Cal. Welfare and Institutions Code § 11329.5

With respect to paragraph (7) of subdivision (b) of Section 11320.3 and Section 11325.71, the Legislature finds and declares all of the following, but only for the operative period of these added provisions: (a) Due to the significant General Fund revenue decline for the 2009–10 fiscal year, funding has been reduced for the CalWORKs program. (b) Due to the federal funding available under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5) (ARRA) for CalWORKs grants, reductions in 2009–10 are being achieved in the county single allocation. (c) Reduced funding, including a three-hundred-seventy-five-million-dollar ($375,000,000) reduction to the county single allocation in the 2009–10 and 2010–11 Budget Acts, and increased caseload for CalWORKs will result in insufficient resources to provide the full range of welfare-to-work services in the 2009–10 and 2010–11 fiscal years. (d) Reduced funding, including a three hundred seventy-six million eight hundred fifty thousand dollar ($376,850,000) reduction to the county single allocation in the 2011–12 Budget Act, will result in insufficient resources to provide the full range of welfare-to-work services in the 2011–12 fiscal year. (e) Reduced funding, including a reduction to the county single allocation, for the period between July 1, 2012, until January 1, 2015, will result in insufficient resources to provide the full range of welfare-to-work services during that time period. (f) It is the intent of the Legislature that the limited resources for CalWORKs services be effectively utilized, as established in paragraph (7) of subdivision (b) of Section 11320.3. (g) It is the further intent of the Legislature to provide additional flexibility to address funding constraints, as established in Section 11325.71, in addition to the existing flexibility provided under subdivision (f) of Section 11320.3. (h) It is the further intent of the Legislature to minimize disruption of welfare-to-work services for individuals already participating, and prioritize exemptions and good cause for applicants. (i) Funding and caseload factors will result in circumstances beyond the control of the counties in the 2009–10, 2010–11, and 2011–12 fiscal years, and relief should be provided for federal penalties that may result.