California State Budget, Legislature & The Capitol

CALIFORNIA BUDGET UPDATES

To help support you staying on top of the 2024-25 budget process and materials connected to the budget, TFC is hosting everything in one place on its Budget Page.

Upcoming Committee Hearings for this week below. All upcoming calendared budget hearings noted here:

• Wednesday, March 20 - ASM Budget Sub 2 @ 1:30 - State Capitol, Room 444, Anti-Poverty, Safety Net Programs for Vulnerable Children and Families. AGENDA
• Wednesday, March 20 - ASM Budget Sub 3 @ 9:00 - State Capitol, Room 437, PREK-12 EDUCATION AND STUDENT SERVICE PROPOSALS AND OVERSIGHT
• Thursday, March 21 - SEN B&FR Sub 2 @ 9:30 - 1021 O Street, Room 1200 - Department of Developmental Services

All of the above information can be found on TFC's Budget Page. Be sure to reach out to TFC staff with any questions.

BILL OF THE WEEK

AB 1808 (Nguyen) Childcare and development services: eligibility.

Author: Assemblymember Stephanie Nguyen

Assemblymember Nguyen served as the Executive Director of Asian Resources, Inc. (ARI) to ensure that all communities, especially the low-income, immigrant, refugee, limited English-speaking youth, formerly incarcerated and undocumented, have access to support and services to help them get one step closer to self-sufficiency. She was elected to the Elk Grove City Council in 2017 and is the first Asian American woman in this role.



Stephanie Nguyen has lived, worked, and served the Sacramento and Elk Grove communities almost all her life. The daughter of Vietnamese Refugees who fled the Vietnam War by boat, she grew up in Sacramento’s Little Saigon district and attended Sacramento schools before graduating from Sacramento State University.

Click here to view the bill.

Click here to view coalition sign-on letter.

Click here to email TFC to sign-on to a coalition support letter.

HOW TO SUPPORT A BILL

As bills move through California’s legislative process, they are presented to and heard by several committees who may recommend amendments and vote on whether or not the bill should continue through the legislative process.

As legislators decide how to vote, they consider public opinion as expressed through position letters. To support a bill, you can submit your letter through the California Legislature Position Letter Portal.

If you have any questions, contact TFC staff!

IMPORTANT DATES, DEADLINES & BILLS

Last Friday was the deadline to introduce new bills. There were 1556 Assembly Bills introduced and 662 Senate bills.

Upcoming Legislative Hearings:

• ASM Education Committee Bill Hearing - March 20th @ 1:30 p.m. - 1021 O Street, Room 1100
• SEN Education Committee Bill Hearing - March 20th @ 9 a.m. - 1021 O Street, Room 2100
• ASM Human Services Committee Bills Hearing - April 2nd @ 1:30 p.m. - State Capitol, Room 444

Bills to Watch:

• AB 1808 (Nguyen) Childcare and development services: eligibility. Extends 24-month eligibility to CalWORKs child care. TFC SPONSORED If you would like to sign on to a COALITION SUPPORT LETTER please send email and logo here. NOTE: Scheduled to be heard on April 2 in ASM Human Services.
• AB 2476 (Bonta) Childcare services: alternative payment programs. TFC SPONSORED
• SB 1112 (Menjivar) Medi-Cal: families with subsidized childcare.

Resources:

• See the full 2023-24 Legislative Calendar here.
• Visit TFC's legislation page to find a comprehensive list of bills of interest.
• Visit TFC's Budget Page for full budget bill details, as well as budget hearing video archive links.
• Visit TFC's dedicated page to find a full list of Senate and Assembly Committee chairs and contact information.
• Click here to view all the bills that the Assembly and Senate introduced this legislative year.

LEGISLATIVE COMMITTEE INFO, RULES & POSITION LETTER DEADLINES

All changes to committee assignments have been reflected on TFC's Committee Information, Rules & Position Letter Deadlines page. This page has been tailored to only include those committees relevant to the field. However, you can find the full, comprehensive and updated list of all committees on this site.

Please reach out to TFC staff if you have any questions.

Did you know?

Child Care Q&As

Question: When will the new definitions for part-time and full-time be released?

Answer: CDSS posted CCB 24-04 on March 8th with the new definitions.

