Bill Text: CA AB988 | 2015-2016 | Regular Session | Amended
Bill Title: Outdoor Environmental Education and Recreation Grants
Sponsorship: Partisan Bill (Democrat 3)
Status: (Failed) 2016-11-30 - From Senate committee without further action. [AB988 Detail]
Download: California-2015-AB988-Amended.html
BILL NUMBER: AB 988 AMENDED
BILL TEXT
AMENDED IN SENATE JUNE 30, 2015
AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY JUNE 1, 2015
AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY APRIL 29, 2015
INTRODUCED BY Assembly Members Mark Stone and Atkins
(Coauthor: Assembly Member Lopez)
FEBRUARY 26, 2015
An act to amend Section 5095.4 of, and to add Chapter 14
(commencing with Section 5880) to Division 5 of, the Public Resources
Code, relating to parks, and making an appropriation therefor.
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
AB 988, as amended, Mark Stone. Outdoor Environmental Education
and Recreation Grants Program.
Existing law authorizes the expenditure of state funds for local
assistance grants to cities, counties, and districts for the
acquisition and development of various park and recreational areas
and facilities. Existing law, the State Urban Parks and Healthy
Communities Act, requires the Director of Parks and Recreation, in
consultation with the State Department of Education, to develop a
competitive grant program to assist state parks, state conservancies
in existence as of January 1, 2003, urbanized and heavily urbanized
local agencies, and community-based organizations within those
jurisdictions, to provide outdoor educational opportunities to
children.
This bill would require the Department of Parks and Recreation to
establish, on or before March 30, 2016, an Outdoor Environmental
Education and Recreation Grants Program with the purpose of
increasing the ability of underserved and at-risk populations to
participate in outdoor recreation and educational experiences by
awarding grants to public organizations, nonprofit organizations, or
both. The bill would require the director to develop
criteria criteria, procedures, and accountability
measures as may be necessary to implement the program and to
administer the program to ensure that priority is given to
underserved populations, as specified. The bill would authorize the
director to develop an advisory task force to assist in the
development of the program and would require the director to give
priority funding to outdoor environmental education and recreation
programs that have specified attributes.
This bill would authorize the director to accept private donations
made for the support of the program and would authorize the director
to solicit and accept private funding sources to
help supplement offset the costs of the
program. The bill would provide that, to the extent specified bond
funds are available for grants under the program, those funds shall
be awarded to programs that meet the criteria of the State Urban
Parks and Healthy Communities Act. The bill would require that all
moneys received for the purposes of the program be deposited into the
California Youth Outdoor Education Account, which would be created
by the bill and would be continuously appropriated for purposes of
the program, thereby making an appropriation.
This bill would require the department to gather specified
information from applicants each award year and to annually report
this information, commencing on or before September 1, 2017, to the
appropriate budget and fiscal committees of the Legislature.
Vote: majority. Appropriation: yes. Fiscal committee: yes.
State-mandated 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) Park access, outdoor education, and outdoor recreational
experiences are important to the health and well-being of all
California citizens as well as the continuing stewardship of our
natural resources. Many California communities, however, lack
equitable access to parks and other open-space areas. This lack of
access to the outdoors contributes to higher incidences of certain
health ailments, such as diabetes, hypertension, obesity,
and nature deficit disorder, and other negative social indicators,
especially in low-income communities.
(2) According to the recent Parks Forward Commission report,
released in February 2015, improving access to parks, outdoor
experiences, and recreational opportunities, particularly for youth
and young adults in disadvantaged communities, will lead to more
healthy lifestyles, better educational outcomes, and improvements to
the overall well-being of California citizens,
California's citizens and communities,
and as well as our natural environment.
(3) The Legislature enacted Chapter 663 of the
Statutes of 2003, which 2003
established the Outdoor Environmental Education Program and required
a study on the benefits of outdoor environmental education for
at-risk youth and underserved demographic groups. The study found
that the science test scores of children who participated in the
program were raised by 27 percent, and that these children also had
improved conflict resolution and problem solving skills, better
self-esteem, and were more motivated to learn. The program ended on
July 1, 2005.
