Bill Text: CA AB1321 | 2023-2024 | Regular Session | Amended
Bill Title: California Coordinated Neighborhood and Community Services Grant Program.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 7-0)
Status: (Engrossed) 2023-09-01 - In committee: Held under submission. [AB1321 Detail]
Download: California-2023-AB1321-Amended.html
|
Amended
IN
Senate
June 27, 2023 |
CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE—
2023–2024 REGULAR SESSION
Assembly Bill
No. 1321
| Introduced by Assembly Member Bonta (Coauthors: Assembly Members Blanca Rubio, Boerner, Connolly, Haney, and Reyes) (Coauthor: Senator Hurtado) |
February 16, 2023 |
An act to add Division 11 (commencing with Section 20000) to the Welfare and Institutions Code, relating to poverty.
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
AB 1321, as amended, Bonta.
California Coordinated Neighborhood and Community Services Grant Program.
Existing law requires the Department of Community Services and Development to, among other things, plan and evaluate strategies for overcoming poverty in the state, mobilize resources in support of antipoverty and community services programs, and administer public and private funds designed to support antipoverty programs that are not currently administered by other departments.
Existing law establishes the Cradle-to-Career Data System for the purpose of connecting individuals and organizations to trusted information and resources, as a source for actionable data and research on education, economic, and health outcomes for individuals, families, and communities, and to provide for expanded access to tools and services that support the education-to-employment pipeline, as specified.
This bill, the It Takes a Village Act of 2023, subject upon an appropriation in the annual Budget Act or another statute for these purposes, would establish the California Coordinated Neighborhood and Community Services Grant Program to be administered by the State Department of Social Services or another department within the California Health and Human Services Agency. The bill would require the department to grant awards on a competitive basis for the 2025–26 through 2027–28 fiscal years to eligible entities that are Promise Neighborhoods, other community-based networks, or multineighborhood regional cradle-to-career networks, as those terms are defined, to either implement a comprehensive, integrated continuum of cradle-to-career solutions at the neighborhood level or support the civic infrastructure and backbone of cradle-to-career networks that support
their network partners to accomplish systems change. The bill would define “cradle-to-career” to mean a system of integrated services that begins before birth and leads to appropriate postsecondary success, including academic, occupational, and independent living, that benefits the individual and community as a whole. The bill would require the department, in consultation with the State Department of Education, to develop an application process and would require the department to establish performance standards to measure progress on indicators and results relevant to the evaluation of the grant program. The bill would require grant recipients to contribute matching funds and prepare and submit an annual report to the department, as specified.
Digest Key
Vote: MAJORITY Appropriation: NO Fiscal Committee: YES Local Program: NOBill Text
The people of the State of California do enact as follows:
SECTION 1.
The Legislature finds and declares all of the following:(a) It takes a village to raise a child. Applying that simple proverb and concept to California’s multifaceted society today means making sure that children and families, especially those in economically disadvantaged communities, have full access to opportunities and services from before birth to career that will enable them to reach their full potential in life.
(b) Despite large statewide investments in education, health, social services, and other programs directed at children and their families, California faces
persistently high rates of child poverty and educational achievement gaps in many economically
disadvantaged communities. Cash payments, food assistance, and crucial services do not reach many children and families who are most in need because of significant access barriers that are often due to inequitable systemic barriers, and when provided, the services are fragmented and offered through organizationally siloed programs without attention to improving those equitable systems.
(c) A proven solution to this problem, and the way to apply the “it takes a village” proverb and concept in today’s world, is to invest in local and regional networks that: are equity focused; are data-driven and have the capacity to identify the highest needs within the most economically disadvantaged neighborhoods or regions; have the resources and trusted relationships within the communities to align, coordinate, leverage, and enhance services provided
by state and local government, community-based organizations, nonprofits, businesses, and other entities active in the local community toward equitable outcomes; and identify systems’ needs, work with partners to address systemic needs, and measure systemic improvements.
(d) Coordination of services needs to take place at both the neighborhood and regionwide levels to effectively align community services and systems with statewide policy and equity goals and implementation.
(e) Promise Neighborhoods (PNs) and other neighborhood-based networks currently fulfill this function in selected economically disadvantaged neighborhoods by coordinating services provided by governments and private sector partners, and by providing direct services to the public. Regional cradle-to-career
networks, such as StriveTogether, support multiple populations in selected regions, such as counties, in California by addressing root cause factors behind poverty, institutional misalignment, and opportunities for meaningful community engagement necessary to ensure that equitable outcomes are achieved at scale.
