CA SB 608

Title: Child health and safety: “Have a Heart, Be a Star, Help Our Kids” license plate program.
Author: Josh Becker

Summary
SB 608, as introduced, Becker. Child health and safety: “Have a Heart, Be a Star, Help Our Kids” license plate program. Existing law requires the Department of Motor Vehicles to issue “Have a Heart, Be a Star, Help Our Kids” special license plates and imposes additional fees, as specified, for their issuance, renewal, replacement, and transfer. Existing law requires that those additional fees be deposited in the Child Health and Safety Fund, less specified amounts. Existing law requires that 50% of the funds derived from the “Have a Heart, Be a Star, Help Our Kids” license plates be available, upon appropriation, to the State Department of Social Services for administering various provisions related to childcare licensing, as specified. Existing law requires that, upon appropriation by the Legislature, the balance be available, as described, for programs that address other categories of potential childhood injury, as specified. Existing law requires counties to create local childcare and development planning councils to identify and address childcare needs, among others. Existing law also creates the California Children and Families Commission to promote, support, and improve early childhood development. Existing law provides for funding to county commissions that develop, adopt, promote, and implement local early childhood development programs consistent with specified goals and objectives.This bill would increase the fees for the initial issuance and renewal of the “Have a Heart, Be a Star, Help Our Kids” license plates. The bill would continuously appropriate 50% of the fees collected on or after January 1, 2024, to local childcare and development planning councils, as described, for specified purposes, including recruitment and training of new childcare providers. The bill would require a portion of the funds to be allocated to the agency having oversight of new and continuing childcare provider health and safety education and training program curriculum for specified purposes. Of the fees collected on or after January 1, 2024, the bill would also continuously appropriate 5% to the State Department of Public Health in support of the department’s injury prevention branch addressing childhood injury prevention and 20% to county commissions, as specified, that elect to receive funding and would limit the spending of those funds for certain purposes, including administering the California Unintentional Injury Prevention Strategic Plan Project. The bill would require that no more than 10% of the funds allocated to the commissions be allocated to the nonprofit organization that provides administrative and staff support to the California Unintentional Injury Prevention Strategic Plan Project and would require the nonprofit organization to support statewide networking of unintentional injury coalitions and support evidence-based technical assistance and training for childhood unintentional injury prevention programs to the county commissions.

Status
Returned to Secretary of Senate pursuant to Joint Rule 56.

Bill Documents
CA SB 608 - 02/15/23 - Introduced
02/15/23 - CA SB 608 (02/15/23 - Introduced)