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 a quorum, we have eight measures on the agenda, three of which are in consent. Please note that we limit testimony. Two witnesses in support and two witnesses in opposition. Each witness has two minutes to testify.

All additional witnesses will be limited to saying their name, organization, if they represent one, and their position on the bill. I also want to note that we're accepting written testimony through their position letter portal on the committee's website. Lastly, I'd like to address disruptions during the hearing.

Conduct that disrupts or otherwise impedes the orderly conduct of this hearing is prohibited. If disruptive behavior occurs today, you will be removed from the hearing by the assembly sergeants. Now for a little housekeeping. File Item number three, SB452, Weber Pearson, has been pulled by the author and will not be heard today.

Also, the author for file Item number four, SB471, Mengamar, has agreed to accept the committee's amendments that are described in the committee's analysis. Due to timing constraints, the next committee of referral, the Assembly Judiciary Committee, will be processing those amendments. Madam Secretary, please call the roll to establish a quorum.

Lee. Here. Castillo. Here. Calderon El Juari Jackson. Here. Celeste Rodriguez. Tongapa.

Thank you. And so we'll start with file number one, AJR 12 by assembly Arrons. However, assembly Aarons has been excused from legislative business today due to personal emergency, and assembly member Hadwick will be presenting the bill in her place. So, assembly member Hadwick, whenever you're ready. And we begin with AJR12.

Thank you. Good afternoon, Mr. Chair and members. I'm here to present as a co author of AJR12 on behalf of assembly member Aarons. He regrets his inability to attend today because of a family emergency.

AJR12 recognizes May 2025 as Head Start Month and calls on the US Congress and President to protect and increase funds for the Head Start program. Head Start provides the poorest, least advantaged kids with early childhood education, as well as health, nutrition, social, emotional, behavioral, and dental services.

I want to first give a huge shout out to Patrick Aarons, who spearheaded this and thoughtfully included me in it, because we are both Head Start graduates. I'm here today not just as a legislator, but as someone whose life was shaped by the very program we're fighting to protect. Head Start.

Raised in rural California by a single mom who worked two jobs. Just keep the lights on and food on the table. I know first hand what Head Start means to my families. Like mine, it was a lifeline.

While my mom worked tirelessly to build a better life for us, Head Start gave us a safe place to learn, grow, and be seen. It gave her the peace of mind that every parent deserves and that her child was in good hands and learning and cared for. That's why this fight is personal for me.

In rural counties like Modoc, Siskiyou and Lassen and any of my 11 counties that I represent in District 1, Head Start isn't just one option among many. Many, it's often the only option. The only place where a child can get a meal, a health screening are often the only learning program or child care option available.

The only way a parent can go to work without having to choose between a paycheck and their child's safety. This is not a partisan issue. This is a values issue, a community issue, and a future of our kids issue. And if anyone doubts the power of Head Start, invite them to look at me.

I'm a proud product of this program. It wasn't just Head Start that helped my family and I, but latchkey food stamps, commodity programs, low income housing, after school programs, free lunches, Angel Tree, I want us Dare, Big Brother, Big sisters.

I'm sure there are more, but all of these programs invest in our families and they invest in our children. My mom was able to use what she needed and work hard to make a better life. It was a stepping stone.

We need these stepping stones for our families so that when they face those challenging financial times that our gener, our next generations are taken care of. I fully believe that we need to cut our budget and cut the waste.

I just hope that we don't do that on the backs of our low income working families and our children. I'm here today because someone invested in my future. And when I was a little girl, they took the time to care.

We need to make sure that we keep doing that for the next child, the next single mom, the next Head Start kid with big dreams and nowhere else to go. So now is the time that we lead with purpose. To put families first and put people over politics and to invest in the promise that every child holds.

Rural California is depending on it and the children working parents of California. And I respectfully ask for your aye vo. Today I have witnesses with me. Melanie Cattrell, the Executive Director for Head Start California, and Michael Jenkins, a Head Start parent from Lincoln, California.

All right, thank you very much. Two minutes each witness, please.