(f) Both neighborhood-based and regional-based networks have achieved positive results and very high returns on investment in areas where they have operated. For PNs, this includes substantial improvements in health care access, kindergarten readiness, English language arts and literacy and mathematics achievement results, high school graduation rates, college and career readiness, reduced child welfare and juvenile justice involvement, and increased family stability in areas served by these programs. For StriveTogether and
other regional cross-sector networks, this includes reductions in achievement gaps and improvements in a wide range of measures, such as preterm birth rates, early childcare quality or attendance, early grade reading, middle grade math, high school graduation rates, and postsecondary completion.
(g) During the COVID-19 pandemic, community and regional networks were able to leverage their established infrastructure of cradle-to-career connections to confront issues created by the pandemic, meeting the basic needs of families, including food, housing, income relief, eviction defense, technology access, childcare, and vaccine outreach. The integrated and coordinated infrastructure has proven to be a strong model that is poised to confront extreme emergency events and greatly improve the well-being of children and families during difficult periods
on a communitywide scale.
(h) This collaborative approach ensures that a continuum of services reach children in communities where they are needed the most. This is especially important in communities experiencing high levels of homelessness. Community and regional networks can coordinate efforts among government agencies and other local organizations to ensure that those experiencing homelessness, or are at risk of becoming homeless, have full access to all programs and services to which they are entitled.
(i) Community and regional networks can also play a major role in recovery from the pandemic by prioritizing investments in historically underserved communities, working with key organizations to leverage federal, state, and local recovery funds, strengthening civic
infrastructure that builds the power and capacity of marginalized communities, and ensuring a strong accountability structure.
(j) They also support implementation of the California Community Schools Partnership Program and other initiatives in the State Department of Education to engage pupils and parents, to fund and implement local improvement strategies, and provide supplemental and complementary services to ensure that California’s English learners, foster youth, and pupils in poverty have the learning supports they need.
(k) It is the intent of the Legislature that the vital contributions provided by these community-based and regional networks be brought to scale, so that all children and families have the opportunities and continuum of services needed to break the cycle of
poverty.
SEC. 2.
Division 11 (commencing with Section 20000) is added to the Welfare and Institutions Code, to read:DIVISION 11. Coordinated Neighborhood and Community Services
CHAPTER 1. California Coordinated Neighborhood and Community Services Grant Program
20000.
This chapter shall be known, and may be cited, as the It Takes a Village Act of 2023.20001.
For purposes of this chapter, the following definitions apply:(a) “Cradle-to-career” means a system of integrated services that begins before birth and leads to appropriate postsecondary success, including academic, occupational, and independent living, that benefits the individual and community as a whole.
(b) (1) “Eligible entity” includes all of the following:
(A) A nonprofit organization that is exempt from federal income taxation under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, and that has a strong demonstrated financial record evidencing
compliance. A nonprofit organization may be a faith-based organization, to the extent permitted by law.
(B) A public or nonprofit institution of higher education.
(C) An Indian tribe or tribal organization.
(2) An eligible entity shall work in partnership with at least one local educational agency and one social service agency located within the identified geographic boundaries.
(3) An eligible entity may also work with one or more of the following entities located within the identified geographic boundaries:
(A) A local government agency.
(B) Health organizations.
(C) Another eligible entity.
(c) “Grant program” means the California Coordinated Neighborhood and Community Services Grant Program.
(d) “Multineighborhood regional cradle-to-career networks” support multiple populations in neighborhoods, cities, counties, and regions by addressing root cause factors behind poverty, institutional misalignment, and opportunities for meaningful community engagement necessary to ensure that equitable outcomes are achieved at scale. These networks seek systems change and community engagement, develop evidence-based strategies, and
and, where strategies prove successful, promote adoption in the full region.
(e) “Other community-based networks” include nonprofit and faith-based networks, other than PNs, that are involved in supporting, advocating for, and empowering residents to achieve self-reliance and economic stability. Services provided by these networks may include food, housing assistance, access to benefits, mental health, job training, legal services, financial literacy, early childhood development, parenting support, after school enhanced learning, and youth empowerment.
