11477.07. (Added by Stats. 2022, Ch. 573, Sec. 21.)

(a) The State Department of Social Services, in conjunction with the Department of Child Support Services, shall convene a workgroup that consists of representatives from the Legislature, the Department of Child Support Services, and the County Welfare Directors Association of California, and advocates for low-income families with children and noncustodial parents. The workgroup shall meet at least twice to discuss unintended consequences of enacting a full passthrough of child support payments to custodial families currently receiving CalWORKs benefits prior to the State Department of Social Services issuing the report required by subparagraph (b).

(b) The State Department of Social Services shall submit a report, on or before April 1, 2024, to the Senate and Assembly human services committees, judiciary committees, and fiscal committees summarizing the conversations with participants in the workgroup, and including proposed mitigation strategies for preventing unintended consequences of a full passthrough of child support payments to families currently receiving CalWORKs benefits and any estimates of additional costs of implementing these recommended strategies. The report shall also include the estimated impact of federal funding levels and any estimated changes to eligibility and benefit determination for need-based assistance programs as a result of providing the full passthrough of child support payments, as well as any projected changes in behavior among obligors related to compliance with child support orders due to the full passthrough and any estimated change to income levels of custodial families as a result of those projected behavior changes.