(a) (1) The State Department of Social Services shall submit a report to the Legislature by July 1, 2024, that includes all of the following data, which shall be collected beginning no later than January 1, 2023:

(A) The number of resource family applicants who applied for resource family approval, or tribally approved homes who applied for approval, to care for a relative child and who were denied a criminal record exemption for a crime not listed in subparagraph (A) of paragraph (2) of subdivision (g) of Section 1522.

(B) The number of resource family applicants who applied for resource family approval, or tribally approved homes who applied for approval, to care for a relative child and who were ineligible for a criminal record exemption pursuant to subparagraph (A) of paragraph (2) of subdivision (g) of Section 1522.

(C) The total number of administrative appeals filed by resource family applicants or tribally approved home applicants described in subparagraph (A) or (B) in response to the denial of a criminal record exemption or a determination of ineligibility for a criminal record exemption and the number of those administrative appeals in which the denial or determination of the department or other approving entity was upheld.

(D) The number of resource family applicants who applied for resource family approval, or tribally approved homes who applied for approval, to care for a relative child and who were granted a criminal record exemption pursuant to paragraph (2) of subdivision (d) of § 16519.5 of the Welfare and Institutions Code.

(2) (A) The department shall stratify the data required pursuant to paragraph (1) by a variety of demographic characteristics, including, at a minimum, by race and income level.

(B) The department shall also stratify the data required pursuant to subparagraph (C) of paragraph (1) by county.

(b) Foster family agencies shall report to the department the information specified in subdivision (a) for each resource family applicant, as applicable, as determined by the department in written directives or regulations adopted pursuant to § 16519.5 of the Welfare and Institutions Code.

(c) (1) A report to be submitted pursuant to subdivision (a) shall be submitted in compliance with § 9795 of the Government Code.

(2) Pursuant to § 10231.5 of the Government Code, this section shall remain in effect only until January 1, 2026, and as of that date is repealed.

(Added by Stats. 2021, Ch. 687, Sec. 1. (SB 354) Effective January 1, 2022. Repealed as of January 1, 2026, by its own provisions.)