(4) The Legislature enacted Resolution Chapter
101 of the Statutes of 2006, which 2006
recognized the importance of local recreational and park agencies in
the effort to reverse negative trends in inactivity, obesity,
diabetes, and other health problems among Californians and encouraged
the state to use, and partner with, local recreation and park
providers to create a healthier state.
(b) It is the intent of the Legislature to expand access to parks
and other outdoor educational and recreational opportunities in
underserved areas by, among other things, convening and developing
strategic partnerships to facilitate, promote, and enhance access to
parks, as well as outdoor educational and recreational experiences in
underserved communities.
SEC. 2. Chapter 14 (commencing with Section 5880) is added to
Division 5 of the Public Resources Code, to read:
CHAPTER 14. OUTDOOR ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION AND RECREATION
GRANTS PROGRAM
5880. (a) On or before March 30, 2016, the department
director shall establish an Outdoor
Environmental Education and Recreation Grants Program to increase the
ability of underserved and at-risk populations to participate in
outdoor recreation and educational experiences by awarding grants to
public organizations, including local governments and local
education agencies, nonprofit organizations, or both.
(b) In developing the grant program, the director shall
do both of the following:
(1) Develop criteria and procedures
criteria, procedures, and accountability measures as may be
necessary to implement the grant program.
(2) Administer the grant program to ensure that
priority is given to underserved populations, including both urban
and rural areas and low-income communities where participation in
an outdoor environmental education and recreation
program programs has been limited.
(c) The director may develop an advisory task force
composed comprised of public, private,
nonprofit, academic, and other entities and individuals to assist in
the development of the grant program, including
representatives of the California Environmental Education Interagency
Network.
(d) The director shall give priority for funding to an
outdoor environmental education and recreation
program p rograms that primarily
serves provide outreach to and serve
students who are eligible for free or reduced-price meals, foster
youth, or pupils of limited English proficiency, as defined in
Section 42238.01 of the Education Code, and has at least
have one or more of the following
attributes:
(1) Demonstrates Demonstrate
partnerships between public, private, and nonprofit entities.
(2) Contributes Contribute to
healthy lifestyles, sound nutritional habits, and improved outdoor
educational and recreational experiences.
(3) Maximizes Maximize the number of
participants that can be served.
(4) Commits Commit in-kind
resources.
(5) Has Have a curriculum that is
aligned to the science content standards for California public
schools adopted by the State Board of Education.
(6) Fosters Foster stewardship of
the environment and includes, include
when available, curriculum established pursuant to Part 4 (commencing
with Section 71300) of Division 34.
(7) Integrates Integrate
instruction in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.
(8) Includes Include service
learning and community outreach components for purposes of building
partnerships between participants and local communities.
(e) Reverted and unencumbered funds from the California Clean
Water, Clean Air, Safe Neighborhood Parks, and Coastal Protection Act
of 2002 may be appropriated by the Legislature for the purpose of
this chapter, if consistent with the requirements of the California
Clean Water, Clean Air, Safe Neighborhood Parks, and Coastal
Protection Act of 2002. To the extent that grants may be awarded from
those funds, they shall be awarded only to programs that meet all of
the criteria specified in Section 5095.4.
(f) The director may also accept private donations made for the
support of the program. The director may solicit and accept private
funding to help supplement offset the
costs of the program. These funding sources may include, but are not
limited to, foundations, corporate funding, crowdfunding resources,
donation drives, or any other funding sources that may be available.
(g) All moneys received pursuant to subdivisions (e) and (f) for
the purpose of this program shall be deposited in the California
Youth Outdoor Education Account, which is hereby created within the
State Park and Recreation Fund. Notwithstanding Section 13340 of the
Government Code, moneys in the California Youth Outdoor Education
Account shall be continuously appropriated to the department for the
purposes of this chapter.