(f) “Promise Neighborhood (PN)” means a targeted geographic area served by the Promise Neighborhoods program administered by the United States Department of Education and authorized by the
federal Every Student Succeeds Act in 2015 (Public Law 114-95). The program focuses on revitalizing economically disadvantaged communities through the establishment of a cradle-to-career network of services aimed at improving the health, safety, and education of the occupants in the defined area.
(g) “Solution” includes both of the following:
(1) A single activity, or a set of activities, performed or coordinated by PNs and other community-based networks that help ensure that children and their families receive an appropriate continuum of services that they need to thrive. These activities include administration, coordination, support, and connection of people to services provided by federal, state, and local governments, or other entities, as well as the direct provision of services
to the public.
(2) A set of activities coordinated and supported by multineighborhood regional cradle-to-career networks to help ensure that children and their families are engaged with and supported by equitable systems that address their education, health, and well-being. These activities include administration, coordination, support, and connection of people to effect systems change.
20002.
(a) (1) The California Coordinated Neighborhood and Community Services Grant Program is hereby established to be administered by the State Department of Social Services or another department within the California Health and Human Services Agency, as designated by the Secretary of California Health and Human Services.(2) The purpose of the grant program is to award grants, on a competitive basis, to eligible entities to do either of the following:
(A) Implement a comprehensive, integrated continuum of cradle-to-career solutions at the neighborhood level.
(B) Support the civic infrastructure and backbone of cradle-to-career networks that support their network partners to accomplish systems change.
(3) Solutions shall be in areas that include, but are not limited to, academic, health, social programs, and family and community supports, to meet the needs of high-need populations identified by a needs assessment or indicators, such as poor health for children, disparity gaps in school performance based on income or racial or ethnicity disaggregation, high rates of juvenile delinquency, adjudication, or incarceration, or high rates of foster care placement.
(4) (A) Grants shall be awarded to eligible entities that are PNs, other community-based
networks, or multineighborhood, regional cradle-to-career networks.
(B) Multineighborhood, regional cradle-to-career networks receiving grants shall share the same common indicators and metrics and the common goal of helping children, youth, and families to thrive and serve to break the cycle of intergenerational poverty.
(C) Multineighborhood, regional cradle-to-career network applicants shall demonstrate that they have consulted and coordinated with stakeholders within their regions, including community members, PNs, and other community-based networks addressing needs of low-income neighborhoods.
(D) All applicants shall identify solutions that tackle systemic inequities and work toward community
transformation.
(5) It is the intent of the Legislature that programs in the continuum should improve academic achievement and equitable social outcomes, including improving outcomes of early development, child and youth social and health development, and college and career readiness, as well as build strong family and community supports to help families move out of poverty.
(b) (1) The department, in consultation with the State Department of Education, shall develop an application process for eligible entities to apply for the grants.
(2) The department shall aim to achieve geographic equity by giving priority to applicants serving remote communities, including rural and tribal communities, through
the selection process.
20003.
(a) To be eligible to receive a grant under this chapter, an eligible entity shall submit an application to the department at the time, in the manner, and containing the information, as the department may require.(b) At a minimum, the grant application shall include all of the following:
(1) A description of a plan to significantly improve the academic, health, and social outcomes of children living in an identified economically disadvantaged neighborhood and to support the healthy development and well-being of children and youth in the neighborhood by providing a continuum of cradle-to-career solutions.
This plan shall address the needs of the whole child, whole family, and whole community, as identified by the needs assessment described in paragraph (4). The continuum of solutions shall be based on the best available evidence, including, if available, strong, or moderately strong evidence. The plan shall also ensure that, over time, pupils not living in the neighborhood who attend the target school or schools have access to services within the continuum of solutions.
(2) A description of the geographically defined area or neighborhood to be served and the level of distress in that area based on indicators of need and other relevant indicators. The statement of need in the neighborhood shall be based, in part, on results of a comprehensive needs assessment and segmentation analysis. The application may propose to serve multiple, noncontiguous
areas.
(3) A description of the applicant’s measurable short-term, long-term, and annual goals for expected outcomes of the grant, based on program and project indicators, as described in paragraph (2), which includes all of the following:
(A) Performance goals for each year of the grant.
(B) Projected growth or change over time and a sustainability plan outlining the process for reviewing and working with partners on a strategy to strengthen the infrastructure, ensure that target populations that require services have access to them and continue improving the results they are achieving beyond the grant life.