Thank you. Good afternoon, Mr. Chair and Committee Members. My name is Melanie Cottrell. I am the Executive Director of Head Start California, the nonprofit Association that supports and represents California's 138 Head Start providers.

This year alone, our members will serve over 80,000 children, employ more than 25,000 Californians, and bring nearly 1.7 billion federal taxpayer dollars directly back to our communities. Head Start empowers children by building essential foundations for early childhood learning, giving them the academic and development skills they'll need for success in school and beyond.

We provide prenatal care and affordable child care so parents can focus on their education, their careers and job training. We partner with small businesses, hire locally, and catalyze growth in our communities.

From home visits on ranches in Siskiyou county, to neighborhood child care homes in Stanislaus County, to centers specially built for blind and deaf children in Los Angeles, we meet Californians where the need is greatest. Head Start delivers lasting benefits for families, communities, and ultimately taxpayers.

Our children are more likely to graduate, secure stable employment, and actively contribute to the workforce. Our families benefit from greater stability and fewer barriers to workforce participation. Research shows that programs like Head Start have an annual ROI of over 13%. More than 40 million children have benefited from Head Start over the last 60 years.

That's good for all of us because strong families and strong communities power California. For these reasons, we respectfully request your aye vote on this resolution.

Thank you, Raj. Next witness, please.

Good afternoon. Thank you. Chair Members. My name is Mike Jenkins. As a parent of the program within Head Start and a fostered off parent with nine children currently I've had 34 children that have been in my care since 2019 going through Covid and Head Start has been the critical backbone that have helped my children succeed.

When you think about my three children that I've adopted here, two and a half year old twins that were nonverbal, they were thriving kindergarteners and ready and beyond. And all thankful to the program here with Head Start.

When I think about my role as a foster parent with 34 children since July of 2019, many children have been returned back to their families because of the involvement that they've had in Head Start. If they were involved in Head Start from the beginning, they likely would not have been taken away into the system in Head Start.

So I asked for your aye vote to continue and support this valuable program. Thank you.

Thank you so much. The witnesses. Now do we have Members of the public who wish to testify in support of the bill? Please come up to microphone. Name and organization.

Hi. Annie Thomas. On behalf of the California alliance of Child and Family Services in Support. Thank you.

Nicole Morales on behalf of Children Now in support.

Yesenia Jimenez with End Child Poverty California in support.

Barbara Schmitz on behalf of First Five California in support.

Thank you. Now, do we have any witnesses opposition to the bill? Any members of the public wish to testify in opposition to the bill, please come to the microphone. Seeing none. Any questions or comments from the Committee Members? All right, seeing that, I'll invite the author to close.

I'm really thankful that the current federal budget spared the Head Start program. But this is the third budget that hasn't provided any new funding for Head Start. Thankfully, Head Start enjoys really strong bipartisan support.

We actually think we broke a record with the amount of legislators that signed on to our letter early on in the federal funding efforts. A budget is a statement of our values and the Head Start program is critical to allowing Americans born into poverty a pathway to middle class and beyond.

So I respectfully ask for your aye vote today for Patrick Aarons and myself.

Well, thank you so much for presenting for some of assembly member Aarons today. Head Start is an instrumental program in our child care system and without it more families and children will have a harder time having childcare. So I appreciate the efforts. The bill has been properly by assembly member Tankipa, seconded by assembly member Calderon.

Madam Secretary, please call the roll on.

AJR12. File item 1 AJR12. The motion is be adopted. Lee. Lee aye. Castillo. Castillo aye. Calderon. Aye. Calderon aye. Elhori. Aye. Elhori. Aye. Jackson, aye. Jackson, aye. Rodriguez tongapa. Tongapa, Aye.

Six to zero. That resolution is out. Thank you. All right, next, I believe I saw Senator Caballero here. So whenever she is ready, we could do file item number five, SB 624.

Good afternoon, Mr. Chair and Members. Thank you for the opportunity to present SB 624, also known as the Foster Act, which will increase access to the California Foster Youth Tax Credit, or FYTC, which was established in 2022 to reduce poverty among current and former foster youth.

