Source: http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displayText.xhtml?lawCode=WIC&division=9.&title=&part=5.&chapter=1.&article=
Timestamp: 2019-10-16 05:58:48
Document Index: 424262463

Matched Legal Cases: ['art 3', 'art 3', 'art 3', 'art 3', 'art 3', 'art 3', 'art 6', 'art 3', 'art 3', 'art 3', 'art 3']

CHAPTER 1. General Provisions [17000 - 17030.1]
17000.5.
(a) The board of supervisors in any county may adopt a general assistance standard of aid, including the value of in-kind aid which includes, but is not limited to, the monthly actuarial value of up to forty dollars ($40) per month of medical care, that is 62 percent of a guideline that is equal to the 1991 federal official poverty line and may annually adjust that guideline in an amount equal to any adjustment provided under Chapter 2 (commencing with Section 11200) of Part 3 for establishing a maximum aid level in the county. This subdivision is not intended to either limit or expand the extent of the duty of counties to provide health care.
(b) The adoption of a standard of aid pursuant to this section shall constitute a sufficient standard of aid.
(c) For purposes of this section, “federal official poverty line” means the same as it is defined in subsection (2) of Section 9902 of Title 42 of the United States Code.
(d) For purposes of this section, “any adjustment” includes, and, prior to the addition of this subdivision, included statutory increases, decreases, or reductions in the maximum aid level in the county under the Aid to Families with Dependent Children program contained in Chapter 2 (commencing with Section 11200) of Part 3.
(e) In the event that adjustments pursuant to Section 11450.02 are not made, the amounts established pursuant to subdivision (a) may be adjusted to reflect the relative cost of housing in various counties as follows:
(1) Reduced by 1.5 percent in the Counties of Alameda, Contra Costa, Los Angeles, San Diego, Santa Barbara, Sonoma, and Ventura.
(2) Reduced by 3 percent in the Counties of San Luis Obispo, Nevada, Sierra, Monterey, Napa, Solano, Riverside, San Bernardino, Alpine, Amador, Calaveras, Inyo, Kern, Mariposa, Mono, and Tuolumne.
(3) Reduced by 4.5 percent in the Counties of Stanislaus, Imperial, El Dorado, Placer, Sacramento, Yolo, Humboldt, San Benito, Del Norte, Fresno, Lake, Mendocino, Shasta, Trinity, Butte, Merced, Tulare, San Joaquin, Lassen, Modoc, Plumas, Siskiyou, Tehama, Kings, Madera, Colusa, Glenn, Sutter, and Yuba.
(Amended by Stats. 1996, Ch. 6, Sec. 7. Effective January 1, 1997.)
17000.51.
(a) Notwithstanding the decision in Caulk v. Superior Court, CO15355, June 27, 1997, a county’s discretion granted pursuant to Section 17000.5 to include, as part of a general assistance aid grant, in-kind aid with a monthly actuarial value of up to forty dollars ($40) per month of medical care, was not intended, and shall not be construed, to do any of the following:
(1) Satisfy, in whole or in part, the duty of a county or a city or county to provide health care services to indigent and dependent poor persons under Section 17000.
(2) Permit a county or a city and county to cease providing health care services under Section 17000.
(3) Affect the eligibility of indigent and dependent poor persons for health care services under Section 17000.
(b) Subdivision (a) shall cease to be implemented if, and only to the extent that, a final court decision holds that subdivision (a) imposes a state-mandated local program.
(c) Subdivision (a) confirms, and is declarative of, rather than a change in, existing law, as provided for in Chapter 6 of the Statutes of 1996, which was intended only to provide a county or city and county with the discretion to reduce its general assistance grant level by up to forty dollars ($40) per month.
(Added by Stats. 1997, Ch. 294, Sec. 84. Effective August 18, 1997.)
17000.6.
(a) The board of supervisors of any county may adopt a standard of aid below the level established in Section 17000.5 if the Commission on State Mandates makes a finding that meeting the standards in Section 17000.5 would result in a significant financial distress to the county. When the commission makes a finding of significant financial distress concerning a county, the board of supervisors may establish a level of aid which is not less than 40 percent of the 1991 federal official poverty level, which may be further reduced pursuant to Section 17001.5 for shared housing. The commission shall not make a finding of significant financial distress unless the county has made a compelling case that, absent the finding, basic county services, including public safety, cannot be maintained.
