Policy Pick: More Child-Friendly Bills Slated For Hearings

Time is running out for parents and early childhood advocates who want to voice their support for several bills that affect young children and their families.

Members of the state Senate Appropriations Committees reconvene in Sacramento next week to decide the fate of numerous pieces of legislation. Among them are several bills supported by First 5 LA that take aim at a number of pressing issues, including fetal alcohol syndrome, childhood obesity and community improvement.

Several other bills supported by First 5 LA are also scheduled for hearings next week. These include:

• AB 152: This bill, authored by Assemblyman Felipe Fuentes (D-Arleta), would make more nutritious food available to low-income Californians by creating an emergency food assistance program that would increase their access to healthy California-grown food. The bill would also provide a tax credit for California growers who donate fresh fruits and vegetables to California food banks.

• AB 823: Sponsored by Children Now, this bill, authored by Assemblyman Roger Dickinson (D-Sacramento), would establish the Children's Cabinet of California, which would serve as an advisory body responsible for improving the collaboration and processes of multiple agencies serving children and youth in California. The Cabinet would make recommendations to state leaders on ways to improve delivery of services to children and families. AB 823 would help achieve First 5 LA's policy goal of supporting integration and sharing of data.

• AB 1296: This bill would develop an accessible and easy-to-navigate enrollment system as part of the implementation of the Affordable Care Act in California. Under AB 1296, authored by Assemblywoman Susan Bonilla (D-Concord), several health care features, including some relevant to young children and their families, would be created: Streamlining eligibility rules; coordinating and simplifying citizenship and identity verification at both application and subsequent renewals and creating a single statewide application.

The bills are scheduled for consideration by members of the Senate Appropriations Committee on August 15. For more information, please contact Ruel Nolledo at Rnolledo@first5la.org.

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