Question: According to the Funding Terms & Conditions, how many years must a contractor reconcile a physical inventory with property records?

Answer: Every 2 years.

Question: When is the Program Self-Evaluation due? 

Answer: It is due on June 1st.

Federal Update

This week at CBPP, we focused mostly on President Biden’s 2025 budget proposal.

On the President’s budget proposal, CBPP President Sharon Parrott issued a statement explaining how the proposal would build toward an economy where everyone can thrive. And we had many analyses of the budget spanning our issue areas:

• On the federal budget, David Reich highlighted that the President’s budget prioritizes key investments within the debt ceiling deal’s appropriations cap. Nick Gwyn noted it called for the reform of our unemployment insurance system. Kathleen Romig cited its proposal for a national paid leave program. Romig also drew attention to President Biden’s pledge to work with Congress to improve Supplemental Security Income (SSI), and pointed out that the budget strengthens Social Security and boosts funding for the Social Security Administration’s (SSA) customer service. Javier Balmaceda noted it calls for equity for the U.S. Territories. (Este contenido está disponible en español.)
• On federal tax, Kayla Williams highlighted that the budget would eliminate tax-free treatment for much of the wealthiest households’ annual income. Kiran Rachamallu emphasized that it expands the Earned Income Tax Credit for low-paid workers without children, and Stephanie Hingtgen noted that it expands the Child Tax Credit. Samantha Jacoby highlighted that the budget extends IRS mandatory funding and raises revenue from wealthy tax cheats. Jacoby also illustrated how it closes estate tax loopholes, and that its international tax proposals would limit profit shifting and raise revenue. Chuck Marr underscored that it proposes a partial reversal of an expensive and badly skewed cut to the corporate tax rate. And he noted more generally that Biden’s budget proposes a needed tax policy course correction.  
• On housing, Sonya Acosta noted that the budget seeks modest increases for Housing Choice Vouchers, but more will likely be needed to keep up with rent increases and prevent cuts. She also attributed low funding levels for housing assistance to tough choices forced by the debt ceiling agreement’s spending caps. Acosta and Will Fischer pointed out that the budget’s mandatory housing proposals include important investments, but only a small share goes to those with the greatest need.
• On health, Jennifer Sullivan pointed out the budget’s permanent improvements to Affordable Care Act (ACA) marketplace tax credits that would sustain critical affordability protections. Paul Van de Water pointed out that the budget would protect Medicare and reduce drug costs. Allison Orris highlighted that a proposal to close the Medicaid coverage gap would create a pathway to affordable coverage for more than 1.6 million people. Orris also pointed out that the budget builds on coverage gains made since the ACA’s coverage expansions took effect ten years ago. 

On food assistance, Zoë Neuberger and Katie Bergh emphasized that under the budget’s proposed funding level, more eligible families could benefit from the Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women Infants and Children (WIC)

Overview of 2024 CCDF Final Rule: Improving Child Care Access, Affordability, and Stability in the Child Care and Development Fund

The 2024 Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) Final Rule updates regulations (45 CFR Part 98) to help working families afford child care and broadly support child care quality and accessibility in communities. Policies included in this final rule are designed to:

• Lower child care costs for families;
• Improve payments to child care providers;
• Increase child care options for families;
• Make enrollment easier and faster for families; and
• Increase clarity in CCDF requirements

Click here to read the full final rule.

Biden-Harris Administration Announces New Executive Order and Nearly $200M Available in Grants to Expand Registered Apprenticeships

President Biden signed a new Executive Order: Scaling and Expanding the Use of Registered Apprenticeships in Industries and the Federal Government and Promoting Labor-Management Forums. The Biden-Harris Administration has invested more than $440 million to expand the capacity of the Registered Apprenticeship system, supporting the education and training needs of more than one million apprentices across the country. 

In addition, on February 21, 2024, the U.S. Department of Labor announced nearly $200 million in grants to continue to expand Registered Apprenticeships, including $95 million in competitive grants through Apprenticeship Building America, as well as $100 million for the State Apprenticeship Expansion Formula Grant. The department’s Employment and Training Administration will use these funds to support the Investing in America agenda—by expanding access to Registered Apprenticeships in high-demand sectors and occupations including child care and early education, mental health, K-12 education, and nursing.  