(b) Upon receipt of a written application from a county board of supervisors, the commission may make a finding of financial distress for a period of up to 36 months pursuant to regulations that are necessary to implement this section, which shall be adopted by the commission. The period of reduction may be renewed by the commission upon reapplication by the county. Any county that filed an application or reapplication that was approved for a period of up to 12 months by the commission on or before December 31, 1996, shall be deemed to have had that application or reapplication approved for a period of 36 months. If the period of financial distress is delayed by court action, the period shall be tolled during that delay.
(c) As part of the decisionmaking process, the commission shall notice and hold a public hearing on the county’s application or reapplication in the county of application. The commission shall provide a 30-day notice of the hearing in the county of application or reapplication. The commission shall notify the applicant county of its preliminary decision within 60 days after receiving the application and final decision within 90 days after receiving the application. If a county files an application while another county’s application is pending, the commission may extend both the preliminary decision period up to 120 days and the final decision period up to 150 days from the date of the application and any current period of significant financial distress of the applicant county that has been set pursuant to subdivision (b) shall be extended for the same period.
(d) This section shall not be construed to eliminate the requirement that a county provide aid pursuant to Section 17000.
(e) Any standard of aid adopted pursuant to this section shall constitute a sufficient standard of aid.
(f) A county board of supervisors may continue the standard of aid adopted under this section beyond the period in subdivision (b), irrespective of whether the county has applied for or received a renewal of the authority to reduce aid as permitted by subdivision (b), provided the county acts in accordance with all of the following:
(1) The county may not prohibit an employable individual from receiving aid under this part for less than six months in a 12-month period, whether or not the months are consecutive. If an employable individual has taken and continues to take all steps to apply for appropriate positions and has not refused an offer of employment without good cause, a county shall extend aid until the individual has received aid for nine months in a 12-month period. The time limit provided in this paragraph shall begin for each employable individual at the time the employable individual is enrolled in the mandatory welfare-to-work program set forth in paragraph (2).
(2) The county shall, within six months of the county’s implementation of this subdivision, require employable individuals to participate while on aid under this part in services equivalent to the welfare-to-work program provided for pursuant to Article 3.2 (commencing with Section 11320) of Chapter 2 of Part 3. Employable individuals shall participate in this program as a condition of eligibility for aid under this part.
(3) This subdivision shall not be construed to give preference to recipients of benefits under this part for welfare-to-work services under Article 3.2 (commencing with Section 11320) of Chapter 2 of Part 3.
(g) The commission may adopt emergency regulations for the implementation of this section.
(Amended by Stats. 1998, Ch. 329, Sec. 30. Effective August 21, 1998.)
(a) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, including, but not limited to, Section 17000.5, the board of supervisors of each county, or the agency authorized by the county charter, may do any of the following:
(4) Prohibit an employable individual from receiving aid under this part for more than three months in any 12-month period, whether or not the months are consecutive. This paragraph shall apply to aid received on or after the effective date of this paragraph. This paragraph shall apply only to those individuals who have been offered an opportunity to attend job skills or job training sessions.
(Amended (as amended by Stats. 1996, Ch. 6, Sec. 9) by Stats. 1996, Ch. 206, Sec. 34. Effective July 22, 1996.)
17001.51.
(a) A county may require adult applicants and recipients of benefits under the general assistance program to undergo screening for substance abuse when it is determined by the county that there is reasonable suspicion to believe that an individual is dependent upon illegal drugs or alcohol. The county shall maintain documentation of this finding.
(b) A county may require as a condition of aid reasonable participation in substance abuse or alcohol treatment programs for persons screened pursuant to subdivision (a) and professionally evaluated to be in need of treatment, if the services are actually available at no charge to the applicant or recipient.
(Added by Stats. 1996, Ch. 6, Sec. 10. Effective January 1, 1997.)
17001.6.
(a) To the extent not inconsistent with federal law, a county may require the legal sponsor of an alien general assistance recipient to sign a written agreement to repay any aid provided to the alien during the period of time during which the sponsor has agreed, in writing, to provide for the alien.
(b) Upon request of the board of supervisors, the district attorney or any other civil legal officer may maintain an action against the legal sponsor of an alien to recover, for the county, the aid provided the alien during the period described in subdivision (a) and to secure an order requiring payment of any sums that may become due in the future.
