Laws and Policy

We implement policy advocacy at the federal, state, and local levels. Our work includes policy development, lobbying, coalition building, and community organizing.

Browse Laws & Policy

Monitoring Group Homes for Excessive Use of Psychotropic Medication (2015)

SB 484 (Beall)

More than half of California foster children in group homes are sedated with powerful chemical restraints. Inadequate oversight encourages over-reliance on drugs to control California's most traumatized children. This legislation establishes appropriate treatment protocols and oversight.

Enacted

Oversight and Monitoring for Foster Children Prescribed Psychotropic Medications (2015)

SB 319 (Beall)

The legislation strengthens the role of public health nurses giving explicit responsibility for the oversight and monitoring of the administration of psychotropic drugs to foster children.

Enacted

Implementation of the Federal Preventing Child Sex Trafficking Act (2015)

HR 4980/SB 794

In 2015, California passed Senate Bill (SB) 794 which enacted key provisions of the federal Preventing Sex Trafficking and Strengthening Families Act of 2014 (HR 4980).

Enacted

Implementation of California’s CSEC Program (2014)

SB 855

The California Child Welfare Council's CSEC Action Team, with the support and leadership of NCYL, has produced a number of resources to help counties implement the program and meet other related requirements including SB 794.

Enacted

Youth Offender Parole (2013)

SB 260 and SB 261 (Hancock)

NCYL is working nationally and in California to ban juvenile life without parole. Until 2012, the United States and Somalia were the only countries to sentence children to life in prison without parole.

Enacted

Local Control Funding Formula (2013)

AB 97

California's Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF) is a groundbreaking law passed in 2013, that changed the way education is funded in the state. LCFF increases local flexibility in spending education dollars while increasing accountability, particularly for improving the educational outcomes of designated student sub-groups.

Enacted

California’s Fair Sentencing Law (2012)

SB 9 (Yee)

The new law gives juvenile offenders sentenced to life without the possibility of parole the opportunity to seek a hearing to reduce their sentences to 25 years to life.

Enacted