicle Code §5072)
- Requires an additional fee of $50 for the initial issuance of the specialized Kids’ plate with custom a character sequence, $45 for their renewal, $35 for their replacement if they become damaged, and $15 for the transfer of the special license plates to another vehicle.
- Requires an additional fee of $50 for the initial issuance of the specialized Kids’ plate with character sequence assigned by the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV), $20 for their replacement if they become damaged, and $15 for their renewal or transfer to another vehicle.
- Specifies that the net revenue derived from these fees shall be deposited in the Child Health and Safety Fund.
- Requires that moneys for the Child Health and Safety Fund shall be derived from the Kids’ Plate program and that civil penalties on child day care facility providers shall be deposited into this fund. Requires that revenue to be allocated as follows: (Welfare and Institutions Code §18285)
- 50 percent, plus $501,000, to the California Department of Social Services (CDSS) for childcare licensing and administration;
- 25 percent to CDSS for child abuse prevention, 90 percent of which is deposited into the county’s children’s trust fund while the remainder is deposited in the State’s Children’s Trust Fund; and
- 25 percent to support prevention education, training, and technical assistance on a specified list of thirteen childhood unintentional injury areas.
- Requires the directors of the Department of Motor Vehicles and CDSS to annually make a determination whether the total annual receipts for the Kids’ Plate program is sufficient to cover these priorities and programs and, if so, for CDSS to implement that priority or program. (WIC §18285.5)
This bill:
- Raises the fee for a Kids’ Plate special license plates from $50 to $90 for issuance of a personalized plate and from $40 to $80 for renewal of a personalized plate.
- Raises the fee for a Kids’ Plate with a character sequence assigned by DMV from $20 to $40 for issuance of a license plate and from $15 to $30 for renewal.
- Adds injuries related to mental health to the list of unintentional childhood injury areas.
- Changes the allocation of the funds collected from the program to be distributed as follows:
- 5 percent of the funds shall be allocated to the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) for injury prevention;
- 20 percent of the funds shall be allocated to First 5 county commissions that elect to receive and utilize the funding. These monies shall be distributed in various shares related to the population of each county in order to carry out programs that address the fourteen unintentional childhood injury areas;
- 50 percent of the funds shall be allocated to childcare safety and health. These funds shall be distributed in various percentages based on county population; and
- 25 percent of the funds shall be available for appropriation by the Legislature for child abuse prevention programs.
COMMENTS:
- Purpose of bill. According to the author “The Kids’ Plates specialty vehicle license program provides critical funding to essential local commissions and state departments committed to children’s safety. However, the Kids’ Plates Program has not been updated since its creation in 1992 despite the needs of the communities it serves changing and growing. The Kids’ Plates funding formula has caused it to fall behind the funding levels of every other specialty license plate program. As a consequence, only 15 counties have successfully accessed these funds in the last two years. Updating the Kids’ Plates program is necessary to provide county and local commissions accessible funding to support their childcare safety, health licensing, and educational programs. SB 608 will modernize the Kids’ Plates Program by increasing the Kids’ Plates issuance and renewal fees, addressing new health concerns within the program, and directly supporting local and county commissions for child abuse prevention programs, childhood injury prevention, and childcare safety and health. By doing so, SB 608 reinvests in California’s children, and those that are working hard to care for them.”
- The Kids’ Plate Program. Established in statute in 1992, the Kids’ Plates Program allows vehicle owners to purchase specialized license plates that contain an embossed heart, hand, star, or plus sign. Fees collected from issuing these plates goes into the Child Health and Safety Fund and is used to support three significant child health and safety issues in California: 1) unintentional childhood injuries; 2) child abuse; and 3) childcare licensing and inspection. According to the DMV, there were 71,088 Kids’ Plates renewed in Financial Year 2021-2022 and 5,506 new plates issued. The program raised $3,225,844 in revenue during that time.
Currently, the first 50 percent of the Kids’ Plate revenue plus an additional $501,000 is dedicated to support Child Care Licensing responsibilities for child care licensing as follows: site visits, monitoring of the child care advocate program, training for investigative and licensing staff, other aspects of the child care advocate program and the salary of the chief of the child care licensing branch.