(c) For purposes of enforcing this section, a county may seek and employ all remedies otherwise authorized by this part.
(d) This section shall not be construed to authorize a county to penalize a recipient of general assistance, or to otherwise deny, curtail, or modify the general assistance provided a recipient unless otherwise provided in the county general assistance program standards and requirements.
(Added by Stats. 1992, Ch. 719, Sec. 15. Effective September 15, 1992.)
17001.7.
(a) In adopting standards of aid and care for the indigent and dependent poor of the county or city and county, the board of supervisors or the agency authorized by the county charter may, for purposes of determining eligibility for aid and care, deem the income and resources of any person who, as a sponsor of the entry of a general assistance applicant or recipient into the United States, executed an affidavit of support or similar agreement with respect to that applicant or recipient, and the income and resources of the sponsor’s spouse, to be the income and resources of that applicant or recipient, in accordance with subdivisions (b) and (c), for a period of three years after the individual’s entry into the United States. Any such deemed income shall be treated as unearned income of the general assistance applicant or recipient.
(b) (1) The amount of income of a sponsor and the sponsor’s spouse that shall be deemed to be the unearned income of an alien for any month shall be determined as follows:
(A) The total amount of earned and unearned income of the sponsor and the sponsor’s spouse, if the spouse is living with the sponsor, shall be determined for that month.
(B) The amount determined under subparagraph (A) shall be reduced by an amount equal to the following:
(i) One hundred seventy-five dollars ($175), or 20 percent of the total of any amounts received by the sponsor and the sponsor’s spouse in that month as wages or salary or as net earnings from self-employment, plus the full amount of any costs incurred by them in producing self-employment income in that month, whichever is less.
(ii) The amount of maximum aid established pursuant to Section 11450 for a family of the same size and composition as the sponsor and those other individuals living in the same household as the sponsor who are claimed by the sponsor as dependents for purposes of determining the sponsor’s federal personal income tax liability, but whose needs are not taken into account in making a determination for eligibility for Aid to Families with Dependent Children program under Section 602(a)(7) of Title 42 of the United States Code.
(iii) Any amounts paid by the sponsor or the sponsor’s spouse to individuals not living in the sponsor’s household who are claimed by the sponsor as dependents for purposes of determining the sponsor’s federal personal income tax liability.
(iv) Any payments of spousal or child support by the sponsor or the sponsor’s spouse with respect to individuals not living in the sponsor’s household.
(2) The amount of resources of a sponsor and the sponsor’s spouse that shall be deemed to be the resources of an alien for any month shall be the total amount of resources determined as if the sponsor were applying for general assistance under this chapter of the sponsor and the sponsor’s spouse, if the spouse is living with the sponsor, and in accordance with the standards adopted by the county or city and county, reduced by one thousand five hundred dollars ($1,500).
(c) Any sponsor of an alien, and the alien, shall be jointly and severally liable for an amount equal to any overpayment of aid made to the alien during the period of three years after the alien’s entry into the United States, on account of the sponsor’s failure to provide correct information under this section, except where that sponsor was without fault, or where good cause of that failure existed.
(d) In any case where a person is the sponsor of two or more aliens who are living in the same home, the income and resources of the sponsor and the sponsor’s spouse, to the extent they would be deemed the income and resources of any one of these aliens under subdivisions (a) to (c), inclusive, shall be divided into two or more equal shares, the number of shares being the same as the number of these aliens, and the income and resources of each of those aliens shall be deemed to include one share.
(e) As a condition to providing aid pursuant to this chapter, the county or city and county may require the alien to provide the name and address of the alien’s sponsor and may require the alien or the alien’s sponsor to provide all information regarding the income and assets of the sponsor and the sponsor’s spouse necessary to enforce this section.
(f) The deeming of sponsor’s and sponsor’s spouse’s income and resources shall not apply to an alien whose sponsor has abandoned his or her duty to support the alien. For purposes of this section, abandonment of the duty to support shall include, but not be limited to, abuse, battery, neglect, or refusal to support. Evidence of abandonment may be demonstrated by documentary evidence or collateral statements.
(g) This section shall not apply to an alien to which any of the following applies:
(1) Admitted to the United States as a result of the application, prior to April 1, 1980, of Section 1153(a)(7) of Title 8 of the United States Code.
