legislative reports

Legislative Report 5/25/2010

Assembly Speaker John Perez and Assembly Budget Chair Bob Blumenfield came out today with a Democratic proposal for the Budget.

"The California Jobs Budget" (CJB) has already been rejected by the Governor's office, but it has much in its favor that I wanted you to be aware of.

The centerpiece of the CJB is a $10.1 billion jobs package that provides $1.5 billion for target jobs initiatives, repays debts to local governments and schools to avoid massive layoffs, and maintains critical employment training and services programs that get people back to work.  It closes the $17.9 billion General Fund shortfall and ends the year with a $1 billion reserve.

The proposal rejects the Governor's $4.3 billion Prop 98 spending cut, and fully funds the Prop 98 guarantee, providing an addition $1.3 billion for mandate repayment and $500 million payment toward the deficit factor.  It also rejects the Governor's cuts to child care and the Healthy Families program.

A comprehensive approach, this also addresses most other areas of state funding.  It raises revenues by delaying the start of new business tax breaks, closing oil severance loopholes and borrows money from the Beverage Recycling fund.  An important factor also considered is that people who keep jobs remain taxpayers into the system.

We'll keep you in the loop as this proposal floats around.



FYI:
SB 956-Romero<http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/pub/09-10/bill/sen/sb_0951-1000/sb_956_bill_20100407_amended_sen_v97.html> passed the Senate Education Committee.  This bill would require the California Workforce Investment Board, upon appropriation by the Legislature, to allocate $5,000,000 of the Workforce Investment Act state reserve, as provided for by federal law, to local workforce investment boards to allocate to school districts, county offices of education, or charter schools to provide intensive examination preparation courses for the purpose of retraining laid off and out-of-field teachers to meet subject matter competency requirements, in accordance with specified procedures  .





Teacher STEM Training Bill Passes Senate Education Committee

California Political Desk

SACRAMENTO, CA- Legislation authored by Senator Gloria Romero, Chair of the Senate Education Committee, to redirect $5 million of federal Workforce Investment Act (WIA) funds for the retraining of laid off and out-of-field teachers in science, technology and math, passed the Senate Education Committee with a 5-2 vote. The bill will next be heard in Senate Appropriations.

"Despite the key role that teachers play in educating California´s students, the state continues to face a shortage of qualified mathematics and science teachers," said Romero (D-East Los Angeles). "This bill provides the funds to not only meet our urgent need to address the severe shortage of teachers qualified to teach these subjects, but also to prepare the next generation of students for the jobs of tomorrow."

http://www.californiachronicle.com/articles/view/151376






Teri Burns, Director of Legislative Advocacy
SCHOOL INNOVATIONS & ADVOCACY
Great Solutions for Education
916.669.5416  Direct
800.487.9234  Main (x5416)
877.842.3453  Fax
877.954.4357  Help Desk
www.sia-us.com<http://www.sia-us.com>

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Teri Burns, Director of Legislative Advocacy
SCHOOL INNOVATIONS & ADVOCACY
Great Solutions for Education
916.669.5416  Direct
800.487.9234  Main (x5416)
877.842.3453  Fax
877.954.4357  Help Desk