Up to 25 percent of the remaining funds support child abuse prevention efforts lead by the counties and CDSS. CDSS may, as necessary, fund appropriate administrative costs. Counties are required to use these monies to fund child abuse and neglect prevention and intervention programs operated by private nonprofit organizations or public institutions of higher education with recognized expertise in fields related to child welfare. Funds are also used to support counties’ Child Abuse Prevention Coordinating Councils.
The rest of the funds support CDPH-run programs that address injury prevention, education, training, and technical assistance on a specified list of fourteen childhood unintentional injury areas.
This bill proposes major changes to where the Kids’ Plate program funds will go. CDSS will no longer receive any funding from this program. First 5 county commissions would get funds as well as counties for childcare safety and health programs.
- First 5 California. In 1998, California voters passed Proposition 10, adding a 50-cent tax to each pack of cigarettes sold to create First 5 California. First 5 California is a comprehensive system of education, health services, childcare, and other programs. It is dedicated to improving the lives of California’s children. Since its creation, First 5 California has brought these critical services to millions of parents, caregivers, and children ages 0 to 5. First 5 California distributes funds to local communities through the state’s 58 individual counties, all of which have created their own local First 5 county commissions. The amount of funding provided to each First 5 county commission is based upon the area’s birth rate.
- Kids’ Plate revenues not meeting demand. The Unintentional Injury Policy and Program Section of CDPH oversees and administers part of the money annually appropriated under the current Kids’ Plate program. According to their website, due to high demand and limited amount of available funding, entities that had previously received Kids’ Plates funding in Fiscal Year 2018- 2020 were not eligible to apply for funding for Fiscal Year 2021-2023. If the increased fees proposed in this bill do not decrease the number of applicants to the Kids’ Plate program, it would increase the funds available and allow previously funded entities to again be funded.
- Comparing prices. The DMV offers several other special interest and environmental license plates with fees benefiting a variety of programs including the Lake Tahoe Conservancy, the Firefighter’s Memorial Fund, and the California Arts Commission. While this bill would increase the fees of the Kids’ Plate program, those fees would still be lower than the majority of other specialized license plates. For most license plates with custom character strings, the fee for initial personalized plates is $103, and renewals is $83. For special interest license plates with character sequences assigned by the DMV, the fee for initial plates is usually $50, and renewals are $40. By increasing the fees but keeping them below the cost of other, similar, plates the author hopes to avoid decreasing the number of people applying for plates while increasing the amount of revenue per plate. Because this bill has not yet been analyzed by a fiscal committee, it is unclear how raising fees in any amount may impact the total number of dollars collected through the Kids’ Plate program.
- Double Referral. This bill was double-referred to the Senate Committee on Human Services where it was heard on March 20, 2023 and passed 5-0.
Related Legislation:
SB 374 (Ashby) – Would increase the fee for a renewal of a California a firefighter specialized license plate from $35 to $40. This bill is pending in the Senate Appropriations Committee.
AB 378 (Grayson) – Would extend the deadline for receipt of the required number of paid applications for California Legacy special interest license plate designs that did not receive the required number of applications of January 1, 2025. This bill is pending in the Assembly Appropriations Committee.
AB 1336 (Smith, Chapter 47, Statutes of 2019) – Added pedestrian safety, sleep suffocation, and sports-related concussion to the list of childhood unintentional injury areas the Child Health and Safety Fund tries to address.
FISCAL EFFECT: Appropriation: Fiscal Com.: Local:
Unknown
POSITIONS: (Communicated to the committee before noon on Wednesday, April 5, 2023.)
SUPPORT:
California Coalition for Children's Safety and Health (Sponsor)
Children's Advocacy Institute Center for Public Interest Law (Sponsor)
Association of California Life & Health Insurance Companies
First 5 Association of California
Lucile Packard Children's Hospital - Stanford Children's Health
Safe Moves
OPPOSITION:
1 private citizen
-- END --
SENATE COMMITTEE ON HUMAN SERVICES
Senator Alvarado-Gil, Chair
2023 - 2024 Regular
Bill No: | SB 608 | ||
Author: | Becker | ||
Version: | February 15, 2023 | Hearing Date: | March 20, 2023 |
Urgency: | No | Fiscal: | Yes |
Consultant: | Heather Hopkins | ||
Subject: Child health and safety: “Have a Heart, Be a Star, Help Our Kids” license plate program
SUMMARY
This bill increases the fees for issuance and renewal of “Have a Heart, Be a Star, Help our Kids” (Kids’ Plate) license plates and revise allocation of funds derived from that program. This bill reduces the percentage provided to the California Department of Social Services (CDSS) Community Care Licensing (CCL) Division and increases the allocation of funds to childcare safety and health and First 5 county commissions.