(2) Admitted to the United States as a result of the application, after March 31, 1980, of Section 1157(c) of Title 8 of the United States Code.
(3) Paroled into the United States as a refugee under Section 1182(d)(5) of Title 8 of the United States Code.
(4) Granted political asylum by the Attorney General of the United States pursuant to Section 1158 of Title 8 of the United States Code.
(5) A Cuban or Haitian entrant, as defined in Section 501(e) of the Refugee Education Assistance Act of 1980 (Public Law 96-422).
(Added by Stats. 1993, Ch. 64, Sec. 51. Effective June 30, 1993.)
17001.8.
(a) In adopting standards of aid for general assistance for the indigent and dependent poor of the county or city and county, the board of supervisors or the agency authorized by the county charter may determine, with regard to any alien whose entry into the United States has been sponsored by an individual who, or an organization which, executed an affidavit of support or similar agreement with respect to the alien and who has become ineligible for assistance pursuant to Section 11008.135, that the alien is ineligible for aid for a period of five years after the alien’s entry into the United States, unless (1) the alien is a minor and the sponsor, or the sponsor’s spouse, is the parent of the alien child or (2) the sponsoring person dies or the sponsoring organization ceases to exist.
(b) This section shall not apply with respect to any alien who is:
(1) Admitted to the United States as a result of the application, prior to April 1, 1980, of the provisions of Section 1153 (c) of Title 8 of the United States Code.
(2) Admitted to the United States as a result of the application, after March 31, 1980, of Section 1157(c) of Title 8 of the Unites States Code.
(3) Paroled into the United States under Section 1182(d)(5) of Title 8 of the United States Code.
(4) Granted political asylum by the United States Attorney General under Section 1158 of Title 8 of the United States Code.
(c) This section shall become operative on the effective date of federal law that prohibits providing assistance to sponsored aliens, and shall remain operative only as long as that federal law remains in effect. The Director of Social Services shall determine the operative dates of this section pursuant to this subdivision and shall execute a declaration, that shall be retained by the director, that sets forth the operative date or termination date.
(Added by Stats. 1994, Ch. 148, Sec. 22. Effective July 11, 1994. Section operative on date prescribed by its own provisions. Conditionally inoperative as provided in subd. (c).)
17001.9.
(a) Notwithstanding any other provision of this part:
(1) As a condition of providing nonemergency medical care to an indigent and dependent adult resident of the county, other than an involuntary detainee or prisoner, who is a sponsored alien, a county may require that the legal sponsor of the alien sign a written agreement to repay any aid provided to the alien during the period of time during which the sponsor has agreed, in writing, to provide for the alien.
(2) To the extent not inconsistent with federal law, if a county has provided emergency medical care to an indigent and dependent adult resident of the county, other than an involuntary detainee or prisoner, who is a sponsored alien, and that care was provided during the period during which the sponsor has agreed, in writing, to provide for the alien, the county may recover the reasonable cost of that care from the sponsor of that alien. If the county is required to take legal action to enforce this right to recovery, the written promise to provide for the alien shall be considered, under state law, to be the equivalent of a written contract to pay for that medical care.
(3) No county shall be required to provide medical care to any sponsored alien who is eligible, with or without a share of cost, for participation in the California Medical Assistance (Medi-Cal) program.
(b) This section shall not apply if the sponsoring person dies or the sponsoring organization ceases to exist.
(c) This section shall not apply with respect to any alien who is:
(6) A minor and the sponsor or the sponsor’s spouse is the parent of the alien child.
(d) This section shall become operative on the effective date of federal law that prohibits providing Medi-Cal assistance to sponsored aliens, and shall remain operative only as long as federal law remains in effect. The Director of Health Services shall determine the operative dates of this section pursuant to this subdivision and shall execute a declaration, that shall be retained by the director, that sets forth the operative date or termination date.
(Added by Stats. 1994, Ch. 148, Sec. 23. Effective July 11, 1994. Section operative on date prescribed by its own provisions. Conditionally inoperative as provided in subd. (d).)
The boards of supervisors may establish almshouses and county farms, prescribe rules and regulations for their government and management, and appoint the necessary officers and employees thereof, who shall hold office during the pleasure of the board.
