Existing law provides for a voluntary nurse home visiting grant program, administered and implemented by the State Department of Public Health, for purposes of making grants to eligible participating counties for the provision of voluntary registered nurse home visiting services for expectant first‑time, low‑income mothers, their children, and their families.

Existing law provides that the department shall only distribute these grants if the Director of Finance determines, in writing, that there are sufficient funds from private donations available in the California Families and Children Account, which is continuously appropriated to the department, for expenditure for the purposes of the program. Existing law provides that if, as of January 1, 2009, the Director of Finance determines there are insufficient funds on deposit in the account to implement the program, the account shall cease to exist.

This bill would extend to January 1, 2011, the date on which the Director of Finance would have to determine whether insufficient funds exist in the account. To the extent that this would extend the existence of a continuously appropriated fund, this bill would make an appropriation.

This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.