SACRAMENTO, CA— Assemblyman Mark Leno’s Assembly Bill 1578, a comprehensive set of reforms designed to give foster youth the financial and supportive assistance they need to go on to college and graduate, was approved by the State Assembly today with unanimous support.
“For the well over 70% of foster youth in California who dream of getting a higher education, we might as well be posting signs on our universities and colleges that read ‘Sorry We’re Closed,’” said Assemblyman Mark Leno (D-San Francisco). “While the assistance and support in this measure could never replace the guidance, support and direction that most young people get from parents all throughout their lives, it will give our foster youth the ability to achieve their dreams and open up doors that only a college degree could unlock.”
When foster youth reach 18 years of age, they “age out” of the foster care system, which for many means they no longer get the financial support they need to continue their education. Statistics show that most young people don’t become financially independent of their parents until they are in their mid-twenties.
AB 1578 would help current and former foster youth prepare for college and support them once they get there through housing priority, automatic eligibility for Cal-Grants and timely distributions of Federal Chafee Grants. The bill also establishes the California Competitive Grant Program to provide current and former foster youth with comprehensive support on campus, such as guidance counseling and financial aid to ensure that they don’t fall through the cracks.
The odds are truly stacked against foster youth in California. While reports show that 70% of foster youth want to attend college, only half complete high school, and only 15 % take the necessary courses to gain college admission. Fewer than 10% of foster youth who graduate high school go on to college. Fewer than 2% of foster youth who go on to college graduate. Without a college degree, former foster youth are more likely to face homelessness, incarceration, and lower lifetime earning potential.
“Without parental support, our foster youth are finding themselves on the streets or in jails instead of colleges and universities where they belong. We can’t fail our kids any longer,” added Leno.
For those joining in gay marriages today, the road from outlaw status to respectability was paved in the Legislature over three decades.
From decriminalizing sex between same-sex couples, to outlawing job discrimination against homosexuals, to adding gay members to the legislative roster, the government has been taking steps, measure-by-measure, that have led to gay couples joining hands in marriage ceremonies across the state.