Learn more here.

Most Viewed Bills of the Week:

1. H.R.7521 [118th] - Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act
2. S.686 [118th] - RESTRICT Act
3. H.R.4366 [118th] - Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2024
4. H.R.7024 [118th] - Tax Relief for American Families and Workers Act of 2024
5. H.R.7511 [118th] - Laken Riley Act
6. H.R.231 [118th] - Terminate TikTok on Campus Act of 2023
7. H.R.2 [118th] - Secure the Border Act of 2023
8. H.R.1332 [118th] - Thirty-Two Hour Workweek Act
9. S.1143 [117th] - No TikTok on Government Devices Act
10. S.596 [117th] - Treat and Reduce Obesity Act of 2021

Thriving Families CA Events

To better support our field, Thriving Families CA, in partnership with DSS, will be hosting an informational training for our field in Pomona. We will be offering 3 tracks- one for AP's, one on Strengthening/Engaging Families and one for Executives.



This Statewide Meeting will be very interactive and bring our field together to share insights and experiences, explore ideas, shape policy, and discuss best practices.



We hope you can join us!

Learn More & Register Here.

Social Media Spotlight

Field Highlights

Providing Affordable, Accessible, and

High-Quality Child Care

Child care is work that supports all other work: It enables parents to participate in the workforce. Among parents who are not working full time, 3 in 5 say that they would choose to do so if they had access to affordable child care. Mothers, who do the bulk of the caregiving, weigh the care options that they have: They can stay home or reduce their paid work hours to provide care for their own children, which is nearly always unpaid; they can arrange formal child care, which can be so expensive it may not be financially worthwhile in the short term to continue to work; or they can find informal care from a neighbor, close friend, or family member...

Click here to view the full article.

Biden proposes 'historic new program' to address child care shortages

As part of his budget proposal on Monday, President Joe Biden is asking Congress to make child care more affordable for the parents of 16 million children around the country.

The president is requesting a $500 million increase in Child Care and Development Block Grant funding, which states use to lower the cost of child care for low-income families and raise child care provider wages.

But advocates say it’s not enough to stabilize the nation’s child care system, which has been teetering ever since the nearly $40 billion in child care subsidies approved under the American Rescue Plan Act expired at the end of September.

To date, more than a quarter of providers have had to cut salaries, according to a national survey by the National Association for the Education of Young Children. A similar share also reported serving fewer children. Since the subsidies ran out, advocates warned that as many as 70,000 programs could ultimately close, affecting more than 3 million children...

Click here to view the full article.

Field Happenings

California Budget and Policy Center is hosting their Policy Insights conference on Tuesday, April 16th in Sacramento!

The dynamic workshops will cover some of the most important issues facing our state, including:



• Building Wealth, Building Futures: Strategies for Fostering Economic Opportunity and Mobility for Children
• Advancing Racial Equity in California: From Policy to Progress
• Dream Big: Increasing State Revenues Through Corporate Tax Fairness
• Expanding Child Care Access: Analyzing Supply Gaps and Policy Opportunities

Click here to register.

CDSS & CDE Information & Updates

Upcoming Webinars

Child Care Program licensee, provider, and interested partner webinar on March 26, 2024

The Child Care Program (CCP) has released a new Provider Information Notice: PIN 24-05-CCP - CHILD CARE LICENSING WEBINARS.

Primary Audience: ALL COMMUNITY CARE PROVIDERS

Summary: PIN 24-05-CCP provides Zoom registration information for the statewide Child Care Program licensee, provider, and interested partner webinar on March 26, 2024.

An electronic copy of PIN 24-05-CCP - CHILD CARE LICENSING WEBINARS is available for viewing/downloading by clicking on the following link:

PIN 24-05-CCP - CHILD CARE LICENSING WEBINARS

Previous PINs are available at the CCLD website

If you have any questions regarding this PIN, please contact your local Regional Office.

Information & Updates

RELEASED March 13, 2024: Child Care Bulletin (CCB) 24-03: Program Self-Evaluation for Fiscal Year 2023-2024

The California Department of Social Services (CDSS) Child Care and Development Division (CCDD) has recently posted the following document on its Internet website: CCB 24-03: Program Self-Evaluation for Fiscal Year 2023-2024.

