Department of Social Services: C.R.I.S.E.S. Grant Pilot Program.

Plain English Breakdown

The candidate explanation's plain language title was slightly misleading as it implied an extension rather than a continuation from an existing program.

C.R.I.S.E.S. Grant Pilot Program Extension

AB-1932 extends the C.R.I.S.E.S. Grant Pilot Program until June 30, 2032 and requires the Department of Social Services to award grants to community-based organizations for public social services if funding is available.

What This Bill Does

• Extends the C.R.I.S.E.S. Grant Pilot Program from June 30, 2026 to June 30, 2032.
• Requires the Department of Social Services to award grants to community-based organizations if funding is available in the annual Budget Act.
• Requires the department to report on grant awards and post this information publicly.
• Establishes a stakeholder workgroup that meets quarterly to evaluate and adjust criteria for qualified grantees.

Who It Names or Affects

• The Department of Social Services
• Community-based organizations eligible for grants
• Stakeholders involved in the evaluation process

Terms To Know

C.R.I.S.E.S. Grant Pilot Program

A program that provides grants to community-based organizations for public social services.

Stakeholder workgroup

A group of people who help evaluate and adjust criteria for grant eligibility.

Limits and Unknowns

• The bill requires funding from the annual Budget Act to be available before grants can be awarded.
• After June 30, 2032, the program will no longer operate unless further legislation is passed.

Official Summary Text

AB 1932, as amended, Elhawary.
Department of Social Services: C.R.I.S.E.S. Grant Pilot Program.
Existing law establishes the State Department of Social Services in the Health and Welfare Agency and sets forth its powers and duties relating to the administration of various programs relating to public social services.
Existing law, until June 30, 2026, enacts the Community Response Initiative to Strengthen Emergency Systems Act, or the C.R.I.S.E.S. Act, for purposes of creating, implementing, and evaluating the C.R.I.S.E.S. Grant Pilot Program, which the act establishes. Existing law requires the department to administer the program if appropriate funding is made available to the department. Existing law requires, on or before January 1, 2023, the department to award grants to qualified grantees, which include city, county, and tribal departments of social services, disability services, health services, public health, or behavioral health,
based on grant eligibility criteria developed in partnership with a stakeholder workgroup.
This bill would extend the C.R.I.S.E.S. Grant Pilot Program to June 30, 2032. The bill would require the department to administer the program if appropriate funding is made available in the annual Budget Act. The bill would require the department to award grants to grantees, which are community-based organizations, in consultation with stakeholders prior to January 1, 2027, and annually thereafter subject to appropriate funding. The bill would require the department, upon allocation of funding to eligible entities, to report to the Legislature and to post publicly on its internet website information about the grants funded, as specified. The bill would require the stakeholder workgroup to meet at least quarterly and perform specified functions, including partnering with the department to evaluate and make appropriate changes to criteria for qualified grantees. The bill would
require the department to review and fill vacancies for appointments to the stakeholder workgroup, as specified. The bill would require the department to fill ongoing vacancies to the stakeholder workgroup within 90 days of the vacancy.
This bill would make these provisions inoperative on June 30, 2032, and would repeal them as of January 1, 2033.
This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.

Current Bill Text

Download Bill PDF