SACRAMENTO (October 3, 2025) – Assemblymember Diane Dixon’s (R-Newport Beach) Assembly Bill 349 was signed into California Law by Governor Gavin Newsom 10/01/2025.
“I am thrilled that AB 349 has been signed into California Law. This was my third year authoring a bill to add the infant supplemental payment to the California Necessities Index,” said Assemblymember Dixon. “It is a simple yet desperately needed change for one of California’s most vulnerable populations.”
AB 349 will support teen moms in the foster child system by ensuring certain funds they receive to support their infants are indexed to inflation.
Under existing law, when a foster youth has a child of her own, that infant is not considered a ward of the state. As a result, the foster teen parent is left to take care of the infant on her own, leaving her in an extremely vulnerable state. To help alleviate this issue, teen moms in the foster care system receive an ‘infant supplemental payment,’ a monthly payment that is intended to be used for all of the baby’s needs, including: child care, food, diapers, formula and more. These monthly payment rates have not seen any increase since 2016.
Assemblymember Dixon worked closely with her sponsor, Jill Dominguez, CEO of Mary’s Path, throughout this year’s legislative session. For Jill, AB 349 carries immense personal significance, as she runs a Short Term Residential Therapeutic Program (STRTP) in Orange County. A STRTP provides direct services to foster mothers and their infant children.
“We are thrilled the governor has signed AB 349 into law. The increased supplement the legislation provides will make a tremendous difference in the lives of foster youth and their babies. Caregivers can breathe a little easier knowing they’ll have more money for everyday necessities like diapers, food and clothes,” said Jill Dominguez, President and CEO of Mary’s Path, which sponsored the legislation. “I’d also like to thank Assembly Member Dixon for her monumental effort on this bill and continued support of Mary’s Path. Her dedication helps ensure a brighter future for foster youth and their families.”
The infant supplemental payment was one of only two foster payments not indexed to inflation. As a result of this, payment rates to these foster mothers have remained stagnant and insufficient in the face of crushing inflation. These teen mother recipients are often survivors of sexual abuse or sexual trafficking and the passage of AB 349 will deliver critical assistance to them during one of the most difficult parts of their lives.
“The passage of AB 349 underscores the fact that supporting foster mothers and their babies is a bipartisan issue,” said Assemblymember Dixon. “I was grateful for the support of Mary’s Path, my colleagues in the legislature and Governor Newsom.”
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Assemblymember Diane Dixon, R-Newport Beach, is a pragmatic businesswoman and former Mayor, who represents the 72nd Assembly District in the California Legislature, which includes Seal Beach, Huntington Beach, Newport Beach, Laguna Beach, Aliso Viejo, Laguna Hills, Laguna Woods and Lake Forest.