With annual incomes averaging between $9,000 and $16,000 a year and a disproportionate risk of homelessness, poverty reducing tax credits are vital. Only 16% of eligible use youth receive this credit in 2024. Better outreach is required to close the gap.

SB 624 will require county child welfare agencies and juvenile probation departments to mail information that contact all non minor foster youth to explain the need to file state and federal income tax returns in order to receive the tax credit.

SB 624 would require the California Department of Social Services to issue guidance to county child welfare agencies and juvenile probation departments on best practices for supporting non minor foster youth to file.

With me today to testify is Simone Tureck Lee, the Director of Housing and Economic Mobility at John Burton Advocates for Youth, and Bayley Craig, a youth advocate with John Burton Advocates for Youth.

Thank you. Two minutes each, please.

Thank you, Senator. Good afternoon, Chair and Members of the Committee. My name is Simone Tureck Lee, and I'm with John Burton Advocates for Youth. Here in strong support of Senate Bill 624.

SB 624 would help more foster youth access the California Foster Youth Tax Credit, as the Senator shared, by requiring counties to mail annual notices to non minor dependents, providing information about how the credit, how to receive the credit, how to file your taxes for free, and would also require the state to issue guidance to counties on best practices to increase awareness and filing.

This credit is the first and only tax credit in the nation for current and former foster youth. And right now, youth receive it who are between 18 and 25, they can receive up to $1,154 by filing their state taxes. That amount raises a little bit each year, and the important thing is it works.

A full 96% of young people who have received this credit are actually receiving a tax refund, meaning it's a big benefit for them to file their taxes. And they're getting that refund not just from this credit, but from other credits that they're eligible for as well. And those refunds are meaningful.

Single filers are receiving an average of $1,370 back. And parenting youth filing as head of household are receiving over $5,200 back when they file their taxes.

This is increasing for parenting youth, their income, by 57% because young people, as the Senator shared, have extremely low incomes at this age, and this doesn't affect their eligibility for public benefits or financial aid. In 2024, nearly 5,700 youth received the credit, totaling 6.1 million. But that's just 16% of who's eligible.

So we piloted the mailing strategy in the bill in four counties. Three of those counties saw the highest increase in uptake statewide when compared to other similarly sized counties, and the fourth had the second highest. This shows what's possible with consistent outreach, but currently no such outreach is required.

So without it, youth are leaving money on the table and at a time when they really need it. So we respectfully ask for your aye vote on SB 624 to connect more foster youth with the support that they need and deserve.

Good afternoon, Chair and Members of the Committee. My name is Bayley Craig. I am 23 years old. I graduated from Sacramento State this year and will be returning for a master's in social work this fall. I'm a former foster youth from the Napa County.

I entered the system at 7 years old and remained in the system until I became an adult. I'm currently a youth advocate at John Burton's Advocates for Youth and I'm here to share my experience with receiving the Foster Youth Tax Credit. I was approached by a community based organization called Voices to file my taxes.

At the time, Voices was the only youth serving organization running a volunteer income tax assistance site. They first approached me when I turned 18, but I wasn't interested because I heard stories about having to pay money when you file your taxes. They asked me each year after that and I would politely decline.

It wasn't until 2023, when I turned 20, that they caught my ear. You see, 2023 was the first year the Foster Youth Tax Credit became available. They told me about it and it sounded like I was likely to get money back if I filed my taxes.

That year, I got my refund and I filed each of the two following years. This year, I got $1,400 because not only did I qualify for the Foster Youth Tax credit, but also for the California Earned Income Tax Credit.

This money may not seem like a lot to some people, but for me, it helped me pay my car insurance, registration, and debt that I had accrued. The money received from my tax return helped me maintain my car for transportation, which was crucial. My foster dad at this time was unable to drive.

This was because he had a major stroke that left him partially paralyzed. Having a car for transportation was important because it gave me independence. It allowed me to provide myself with the transportation I needed to get to school and work. I could also drive my foster dad to his important doctor's appointments.

For a lot of people my age, receiving this credit means being able to pay another month of rent. It really is a lifeline and it's unfortunate that so many of my peers are unaware about it. I'm in support of SB 624 because a foster youth tax credit is an important resource. And this bill takes smart and simple measures to improve awareness and access to it. Thank you.

