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Three Bills By Senator Scott Wilk To Be Voted On In The Senate

Senator Scott Wilk, R-Santa Clarita, has three bills expected to be heard on the California Senate floor, officials said Tuesday.

The bills include SB 219 for foster youth, SB 333 to address homeless issues and SB 580 to increase penalties for animal abuse.

SB 219 is intended to make foster youth eligible to receive up to $500 in a grant for enrichment and extracurricular activities, according to officials.

“California ranks 36th in the nation among states in overall child well-being. When one looks at the overall well-being of foster youth, the stats are even bleaker,” said Wilk. “One third of all foster youth never finish high school or get a GED.”

The grant is set to allow foster youth to engage in activities such as sports, arts, music, dance, theater, STEM programs and graduation activities.

“The grant would allow the kids to put themselves in an environment with other healthy people,” said Gina Stevens, program director and co-founder of Foster Youth Independence. “Having money to do extracurricular activities would put them in an area to do things more productively.”

Not only are these activities set to enhance the lives of foster youth, but they also can provide youth with a more robust resume when applying for secondary education, as well as help close the achievement gap for students in foster care, according to officials.

The second bill on the Senate floor is SB 333, which is aimed at helping 134,000 homeless people find housing, according to officials.

Senate Bill 333 is a measure to address California’s homeless crisis by requiring the Homeless Coordinating and Financing Council to develop and implement a long-term strategic plan to combat homelessness across the state, complete with specific goals and benchmarks, according to officials.

“Too many Californians are forced to live in such miserable, inhumane conditions, especially in areas like the high desert with extreme weather conditions,” Wilk said. “My bill will allow the state to take a significant step forward in ending this crisis and getting our most vulnerable community members back on their feet.”

The third bill is SB 580, the Animal Cruelty and Violence Intervention Act of 2019.

If the bill passes, it would implement new mandates for mental health evaluations, counseling and education for animal abuse offenders, according to officials.

“SB 580 is about protecting our family members, friends, communities and pets from violent crime. Animal abusers have an ugly track record of moving from crimes against animals to acts of violence against people,” Wilk said. “SB 580 will begin to break that link by getting animal abusers the resources and help they need before their actions escalate.”

Wilk cited studies showing half of all school shooters, 70 percent of the most violent prisoners and 71 percent of domestic violence offenders had serious animal abuse in their histories.

Senate Bill 580 is set to require the most serious offenders convicted for animal abuse crimes to undergo mental health assessments and, if deemed beneficial by a judge, attend ongoing counseling, according to officials.

The bill would also allow a judge to assign less serious offenders to an approved humane treatment education course to teach them proper techniques for interacting with animals in a positive way.

All three bills are expected to be heard on the Senate floor before being moved to the Assembly. If approved by both bodies, the bills will then be considered by the governor.


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Three Bills By Senator Scott Wilk To Be Voted On In The Senate

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About Louie Diaz

Louie was born and raised in Santa Clarita. At the age of two Louie lost his vision due to a brain tumor. However, Louie doesn't let blindness stop him from doing what ever it is he wants to accomplish. Growing up some of his favorite hobbies were wood working, fishing and riding bikes. Louie graduated from College of the Canyon in December of 2017, with a Broadcast Journalism degree. Growing up Louie has always wanted to be a fire fighter or a police officer, but because of his blindness Louie knew that wouldn't work. Louie has always loved listening to police and fire radio traffic, using a scanner, and he figured if he was going to listen to the scanner so much, he should do something with it.