(C) Annual goals for evaluating progress in improving
systems, such as changes in policies, environments, or organizations that affect children and youth in the neighborhood.
(4) An analysis of the needs and assets of the neighborhood or neighborhoods identified that includes all of the following:
(A) A description of the process through which the needs assessment and segmentation analysis was produced, including a description of how family and community members were engaged in the analysis.
(B) An explanation of how the applicant used the needs assessment and segmentation analysis in the development of localized, equity-based, cradle-to-career solutions.
(C) A description of both the academic indicators and the available
family and community support indicators, and social indicators that the applicant used to conduct the needs assessment.
(5) For PNs and other community-based networks:
(A) A description of solutions that will be used in the continuum of cradle-to-career solutions based on data collected, including a description of solutions specifically targeting subgroups of children, family members, community members, and children not attending schools or programs operated by the applicant and its partners.
(B) The process by which each solution will be implemented and an expected timeline for launching each solution.
(C) The estimated per child cost and cost projections over time, including
administrative costs, to implement each solution.
(D) The estimated number of children, by age, in the neighborhood who will be served by each solution, including the percentage of all children of the same age group within the neighborhood proposed to be served with each solution and the annual targets required to increase the proportion of children served
to reach scale over time.
(E) Financial projections of the cost of solutions over time.
(F) The best available evidence supporting each proposed solution.
(6) A description of the process used to develop the application, including the involvement of family and community members.
(7) If feasible, a description of the process by which to develop, launch, and implement a longitudinal data system that does both of the following:
(A) Integrates pupil-level or grade-level data from multiple sources to measure progress on academic, family, and community support indicators for all
children in the neighborhood.
(B) Tracks appropriate social indicators, as determined by the department, for children and families in the neighborhood.
(8) A description of how the applicant has done all of the following:
(A) Description of a detailed data plan that includes the data collection process.
(B) Made or will make data accessible to parents, families, community residents, program partners, researchers, and evaluators at either the individual or aggregate level as appropriate while abiding by federal, state, and other privacy laws and requirements.
(C) Managed and maintained the data system over
time.
(9) An explanation of how the applicant will continuously evaluate and improve the continuum of cradle-to-career solutions,
including both of the following:
(A) A description of the required grant indicators and other local performance indicators that will be used to inform each solution of the cradle-to-career continuum.
(B) The processes for using data to improve instruction, optimize integrated pupil supports, provide for continuous program improvement, and hold staff and partner organizations accountable.
(10) An identification of the fiscal agent, which may be any eligible entity.
(11) A list of federal, state, local, and private sources of funding that the applicant will secure to comply with the matching funds requirement specified in Section 20004.
(c) Before receiving a grant under this chapter, the applicant shall do all of the following:
(1) Collect data, including publicly available data, for the academic and social indicators, and use them as program and project indicators.
(2) Collect data, including publicly available data, for the family and community support indicators and use them as program and project indicators.
(3) Perform an analysis of community assets within, or accessible to, the neighborhood, including, at a minimum, all of the following:
(A) Early learning programs and networks, including home visiting,
high-quality childcare, Early Head Start programs, Head Start programs, and prekindergarten programs.
(B) Community centers, after school programs, and other
opportunities for activities outside of school hours.
(C) Transportation.
(D) Parks.
(E) The availability of healthy food options and opportunities for physical activity.
(F) Existing family and pupil supports.
(G) Businesses and employers located in the community.
(H) Institutions of higher education.
(4) Provide evidence of successful collaboration that has led to changes in child outcomes within the neighborhood.
(d) An eligible entity, as part of the application, shall submit a preliminary memorandum of understanding, signed by each partner entity or agency. The preliminary memorandum of understanding shall describe, at a minimum, all of the following:
(1) Each partner’s commitment and contribution toward achieving each result at population level by using a backbone agency to coordinate a collective impact initiative.
(2) Each partner’s financial and programmatic commitment toward the strategies described in the application, including an identification of the fiscal agent.
(3) The governance structure proposed for the eligible entity, including a system for how the eligible entity will serve as a backbone agency and
hold partners accountable, representation of the geographic area on the eligible entity’s governing and advisory boards, and resident engagement from the neighborhood in the organization’s decisionmaking.
(4) Each partner’s long-term commitment to providing cradle-to-career continuum services that, at a minimum, accounts for the cost of supporting the continuum, including the period after grant funds are no longer available, and potential changes in local government.
