Assembly Standing Committee on Human Services

Good afternoon. I call this hearing of the Assembly Committee on Human Services to order. Today, once we have established quorum, we have two bills on the agenda. Please note that we limit testimony to two witnesses in support and two witnesses in opposition. Each witness has two minutes to testify.

All additional witnesses will be limited to stating their name, organization, and if they resent one, their position on the bill. I also want to note that we are accepting written testimony through the position letter portal on Committee's website. Madam Secretary, can we please? No. Okay. Then we will start as a Subcommitee and start with file item number. Oh, okay. All right. Madam Secretary, please call the roll to establish quorum.

[Roll Call]

Thank you very much. And we'll start with file item number one with Assemblymember Rubio, AB 866, whenever you are ready.

Thank you, Mr. Chair and Members. AB 866 is a continuation of our efforts to further protect our foster youth, especially in the face of the ongoing opioid crisis. Just last year, the state revised restrictions on federally approved opioid use disorder treatments, which can be administered outside of a clinical setting.

This allowed youth 16 years of age or older to seek treatment without the stigma or fear often associated with seeking said support. In cases of opioid addiction, receiving timely and accessible treatment is, without exaggeration, a matter of life and death.

Since the passage of AB 816 last year, our colleagues representing foster youth in the legal system have found that there is uncertainty in the application of the law, leaving foster youth without the same treatment certainty as those outside of the foster care system.

While it's tragic we even need legislation such as this, or its predecessor for that matter, the reality is by ensuring foster youth have access to these treatments, lives will be saved. By clarifying the role of court oversight in this case, the measure provides certainty for foster youth who could benefit from and proactively seek medically assisted treatment, just as others outside of the system can.

This measure has a coalition of foster youth advocates and support, has no opposition, and enjoyed bipartisan support in Senate Judiciary Committee. I have Ann Quirk here, policy attorney, with our sponsor, Children's Law Center, to answer any technical questions.

Thank you very much. And witness can proceed. Two minutes, please. Just for questions. All right, very good. Do we have any witnesses in the public, in the room, in the public, who wish to testify in support of the bill? Seeing none. Any witnesses opposition to the bill? Seeing none. Any members of the public wish to testify against the bill, please come up to the microphone. Seeing none, I'm going to bring it back to the dais. Any questions? All right, Mr. Mathis.

From what I'm reading in the summary we have here, you're wanting to lower the threshold from age 12 down to 10. Is that correct?

So, existing law already. Children that are outside of the foster care system already. The law is already 10 years old. What we're doing is aligning the foster care youth to the same law that already exists.

Do you have any further questions, Mr. Mathis, or no? Okay, very good. Any other questions from Members? If not, the bill is properly moved and seconded. It was moved by Assemblymember Gipson. Seconded by Assemblymember Arambula. I just want to thank the Assemblymember for bringing this bill forward.

It is important that our foster youth have access to the same life saving measures as their peers at this, and this removes unnecessary barriers or treatment. I propose that the Committee recommend that the Assembly concur in the Senate amendments. And of course, we have a motion and a second. Madam Secretary, please call the roll.

The recommendation is to concur in Senate amendments. [Roll Call]

Four to one. We'll leave the roll open for absent Members. Thank you so much.

Thank you.

Next, we'll go to file item number two, AB 2496, by Assemblymember Pellerin.

Thank you. Thank you so much. I don't know how much march this week then, but let me first address up front the unique circumstances surrounding the introduction of this legislation. The situation is urgent and dire. Foster family agencies play a critical role in the care of some of our California's most vulnerable children.

And I introduced 2496 to ensure foster family agencies would not lose their liability insurance this year, leading to that displacement of over 9,000 kids. Unfortunately, the Nonprofits Insurance Alliance of California, which insures 90% of FFAs, announced last week it will not renew insurance coverage for all FFAs in the state.

So that means that these kids would be reverted back to the care of the county custody, which would be a disaster. So AB 2496 is a temporary solution to keep our most vulnerable foster kids in their current homes. And it got out of the Senate Floor with 40 votes.

And I do have with me today to testify and support Amanda Kirchner with the County Welfare Directors Association of California and Kim Lewis with Aspiranet FFA.

All right, please proceed.

Thank you. They just want quick. They want quick. They want quick. They're saying to go fast.

In the interest of time. Amanda Kirchner, County Welfare Directors. We are in support. This bill gives us the flexibility to be able to port the kids from an FFA that closes over to another FFA or port them back under county jurisdiction. Right now that process is months. This would significantly reduce it and keep them paid at the same rate, which is incredibly key for us. Ask for your aye vote. Thank you so much.

Thank you very much. Your next witness, please.

Yeah. Kim Lewis, representing Apiranet. And we are one of the FFAs who are supposed to lose insurance in December.

Sorry, please proceed. Yes.

Yes. Kim Lewis representing Apiranet, one of the FFAs who's intending to, supposed to be losing our insurance. We're working diligently to find new insurance coverage and the liability portions, particularly in Section One, are very critical to help right-sizing the balance of the contracting rules. So thank you.

Thank you very much. Now, do we have any members of the public wish to testify in support of the bill? Please state your name.

Chair and Members, Danielle Sanchez, on behalf of the Chief Probation Officers, in support and would align our comments with the needs to that of our child welfare colleagues. Thank you.

Fantastic. Thank you. Any other members of the public seeing none move to any persons wishing to testify in opposition to bill? Seeing none. Any members of the public wish to testify in opposition to the bill, please come to the microphone. Seeing none. We'll bring it back to the dais. Any questions, Members? Assemblymember Mathis.

Thank you. This is needed. I've seen this with CBRC, with kids with disabilities, and I've also seen this within the foster system and being able to make sure that they're secure and that if they do have to change a home, because that does happen, that we are able to move them quickly and rapidly and preferably keep them in the same counties and the same services and the same caste members and everything else.

So this is extremely important. I would say add me as a co-author, but I don't know if we can throw that here, this point, then we have to go back to the Senate. So anyway, stay at it.

Yes, unfortunately, it's too late for that, Assemblymember Mathis, but I appreciate you supporting this bill. Thank you, Assemblymember Pellerin, for working on this issue this year. I understand that insurers are choosing to no longer renew FFA policies.

FFAs are an important element to our child welfare system, but more importantly, the resource families they certify are the pillar of our child welfare system. This bill ensures that resource families can seamlessly maintain placements while there are ongoing conversations on how to address the lack of availability of insurance.

I look forward to working on this issue as we find a resolution that is centered around the needs of foster youth. And I propose the Committee recommend that the Assembly concur in the Senate amendments. The bill has been properly moved by Senator Mathis. Seconded by Senator Gipson. Madam Secretary, please call the roll. Oh, I didn't even offer you to close. Or previously.

I simply ask for your aye vote for these over 9,000 vulnerable children. Thank you.

Fantastic. My apologies. All right. Madam Secretary, please call the roll.

The recommendation is to concur in Senate amendments. [Roll Call]

Five to zero. And we'll leave the roll open for absent Members. We will stick around for a couple more minutes for absent Members to add on. So if they so wish. I'm like, where's my bag?

Where'd I put it?

Thank you. Of course. Yes.

Happy to.

On AB 866, the current vote is four to one. Calderon. Calderon. I current vote, five to one. On AB 24. Nine, six. The vote is five to zero. Calderon. Calderon. Aye. Current vote, six to zero. On AB 866, the current vote is five to one. Essayli or not voting. Essayli not voting. Final vote, five to one.

On file on AB 2496 current vote is six to zero. Assailee assailing aye. Final vote, seven to zero. It.

This hearing of the Assembly Human Services Committee is now adjourned.