All right, thank you, two witnesses. Now, if there are members of the public who wish to testify in support of the bill, please come up to the microphone. Name and organization.

Hello. Good afternoon. My name Is Wednesday Pope, and I'm a college student, former foster youth, and Chair of the California Youth Empowerment Commission. I'm here to express my strong support for SB 624, which would increase access to the California Foster Youth Tax Credit, which is a, sorry, I cannot speak today.

A critical poverty reduction tool for current and former foster youth across the state. The Foster Youth Tax Credit has helped me personally make rent, keep my housing, get out of debt, afford unexpected transportation repairs, and finish community college. Ensuring foster youth.

We're just doing, name and organization.

Oh, perfect, thank you.

But thank you. Thank you for coming. Thank you.

Hello, my name is Alicia Dominguez with John Burton Advocates for Youth, and I'm here to express my support for SB 624. Thank you.

Oh, hi. Good afternoon Members, Orchidia De Reyes, on behalf of Long Beach City College, in support.

Thank you.

Annie Thomas, on behalf of the California Alliance of Child and Family Services, in support.

Good afternoon, Chairmen. Tiffany Fan, on behalf of California Court Report and Special Advocate Association, or CAL CASA, in support. Thank you.

Yesenia Jimenez, with End Child Poverty in California, in strong support, as well for Prosper California and the Western Center on Law and Poverty. Thank you.

Nicole Moroles on behalf of Children Now, in strong support.

All right, thank you. Now, do we have any witnesses opposition to the bill? Any members of the public who wish to testify in opposition to the bill, please come forward to the microphone. Seeing none, I'll bring it back to the Committee. But Senator, just to clarify, are you accepting the committee amendments?

Yes.

Okay, great. Any questions or comments from the dias? Senator Elhawary

I just want to thank the author so much for this incredible bill. I think, in particular for having the vision to establish the Foster Youth Tax Credit in the first place and to continue to ensure that young people are able to take advantage of this tax credit.

I'm a foster mom to a young woman who's now 23, and just knowing that she has access to this, I don't even know if she knows. And so it's really, I think, important that you do the outreach, that you ensure that the young people have a sense of it.

And being really thoughtful about ensuring that young people can understand what this means so that they don't feel like they're just paying money to taxes, but that they can potentially get some back means a lot. So thank you to the advocates as well, from John Burton Advocates for Youth.

Thank you. Do you have a comment, Vice Chair? Yes. Okay, go ahead.

I just wanted to thank the author for the bill. I have worked with foster youth as a licensed mental health professional. And so I really do appreciate this because I know the need and if they are aware of it, it would help them a lot moving forward. So thank you for this.

Thank you.

All right. Thank you. Well, I don't see any other comments, so invite the author to close.

Thank you very much. Well, thank you for your comments. Thank you for being foster parents. It's a really important commitment and it's an investment in young people. And congratulations for graduating from college and moving on to a master's program. It's just awesome. That's what this is all about.

It's a commitment to foster youth that have had to go, through no fault of their own, through the system. And it's a commitment that says we believe in you and we want to make an investment in your future. So I respectfully ask for your aye vote.

Thank you very much. I again, also do appreciate the author bringing this bill forward, too, and you're working on the Foster Youth Tax Credit. As you talk about affordability and how to make cost of living more bearable for more Californians, this is a real, real way of getting real dollars back into people's pockets and especially helping foster youth with the real money to get transportation needs or groceries, whatever it is.

This is money that also goes back into economy. So I think it's very worthwhile and I am recommending an aye vote. So, Madam Secretary, please, oh. The bill has been moved by Assembly Member Jackson and seconded by Assembly Member Elhawary. Madam Secretary, please call the roll on this bill.

[ROLL CALL]

Seven to zero. That bill is out. Congratulations.

Thank you very much.

Thank you. All right, next up, we'll have Senator Limón with file item number seven, SB 778.

