20250AB__175598AMD INTRODUCED 2026-02-09 AMENDED_SENATE 2026-06-03 2025 AB AMD Introduced by Assembly Members Sharp-Collins and Lee (Coauthors: Assembly Members Aguiar-Curry, Garcia, Mark González, Jackson, Ransom, Tangipa, Ward, and Zbur) (Coauthor: Senator Rubio) LEAD_AUTHOR ASSEMBLY Sharp-Collins LEAD_AUTHOR ASSEMBLY Lee COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Aguiar-Curry COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Garcia COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Mark González COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Jackson COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Ransom COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Tangipa COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Ward COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Zbur COAUTHOR SENATE Rubio

An act to amend

Section of the Welfare and Institutions Code, relating to CalWORKs. CalWORKs CalWORKS. Existing federal law, the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996, replaced the federal Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) program with the federal Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) block grant program. Existing federal law provides for allocation of federal funds through the federal TANF block grant program to eligible states.

Existing law establishes the California Work Opportunity and Responsibility to Kids (CalWORKs) program, under which, through a combination of state and county funds and federal funds received through the TANF program, each county provides cash assistance and other benefits to qualified low-income families. Existing law requires aid to be granted to a family with a related child under years of age who has been deprived of parental support or care due to the unemployment, continued absence, death, incapacity, or incarceration of a parent.

Existing law considers a child to be deprived of parental support or care due to unemployment of the child’s parent or parents when the child’s parent or parents have worked less than hours in the preceding weeks and meets specified requirements related to the federal AFDC program. This bill would, for purposes of determining a child’s deprivation of parental support or care, delete the requirements that the parent or parents work less than hours in the preceding weeks and meet the federal AFDC program requirements.

The bill would instead disregard the number of hours that the child’s parent or parents work, provided the family does not exceed the applicable gross or net income limits and is otherwise eligible for assistance. To the extent that the bill would expand eligibility for the CalWORKs program, thereby imposing a higher level of service on counties, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement.

This bill would provide that, if the Commission on State Mandates determines that the bill contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement for those costs shall be made pursuant to the statutory provisions noted above. MAJORITY NO YES YES NO NO NO NO NO NO NO The people of the State of California do enact as follows:

SECTION 1.

Section of the Welfare and Institutions Code is amended to read: 11201. For the purposes of this chapter, all of the following shall apply: (a) “Unemployed parent” means a natural or adoptive parent with whom the child is living. (

b) A child for whom a parent is applying for assistance under this

chapter shall be considered to be deprived of parental support or care due to the unemployment of the child’s parent or parents, regardless of the number of hours the child’s parent or parents work, provided that the family does not exceed the applicable gross or net income limits and is otherwise eligible for assistance.

SEC. 2. If the Commission on State Mandates determines that this act contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement to local agencies and school districts for those costs shall be made pursuant to

Part 7 (commencing with

Section 17500) of Division of Title of the Government Code.