The California Women’s Law Center (CWLC) supports California State Senate Bill 23 authored by Senator Holly Mitchell.
SB 23 calls for the repeal of the Maximum Family Grant (MFG) rule. Under current state law, parents receiving assistance through the CalWorks program are prohibited from recieving a grant for any child born to the household while any member of the household is receiving aid. This is the Maximum Family Grant (MFG) rule.
A few exemptions to the MFG rule include when a child is conceived as a result of incest or rape or from a failure of contraceptives, but only for those contraceptives identified in state statute and one limited to sterilization and inter-uterine device. Mothers would have to disclose personal and confidential medical information to the government should they fall under these exemptions. It is inappropriate for the government to force a victim to disclose information of personal violation at the consequence of enduring deeper poverty.
SB 23 WAS INTRODUCED 12/01/14.
STATUS: HELD BY THE AUTHOR UNTIL LEGISLATIVE YEAR 2016 9/2/15