Bill Text: CA AB1136 | 2019-2020 | Regular Session | Introduced

California Assembly Bill 1136 (Prior Session Legislation)

NOTE: There are more recent revisions of this legislation. Read Latest Draft

Bill Title: California Department of Community Living.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)

Status: (Failed) 2020-02-03 - From committee: Filed with the Chief Clerk pursuant to Joint Rule 56. [AB1136 Detail]

Download: California-2019-AB1136-Introduced.html

CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2019–2020 REGULAR SESSION

Assembly Bill

No. 1136

Introduced by Assembly Member Nazarian

February 21, 2019

An act relating to public social services.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST

AB 1136, as introduced, Nazarian. California Department of Community Living: establishment.

The Mello-Granlund Older Californians Act establishes, within the California Health and Human Services Agency, the California Department of Aging. Under the act, the department is required to provide programs and strategies to support the state’s older population, persons with disabilities, and their caregivers.

This bill would state the intent of the Legislature to enact legislation to establish the California Department of Community Living, within the California Health and Human Services Agency, from a reorganization of the existing California Department of Aging. The bill would further state the intent of the Legislature to enact legislation to require the California Department of Community Living to realize California’s commitment to person-centered, coordinated service delivery for older adults, people with disabilities, and their caregivers and provide leadership and policy development. The bill would make legislative findings and declarations in support of its provisions.

Vote: MAJORITY Appropriation: NO Fiscal Committee: NO Local Program: NO

The people of the State of California do enact as follows:

SECTION 1.

(a) The Legislature finds and declares all of the following:

(1) The California Department of Aging was established as the state entity responsible for administration of the programs provided by the Mello-Granlund Older Californians Act (OCA). The OCA authorized California-specific programs serving older adults in their homes and communities.

(2) Over the decades since its enactment, the OCA has evolved to reflect the changing population and emerging service delivery needs. Despite these amendments, however, the OCA still contains several outdated sections with language that needs updating to reflect the changing paradigms in service delivery.

(3) The California Department of Aging administers a number of programs in addition to those authorized through the OCA, including the community-based services programs, the Multipurpose Senior Services Program, the Health Insurance Counseling and Advocacy Program, the Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program, and the Aging and Disability Resource Connection program.

(4) In addition to the California Department of Aging, the State Department of Health Care Services, the Department of Rehabilitation, and the State Department of Social Services are responsible for delivering a range of services to California’s older adults and people with disabilities, yet often with duplication and without administrative efficiency. At the state level, there is no overarching leadership structure with responsibility for system planning to meet the needs of this population. Many departments operate in a fragmented fashion, often with little data sharing and policy development across programs. This fragmentation impacts the ability to deliver services in a coordinated, streamlined fashion.

(5) For years, state policymakers have called for structural reorganization of the California Department of Aging. Restructuring proposals, including those offered by the Little Hoover Commission (1996 and 2011), the California Performance Review (2004), the Assembly Committee on Aging and Long-Term Care (2006), and the Senate Select Committee on Aging and Long-Term Care (2015), have not been implemented.

(b) It is the intent of the Legislature to enact legislation to establish a California Department of Community Living with the goal of building a more efficient delivery system for older adults, people with disabilities, and their caregivers that strengthens access to home- and community-based services to enable Californians to live with dignity and independence in the setting of their choice.

SEC. 2.

It is the intent of the Legislature to enact legislation to accomplish all of the following:

(a) Establish the California Department of Community Living, within the California Health and Human Services Agency, from a reorganization of the existing California Department of Aging.

(b) Require the California Department of Community Living to realize California’s commitment to person-centered, coordinated service delivery for older adults, people with disabilities, and their caregivers while emphasizing services delivered in home-and community-based settings.

(c) Require the California Department of Community Living to provide leadership, policy development, and technical assistance to the programs within its jurisdiction while also advocating across state departments for the needs of older adults, people with disabilities, and their caregivers.