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California Lawmakers Propose Changes to Help Boys of Color

State leaders recommend policy and legislation that they believe will boost the lives of minority boys in the state.

By Ryann Blackshere

Posted: 08/09/2012 11:12 AM EDT

Filed Under National News

The Assembly Select Committee on the Status of Boys and Men of Color has asked California leaders to revise school testing and funding, provide continued health care for boys exiting foster care and make it more difficult for schools to suspend and expel students from school, among other recommendations they believe will set up boys of color for better futures.

Over the past year the committee, led by Assemblyman Sandre Swanson (D-Alameda), has held hearings about the state of African-American, Latino, American Indian and Southeast Asian boys in California, and received strong bipartisan support for the proposed recommendations. The SF Gate writes:

"If we are already spending $50,000 a year per person in state prison, or $200,000 in the juvenile justice system, it isn't a question of money -— it's a question of how we prioritize the money we have," Swanson said.

The success of African-American, Latino, American Indian and Southeast Asian males is crucial, the report states. More than 75 percent of Californians under age 25 identify as people of color, and many are "trapped in a cycle of prison, poverty and disadvantage," it says, blaming "deteriorated schools and neighborhoods, poor health, dysfunctional social support and limited job opportunities."

Federal officials will also weigh in at the hearing to talk about changes at the national level.