Thank you, chair and Members. SB77 aims. SB778 aims to support agricultural working families by expanding access to the Migrant Child Care and Development Program under the California Department of Social Services. The Migrant Child Care and Development Program, provides working families in agriculture with access to child care and development services if they meet specific criteria.

SB 778 expands the specific criteria by one, redefining migrant agriculture worker family in statute to mean a family that has at least one individual earning 40% or more of their total income from agricultural work. Additionally, it authorizes eligible families to self certify and provide any necessary documentation to establish the income eligibility with CDSS.

With me today we have Vicki Santos on behalf of the Mexican Opportunity foundation, as well as Jacob Villagomez on behalf of Citrus Mutual, to speak in support of the bill.

All right, go ahead. Two minutes each, please.

Good afternoon, chair and Members. My name is Vicki Santos. I'm the Chief Operating Officer with the Mexican American Opportunity foundation, which is a large nonprofit based out of LA County. One of the many programs that we have is our migrant program, which serves farm farmworking families. And so we thank Senator Limon for authorizing this bill.

And because this is a very crucial program aimed to provide childcare for our farm worker families, we believe this Bill will ease enrollment for farm worker families who qualify for the program by addressing some of the cultural and linguistic challenges faced by farm workers and their families.

Two key improvements are the income requirement change that acknowledges that many farm workers have to work multiple jobs and the allowance for self certification that helps mitigate against the difficult employer verification process. We are very supportive of this bill and we respectfully request an aye vote. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Members, my name is Jacob V. Gomez. I'm the Director of Governmental affairs for the California Citrus Mutual. And we too want to thank the Senator for bringing forth this measure. And it's very timely considering all the different things we're talking about in the both the immigration and the labor space. So we appreciate it.

SB778 seeks to provide a meaningful relief and assurance of farm workers who show up every day to power the agricultural economy, especially the citrus sector, which is vital to the California economy. The bill proposes a modest change recognizing the fluctuating and seasonal nature that is agriculture.

And the change will make it easier for farm worker families to access vital services such as meals, snacks, parental education and social service referrals, including professional development opportunities. California Citrus Mutual represents about a quarter million acres of citrus land that could not be sustained without the skill, dedication and hard work of our farm workers and their families.

So we believe this measure offers essential support for families navigating increasingly challenging and tumultuous times, as I've said, and as a thoughtful common sense adjustment that reflects the realities of the ag community. And we respectfully ask for your support and want to thank the good senator for bringing forth this measure.

All right, thank you very much. Now, do we have any Members of the public who wish to testify in support of the bill? Please come into the microphone, members of the public.

Chair and Committee Members. I'm Barbara Schmitz. I'm here on behalf of First Five California in support.

Thank you. And do we have any witnesses in opposition, any members of the public who wish to testify in opposition to the bill? All right. Seeing none, I will bring back the Committee for questions, comments from Members.

Second.

All right. I'll invite Senator Limon to close.

I respectfully ask for an aye vote. Thank you.

Well, thank you for bringing this bill forward, and thank you for making sure our agricultural families are not left behind as we make sure we have child care for all. So thank you. I'm recommending an aye vote. Bill has been moved by senator

Celeste Rodriguez, seconded by assembly member Castillo to have a bipartisan motion and Madam Secretary, please call the roll.

File item 7, SB778. The motion is do pass to the Assembly Appropriations Committee. Lee. Lee, aye. Castillo. Castillo, aye. Calderon. Calderon, aye. El Huari. Aye. Elhuari, aye. Jackson. Jackson, aye. Rodriguez. Rodriguez, aye. Tongapa. Tongapa, Aye.

Seven to zero. That bill is out. Congratulations.

Thank you.

Members, let's take up the consent calendar now. So if I can get a motion and a second. The consent calendar has been moved by Tagipa, seconded by Vice Chair Castillo. Madam Secretary, if you could call the roll on the consent calendar.

[Roll Call]

Consent calendar is out. We only have one Item remaining. That is file item number six, SB736, 739 by Senator Arreguin. So we'll be waiting for one more author. Madam Secretary, if you want to call the roll for add ons.