ABSTRACT
Existing Law:
- Establishes the Kids’ Plate program and sets fees for the initial, renewal, transfer and replacement of the plates. (Vehicle Code 5072)
- Creates within the State Treasury the Child Health and Safety Fund. Requires that moneys for the fund shall be derived from the Kids’ Plate program and that civil penalties on child day care facility providers shall be deposited into this fund. Requires that revenue to be allocated as follows:
- 50 percent, plus $501,000, to CDSS for childcare licensing and administration
- 25 percent to CDSS for child abuse prevention, 90 percent of which is deposited into the county’s children’s trust fund
- 25 percent to DPH to support prevention education, training, and technical assistance on a specified list of ten childhood unintentional injury areas. (WIC 18285)
- States Legislative intent that specified priorities and programs be funded and implemented in the order they are listed, and that each priority and program may be funded and implemented independently of the other priorities and programs. Requires the Directors of the Department of Motor Vehicles and CDSS to annually make a determination whether the total annual receipts for the Kids’ Plate program is sufficient to cover these priorities and programs and, if so, for CDSS to implement that priority or program. (WIC 18285.5)
- Requires that a county board of supervisors that designates a commission with duties primarily related to services for children, as specified, shall also establish a county children’s trust fund, as specified. Further requires that money in the county children’s trust fund shall be used to fund child abuse and neglect prevention and intervention programs operated by private nonprofit organizations or public institutions of higher education with recognized expertise in fields related to child welfare. (WIC 18965 et seq.)
- Creates in the State Treasury, the State Children’s Trust Fund, and requires money from the Fund to be allocated to CDSS for the purpose of funding child abuse and neglect prevention and intervention programs, as specified. (WIC 18969)
This Bill:
- Raises the fee for a Kids’ Plate special license plates from $50 to $90 for issuance of a personalized plate and $40 to $80 for renewal of a personalized plate.
- Increases the cost of “Have a Heart, Be a Star, Help Our Kids” special license plates with a sequence assigned by DMV from $20 to $40 for issuance of a license plate and $15 to $30 for renewal.
- Changes the allocation of the funds collected from the program to be distributed as follows:
- 5 percent of the funds shall be allocated to the Department of Public Health for injury prevention.
- 20 percent of the funds shall be allocated to First 5 county commissions that elect to receive and utilize the funding. These monies shall be distributed in various shares related to the population of each county.
- 50 of the funds shall be allocated to childcare safety and health. These funds shall be distributed in various percentages based on county population.
- 25 percent of the funds shall be available for appropriation by the Legislature for child abuse prevention programs, expanded to include unintentional injuries associated with mental health.
FISCAL IMPACT
This bill has not been analyzed by a fiscal committee.
BACKGROUND AND DISCUSSION
Purpose of the Bill:
According to the author, The Kids’ Plates specialty vehicle license program provides critical funding to essential local commissions and state departments committed to children’s safety. However, the Kids’ Plates Program has not been updated since its creation in 1992, despite the needs of the communities it serves changing and growing. Updating the Kids’ Plates program is necessary to provide county and local commissions accessible funding to support their childcare safety, health licensing, and educational programs. Funding for the Kids’ Plate has fallen behind funding levels for every other specialty license plate program. As a consequence, only 15 counties have successfully accessed these funds in the last two years. The current categories of unintentional injuries in the Kids’ Plates statute need updating to address today’s causes of unintentional injury. SB 608 updates this list, addressing needed areas of children’s health. Finally, the bill will equitably distribute funding to all counties so that the dollars directly impact the communities that need it most. Kids’ Plates 2.0 will invest in all children’s health across California.
