Title
Title
Child Support: AB 1058 Child Support Commissioner and Family Law Facilitator Program Funding Allocation (Action Required)
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Summary
Summary
The AB 1058 Funding Allocation Joint Subcommittee recommends that the Judicial Council approve a new funding methodology that is workload-based for the AB 1058 child support commissioner program and maintain the current funding methodology for the family law facilitator program until FY 2021-22. The Judicial Council established the joint subcommittee in April 2015 to reconsider the allocation methodology developed in 1997 for the Child Support Commissioner and Family Law Facilitator Program, as required by Assembly Bill 1058 (Stats. 1996, ch. 957). In February 2016 the council reconstituted the joint subcommittee and directed it to develop a workload-based funding methodology to begin implementation for fiscal year (FY) 2018-19 but to delay making that recommendation until FY 2019-20 to incorporate the work on the Workload-Based Allocation and Funding Methodology completed in 2018 and to coordinate with the California Department of Child Support Services on their review of funding allocations for local child support agencies. The subcommittee recommends beginning to implement a workload-based funding methodology for child support commissioner funding while waiting to reallocate funds for Family Law Facilitators to ensure that new workload information can be incorporated into a model.
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Recommendation
Recommendation
The AB 1058 Funding Allocation Joint Subcommittee recommends that the Judicial Council, effective January 16, 2019, take the following actions:
1. Approve a new funding methodology for the AB 1058 child support commissioner program base funding that is workload-based and employs the same workload and cost structures as the Workload-Based Allocation and Funding Methodology (WAFM) as described below and set forth in Attachment A.
2. Begin reallocating AB 1058 child support commissioner program base grant funds based on that methodology in FY 2019-20 as set forth in Attachment B and described below to ensure that funding changes are capped at 5 percent and smaller courts can continue to operate their programs.
3. Direct the Family and Juvenile Law Advisory Committee to review the implementation of the AB 1058 funding methodology, including its impact on the performance of the program as federally mandated.
4. Direct the Family and Juvenile Law Advisory Committee to make a recommendation for AB 1058 funding a minimum service level for smaller courts for FY 2021-22.
5. Continue reallocation of funds every two years beginning with FY 2021-22 considering the recommendations of the Family and Juvenile Law Advisory Committee as presented to the Trial Court Budget Advisory Committee (TCBAC).
6. Maintain the current funding methodology for the family law facilitator program until FY 2021-22.
7. Direct the Family and Juvenile Law Advisory Committee to gather information and make recommendations to TCBAC for FY 2021-22 on a funding methodology for family law facilitators.
8. Direct the Family and Juvenile Law Advisory Committee to make recommendations concerning allocation of federal title IV-D (of the Social Security Act) drawdown funds (to be matched by the trial courts) beginning in FY 2019-20 that allocate each court its proportion of the total funds up to the amount the court requests and is prepared to match.