Bill Text: CA AB2267 | 2023-2024 | Regular Session | Introduced

California Assembly Bill 2267

Introduced

Bill Title: Youth Reinvestment Grant Program.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)

Status: (Introduced) 2024-04-10 - In committee: Set, first hearing. Referred to suspense file. [AB2267 Detail]

Download: California-2023-AB2267-Introduced.html

CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2023–2024 REGULAR SESSION

Assembly Bill

No. 2267

Introduced by Assembly Member Jones-Sawyer

February 08, 2024

An act to add Chapter 6 (commencing with Section 2300) to Division 2.5 of, and to repeal Chapter 5 (commencing with Section 1450) of Part 1 of Division 2 of, the Welfare and Institutions Code, relating to youth.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST

AB 2267, as introduced, Jones-Sawyer. Youth Reinvestment Grant Program.

Existing law establishes the Youth Reinvestment Grant Program within the Board of State and Community Corrections to grant funds, upon appropriation, to local jurisdictions and Indian tribes for the purpose of implementing trauma-informed diversion programs for minors, as specified.

This bill would repeal these provisions. The bill would reestablish the Youth Reinvestment Grant Program, to be administered by the Office of Youth and Community Restoration, for the purpose of implementing a mixed-delivery system of trauma-informed health and development diversion programs for youth, as specified. The bill would create the Youth Reinvestment Fund to be used, upon appropriation by the Legislature, by the office for the purposes of the program. The bill would require applicants for the program to be nongovernmental agencies or tribal governments, as specified. The bill would provide that an applicant under this program be awarded no less than $50,000, and no more than $2,000,000, and would specify the requirements of diversion programs to qualify for funding under these provisions.

Vote: MAJORITY Appropriation: NO Fiscal Committee: YES Local Program: NO

The people of the State of California do enact as follows:

SECTION 1.

Chapter 5 (commencing with Section 1450) of Part 1 of Division 2 of the Welfare and Institutions Code is repealed.

SEC. 2.

Chapter 6 (commencing with Section 2300) is added to Division 2.5 of the Welfare and Institutions Code, to read:

CHAPTER 6. Youth Reinvestment Grant Program

2300.

(a) The Office of Youth and Community Restoration shall establish the Youth Reinvestment Grant Program for the purposes described in this chapter.

(b) The Youth Reinvestment Fund is hereby created. Moneys in the fund shall be available, upon appropriation by the Legislature, only for the purposes of this chapter.

(1) Three percent shall be used for administrative costs to the office resulting from the implementation of this chapter.

(2) Five hundred thousand dollars ($500,000) for evaluation of the Youth Reinvestment Grant Program as described in Section 2305.

(3) Five hundred thousand dollars ($500,000) for technical assistance to grantees as described in Section 2305.

(4) Ten percent for Native American youth diversion programs pursuant to Section 2302.

(5) The remaining funds shall be used for youth diversion programs pursuant to Section 2303.

2301.

For the purposes of this chapter, the following definitions apply:

(a) “Applicant” and “grantee” mean an eligible tribal government, tribal organization, or a nonprofit community-based organization that meets the requirements of Section 2302 or 2303.

(b) “Area of high need” means either of the following:

(1) A city or a ZIP Code with rates of youth arrests that are higher than the county average, based on available arrest data, as described by the applicant.

(2) A city or a ZIP Code with racial or ethnic disparities in youth arrests that are higher than their representation in the county population, as described by the applicant.

(c) “Diversion” means a nonpunitive response to address a youth’s conduct without involving a youth formally in the juvenile justice system.

(d) “Diversion program” means a program that promotes positive youth development by relying on responses that prevent a youth’s involvement or further involvement in the justice system. Diversion programs, which may follow a variety of different models, aim to divert youth from justice system involvement at the earliest possible point.

(e) “Mixed-delivery system” means a system of adolescent development and education support services delivered through a combination of programs, providers, and settings that include partnerships between community-based nonprofit organizations and public agencies and that is supported with a combination of public and private funds.

(f) “Office” means the Office of Youth and Community Restoration.

(g) “Referring agency” means organizations or agencies that may refer youth to diversion programs, including, but not limited to, education, law enforcement, child welfare, behavioral health, and public health entities.

(h) “Trauma-informed” means an approach that involves an understanding of adverse childhood experiences and responding to symptoms of chronic interpersonal trauma and traumatic stress across the lifespan of an individual.

(i) “Youth” means a person who is subject to the jurisdiction of the juvenile court.

2302.

(a) The office shall allocate funds pursuant to Section 2300 through a three-year competitive grant program for the purpose of implementing a mixed-delivery system of trauma-informed health and development diversion programs for Native American youth.

(b) In addition to the conditions described in Section 2304, an entity is eligible for funding under this section if it is not otherwise excluded by another law, and is one of the following:

(1) A federally recognized Indian tribe, as defined in Section 1603(14) of Title 25 of the United States Code.

(2) A tribal organization, as defined in Section 1603(26) of Title 25 of the United States Code.

(3) An Urban Indian Organization (UIO), as defined in Section 1603(29) of Title 25 of the United States Code.

(4) A nonprofit organization whose board of directors is majority controlled by Native Americans, including organizations that are fiscally sponsored.

(c) Applicants who receive funding from a grant pursuant to this section shall be nongovernmental entities, with the exception of tribal government applicants, and shall not be law enforcement or probation entities.

2303.

(b) In addition to the conditions described in Section 2304, in order to be eligible, an applicant shall be a nonprofit organization that is tax exempt pursuant to Section 501(c)(3) or 501(c)(4) of the Internal Revenue Code.

