CA SR54

Senate Resolution proclaims that the Maximum Family Grant (MFG) rule, enacted in 1994 through Assembly Bill 473, should be repealed as soon as legislatively possible

The MFG rule denies basic needs assistance to children born to families receiving Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) unless parents disclose medical information proving the child was an accident or result of failed contraception or reported rape

Resolution cites 20 years of research showing child exclusion policies have no connection to birth rates, while increasing childhood poverty by an estimated 7.4 percent and deep poverty by 13.1 percent

California currently has the highest rate of child poverty in the nation, with more children in poverty than any other state, and benefits have declined from 80 percent to 40 percent of the federal poverty line since the rule's enactment

Resolution is supported by over 80 organizations including the California Catholic Conference, ACLU, Planned Parenthood, and the Western Center on Law and Poverty