Public social services: eligibility: income exclusions.

Assembly Member Bennett advances a measure that would treat compensation paid to pupil members serving on school district governing boards and on county boards of education as non-countable income and resources for means‑tested programs and for public college scholarships, to the extent permitted by federal law. The change would apply across a broad array of programs, including CalWORKs, Medi-Cal, General Assistance, and the Cash Assistance Program for Immigrants, as well as scholarships such as Cal Grants, Chaffee, Middle Class Scholarship, California College Promise Grants, EOP, EOPS, and grants from UC or CSU. The exclusion would apply to compensation earned under the existing authority governing pupil members and would be implemented, at least initially, through all‑county letters until formal regulations are adopted, with the operative date tied to readiness of the state’s automated welfare system and a required guidance timetable culminating in no later than mid‑2026.

Two new Education Code provisions and an accompanying Welfare and Institutions Code provision establish the financial exclusion in parallel across education and welfare programs. In substance, compensation awarded to pupil members on a school district board or a county board of education would not be treated as income or resources for the purposes of means‑tested determinations or for scholarships listed in the measure, to the extent permitted by federal law. The interim implementation would rely on all‑county letters having the force of regulations until regulations are adopted. The operative trigger remains the Statewide Automated Welfare System’s ability to support the automation required to implement the exclusion, with DSS guidance to begin automation no later than July 1, 2026.

The bill also foresees a standard local‑mandates framework for any costs arising from the change and notes that, if the measure expands county program eligibility, it would constitute a state‑mandated local program subject to reimbursement rules. Implementation depends on the Department of Social Services’ guidance and CalSAWS readiness, reflecting a staged approach: initial administrative guidance, followed by formal regulations, and a defined automation‑driven start date. Federal law constraints are explicit: the exclusions apply only to the extent permitted, preserving alignment with the rules governing means‑tested programs and scholarships. Together, the provisions aim to align the treatment of pupil‑member compensation with program eligibility rules across education governance and public assistance, while anchoring timing to administrative readiness and federal conformity.