BILL NUMBER: AB 427	AMENDED
	BILL TEXT

	AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY  MAY 6, 2015
	AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY  MARCH 26, 2015

INTRODUCED BY   Assembly Member Weber

                        FEBRUARY 19, 2015

   An act to add Section 8209.5 to the Education Code, relating to
early childhood education.


	LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST


   AB 427, as amended, Weber. Early primary programs: child care
services: eligibility: military families.
   The Child Care and Development Services Act has a purpose of
providing a comprehensive, coordinated, and cost-effective system of
child care and development services for children from infancy to 13
years of age and their parents, including a full range of
supervision, health, and support services through full- and part-time
programs.
   This bill would exclude from income the amount of the basic
allowance for housing provided to an individual who is on federal
active duty, state active duty, active duty for special work, or
Active Guard and Reserve duty in the military that is equal to the
lowest rate of the allowance for the military housing area in which
the individual resides for purposes of determining eligibility for
child care and development services.
   Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. 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) California is home to a large number of military personnel,
including 150,000 active duty personnel.
   (2) Military families are a unique population with unique
circumstances. The children of military families face constant
transition, including family mobility and parental deployment.
   (3) Military families move more than twice as often as civilian
families. Forty percent of officers and 60 percent of enlisted
personnel move during the school year. Thus, the lower the rank of
the military family member, the more often the family moves.
   (4) During a time of war, military families endure the strains of
long-term separation as one or both parents may be deployed overseas.

   (5) During parental deployment children are often anxious,
stressed, and confused. Child care providers and preschools can be
places where stability and routine can provide security. The routine
helps to cushion the impact of parental deployment.
   (6) Early education can be a determining factor in the early
academic success of a pupil from a military family by providing
educational enrichment, as well as a stable and nurturing learning
environment.
   (b) Given these special circumstances, it is the intent of the
Legislature in enacting this act to ensure that military families
have access to the child care development services that their
children need.
  SEC. 2.  Section 8209.5 is added to the Education Code, to read:
   8209.5.   (a)    For purposes of determining
eligibility for services offered pursuant to this chapter, the income
of an individual who is on federal active duty, state active duty,
active duty for special work, or Active Guard and Reserve duty in the
military shall not include the amount of the basic allowance for
housing pursuant to Section 403 of Title 37 of the United States Code
provided to the individual that is equal to the lowest rate of the
allowance for the military housing area in which the individual
resides. 
   (b) This section does not affect the priorities for federal and
state subsidized child development services established pursuant to
subdivision (b) of Section 8263.