BILL ANALYSIS Ó SENATE COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS Senator Ricardo Lara, Chair 2015 - 2016 Regular Session AB 766 (Ridley-Thomas) - Public School Health Center Support Program ----------------------------------------------------------------- | | | | | | ----------------------------------------------------------------- |--------------------------------+--------------------------------| | | | |Version: April 27, 2015 |Policy Vote: HEALTH 8 - 0 | | | | |--------------------------------+--------------------------------| | | | |Urgency: No |Mandate: No | | | | |--------------------------------+--------------------------------| | | | |Hearing Date: August 17, 2015 |Consultant: Brendan McCarthy | | | | ----------------------------------------------------------------- This bill meets the criteria for referral to the Suspense File. Bill Summary: AB 766 would require the Department of Public Health to give grant funding preference to schools with a high percentage of students enrolled in Medi-Cal, under the Public School Health Center Support Program. Fiscal Impact: Unknown cost pressure to provide grant funds to schools with a high percentage of students who are enrolled in Medi-Cal (General Fund or other unknown fund source). Under the existing Public School Health Center Support Program, the Department of Public Health is authorized to provide grant funding for school based health centers. Current law requires preference to be given to schools with a high percentage of low-income and uninsured children. This bill would add schools with a high percentage of students enrolled in Medi-Cal to that grant preference. By expanding the existing preference, the bill may impose cost pressure on the program, to the extent that the new preference results in schools qualifying for grant funds who AB 766 (Ridley-Thomas) Page 1 of ? would not under current law. The bill does not identify a source of funds for these new grants. The current program has been authorized in statute for eight years, but has never been funded. Background: Under current law, schools may operate student health centers to provide health services to students. Under current law, the Department of Public Health is required to establish a Public School Health Center Support Program to support the establishment of school health centers. The Department is also required to establish a grant program to provide funding to school health centers. This program has been in place for the past eight years. To date, no funding has been made available and no program activities have taken place. Proposed Law: AB 766 would require the Department of Public Health to give grant funding preference to schools with a high percentage of students enrolled in Medi-Cal, under the Public School Health Center Support Program. Related Legislation: AB 118 (Liu) would authorize a new category of grants within the Public School Health Center Support Program. The bill would also rename the program and change some of the program's goals and procedures. That bill is pending in the Assembly Appropriations Committee. AB 1025 (Thurmond) requires the Department of Education to establish a pilot program to encourage practices that integrate mental health, special education, and other issues. That bill is pending in this committee. AB 1133 (Achadjian) would make changes to the statute governing grants to local education agencies to pay for the costs of providing early mental health interventions. That bill was held on the Assembly Appropriations Committee's Suspense File. AB 1055 (Liu, 2014) was substantially similar to SB 118. That bill was held in the Senate Rules Committee. AB 174 (Bonta, 2013) would have required the Department of Public Health to establish a pilot program in Alameda County to address trauma and mental health issues in schools. That AB 766 (Ridley-Thomas) Page 2 of ? bill was vetoed by Governor Brown. Staff Comments: As noted above, the current program has never been funded. Staff is not aware of any new sources of non-General Fund funding that could be used to fund the existing program or the newly authorized activities in this bill. -- END --