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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMINUTES - 04191994 - 1.9 (2) 1.96 TO: BOARD OF SUPERVISORS Contra L FROM: Phil Batchelor, County Administrator Costa r. s Ol. - x�Q `o� County DATE: April 13, 1994 *rq c�UN -�r SUBJECT: LEGISLATION: SB 1784 (Johannessen, et al) SPECIFIC REQUESTS)OR RECOMMENDATION(S)&BACKGROUND AND JUSTIFICATION RECOMMENDATION: ADOPT a position of SUPPORT for SB 1784 by Senator Johannessen and 8 co-authors (including Assemblyman Richard Rainey) , which would eliminate the sunset date of January 1, 1995 on the ability of a county to adopt General Assistance (GA) residency requirements, establish a GA standard for "applicants and recipients who share housing with one or more unrelated persons, and discontinue GA benefits under specified circumstances, thereby continuing this authority indefinitely. BACKGROUND: Existing law authorizes each county, only until January 1, 1995, to: ♦ Adopt GA residency requirements, ♦ Establish a GA standard for applicants and recipients who share housing with one or more unrelated persons, and ♦ Discontinue GA benefits when a GA recipient who has received aid for three months engages in specified behavior. Senator Johannessen has introduced SB 1784 which, as the bill was introduced, would eliminate the January 1, 1995 sunset date for these provisions, thereby continuing this authority indefinitely. CONTINUED ON ATTACHMENT: YES SIGNATURE: 2Z 'dZ�?- RECOMMENDATION OF COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR RECOMMENDATION OF BOARD COMMITTEE CC�fff 7L'C APPROVE OTHER SIGNATURE($: ACTION OF BOARD ON INPrii i 1994 APPROVED AS RECOMMENDED X OTHER 0 VOTE OF SUPERVISORS 1 HEREBY CERTIFY THAT THIS IS A TRUE X UNANIMOUS(ABSENT I ) AND CORRECT COPY OF AN ACTION TAKEN AYES: NOES: AND ENTERED ON THE MINUTES OF THE BOARD ABSENT: ABSTAIN: OF SUPERVISORS ON THE DATE SHOWN. ATTESTED April 1-9 , 1924 Contact: PHIL BATCHELOR,CLERK OF THE BOARD OF cc: See Page 2 SUPER VI ORS AND COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR BY DEPUTY -2- The existing sanctions are a necessary tool to insure that GA recipients are fully cooperating in trying to obtain job training and are seriously making an effort to make themselves self- supporting. General Assistance should be viewed as a transitional aid program which is available to assist an able-bodied and mentally competent individual only for a temporary transitional period of time, rather than being a way of life. The enactment of SB 1784 is an important component in insuring that GA can remain a temporary and transitional form of assistance for able-bodied and mentally competent individuals . The County Counsel ' s Office recommends that the County seriously consider supporting SB 1784 . It is, therefore, recommended that the Board of Supervisors indicate its support of SB 1784 . cc : County Administrator Social Services Director County Counsel Sara Hoffman, CAD' s Office Les Spahnn, Heim, Noack & Spahnn - -:--CONTRA COSTA CO11NT'.' RECEIVED COUNTY COUNSEL'S OFFICE CONTRA COSTA COUNTY !I MARTINEZ, CALIFORNIA FMAR1994 Date: March 17 , 1994 OFFICE OF COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR To: Phil Batchelor, County Administrator From: Victor J . Westman, County Counsel By: Arthur W. Walenta, Assistant County Counsel Re: Support Senate Bill No. 1784 Senate Bill No . 1784 will remove the January 1 , 1995 termination date of Welfare and Institution Code section 17001 . 5 on residency, shared housing reductions , and durational sanctions . The County should seriously consider supporting this bill . AWW:fjb:df cc : Perfecto Villarreal, Social Service Director Sara Hoffman fb5c a:\aww\memos\bi11-1784. SENATE BILL No. 1784 Introduced by Senators Johannessen, Bergeson and Kopp (Coauthors: Assembly Members Andal, Ferguson, Harvey, Rainey, Richter, and Statham) February 24, 1994 i An act to amend Section 17001.5 of the Welfare and Institutions Code, relating to general assistance. LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST SB 1784, as introduced, Johannessen. General assistance. Existing law requires each county to relieve and support all incompetent, poor, indigent persons, and those incapacitated by age, disease, or illness, lawfully resident therein, when these persons are not supported or relieved by their relatives or friends, by their own means, or by state hospitals or other state or private institutions. These programs are commonly referred to as general assistance programs. Existing law, effective until January 1, 1995, permits each county to adopt residency requirements for purposes of determining eligibility for general assistance, establish a standard of general assistance for those who share housing with one or more unrelated persons or persons who are not legally responsible for the applicant or recipient, and discontinue aid or sanctions for recipients for specified reasons. This bill would indefinitely extend these provisions. Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: no. State-mandated local program: no. 99 80 SB 1784 — 2 — The 2 —The people of the State of California do enact as follows: 1 SECTION 1. Section 17001.5 of the Welfare and 2 Institutions Code is amended to read: 3 17001.5. Ja} Notwithstanding any other provision of 4 law, including, but not limited to, Section 17000.5, the 5 board of supervisors of each county, or the agency 6 authorized by the county charter, may do any of the 7 following: 8 {1} +A+ 9 (a) (1) Adopt residency requirements for purposes of 10 determining a persons's eligibility for general assistance. 11 Any residence requirement under. this paragraph 12 subdivision shall not exceed 15 days. 13 +B- 14 (2) Nothing in this parretgraph subdivision shall be 15 construed to authorize the adoption of a requirement 16 that an applicant or recipient have an address or to 17 require a homeless person to acquire an address. 18 +A+ 19 (b) (1) Establish a standard of general assistance for 20 applicants and recipients who share housing with one or 21 more unrelated persons or with one-or more persons who 22 are not legally responsible for the applicant or recipient. 23 The standard of general assistance aid established 24 pursuant to Section 17000.5 for a single adult recipient 25 may be reduced pursuant to this paragraph subdivision 26 by not more than the following percentages, as :ate 27 appropriate: 28 { } 29 (A) Fifteen percent if the recipient shares housing 30 with one other person described in this subparagraph. 31 -(il 32 (B) Twenty percent if the recipient shares housing 33 with two other persons described in this subparagraph. 34 {- } 35 (C) Twenty-five percent if the recipient shares 36 housing with three or more other persons described in 37 this subparagraph. 38 f B} 99 110 - 3 — SB 1784 -Vs: 1 (2) Any standard of aid adopted pursuant .to this 2 petragraph subdivision shall constitute a sufficient and 3 standard of aid for any recipient who shares housing. 4 +G} ion of 5 (3) Counties with shared housing reductions larger 5, the 6 than the amounts specified in subparagraph +A+ ;ency 7 paragraph (1) as of August 19, 1992, may continue to ►f the 8 apply those adjustments. 9 {�3} 10 (c) Discontinue aid under this part.for a period of not ses of 11 more than 180 days with respect to any recipient .who is ance. 12 able bodied and mentally competent and' has received 13 aid under this part for three months . if the.. recipient 14 engages in any of the following conduct: 15 ill be 16. (1) Fails, or refuses,.without good cause, to participate cnent 17 in a qualified job training program, participation of which :)r to 18 is a condition of receipt :of assistance. 19 -{$} ;. 20 (2) After completion of a job training program, fails, e for 21 or refuses, without good cause, to accept an offer of Ze or 22 appropriate employment. who 23 {G} dent. 24 (3) Persistently fails, or refuses, without good cause, to shed 25 cooperate with the county in its efforts to do any of the dent 26 following: inion 27 { } as 28 (A) Enroll the recipient in a job training program. 29 {- } 30 (B) After completion of a job training program, locate king 31 and secure appropriate employment for the recipient. Kph. 32 +]D+ 33 (4) For purposes of this petntgrretph subdivision, lack ising 34 of good cause may be demonstrated by a showing of any aph. 35 of the following: 36 {-i} .ares 37 (A) The willful failure, or refusal, of the recipient to d in 38 participate in a job training program, accept appropriate 39 employment, or cooperate in enrolling in a training 40 program or locating employment. 110 99 130 SB 1784 — 4 - 2 (B) Not less than three separate acts of negligent 3 failure of the recipient to engage in any of the activities 4 described in elatrse * subparagraph (A) . 5 {4* 6 (d) Notwithstanding petretgretph {3} subdivision (c), 7 discontinue aid to, or sanction, recipients for failure or 8 refusal without good cause to follow program 9 requirements. For purposes of this subdivision, lack of 10 good cause may be demonstrated by a showing of either 11 +A+ %-;Ihctd . 12 (1) Willful failure or refusal of the recipient to follow 13 program requirements ; of -fes- est . 14 (2) Not less than three separate acts of negligent 15 failure of the recipient to follow program requirements. 16 {b-}- Phis seet en shall � � ef€eet jantlary 17 1995, sitd shah ,have ee wee e - e&et on or after- that 18 dRte; eeless , d std .- is eeaeted 19 be€ere janttarry '-I-, 1995, deletes e - ex-tends that date. Y� 4�+ cd '2fi`j'Ctt; O 99 140