Celebrate the Passage of AB 2802 and AB 2711
Sacramento, CA – August 28 - The California Alliance of Child and Family Services is pleased to announce the successful passage of two critical pieces of legislation, AB 2802 (Maienschein) and AB 2711 (Ramos), off the Senate floor. Both bills, sponsored by the CA Alliance, represent significant strides in advancing the rights and resources available to vulnerable youth across California.
“We are immensely grateful to Assemblymember James Ramos and Assemblymember Brian Maienschein for their unwavering commitment to the well-being of California’s youth. The passage of AB 2711 and AB 2802 marks a critical step in supporting some of the most vulnerable young people in our state. AB 2802 ensures that foster youth, particularly those who are gender-expansive or struggling with substance use, receive the support they need to thrive. AB 2711 makes it easier for youth struggling with substance use to receive the support they need. We also extend our sincere thanks to the Senate floor managers for their leadership in moving these bills forward, Senator Glazer and Senator Atkins. Together, we are creating a more just and equitable system for all youth.” - Christine-Stoner Mertz, CEO, California Alliance of Child and Family Services
AB 2711: Support for Youth Struggling with Substance Use Authored by Assemblymember James Ramos, AB 2711 would prohibit the suspension of students who voluntarily disclose their use of a controlled substance, alcohol, or any intoxicant to seek help. Under current California Education Code, there are no protections for youth who seek help for drug use to be protected from suspensions and/or expulsions once they disclose. The California Youth Empowerment Network surveyed California youth ages 15 to 26 and found that 55% have been prevented from or punished for attempting to seek help with their alcohol, tobacco, or substance use. Among those, 43% of youth cited fear of getting in trouble or fear of classmates' opinions as a reason for not seeking help, 42% indicated a lack of support at home or school, 14% reported their school had little to no services available, and 9% were unaware of any services at all.
We know that shame is a powerful deterrent to asking for help. By removing the consequence of suspension, our goal is to encourage more students to speak to school officials about their struggles.
AB 2802: Expanding Housing Flexibility for Transitional Housing Placement Programs AB 2802, authored by Assemblymember Brian Maienschein, introduces greater flexibility in gender identification for housing arrangements within Transitional Housing Placement (THP) Programs, which serve current and former foster youth over the age of 18. The bill prohibits county contracts from requiring participants to identify as the same gender to share a unit or bedroom, thus promoting inclusion and reducing discrimination against transgender, gender non-conforming or non-binary, and intersex (TGNCI) youth, co-parenting youth, and siblings who wish to live together.
The California Alliance of Child and Family Services remains dedicated to advocating for policies that uplift and empower foster youth and vulnerable children across California. We look forward to continuing this important work with our partners and legislators.
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About the California Alliance: The collective voice for organizations that serve children, youth, and families. For those dedicated to improving the lives of these at-risk populations, the California Alliance stands apart as the champion and leading voice for organizations that advocate for children, youth, and families and for