Policy and Legislation

2022 Budget and Legislative Priorities

Council for a Strong America California’s membership arms ReadyNation, Fight Crime: Invest in Kids, and Mission: Readiness believe all children and youth should have the opportunity to be healthy, educated, and prepared for success. In 2022, we are working together to increase economic security for all families while supporting safer communities, healthier children, and a more productive economy.

Early Childhood Care & Education - ReadyNation, Fight Crime: Invest in Kids, and Mission: Readiness

Access to high-quality early education is critical to our next generation’s future success, and is a critical priority of all of our member organizations. ReadyNation business leaders see the positive impact ECE has on working families and on strengthening California’s workforce, as well as its contribution to increased productivity, morale, and earnings. Fight Crime: Invest in Kids law enforcement leaders know that one of the best ways to prepare kids for school, improve graduation rates, and keep kids on a path towards success involves making sure they have a strong foundation in their earliest years, such as child care and preschool. Our Mission: Readiness retired military champions believe that access to high-quality early care and education can help underserved children succeed in school, become healthy and fit adults, and open the doors to college, careers, and military service, if they choose that direction.

ECE Budget & Policy Priorities:

Council for a Strong America’s California members support budget and policy requests that include increasing provider rates, increased investments in subsidized child care, waiving copayments or fees for low-income families in child care, and investments in technology and infrastructure, including new money for facilities. ReadyNation, Fight Crime: Invest in Kids and Mission: Readiness will work with the legislature and advocacy groups to ensure that the 2022-2023 budget addresses the diverse needs of California, and strengthens the state’s mixed-delivery child care system from birth through 12th grade. Council for a Strong America and our membership arms are active members of California’s ECE Budget Coalition, and supports their priorities.

2022 Legislation:

• AB 1649 (Quirk-Silva): Alternative Payment Program Child Care Access
• AB 2131 (Mullin): Child Care Licensing
• AB 2806 (Rubio): Preschool Suspensions & Expulsions
• SB 976 (Leyva): Universal Preschool Mixed Delivery System
• SB 1047 (Limon): California State Preschool Program Access
• AB 2589 (Santiago): Earned Income Tax Credit
• SB 1481 (Becker): Food with Care

K-12 and Postsecondary Education: ReadyNation

Equipping students with the skills, resources, and credentials of value they need to succeed in our workforce is imperative to our state’s future success. ReadyNation supports evidence-based solutions that increase equity in postsecondary completion and close the digital divide through broadband access, device access, and digital literacy. We also support adequate and equitable school funding, providing integrated services and meeting the needs of all students.

K-12 Budget & Policy Priorities

ReadyNation supports comprehensive funding for schools, including the proposed COLA for California’s school funding formula, the Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF), continued funding for mental health services in schools, and full-service community schools. Additionally, ReadyNation works to prioritize dual enrollment, streamlined transfer pathways between community college and four-year universities, STEM and computer science education, and addressing the digital divide.

2022 Legislation:

• AB 1705 (Irwin): California Community Colleges Transfer Process
• AB 1746 (Medina): Cal Grant Equity Framework
• AB 1853 (Berman): Computer Science Preservice Grant Program
• AB 2187 (L. Rivas): The California Computer Science Project
• AB 2266 (Santiago): California College Promise Fee Waiver Eligibility

Expanded Learning Programs: Fight Crime: Invest in Kids

Expanded learning (such as afterschool) programs serve as an essential resource for school-aged youth by creating safe spaces, fostering connections, preventing juvenile crime, and improving academic performance. Our Fight Crime: Invest in Kids law enforcement members know that California’s afterschool programs positively engage young people by connecting them to their community and caring adults, keeping them safe, and building their academic, social, and emotional skills.

Expanded Learning Budget & Policy Priorities:

Fight Crime: Invest in Kids supports continued investments in expanded learning programs and coordination between child care and afterschool programs. Fight Crime: Invest in Kids is an active member of the California Afterschool Advocacy Alliance and supports their priorities to strengthen the After School Education and Safety (ASES), Expanded Learning and Opportunity Programs, and 21st Century Community Learning (CCLC) programs.

2022 Legislation:

• AB 2501(Carrillo): Expanded Learning Road Map
• AB 2507 (McCarty): Universal After School Program
• AB 2945 (Arambula): Foster Youth in Extracurricular Activities

Children’s Health & Nutrition: Mission: Readiness

Mission: Readiness members are committed to bolstering child health and nutrition through expansion of food assistance programs and increased allocations meant to strengthen school meal programs. The significant increases of food insecurity propelled by the COVID-19 pandemic, coupled with increased rates of obesity among children and young adults in California in recent years, also compel our Mission: Readiness members to ensure that our next generation has the tools and resources they need to lead healthy and productive lives.

2022 Legislation:

• SB 641 (Skinner): CalFresh for College Students Act

California’s newly finalized 2021-2022 budget illustrates the historic growth and progress made on behalf of California’s children, youth, and working families. Read our blog or watch the video below to learn more about the allocations that will help improve our national security, public safety, and economy while positively impacting the wellbeing of children.