(c) Applicants who receive funding from a grant pursuant to this section shall be nongovernmental entities and shall not be law enforcement or probation entities.

2304.

The office shall distribute grants pursuant to Sections 2302 and 2303 with all of the following conditions:

(a) An applicant shall be awarded no less than fifty thousand dollars ($50,000) and no more than two million dollars ($2,000,000).

(b) Applicants from two or more local jurisdictions may apply for funding under this chapter on a regional effort basis and receive the aggregate amount of funds that they would have received if awarded as an independent applicant.

(c) Grants shall be distributed in three installments. The first installment shall be distributed on the first day of the grant contract. The second installment shall be distributed no later than the first day of the second year of the grant contract. The third installment shall be distributed no later than the first day of the third year of the grant contract. The second and third installments shall be contingent on the applicant fulfilling the grant obligations and reporting requirements to the office.

(d) Funds shall be awarded to applicants who have obtained an official letter from at least one referring agency demonstrating the agency’s intent to refer diverted youth to the diversion program to provide the youth with trauma-informed health and development services. For regional applications, letters of intent shall be required for each jurisdiction proposed in the application.

(e) Diversion services shall be provided in communities described as areas with high needs.

(f) Services shall be evidence based or research supported, trauma informed, culturally relevant, gender responsive, and developmentally appropriate.

(g) Applicants shall have experience effectively serving populations of youth who are juvenile justice system-involved or at-risk of system involvement.

(h) Priority shall be given to organizations that employ people with lived experience as a youth in the juvenile justice system.

(i) Diversion programs shall include alternatives to arrest, incarceration, and formal involvement with the justice system with priority given to programs that divert youth at the earliest possible point of involvement. Diversion programs shall also include one or more of the following:

(1) Educational services, including remedial and college preparation academic services.

(2) Career development services, including employment preparation, vocational training, internships, and apprenticeships.

(3) Mentoring services, including credible messenger services.

(4) Behavioral health services, including substance use treatment.

(5) Mental health services, including culturally rooted healing practices.

(6) Housing services, including permanent, short-term, and emergency housing services.

(7) Personal development and leadership training services.

(8) Prosocial activities, including cultural enrichment programs and services.

2305.

The office shall be responsible for administration, oversight, and compliance of the program under this chapter and shall perform all the following duties:

(a) Support grantee data collection and analysis and require grantees to demonstrate outcomes of the funded programs.

(b) (1) (A) Set aside five hundred thousand dollars ($500,000) of funds appropriated for purposes of the program, exclusive of the funds set aside for administrative costs to the office pursuant to subdivision (c) of Section 2300, to contract with a university to conduct a statewide evaluation of the program and youth outcomes over a three-year grant period.

(B) The university evaluator shall have a demonstrated commitment to working with communities impacted by the juvenile and criminal justice system.

(C) The university evaluator shall develop a common assessment instrument for use by grantees to assess the needs and outcomes of youth participants.

(D) The university evaluator shall design a central data repository to standardize grantee data collection and reporting.

(E) The university evaluator shall support grantees with use of the common assessment and with collecting and reporting data utilizing the central data repository.

(2) The office shall make available on its internet website a report of grantees, projects, and outcomes at the state and local levels within 180 days of completion of the program.

(3) The office shall assist the university evaluator by providing relevant, existing data for the purposes of tracking outcomes. Outcomes measured may include, but are not limited to, any of the following:

(A) Reductions in law enforcement responses to youth for low-level offenses, court caseloads and processing, days the youth spend in detention, placement of youth in congregate care, school and placement disruptions, and facility staff turnover.

(B) Reduction in the number of school suspensions and expulsions.

(C) Improvement in the health and well-being of the youth, housing and community stability, educational attainment, and connections to employment opportunities.

(D) Projected state and local cost savings as a result of the diversion program.

(c) (1) Set aside five hundred thousand dollars ($500,000) of funds appropriated for purposes of the program, exclusive of the funds set aside for administrative costs and evaluation, to contract with a technical assistance provider to support implementation of the program and to build capacity of grantee organizations.

(2) Support from the technical assistance provider shall include all of the following:

(A) Provide grantees with support in establishing and maintaining relationships with system and community stakeholders, including public agencies, labor unions, tribal governments and communities, nonprofit organizations, and youth and families most impacted by the juvenile justice system.

(B) Provide grantees with training and support in implementing best practices and trauma informed, culturally relevant, gender responsive, and developmentally appropriate approaches to serving youth.

(D) Provide grantees with administrative and technical support, in collaboration with the university evaluator, to ensure compliance with data reporting, evaluation, and applicable laws, including confidentiality and diversion eligibility.

(E) Provide input to the university evaluator regarding the development of evaluation processes and metrics.

(F) Provide input to the office regarding the development of the program’s requests for proposals.

(3) The technical assistance provider shall have experience in all the following areas:

(A) Developmental research and best practices for serving youth involved in, and youth at risk of involvement in, the juvenile justice system, including children who have experienced commercial sexual exploitation and youth in the dependency system.

(B) Research and best practices on systems that refer youths to the juvenile justice system, including the education, immigration, and child welfare systems.

(D) Working with and supporting community-based organizations serving youth involved in, and youth at-risk of involvement in, the juvenile justice system in California.

(E) Collaborating with juvenile justice system stakeholders.

(F) Working with and supporting Native American organizations and communities.

(G) Working with juvenile justice system-involved youth and communities and with elevating youth leadership.

(H) Priority shall be given to organizations that employ people with lived experience as youth in the juvenile justice system.

(d) The office shall contract with the university evaluator and technical assistance provider prior to developing and disseminating the requests for proposals. The office shall solicit and receive input from the university evaluator and technical assistance provider in developing the requests for proposals.