(a) A county human services agency shall designate at least one employee as a staff liaison, as provided in this section. The staff liaison shall serve as a point of contact for academic counselors and other relevant professional staff at a campus of an institution of public higher education located within the county and provide information on programs and services offered by the agency that may be available to students attending a campus of an institution of public higher education within the county. This requirement is not intended to supersede or otherwise alter existing relationships between counties and campuses of an institution of public higher education, including, but not limited to, coordination related to CalWORKs welfare-to-work participants who are attending a campus of an institution of public higher education.

(b) A county human services agency subject to this section, with input from the public institutions of higher education located within the county, shall develop protocols for engagement between the agency and a campus of an institution of public higher education located within the county. The agency and the public institutions of higher education located within the county are encouraged to consult stakeholders while developing the protocol, including, but not limited to, all of the following:

(1) A representative from each campus of an institution of public higher education within the county. The representative shall be a staff member tasked with addressing students’ basic needs on the campus.

(2) A counselor or other relevant professional staff from each campus of an institution of public higher education within the county.

(3) Relevant organizations representing the interests of students, faculty, and staff from each campus of an institution of public higher education within the county.

(c) Counties are encouraged to provide information to the campuses of an institution of public higher education located within their borders regarding the location and hours of county human services agency public offices, as well as information regarding online and telephone access to program applications. Each campus of an institution of public higher education is encouraged to disseminate information regarding applying for human services programs and benefits to the campus administrator associated with student services or their designee.

(d) Any disclosure or sharing of personal information under this section shall be made in compliance with applicable state and federal confidentiality laws.

(e) For purposes of this section, “public higher education” has the same meaning as in § 66010 of the Education Code.

(f) Notwithstanding the rulemaking provisions of the Administrative Procedure Act (Chapter 3.5 (commencing with Section 11340) of Part 1 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Government Code), the State Department of Social Services may implement this section by all-county letters or similar instructions.

(Added by Stats. 2021, Ch. 570, Sec. 3. (AB 1326) Effective January 1, 2022.)