(5) Each partner’s mission and plan that will govern the work that partners do together, including an aligned theory of improvement.
(6) Each partner’s long-term commitment to supporting the cradle-to-career continuum through data-driven
decisionmaking, including data collection, monitoring, reporting, and sharing.
(7) Each partner’s commitment to ensuring sound fiscal management and controls, including evidence of a system of supports and personnel.
(8) Each partner’s commitment to mobilizing local government service integration to improve outcomes for families and children in the neighborhood as measured by increased employment, improved education, decreased poverty, reduced crime, and improved health status.
(9) A proposed data governance plan with each partner’s commitment to and plan for data collection and data sharing, including a data privacy plan that maintains privacy for children and families as required by the federal Health Insurance
Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (Public Law 104-191) and federal Family Education Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (Public Law 93-380) standards.
20004.
(a) For the(b) All entities that continue to meet the requirements set forth in Sections 20005 and 20007 shall be eligible for an implementation grant extension two years after the original grant was awarded.
(c) (1) (A) Each grant recipient shall contribute matching funds or in-kind contributions in an amount equal to, but not less than, 100 percent of the grant award.
(B) Notwithstanding subparagraph (A), a PN or other community-based network located in a rural community or tribal community shall provide matching funds or in-kind donations equal to at least 50 percent of the grant
award.
(2) (A) The matching funds described in paragraph (1) shall come from federal, state, local, or nonpublic, nongovernmental, or other private sources, with at least 10 percent coming from private sources.
(B) Notwithstanding subparagraph (A), for a PN or other community-based network in a rural community or tribal community, the matching funds described in paragraph (1) shall come from federal, state,
local, or nonpublic, nongovernmental, or other private sources, with at least 5 percent coming from private sources.
(3) (A) An applicant that is unable to meet the matching requirements required by paragraphs (1) and (2) shall include in its application a request to the department to reduce the matching requirement, including the amount of the requested reduction, the total remaining match contribution, and a statement of the basis for the request.
(B) The department may grant a request described in subparagraph (A) if it finds the request reasonable and that doing so would further the purposes of this chapter.
20005.
(a) Each implementation grant recipient under this chapter shall use the grant funds for both of the following purposes:(1) To implement the cradle-to-career services based on results of the needs analysis described in the application and plans to build system and organizational capacity.
(2) To continuously evaluate the success of the program and improve the program based on data and outcomes.
(b) Each grant recipient may use grant funds to develop the administrative capacity necessary to successfully implement a continuum of solutions, such as
managing partnerships, integrating multiple funding sources, supporting the operation of a longitudinal data system, and accessing technical assistance. Each grant recipient and its partners shall not expend more than 20 percent of funds on these administrative and capacity building costs. Development and implementation of new or improved data systems shall not be included within that 20-percent limitation.
(c) Grant recipients developing new or expanded longitudinal data systems shall coordinate and align their data collection and reporting with the Cradle-to-Career Data System.
20006.
(a) The department shall establish performance standards to measure progress on indicators and results relevant to the evaluation of the grant program.(b) (1) The State Department of Education, in consultation with the State Department of Social Services, shall establish a core set of academic results and indicators by which the grant recipients will be measured. These indicators may be based on pupil-level or grade-level data that is available from the following academic results and indicators:
(A) Children benefit from a high-quality early learning education program and demonstrate
school readiness skills, as measured by both of the following:
(i) Children enter kindergarten ready for success, as measured by the number and percentage of children who demonstrate age-appropriate functioning at the beginning of the program or school year, as demonstrated by literacy, math, science, self-regulation, social-emotional development, physical development, English language development, and oral language indicators.
(ii) Children are provided with high-quality early learning experiences, as measured by a quality rating instrument.
(B) Pupils are proficient in core academic subjects, as measured by both of the following:
(i) The number and
percentage of pupils meeting standards in mathematics based on pupil performance on the Smarter Balanced Summative Assessments that are taken annually by pupils in grades
3 to 8, inclusive, and grade 11.
(ii) The number and percentage of pupils meeting standards in English language arts and literacy based on pupil performance on the Smarter Balanced Summative Assessments that are taken annually by pupils in grades 3 to 8, inclusive, and grade 11.
(C) Pupils are engaged and families support learning, as measured by attendance rates and chronic absenteeism rates, as measured by both of the following:
(i) The average daily attendance rates of students in kindergarten and grades 1 to 12, inclusive.