The purpose of this CCB is to describe the requirements for the Program Self-Evaluation of CDSS subsidized child care and development contractors. Within the bulletin, guidance is provided on the submission requirements for the Fiscal Year 2023- 2024 Program Self Evaluation (PSE) as well as a list of all the required documents to be maintained onsite by contract type. 

If you have any questions or need additional guidance regarding the information in this letter, please contact your assigned CCDD Program Quality and Improvement (PQI) Consultant.

RELEASED March 8, 2024: Whole Child Community Equity Workgroup Membership Application

Assembly Bill (AB) 2832, also referred to as the “End Racial and Economic Inequities in Childcare in California Initiative,” seeks to bridge the racial and socioeconomic gaps in California’s early childhood education system. This bill requires the California Department of Social Services (CDSS), in consultation with the California Department of Education, to convene the Whole Child Community Equity Workgroup to provide recommendations to CDSS for purposes of developing the Whole Child Community Equity Framework, Whole Child Equity Screening Tool, and recommended uses of the Screening Tool for equitable distribution of early childhood investment and whole child resources.  

The goal of the CDSS Whole Child Community Equity Workgroup is to provide recommendations on the Framework categories essential to support children 0 to 13 years of age, inclusive, as well as the index or set of indicators which should be used in the Equity Screening Tool to classify communities in these categories, and the ways that the categories and indicators may be used to equitably distribute early childhood investments and whole child resources in service of closing the racial and socioeconomic gaps in the State’s early childhood education system. The Whole Child Equity Workgroup will be composed of parents and families, practitioners, researchers, experts, advocates, and other interest holders that bring insight to address racial and economic inequities for California’s children.   

Interested individuals must complete the Whole Child Community Equity Workgroup application for the CDSS to identify workgroup candidates. Please find the link to the Application in English and Spanish. The application includes questions about the personal and professional experiences of prospective workgroup members. The questions are designed to ensure the workgroup addresses the needs of all communities. Please click on the link provided below to begin the workgroup application process. To be considered, the application must be completed and submitted by April 8, 2024.

Please note that if you are selected to participate in the Whole Child Community Equity Workgroup the first meeting is tentatively scheduled for May 30, 2024, from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.

For technical assistance regarding the mechanics of the application, please email RADDsurveyhelp@dss.ca.gov.   

For general inquiries regarding the CDSS Whole Child Community Equity Workgroup, please contact WCCE@dss.ca.gov.

RELEASED March 8, 2024: CCB 24-04 IMPLEMENTATION OF THE NEW PART-TIME AND FULL-TIME DEFINITIONS FOR REIMBURSEMENT

The California Department of Social Services (CDSS) Child Care and Development Division (CCDD) has recently posted the following document on its Internet website: CCB 24-03: Program Self-Evaluation for Fiscal Year 2023-2024.

This purpose of this CCB is to provide clarifications and guidance regarding the definition changes to part-time and full-time care pursuant to Senate Bill (SB) 140 (Chapter 193, Statutes of 2023). Additionally, this CCB clarifies the inconsistencies between California Code of Regulations (CCR) section 18075 and Welfare and Institutions Code (WIC) section 10213.5(al) with the codification of SB 140 (Chapter 193, Statutes of 2023). 

Click here to read CCB 24-04.

Happening This Week, March 18th - 22nd:

Monday, March 18th:

TFC Public Policy Committee Workgroup: CCDF/State Plan from 1:00-2:00pm

Tuesday, March 19th: 

TFC Weekly Member Connections Meeting @ 1:00pm. Email to register.

Wednesday, March 20th:

ASM Sub 2 - Human Services: Anti-Poverty Safety Net Programs for Vulnerable Children and Families @ 1:30pm

Thursday, March 21st:

CCDD Monthly Contractor Call @ 10:00am

Thriving Families California (formerly CAPPA) is committed to supporting our field with a coordinated calendar. Click here to see current calendar of events. If you have an event to add, email us and it will be added.

The Weekly Good

An uplifting way to start the week, for those of us who need a break from the chaos that is our lives.

During this time where we are all stressed, it would be great to celebrate the positive. Each week we will celebrate everyday heroes, inspiring movements and great things happening in our field.