Senate Human Services Committee advances package of bills on foster parents, truancy, homelessness and supportive services

The Senate Human Services Committee on an evening hearing advanced a slate of bills addressing foster youth parenting supports, truancy penalties, in‑home supportive services paperwork, homelessness response in Los Angeles County, domestic‑violence supports in child welfare, savings accounts for people with disabilities, developmental services accountability, guaranteed‑income pilot protections, and LGBTQ+‑inclusive homelessness practices.

Assemblymember Dixon presented AB 349 to index the infant supplemental payment for parenting foster youth to inflation. “This is my third year authoring this bill, which supports teen moms and their babies in the foster care system,” Assemblymember Dixon said. Jill Dominguez, CEO and president of Mary's Path, described clinical and residential care the organization provides and told the committee the infant supplement rate has not been increased since February 2016 and “the cost of diapers has risen 90% over the past 2 years. Formula over 11%.” The committee voted to advance AB 349 to the Appropriations Committee.

Assemblymember Aarons presented AB 461, which would remove criminal penalties and CalWORKs sanctions that can be imposed on parents of chronically truant kindergarten through eighth‑grade students and replace punitive responses with a supportive, noncriminal approach. Aarons said the bill “shifts our approach to chronic truancy from punishment to support.” Testimony from advocates, including representatives from End Child Poverty in California and the Vera Institute for Justice, described disproportionate impacts on low‑income families and immigrant communities. Several senators raised procedural and policy concerns about removing enforcement tools that they said help ensure school attendance; Senator Becker moved the bill and the committee voted to send it to Public Safety.

Assemblymember Nguyen presented AB 346 to broaden which licensed health professionals may sign paramedical services forms required for authorization of certain in‑home supportive services (IHSS) procedures. Amanda (CWDA) said the change would align the paramedical certification with current clinical practice, allowing nurse practitioners and other licensed providers to sign forms within their scope. The measure was moved and advanced to Appropriations.

Assemblymember Colosa (presenting for Assemblymember Lee) presented AB 654 to authorize Los Angeles County to establish a dedicated, county‑managed telephone line for homelessness crises and urgent homelessness response separate from broad referral lines such as 2‑1‑1. Proponents testified that existing referral systems are overwhelmed in crises and cited data from a recent surge in calls to 2‑1‑1: approximately 13,000 calls with about 5,700 answered (a 44% answer rate), average wait times around 55 minutes and a longest wait exceeding 13 hours; only 372 motel vouchers were distributed during that incident. Supporters said a dedicated line could reduce hold time and speed life‑saving connections; some senators urged caution about creating new systems rather than fully funding and staffing existing 2‑1‑1 capacity. The committee advanced AB 654 to the Local Government Committee.

Assemblymember Lackey presented AB 779 to pilot placement of domestic‑violence consultants inside county child welfare offices to help social workers assess family dynamics and connect survivors with resources. Amanda Kirschner, representing county welfare directors, urged the measure, noting a significant share of general‑neglect calls relate to domestic violence. The committee voted to advance AB 779 to Appropriations.

Assemblymember Addis presented AB 1076 (listed in the hearing as AB 10 76), clarifying that the CalABLE board can accept philanthropic and legislative funds for outreach so more eligible Californians can use tax‑advantaged CalABLE accounts. Connie Chan (on behalf of the State Treasurer) described low program awareness—about 22.6% of the public and roughly 30% of service providers—and urged support. The bill advanced to Revenue and Taxation.

Assemblymember Addis also presented AB 1208 to require the Department of Developmental Services to develop unified outcome, quality, and performance standards for regional centers and vendors and use incentives and corrective action based on benchmarks. Judy Mark of Disability Voices United, a co‑sponsor, said the measure responds to master‑plan recommendations and would shift the system from compliance metrics toward person‑centered outcomes. The committee moved the bill to Appropriations.

Assemblymember Rodriguez presented AB 1357 to ensure guaranteed‑income pilot payments are not counted as income or resources for state public assistance programs (Medi‑Cal, CalFresh, CalWORKs, CAPI and others). Recipients and advocates testified that pilots help recipients stabilize, persist in education, or pursue work. The committee passed the measure as amended to Appropriations.

On behalf of Assemblymember Lee, Senator Arguin presented AB 678 directing the California Interagency Council on Homelessness (Cal ICH) to recommend best practices and policies to ensure state‑funded homelessness and housing programs provide culturally competent, inclusive, and affirming services for LGBTQ+ people. Equality California and Trans Latina Coalition witnesses described high rates of housing instability among LGBTQ+ people and urged improved data collection and training. The committee advanced AB 678 to the Housing Committee.

Votes at a glance - AB 349 (Dixon) — index infant supplemental payment for parenting foster youth — passed to Appropriations (committee vote recorded as 5‑0). - AB 461 (Aarons) — remove criminal penalties and CalWORKs sanctions for truancy in K–8; shift to supportive responses — passed to Public Safety (committee vote recorded 4‑1). - AB 346 (Nguyen) — expand which licensed providers may sign paramedical IHSS forms — passed to Appropriations (5‑0). - AB 654 (Colosa/Lee) — authorize LA County dedicated homelessness hotline — passed to Local Government (4‑1). - AB 779 (Lackey) — domestic‑violence consultants in child welfare offices (3‑year pilot, opt‑in) — passed to Appropriations (5‑0). - AB 1076 / AB 10 76 (Addis) — allow CalABLE to accept philanthropic/appropriated funds for outreach and use tax filing data for outreach — passed to Revenue & Taxation (5‑0). - AB 1208 (Addis) — unified performance and outcome standards for developmental services — passed to Appropriations (5‑0). - AB 1357 (Rodriguez) — exempt guaranteed income pilot payments from counting as income/resources for state assistance — passed as amended to Appropriations (5‑0). - AB 678 (Lee) — Cal ICH to recommend LGBTQ+‑affirming homelessness best practices — passed to Housing (recorded as advanced; committee left open for absent members but subsequently moved out by committee vote).

Why it mattered Several bills address gaps affecting populations with limited political power: parenting foster youth, people experiencing homelessness, survivors of domestic violence, people with disabilities, and participants in guaranteed‑income pilots. Committee discussion often balanced advocates’ calls to remove punitive or procedural barriers against senators’ concerns about preserving tools for enforcement or local flexibility, and about ensuring existing systems (for example, 2‑1‑1) are fully funded and staffed before creating parallel structures.

What’s next Most measures the committee advanced will be considered next in respective fiscal or policy committees (Appropriations, Public Safety, Local Government, Revenue & Taxation, Housing). Several authors and county partners signaled intent to work with affected agencies to refine implementation details, funding, and data collection before further floor or budget committee consideration.

Ending note Committee members and witnesses emphasized a mix of immediate operational fixes (paperwork and signature authority for IHSS; indexing an infant supplement) and longer‑term systems reforms (outcome measures in developmental services; outreach funding for CalABLE; improved homelessness response coordination). Several senators urged continued stakeholder collaboration as bills move forward.