CA AB 1324

Title: CalWORKs.
Author: Alexander T. Lee

Summary
AB 1324, as amended, Sharp-Collins. CalWORKs. Existing federal law, the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996, replaced the federal Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) program with the federal Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) block grant program. Existing federal law provides for allocation of federal funds through the federal TANF block grant program to eligible states. Existing law establishes the California Work Opportunity and Responsibility to Kids (CalWORKs) program, under which, through a combination of state and county funds and federal funds received through the TANF program, each county provides cash assistance and other benefits to qualified low-income families. Under existing law, certain types of payments received by recipients of aid under the CalWORKs program, including income from a college work-study program, as specified, are exempt from consideration as income for purposes of determining eligibility and aid amount.This bill would additionally exempt as income an in-kind gift or income that has been paid to a noncustodial parent. By expanding the scope of eligibility for CalWORKs, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program.Existing law requires aid to be granted to a family with a related child under 18 years of age who has been deprived of parental support or care due to the unemployment, continued absence, death, incapacity, or incarceration of a parent. Existing law considers a child to be deprived of parental support or care due to unemployment of the child’s parent or parents when the parent has worked less than 100 hours in the preceding 4 weeks and meets specified requirements related to the federal AFDC program.The billThis bill would, for purposes of determining a child’s deprivation of parental support or care due to the unemployment of their parent, delete the requirements that a parent work less than 100 hours in the preceding 4 weeks and meet the federal AFDC program requirements. The bill would instead disregard the number of hours that the child’s parent works, provided the family does not exceed the applicable gross or net income limits and is otherwise eligible for assistance. To the extent that the bill would expand eligibility for the CalWORKs program, thereby imposing a higher level of service on counties, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program.Existing law prohibits the payment of CalWORKs aid to an assistance unit if a caretaker relative is, on the last day of the month, participating in a strike, unless the strike is necessitated by an imminent health and safety hazard or abnormally dangerous working conditions at the place of employment, or a lockout. Under existing law, if an individual other than a caretaker relative is participating in a strike, subject to the exceptions and their limitations, that individual’s needs are not included in determining the amount of aid payable to the assistance unit for the month.The bill would limit the application of that prohibition to when the prohibition is required by federal law, regulation, or guidance. To the extent this bill imposes additional duties on counties, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program.This bill would instead require the payment of CalWORKs aid to an assistance unit if a caretaker relative is participating in a strike or lockout, to the extent permitted by federal law. In the case of participation in a strike by an individual other than a caretaker relative, the bill would instead require that the individual’s needs be included in determining the amount, to the extent permitted by federal law. To the extent that the bill would expand eligibility for the CalWORKs program, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program.The bill would require the State Department of Social Services to conduct a CalWORKs expansion feasibility study, to include recommendations within the report, and to submit the report to legislative human service

Status
In Senate. Read first time. To Com. on RLS. for assignment.

Bill Documents
CA AB 1324 - 04/24/25 - Amended Assembly
04/24/25 - CA AB 1324 (04/24/25 - Amended Assembly)