Section 17605.

(a) For the 1992–93 fiscal year, the Controller shall deposit into the Caseload Subaccount of the Sales Tax Growth Account of the Local Revenue Fund, from revenues deposited into the Sales Tax Growth Account, an amount to be determined by the Department of Finance, that represents the sum of the shortfalls between the actual realignment revenues received by each county and each city and county from the Social Services Subaccount of the Local Revenue Fund in the 1991–92 fiscal year and the net costs incurred by each of those counties and cities and counties in the fiscal year for the programs described in Sections 10101, 10101.1, 11322, 11322.2, and 12306, subdivisions (a), (b), (c), and (d) of Section 15200, and Sections 15204.2 and 18906.5. The Department of Finance shall provide the Controller with an allocation schedule on or before August 15, 1993, that shall be used by the Controller to allocate funds deposited to the Caseload Subaccount under this subdivision. The Controller shall allocate these funds no later than August 27, 1993.

(b) (1) (A) For the 1993–94 fiscal year and fiscal years thereafter, the Controller shall deposit into the Caseload Subaccount of the Sales Tax Growth Account of the Local Revenue Fund, from revenues deposited into the Sales Tax Growth Account, an amount determined by the Department of Finance, in consultation with the appropriate state departments and the California State Association of Counties, that is sufficient to fund the net cost for the realigned portion of the county or city and county share of growth in social services caseloads, as specified in paragraph (2), and any share of growth from the previous year or years for which sufficient revenues were not available in the Caseload Subaccount. The Department of Finance shall provide the Controller with an allocations schedule on or before March 15 of each year. The schedule shall be used by the Controller to allocate funds deposited into the Caseload Subaccount under this subdivision.

(B) It is the intent of the Legislature that counties shall receive allocations from the Caseload Subaccount as soon as possible after funds are received in the Sales Tax Growth Account. The Department of Finance shall recommend to the Legislature, by January 10, 2005, a procedure to expedite the preparation and provision of the allocations schedule described in subparagraph (A) and the allocation of funds by the Controller.

(2) For purposes of this subdivision, "growth" means the increase in the actual caseload expenditures for the prior fiscal year over the actual caseload expenditures for the fiscal year preceding the prior fiscal year for the programs described in Section 12306, subdivisions (a), (b), (c), and (d) of Section 15200, and Sections 10101, 15204.2 and 18906.5 of this code, and for which funds are allocated pursuant to subdivision (b) of Section 123940 of the Health and Safety Code.

(3) The difference in caseload expenditures between the fiscal years shall be multiplied by the factors that represent the change in county or city and county shares of the realigned programs. These products shall then be added or subtracted, taking into account whether the county's or city and county's share of costs was increased or decreased as a result of realignment, to yield each county's or city and county's allocation for caseload growth. Allocations for counties or cities and counties with allocations of less than zero shall be set at zero.

(c) On or before the 27th day of each month, the Controller shall allocate, to the local health and welfare trust fund social services account, the amounts deposited and remaining unexpended and unreserved on the 15th day of the month in the Caseload Subaccount, pursuant to the schedules of allocations of caseload growth described in subdivision (b). If there are insufficient funds to fully satisfy all caseload growth obligations, each county's or city and county's allocation for each program specified in subdivision (d) shall be prorated.

(d) Prior to allocating funds pursuant to subdivision (b), to the extent that funds are available from funds deposited in the Caseload Subaccount in the Sales Tax Growth Account in the Local Revenue Fund, the Controller shall allocate moneys to counties or cities and counties to correct any inequity or inequities in the computation of the child welfare services portion of the schedule required by subdivision (a) of Section 17602.

(e) (1) For the 2003–04 fiscal year, no Sales Tax Growth Account funds shall be allocated pursuant to this chapter until the caseload portion of the base of each county's social services account in the county's health and welfare trust fund is funded to the level of the 2001–02 fiscal year. Funds to meet this requirement shall be allocated from the Sales Tax Account of the Local Revenue Fund. If sufficient funds are not available in the Sales Tax Account of the Local Revenue Fund to achieve that funding level in the 2003–04 fiscal year, this requirement shall be funded in each succeeding fiscal year in which there are sufficient funds in the Sales Tax Account of the Local Revenue Fund until the caseload base funding level for which each county would have otherwise been eligible in accordance with subdivision (e) of Section 17602 for that year.

(2) The caseload portion of each county's social services account base shall be determined by subtracting its noncaseload portion of the base, as determined by the Department of Finance in its annual calculation of General Growth Account allocations, from the total base of each county's social services account for the 2001–02 fiscal year.

(Amended by Stats. 2004, Ch. 315, Sec. 1. Effective January 1, 2005.)