The requirement for the community care facility direct care staff training (a.k.a. Direct Support Professional Training) was created by Assembly Bill 2780 enacted in 1998. AB 950, approved by the Governor in August 2001, amends the Welfare and Institutions Code. Effective January 1, 1999, the Department of Developmental Services implemented mandated statewide competency-based training for direct support professionals employed in regional center vendored community care facilities. This legislation followed a series reported by the San Francisco Chronicle on poorly trained staff and a high death rate for the developmentally disabled in the State of California.