(ii) The percentage of pupils in kindergarten and grades 1 to 12, inclusive, who are absent 10 percent or more of the
instructional days those pupils are enrolled.
(D) Percentage of pupils who received a high school diploma within four years of entering grade 9 or who complete their graduation requirements at an alternative school.
(E) High school graduates obtaining a postsecondary degree, certification, or credential as measured by all of the following:
(i) Percentage of high school graduates who are placed in the “prepared” level on the college or career indicator.
(ii) The number and percentage of students who enroll in a two-year or four-year college or university after graduation.
(iii) The number and percentage
of students who graduate from a two-year or four-year college or university.
(2) The department shall establish a core set of family and community support results and indicators by which the grant recipient will be measured. A grant recipient shall choose to measure and report on two or more family and community support results and indicators. A grant recipient’s project design and implementation of a whole community continuum of solutions are subject to, but not limited to, all of the following family and community support results and indicators:
(A) Pupils feel safe at school and connected to their school community, as measured by locally implemented school climate surveys or other instruments.
(B) Pupils live in
stable communities, as measured by pupil mobility rates in schools within the designated geographic boundary.
(C) Where the appropriate infrastructure is available, pupils that have access to 21st century learning tools, as measured by the number and percentage of pupils who have access to a high-speed broadband internet-connected computing device.
(c) The department, in consultation with the State Department of Education, shall also establish at least two indicators related to health, social and emotional development, mental health, and wellness. A grant recipient may choose to report on additional social or socioemotional indicators, drawn from either of the following:
(1) Existing surveys, including the
California Healthy Kids Survey or the YouthTruth Student Survey.
(2) Other sources, as determined by the eligible entity and their partner agencies.
(d) The department may establish other engagement, academic, and social indicators.
20007.
Each grant recipient shall prepare and submit an annual report to the department that shall include both of the following:(a) Information about the number and percentage of children, family members, and community members in the PN or similar community-based network who are served by the grant recipient, including a description of the number and percentage of children accessing each of the pipeline services and the number of family and community members served by each program.
(b) Disaggregated data at population and program levels related to the grant recipient’s programs’ success in annual growth along program and project
indicators. To the extent feasible, data should be disaggregated by all of the following:
(1) Gender.
(2) Major racial and ethnic groups.
(3) English proficiency status.
(4) Migrant status.
(5) Disability status.
(6) Economic disadvantage status.
(7) Information relating to the performance metrics.
(8) Other indicators that may be required by the department.
20008.
The department, in consultation with the State Department of Education, may establish an appropriate method, process, and structure for grant management, fiscal accountability, payments to grant recipients, and technical assistance and supports for grant recipients that ensures transparency and accountability in the use of state funds. The department may, at its discretion, contract with one or more entities, including, but not limited to, community development financial intermediaries, state financial entities, or other community-based organizations, for these purposes.20009.
Notwithstanding any other law, and to the extent permitted by federal law, funds utilized by grant recipients to provide guaranteed income payments pursuant to this chapter shall not be considered as income or assets when determining eligibility and benefit amount for any means-tested program, including, but not limited to, CalWORKs, CalFresh, General Assistance, Medi-Cal, Kinship Guardianship Assistance Payment (Kin-GAP), or Adoption Assistance Program (AAP), and Cash Assistance Program for Immigrants (CAPI), and any scholarships for public colleges and universities, including, but not limited to, Cal Grant awards, Chafee grant awards, Middle Class Scholarship Program awards, California College Promise Grants, California State University Educational Opportunity Program (EOP) grants, Community College Extended Opportunity Programs and Services (EOPS) grants, and grants from the University of California, upon approval by the Regents of the University of California, or California State University.20009.20010.
Notwithstanding the rulemaking provisions of the Administrative Procedure Act (Chapter 3.5 (commencing with Section 11340) of Part 1 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Government Code), the department, in consultation with the State Department of Education, may implement, interpret, or make specific this chapter without taking any regulatory action.20010.20011.
(a) Contracts or grants awarded pursuant to this chapter are exempt from the personal services contracting requirements of Article 4 (commencing with Section 19130) of Chapter 5 of Part 2 of Division 5 of Title 2 of the Government Code.(b) Contracts or grants awarded pursuant to this chapter are exempt from the Public Contract Code and the State Contracting Manual, and are not subject to the approval of the Department of General Services.