Background
Have a Heart, Be a Star, Help Our Kids – Kids’ Plate Program
The Kids’ Plate program allows vehicle owners to choose a hand, heart, star or plus sign for their license plate. Fees generated from the Kids’ Plate program are deposited in the Child Health and Safety Fund and used for regulation of licensed child care facilities, child abuse prevention programs, and efforts to prevent childhood injuries.
Currently, the first 50 percent of the Kids’ Plate revenue plus an additional $501,000 is dedicated to support CCL responsibilities for child care licensing as follows: site visits, monitoring of the child care advocate program, training for investigative and licensing staff, other aspects of the child care advocate program and the salary of the chief of the child care licensing branch. Up to 25 percent of the remaining funds support child abuse prevention efforts lead by the counties and CDSS. CDSS may, as necessary, fund appropriate administrative costs. The rest supports DPH-run programs that address injury prevention.
Changes in Funding Allocation
Under current law, funding from the Kids’ Plate program goes to three different programs: CDSS for childcare licensing and administration; CDSS for child abuse prevention; and DPH for prevention, education, training, and technical assistance on a specified list of ten childhood unintentional injury areas.
This bill proposes major changes to where the Kids’ Plate program funds will go. CDSS will no longer receive any funding from this program. First 5 county commissions would get funds as well as counties for childcare safety and health programs.
First 5 California
In 1998 California voters passed Proposition 10, adding a 50-cent tax to each pack of cigarettes sold to create First 5 California. First 5 California is a comprehensive system of education, health services, childcare, and other programs. It is dedicated to improving the lives of California’s children. Since its creation, First 5 California has brought these critical services to millions of parents, caregivers, and children ages 0 to 5. First 5 California distributes funds to local communities through the state’s 58 individual counties, all of which have created their own local First 5 county commissions. The amount of funding provided to each First 5 county commission is based upon the area’s birth rate. Funds are used to address the local needs of communities statewide.[1]
Community Care Licensing (CCL) Division
CCL is responsible for the licensure or certification of approximately 72,000 licensed community care facilities that include child care, children’s residential, adult and senior care facilities. CCL’s Child Care Licensing Program is charged with ensuring licensed child care facilities meet health and safety standards through monitoring facilities, providing technical assistance, and establishing partnerships with providers, parents, and the child care community. CCL conducts pre-and post-licensure inspections for new facilities and unannounced visits to licensed facilities under statutorily-required timeframes. According to CDSS, their yearly allotment from this fund hovers around $2 million.
Child Care Advocate Program (CCAP)
Within the CCL is the Child Care Advocate Program (CCAP), created to provide a link between child care licensing and the community. By statute, CDSS may establish a child care in each of its 14 licensing district regional offices. Currently 4 regional offices have an advocate program and those local offices tailor their activities to fit the needs of the local community. Child Care Advocates provide information to parents, child care providers, employers, educators, and community groups. They participate in community activities and special projects in order to:
- Disseminate information on the state's licensing role
- Provide information to the public and parents on child care licensing
- Act as a liaison to child care resource and referral agencies
- Serve as liaison to businesses, education groups, child care provider organizations, Resource and Referral Agencies, and other child care programs
- Assist county government and community agencies in capacity building and quality improvement efforts to ensure the availability of quality child care
- Assist in the coordination of complaints and concerns on behalf of children in child care
Child Abuse and Neglect Prevention
Revenue from the Kids’ Plate program is also used for child abuse and neglect prevention efforts at the state and county level, with the majority of funds dedicated to child abuse prevention is given to the counties. Counties are required to use these monies to fund child abuse and neglect prevention and intervention programs operated by private nonprofit organizations or public institutions of higher education with recognized expertise in fields related to child welfare. Funds are also used to support counties’ Child Abuse Prevention Coordinating Councils.
