Social Services

Prohibits insurance companies from classifying personal vehicles as commercial when used for social services. Protects volunteer drivers from higher insurance rates when providing transportation for charitable work. Preserves existing employer rights and obligations regarding vehicle insurance coverage.

Requires courts to consider evidence of human trafficking by parents when determining child custody. Expands child custody protections to include both direct trafficking of the child and trafficking of the other parent. Mandates that all human trafficking evidence must meet legal standards for relevance and admissibility.

Establishes a new tiered funding structure for foster care based on comprehensive child assessments starting July 2027. Requires standardized training for mandated child abuse reporters by July 2027 to reduce reporting disparities. Creates an Immediate Needs Program providing targeted support services to high-need foster children. Eliminates county matching requirements for housing assistance programs serving vulnerable populations.

Establishes a statewide 24/7 hotline as the primary entry point for foster youth and caregivers during crisis situations. Requires counties to provide mobile crisis response teams within 3 hours for urgent needs and 24 hours for non-urgent cases. Mandates counties to review their mobile response system plans every two years to ensure service effectiveness. Prioritizes trauma-informed care by requiring specialized training for response team staff and inclusion of peer support.

Establishes a $208.8 million annual fund for county-based juvenile justice rehabilitation and supervision services. Requires counties to provide prepopulated electronic or mailed semiannual reports to CalWORKs recipients by August 2025. Mandates child welfare agencies to hold team meetings for families receiving maintenance services starting July 2025. Creates a pilot program allowing CalFresh recipients to earn supplemental benefits for purchasing fresh produce.

Establishes a statewide Master Plan for Developmental Services to improve accessibility and equity in service delivery. Requires regional centers to implement implicit bias training to enhance service access for diverse communities. Eliminates monthly parental fees for families with children receiving out-of-home care services. Allocates $2.8 million for planning activities to improve outcomes for individuals with developmental disabilities.

Establishes a new independent Developmental Services Ombudsperson office to monitor regional center services. Authorizes the office to investigate complaints and advocate for individuals with developmental disabilities. Requires regional centers to inform clients about the office's toll-free number during annual planning meetings. Mandates strict confidentiality protections for investigation records and consumer information.

Expands CalFresh food benefits access by automatically approving all public college programs as employment training. Establishes data sharing between financial aid and social services to identify eligible students by July 2026. Requires colleges to contact students about CalFresh and basic needs services starting in 2027. Mandates student consent before sharing contact information between agencies for benefits outreach.

Requires juvenile detention facilities to provide free hygiene products to indigent youth detainees. Prohibits using access to hygiene products as a disciplinary measure or reward. Mandates the discharge of all hygiene product debts accrued before January 1, 2026. Defines indigent status as having $25 or less in trust accounts over seven days.

Extends CalWORKs benefits for parents whose children are in out-of-home care beyond the current six-month limit. Allows child welfare case plans to satisfy welfare-to-work requirements for parents in family reunification programs. Exempts families in reunification programs from CalWORKs immunization requirements. Takes effect July 2026 or when state welfare system automation is ready, whichever is later.

Limits denial of family reunification services to parents with violent felony convictions within the past 5 years. Requires courts to prove specific risks to child safety before denying reunification services due to violent felonies. Mandates reunification services unless courts find it against the child's best interests. Expands county welfare departments' duties to provide reunification services without state reimbursement.

Expands the State Emergency Food Bank Reserve Program to include diapers and wipes during disasters. Authorizes food banks to purchase and distribute diapers to low-income families during emergencies. Allows reimbursement to food banks for costs related to diaper procurement and distribution. Streamlines emergency supply distribution by exempting contracts from standard procurement rules.

Exempts higher education financial aid from CalWORKs and CalFresh eligibility calculations. Excludes educational funds as countable resources for 12 months after receipt. Requires implementation through county-level instructions by March 1, 2026. Aligns CalFresh income exclusions with CalWORKs program rules.

Requires the Department of Social Services to provide foster parents with educational resources on culturally appropriate grooming products. Ensures foster youth receive hygiene products that respect their culture, ethnicity, and gender identity. Expands foster youth rights to include access to culturally sensitive personal care items.

Expands CalWORKs eligibility by removing work-hour limits while maintaining income thresholds for unemployed parents. Requires payment of aid to families during strikes or lockouts to the extent permitted by federal law. Mandates counties to prioritize subsidized job placements with employers that have labor agreements or good safety records. Establishes new reporting requirements for employers receiving wage subsidies through the CalWORKs program.

Requires foster care supplemental payments to be adjusted for inflation starting July 1, 2026. Maintains the existing $489 monthly supplement for children living with parents who receive foster care benefits. Applies to families receiving AFDC-FC, Kin-GAP, or ARC payments. Uses the California Necessities Index to calculate annual inflation adjustments.

Requires regional centers to complete developmental disability assessments for foster children within 60 days. Mandates assessment of foster children even when documentation is incomplete to prevent service delays. Establishes annual public reporting requirements to track assessment timelines and outcomes by regional center. Creates standardized information packets about services in multiple languages for families seeking assistance.

Expands the California ABLE Program to accept funding from philanthropic entities and legislative appropriations. Authorizes tax refunds to be directly deposited into ABLE accounts for disability-related expenses. Enables the ABLE Program Board to target specific eligible groups through public awareness campaigns. Requires tax forms to include information about the ABLE Program savings option.

Eliminates criminal penalties for parents of chronically truant children in California starting July 2026. Requires counties to provide support services instead of reducing CalWORKs benefits when children skip school. Allows teenagers aged 16 and older to voluntarily participate in welfare-to-work programs. Maintains eligibility for school attendance services even when children are not attending classes.

Modifies the CalWORKs Home Visiting Program to align service duration with approved home visiting models. Extends voluntary home visiting services for up to 12 months after participants exit the CalWORKs program. Requires counties to provide culturally competent, evidence-based services to eligible pregnant and parenting families.

Requires county jails to provide regular in-person visits between incarcerated parents and their children in foster care. Allows video calls or phone communication when in-person visits are not feasible due to safety or logistics. Mandates child welfare agencies to coordinate visits and document all visitation activities in court reports. Requires written notification to incarcerated parents about their visitation rights and procedures.

Establishes a state panel to develop recommendations for supporting California immigrants aged 60 and older. Requires the panel to address issues of housing, healthcare access, and social services by July 2028. Mandates participation from healthcare providers, researchers, and community organizations in the process. Expires automatically on January 1, 2029 unless extended by the Legislature.

Establishes new statewide quality measures for developmental disability services by January 2027. Requires regional centers to track and report outcomes for individuals with developmental disabilities. Mandates a comprehensive review of existing service quality measures by July 2026. Creates performance benchmarks that can trigger probation for underperforming regional centers.

Expands tribal agreements with California to include foster care prevention services for Indian children. Provides state funding for legal representation of children and families in tribal foster care proceedings. Requires the state to develop a tribal cost allocation plan by March 2026. Offers three-year startup funding for tribes establishing child welfare programs.

Requires standardized training for mandated child abuse reporters by July 2027 to address racial disparities. Mandates employers ensure mandated reporters complete training within 3 months of hire or by March 2030. Establishes a Mandated Reporting Advisory Committee to transform reporting practices and reduce systemic bias. Requires counties to provide community support resources to families as part of their prevention services plans.