Bill Text: CA AB656 | 2019-2020 | Regular Session | Amended
Bill Title: Office of Healthy and Safe Communities.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 5-0)
Status: (Engrossed - Dead) 2019-08-30 - In committee: Held under submission. [AB656 Detail]
Download: California-2019-AB656-Amended.html
|
Amended
IN
Senate
June 27, 2019 |
|
Amended
IN
Assembly
May 16, 2019 |
|
Amended
IN
Assembly
March 21, 2019 |
CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE—
2019–2020 REGULAR SESSION
| Assembly Bill | No. 656 |
| Introduced by Assembly Member Eduardo Garcia (Coauthors: Assembly Members Chiu, Medina, Robert Rivas, and Ting) |
February 15, 2019 |
An act to add Chapter 9.8 3 (commencing with Section 8780) 131250) to Division Part 1 of Title 2 Division 112 of the Government
Health and Safety Code, relating to public safety.
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
AB 656, as amended, Eduardo Garcia.
Office of Healthy and Safe Communities.
Existing law creates the Office of Emergency Services within the Governor’s office and commits to the office the responsibility for the state’s response services for natural, technological, or manmade disasters and emergencies. Existing law authorizes that office to expend funds for local domestic violence programs and establishes in that office various programs to address domestic violence, among other duties. Existing law also requires the Department of Justice to make information relating to gun violence restraining orders available, at the department’s discretion, to certain nonprofit educational institutions or public agencies immediately concerned with the study and prevention of violence, and requires the Board of State and Community Corrections to develop recommendations for the improvement of criminal justice and delinquency and gang prevention activity throughout the state
and to consolidate grant funds and programs for those prevention activities.
Existing establishes the State Department of Public Health, within the California Health and Human Services Agency, vested with certain duties, powers, functions, jurisdiction, and responsibilities over specified health programs, including, among others, a reporting system to collect data on violent deaths.
This bill would create the Office of Healthy and Safe Communities (OHSC) under the direction of the California Surgeon General and the Governor, State Department of Public Health, to provide a comprehensive violence prevention
strategy. The bill would require the California Surgeon General
department to oversee the OHSC and would require the Governor and the California Surgeon General to appoint the Director of the OHSC. The bill would set forth the duties of the OHSC, including the duty to develop, implement, and monitor a California vision and plan for violence prevention, safety, and healing. The bill would require the director to strengthen the professionalization of community violence intervention and prevention as a licensed occupation and facilitate the coordination and alignment of programming across statewide departments and agencies, among other duties. The bill would also require the director to assemble an advisory committee to inform and guide the execution of the duties of the OHSC. The bill would require the advisory committee to be selected by the President pro Tempore of the Senate and the Speaker of the Assembly and would specify the composition of the
advisory committee. The bill would make the implementation of its provisions contingent on appropriate funding as determined by the department, upon appropriation by the Legislature or other sources.
Digest Key
Vote: MAJORITY Appropriation: NO Fiscal Committee: YES Local Program: NOBill Text
The people of the State of California do enact as follows:
Chapter 3 (commencing with Section 131250) is added to Part 1 of Division 112 of the Health and Safety Code, to read:
CHAPTER 3. Office of Healthy and Safe Communities
8780.131250.
It is the intent of the Legislature in enacting this chapter to create the Office of Healthy and Safe Communities, under the direction of the8781.131251.
(a) There is hereby created the Office of Healthy and Safe Communities (OHSC). The(b) The Governor and Surgeon General shall appoint the Director of
the OHSC.
(c) The Director of the OHSC shall perform all of the following duties:
(1) Hire and manage a staff team and consultants to execute the duties of the OHSC.
(2) Assemble an advisory committee as described in Section 8782. 131252.
(3) Develop, implement, and monitor a California vision and plan for violence prevention, safety, and healing
with clear systems change goals aligned with funding to drive population-level results for decreasing exposure to violence among California’s most vulnerable people and places, including all of the following activities:
(A) Connect the vision and plan described in this paragraph to the Governor’s strategies for youth development, criminal and juvenile justice reform, health care services, and other related areas of opportunity.
(B) Develop a strategy and plan for the consolidation, coordination, or alignment of funding for violence intervention and prevention programming.
(C) Identify and integrate trauma-centered diagnostic tools, such as early and periodic screening, diagnosis, and treatment services, to
support violence prevention, intervention, and healing.
(D) Create an interactive community engagement strategy that prioritizes the voices of people directly impacted and doing the work to prevent violence and promote peace and healing in communities.
(4) Create a learning community of practice that includes community meetings and the sharing of promising practices, research, data, and innovative approaches to violence intervention and prevention throughout California, including both of the following activities:
(A) Supporting coordination and sharing among counties and cities that are advancing a violence prevention strategy.
(B) Tracking and
monitoring data and research on violence statewide and in communities throughout California.
(5) Strengthen the professionalization of community violence intervention and prevention as a licensed occupation.
(6) Facilitate the coordination and alignment of programming across statewide departments and agencies, such as the State Department of Public Health, the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, the Department of Housing and Community Development, and the State Department of Education, with the potential to support violence intervention and prevention goals utilizing a social determinants of health orientation program that is inclusive of those who are exposed to violence, who have caused harm, and who have been harmed.
8782.131252.
(a) The Director of the OHSC shall establish an advisory committee to inform and guide the execution of the duties of the OHSC. The(a)
(1) Three representatives from communities heavily impacted by violence.
(b)
(2) One representative from the Strategic Growth Council.
(c)
(3) One representative from the State Department of Public Health Office of Health Equity.
(d)
(4) One representative from the California State University or University of California systems.
(e)
(5) Three representatives from community organizations working to promote healing and peace.
(f)
(6) Three representatives from local governments advancing violence prevention
strategies.
(g)
(7) Two representatives from advocacy organizations advancing prevention, healing, and peace.
(b) The director shall serve as a member of the advisory panel.