Every county may give such emergency relief to dependent nonresidents as the respective boards of supervisors deem necessary.
If no other funds are available for the purpose, a county may incur all necessary expenses in transporting a nonresident indigent to another state or county, when information at hand reasonably tends to show that the person has a legal residence in such state or county.
If a dispute occurs between counties as to the responsibility for an indigent, either county may submit the dispute to the department. The decision of the department thereon shall be final.
(a) The board of supervisors of every county as a board, or by committee or by any person or society as it may authorize, shall investigate every application for relief from the funds of the county, shall supervise by periodic visitation every person receiving that relief, shall devise ways and means for bringing persons unable to maintain themselves to self-support, and shall keep full and complete records of the investigation, supervision, relief, and rehabilitation as shall be prescribed by the department. These records shall be confidential and shall not be open to examination or inspection, except by the grand jury of the county or by a board or an officer of the state or the county charged with the supervision or direction of that relief or with the control or expenditure of funds applicable to that relief. Any citizen shall be entitled to demand and receive from the board, officer, committee, person, or society having custody of these records a statement of the amount, character, and value of the relief received by any person.
(b) (1) This section shall not be construed to prohibit an employee of a county welfare department from disclosing confidential information concerning a public social services applicant or recipient to a state or local law enforcement agency investigating or gathering information regarding a criminal act committed in a welfare department office, a criminal act against any county or state welfare worker, or any criminal act witnessed by any county or state welfare worker while involved in the administration of public social services at any location. Further, this section shall not be construed to prohibit an employee of a county welfare department from disclosing confidential information concerning a public social services applicant or recipient to a state or local law enforcement agency investigating or gathering information regarding a criminal act intentionally committed by an applicant or recipient against any off-duty county or state welfare worker in retaliation for an act performed in the course of the welfare worker’s duty when the person committing the offense knows or reasonably should know that the victim is a state or county welfare worker.
(2) For purposes of this subdivision, “criminal act” means only an act that is in violation of state or local law.
(3) Disclosure of confidential information pursuant to this subdivision shall be limited to the applicant’s name, physical description, and address.
(Amended by Stats. 1994, Ch. 591, Sec. 3. Effective January 1, 1995.)
(a) Notwithstanding Section 17006, the board, officer, committee, person, or society having custody of the records cited in Section 17006 may disclose to any law enforcement agency:
(1) The name, address, birthdate, social security number, physical description, and physical whereabouts of any person receiving relief, if a warrant has been issued for the arrest of the person for the commission of a felony or misdemeanor.
The board, officer, committee, person, or society having custody of the records may release the information specified by this subdivision to any law enforcement agency upon a written request from the agency specifying that a warrant of arrest for the commission of a felony or misdemeanor has been issued as to the applicant or recipient. This request may be made only by the head of the law enforcement agency or by an employee of the agency so authorized and identified by name and title by the head of the agency, in writing, to the county welfare department. It is the intent of this section that a county welfare department shall notify all applicants of public social services that release of confidential information of their records will not be protected if there is a felony or misdemeanor arrest warrant against the applicant. A recipient of public social services shall be notified at the time of renewal of his or her application for relief of release of confidential information if there is a felony or misdemeanor arrest warrant issued against the recipient.
(2) The name, address, telephone number, birthdate, social security number, physical description, and physical whereabouts of any person receiving relief upon request of any law enforcement agency specifying that the person is deceased and that the agency is otherwise unable to adequately identify the person.
(3) (A) If in any of the circumstances specified in subparagraph (B), a county welfare department learns that a misdemeanor or felony arrest warrant has been issued for that individual, the county welfare department may report the physical whereabouts of, and other information authorized by this section pertaining to, the applicant or recipient to the appropriate law enforcement agency.
(B) The disclosure of information authorized by subparagraph (A) may be made only if knowledge of the outstanding warrant comes to the attention of the county welfare department as a result of an unsolicited disclosure in one of the following circumstances:
(i) It is received in the process of obtaining or reviewing an application for public social services.
(ii) It is received through a regular investigation for the purposes of determining or reviewing eligibility for public social services.
(iii) It is received from an independent source.
(b) This section shall not be construed to authorize the release of a general list identifying individuals applying for or receiving public relief.
(Amended by Stats. 1995, Ch. 227, Sec. 4. Effective January 1, 1996.)