Unintentional Injury Prevention
Funds from the Kids’ Plate program also support the Safe and Active Communities Branch (SACB) within DPH, which works to prevent unintentional childhood injuries. SACB is responsible for developing and implementing policies and program interventions and conducting surveillance activities to prevent deaths and disability from injury. SACB provides funding, technical assistance, and training to local entities to support the implementation of evidence-based programs and the distribution of child safety equipment. By statute, SACB’s efforts to reduce unintentional injuries if children and youth are focused on:
- Vehicular Safety
- Drowning Prevention
- Playground Safety Standards
- Bicycle Safety
- Gun Safety
- Fire Safety
- Poison Control and Safety
- In-home Safety
- Childhood Lead Poisoning
- Sudden Infant Death Syndrome
This bill would add expand “fire safety” to include “home fire and burn safety and family disaster planning.” It would also add “unintentional injuries associated with mental health” to the list of programs eligible for funding. This is a term not defined in the bill. It is unclear if the author’s intent is to focus on injuries to children as a result of adult mental illness, mental illness of a child, or something else altogether.
How Funds from Kids’ Plate Program Are Distributed
The Unintentional Injury Policy and Program Section of California Department of Public Health (CDPH) oversees and administers part of the money annually appropriated under the current Kids’ Plate program. According to their website, due to high demand and limited amount of available funding, entities that had previously received Kids’ Plates funding in Fiscal Year 2018-2020 were not eligible to apply for funding for Fiscal Year 2021-2023. If the increased fees proposed in this bill did not decrease the number of applicants to the Kids’ Plate program, it would increase the funds available and allow previously funded entities to again be funded. According to the author, only 15 of California’s 58 counties have received funds from the Kids’ Plate program in the past two years.
Special License Plates
This bill seeks to increase the initial fee and renewals fee for Kids’ Plates. DMV currently offers a number of Special License Plates, ranging from Lake Tahoe Conservancy (VC 5075) to Breast Cancer Awareness (VC 5156.7) to California Arts Council (VC 5074). The majority of these plates have fees for initial personalized plates of $103, and renewals of $83, and for plates with a sequence assigned by the DMV, an initial fee of $50 and renewal of $40. Because this bill has not yet been analyzed by a fiscal committee, it is unclear how raising fees in any amount may impact the total number of dollars collected through the Kids’ Plate program.
Related/Prior Legislation:
AB 3087 (Speier, Chapter 136, Statutes of 1992) creates the California Kids Plate program, as well as the Children’s Health and Safety Special Fund to capture and expend the revenues off of the Kids Plate license sales and renewals.
SB 1158 (McGuire, 2018) would have increased the fees for initial license plates under the Kids’ Plate program and would have revised the allocation of funds derived from that program to reduce the percentage provided to CDSS CCL Division, increased the percentage allocated to the CDPH, and provided a new allocation to the Emergency Medical Service Authority. The bill also would have modified the list of specified child health and safety concerns administered by DPH. This bill was held in Senate Appropriations.
AB 2602 (Salas, 2022) would have reallocated funds from the Kids’ Plate program as follows: 50 percent to local childcare and development planning councils, 25 percent to county commissions that elect to receive funding and would limit the spending of those funds for certain purposes, including administering the California Unintentional Injury Prevention Strategic Plan Project (CUIPSP), 10 percent to the nonprofit organization that provides administrative and staff support to the CUIPSP. This bill was not set for a hearing.
COMMENTS
The Kids’ Plate program was enacted in 1992. Neither the amount of fees nor the distribution of those funds has been changed since. This bill would end its funding toward some programs, most notably CDSS. Because this bill has not yet been analyzed by a fiscal committee, it is unclear how it might impact oversight of child care providers by CCL. According to the Senate Appropriations analysis of a similar bill, SB 1158, in 2018, the decrease in the allocation percentage provided to CDSS would result in a loss of revenue for the department, with CDSS receiving approximately $1.5-2.0 million less to go toward CCL efforts. It is unclear what the revenue loss to CDSS would be this year and if backfill would be available in the budget to keep CDSS funding at its current levels.
Double Referral: This bill is double referred to Senate Transportation Committee.
POSITIONS
Support:
California Coalition for Children's Safety and Health (Sponsor)
Association of California Life & Health Insurance Companies
Children's Advocacy Institute Center for Public Interest Law
First 5 Association of California
Oppose:
None received
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Discussed in Hearing
Senate Standing Committee on Transportation
Senate Standing Committee on Human Services
Bill Author
Bill Co-Author(s):