(h) (1) The department shall gather information from applicants
each award year for purposes of evaluating the effectiveness of
outdoor environmental education and recreation programs in achieving
the objectives of the grant program. The department shall annually
summarize and report this information for the previous award year,
commencing on or before September 1, 2017, to the appropriate budget
and fiscal committees of the Legislature. The information in the
annual report shall include the total number of children served, the
total number and types of entities that received grant awards,
appropriate recommendations to improve the grant program,
partnerships formed, educational objectives achieved, the total
number of applications received, and the total number of children who
would have been served had all applicants for the award year
received grant awards.
(2) A report pursuant to paragraph (1) shall be submitted in
compliance with Section 9795 of the Government Code.
SEC. 3. Section 5095.4 of the Public Resources Code is amended to
read:
5095.4. (a) The director, in consultation with the State
Department of Education, shall develop a competitive grant program to
assist state parks, state conservancies in existence as of January
1, 2003, urbanized and heavily urbanized local agencies, and
community-based organizations within those jurisdictions, working in
collaboration, to provide outdoor educational opportunities to
children.
(1) Applicant entities shall provide a 25-percent matching
contribution in community resources. The matching contributions may
be in the form of money, including funds from other state or local
assistance programs, gifts of real property, equipment, and
consumable supplies, volunteer services, free or reduced-cost use of
land, facilities, or equipment, and bequests and income from wills,
estates, and trusts. The department may establish findings for
hardships to waive the matching requirement when an applicant cannot
meet the requirement.
(2) The department may give additional consideration to applicant
entities collaborating with other entities, including, but not
limited to, school districts, faith-based groups, and others
providing outreach programs to identify and attract urbanized youth
most in need of organized, constructive recreational activities.
(b) The department shall make one-third of any funds appropriated
for the purposes of this chapter available to give special priority
to providing increased access for elementary schoolage children in
grades 2 to 8, inclusive, to conservancy or state, community, and
regional park properties, including public properties within the
coastal zone, and, in addition, shall give priority, in awarding a
grant pursuant to this section, to all of the following:
(1) Programs that use curriculum tied to the science content
standards and science framework adopted by the State Board of
Education.
(2) Applicants that serve children with family incomes below the
statewide average, based on the most recent figures computed and
established by the Department of Finance.
(3) Applicants that provide access to children who are underserved
or lack access to parks or other outdoor venues suitable to conduct
appropriate environmental education instruction.
(4) Applicants that have developed working collaboratives to
develop environmental education partnerships.
(5) Applicants working in collaboration with local educational
agencies to identify those children lacking adequate opportunities to
access outdoor environmental education curriculum or innovative or
alternative recreation programming.
(c) The amount of a grant awarded pursuant to this section may not
be less than twenty thousand dollars ($20,000) or more than two
hundred thousand dollars ($200,000). A grant may be expended for any
of the following purposes:
(1) Staffing that is directly associated with the programming.
(2) Staff training or development directly associated with the
programming.
(3) Costs associated with transporting youth between a community
or school and the proposed environmental education venue.
(4) Medical insurance for the participants, only if the insurance
is a requirement pursuant to the activity.
(5) Operational costs, such as the rental equipment, food, and
supplies.
(6) Applicants that can demonstrate that the administrative costs
associated with this activity will not exceed more than 7.5 percent
of the amount of the grant.
(d) The department may gather information from the applicants as
to the effectiveness of these programs in meeting program objectives.
The department shall summarize this information and report to the
appropriate budget and fiscal committees of both houses of the
Legislature as to the number of children served, the educational
objectives met, and the level of demand.
(e) Applicant agencies may enter into contracts with other public
agencies or entities to provide unique interpretive skills or to
present authentic, curriculum-based programs in units of conservancy
properties or state, community, or regional park systems for services
not otherwise provided. The purpose of this subdivision is to
authorize the applicants to provide programming services, equipment,
and materials that assist in the curriculum program or provide
educational activities that assist in the presentation of cultural
traditions.