No fee shall be charged by any public officer for filing any petition for guardianship or conservatorship under the provisions of Section 17403, or for any official act done or necessary in the course thereof, except that a county employee acting as such guardian or conservator shall be entitled to such costs therefor as will reimburse him in full for moneys advanced by him in such guardianship or conservatorship.
Where a county officer or employee is appointed and acts as such guardian or conservator, the board of supervisors may, by resolution, order that expenses necessary in the conduct of the guardianship or conservatorship and any necessary premiums on the bond of the guardian or conservator be advanced by the county to such guardian or conservator, and such expenses shall be a charge against the county, but the county shall be reimbursed out of any funds or property of the estate of the ward or conservatee.
In cases in which an indigent has an interest in the real property upon which he resides, a county may allow an amount that would otherwise be included in his budget for rentals, when such amount is necessary and will be used entirely for the purpose of preserving so far as possible the retention of such interest to provide a place of residence for the indigent.
The board of supervisors may provide for the burial or cremation of the indigent dead and may provide for the maintenance of the graves of such dead.
(a) Subject to subdivision (b), the board of supervisors of each county or the agency authorized by county charter may deny eligibility for aid under this part to any person who is found by a federal or state court, or pursuant to a special administrative hearing meeting the requirements of the United States Department of Health and Human Services, including any determination made on the basis of a plea of guilty or nolo contendere, to have done any of the following acts for the purpose of establishing or maintaining the family’s eligibility for aid under Chapter 2 (commencing with Section 11200) of Part 3, Article 5 (commencing with Section 12200) of Chapter 3 of Part 3, or Chapter 10 (commencing with Section 18900) of Part 6, or increasing, or preventing a reduction in, the amount of that aid:
(1) Making a false or misleading statement or misrepresenting, concealing, or withholding facts.
(2) Committing any act intended to mislead, misrepresent, conceal, or withhold facts or propound a falsity.
(b) A period of ineligibility imposed pursuant to subdivision (a) shall be limited to the period of ineligibility imposed by the court or administrative agency in the procedure described in subdivision (a).
(Added by Stats. 1995, Ch. 667, Sec. 1. Effective January 1, 1996.)
(a) An individual shall not be eligible for aid under this part if he or she is either:
(Added by Stats. 1997, Ch. 270, Sec. 178. Effective August 11, 1997. Operative January 1, 1998, by Sec. 183 of Ch. 270.)
Any person who is eligible for aid under Chapter 2 (commencing with Section 11200) of Part 3 shall not be eligible for monthly payments provided pursuant to this part if the maximum payment standard established by a county pursuant to Section 17001 exceeds the payment level established pursuant to subdivision (a) of Section 11450.
(Added by Stats. 1991, Ch. 91, Sec. 35. Effective June 30, 1991.)
(a) Any individual who is not eligible for aid under Chapter 2 (commencing with Section 11200) of Part 3 as a result of the 48-month limitation specified in subdivision (a) of Section 11454 shall not be eligible for aid or assistance under this part until all of the children of the individual on whose behalf aid was received, whether or not currently living in the home with the individual, are 18 years of age or older.
(Amended (as amended by Stats. 2011, Ch. 8) by Stats. 2011, Ch. 32, Sec. 70. (AB 106) Effective June 29, 2011. Amended version operative July 1, 2011, pursuant to Stats. 2011, Ch. 8, Sec. 41.)
Nothing in Section 10000, 17000, or 17001 or any other provision of law shall require any county or city and county to provide or pay for a service reduced or eliminated from the Medi-Cal program, pursuant to Chapter 7 (commencing with Section 14000) or Chapter 8 (commencing with Section 14200) of Part 3, to a person otherwise eligible to receive services under the Medi-Cal program.
(Added by Stats. 1992, Ch. 722, Sec. 140. Effective September 15, 1992.)
17030.1.
Nothing in Section 10000, 17000, or 17001 or any other provision of law shall require any county or city and county to provide or pay for a service reduced or eliminated from the Medi-Cal program, pursuant to Chapter 7 (commencing with Section 14000) or Chapter 8 (commencing with Section 14200) of Part 3, to a person otherwise eligible for care pursuant to this part.
(Added by Stats. 1993, Ch. 72, Sec. 2. Effective January 1, 1994.)