Plain English Breakdown
The exact effective date for social services programs depends on a future notification by the State Department of Social Services regarding system automation capabilities.
Excluding Student Board Member Pay from Income Checks
This law says that money paid to high school students who serve on their local education boards cannot be counted as income or resources when checking if they qualify for government help or public college scholarships.
What This Bill Does
- Stops schools and agencies from counting student board member pay as income or resources for means-tested programs like CalWORKs and Medi-Cal, to the extent federal law allows.
- Excludes this specific payment from checks used to decide eligibility for specified public college and university scholarships.
- Allows the State Department of Social Services to send written instructions to counties about how to apply these rules before formal regulations are finished.
- Sets a deadline requiring the department to issue guidance on computer system changes by July 1, 2026.
Who It Names or Affects
- High school students who serve as members of county boards of education or school district governing boards and receive financial compensation.
- Counties that administer public social services programs like CalWORKs and Medi-Cal.
- The State Department of Social Services, which must manage the new income exclusion rules.
Terms To Know
- Means-tested program
- A government benefit where eligibility depends on how much money or resources a person has.
- Income exclusion
- A rule that says certain types of money do not count when calculating if someone is poor enough to get help.
Limits and Unknowns
- The law only applies as far as federal laws allow.
- Changes for social services programs will start only after the state computer system can handle them and officials announce it.
- It is not yet known if the Commission on State Mandates will find that this bill creates costs requiring reimbursement to local agencies.