[Roll Call]

Okay. Thank you. Madam Chair Members, the opportunity to present SB739, which would authorize the California Department of Social Services, as part of ensuring disaster victims have access to CalFresh through the Disaster CalFresh program, to inquire whether a county in an impacted area is able to provide timely and adequate service to disaster victims.

Please.

Disaster CalFresh provides disaster victims with a month's worth of benefits on an EBT card if they are ineligible for the regular CalFresh. This is a vital lifeline to families who may not be able to cover basic expenses in the event of a disaster, which could be up to $290 for the whole month.

During this critical need, victims are immediately focused on getting the essentials of shelter, food, water. The State of California nonprofit organizations can step in and assist to provide food security in a number of ways.

Like all other agencies in the disaster area, county facilities that current CalFresh and potential disaster CalFresh recipients rely upon for answers about their benefits could be damaged or unavailable to be accessed, and county employees could be displaced or responding to that direct emergency situation.

So SB739 would ensure that CDSS is authorized to inquire whether a county in a federally declared disaster area is able to provide timely and adequate services to CalFresh recipients.

This would allow CDSS to work with impacted counties should there be potential difficulties faced by county workers in providing timely service to disaster victims and ensure that victims have these critical resources in a time of great need.

And this really was inspired by the recent situation we've had in Los Angeles County, making sure that we can ensure the availability of these essential benefits for people who need them at the time of need. I'm proud that SB739 passed through the state senate with bipartisan support.

And with me to testify and support the bill is Yesenia Jimenez, senior policy associate with End Child Poverty California, at the appropriate time, respectfully asked for an aye vote.

Thank you so much. Dear Chair Members, again, my name is Yesenia Jimenez with End Child Poverty in California, a coalition of 178 organizations committed to ensuring every child is healthy, housed and fed. In the State of California, when disaster strikes, families often lose everything.

Homes, jobs, access to basic necessities like food CalFresh and Disaster CalFresh in particular, provide a critical lifeline to those moments, to those families in those moments. But in too many cases, county infrastructure is damaged or overwhelmed, and the very systems people rely on to access benefits can't respond fast enough. SB739 addresses a simple but crucial issue.

Communication and coordination. It ensures that California Department of Social Services checks in with counties who often also need mutual aid after a federally declared disaster and assess a county's ability to deliver CalFresh services.

This allows the state to identify breakdowns early, support local workers and ensure families don't fall through the cracks when they need the help the most. This bill helps protect the safety net in times of crises. And for those reasons, I urge your aye vote on this bill. Thank you.

Thank you so much.

Do we have.

Do we have any members of the public in the hearing room to testify in support? Do we have any primary witnesses in opposition? Do we have any members of the public in the hearing room to testify in opposition? All right. Are there any questions from committee members? So, Member Tangipa.

Yeah, I just want to take a second. And having worked a federally declared disaster and seen that in Fresno County, I just want to say thank you not only for addressing some of the issues that we've seen with LA, but also being, you know, having some future response.

And so just want to make sure that I'm thanking the author as well and look forward to supporting this.

Thank you.

Likewise. It's so critical that communities are able to access disaster CalFresh in times of disaster especially. I know all of our LA Members really felt that. So thank you for bringing this bill forward. The chair is recommending an aye vote. We have a motion by Jackson. A second by assembly member Calderon. And would you like to close?

Respectfully ask for an aye vote.

Thank you, sir. Madam Secretary, please call the roll.

File item 6, SB 739. The motion is do passed to the Assembly Appropriations Committee. Lee. Castillo. Calderon. Calderon, aye. El Huari. El Huari, aye. Jackson. Jackson, aye. Rodriguez. Rodriguez, aye. Tongapa. Tongapa, aye.

We're leaving the roll open for members to add on. The vote is five to zero. That bill is out.

Yes. My favorite sa. Madam Secretary, please call the roll for the. Or. Please call the roll for. Add on. For. For. Sorry. I got it. File item number six, SB 739 AR.

The current vote is five to zero. Lee. Aye. Lee, aye. Castillo. Aye. Castillo, aye. Final vote 7 to 0.

This meeting of the Assembly Human Service Committee is adjourned.