ARIZONA STATE SENATE
Phoenix, Arizona
REVISED
child support; procedures
(NOW: young fathers; eligibility; age)
Expands
the eligibility for the Young Fathers mentoring programs from 16 through 26
years of age to 14 through 26 years of age.
The Department of Economic
Security (DES) contracts with the Arizona Head Start Association (statewide),
Chicanos Por La Causa (Maricopa), the Southside Family Life Center (Pima) and
Child and Family Resources, Inc. (Maricopa, Pima and Yuma) to provide services
to assist young fathers in becoming self-sufficient, share in supporting their
children and actively parent their children.
Services include remedial education, high school or General Equivalency
Degree (GED) preparation, vocational training, job search and readiness, job
placement, life skills training and mentoring.
According to DES, 263 individuals participated in FY 1999-2000.
Laws 1998, Chapter 208
established the Young Fathers contracted programs for fathers from 16 through
22 years of age. Laws 1999, Chapter 272
extended the age of eligibility from 16 through 26 years of age. This bill
expands the age of eligibility from 14 through 26 years of age.
According to the Department
of Health Services, there were four young men who became fathers in 1999 who
were 17 years of age or younger, of whom one was less than 15 years of age. The
fiscal impact for this bill appears to be slight, considering the number of
fathers who are 14 or 15 potentially eligible for the program.
1.
Modifies
eligibility for the Young Fathers programs from a minimum age of 16 to a
minimum age of 14.
2.
Makes
technical and conforming changes.
3.
Provides
for a general effective date.
Amendments Adopted by Committee
Adopted the strike everything amendment.
Senate Action
FS 3/7/01
DPA/SE 5-0-1-0
3rd Read 3/20/01 28-2-0-0
Prepared by Senate Staff
March 21, 2001