Copyright© 1999 by School Services of California, Inc.
Suspense File Addresses Community College Bills
A number of bills affecting community colleges found themselves on the Senate and Assembly appropriation committees' "Suspense File" this year, an uneasy holding tank for bills with fiscal implications, a place where bills disappear without a trace and where fingerprints are seldom found.
To date, the following bills have emerged alive from "Suspense," and so continue on their perilous legislative journey.
AB 91 (Hertzberg): Public School Employers: Joint Powers
Agencies
Existing law defines the term "public school employer" or "employer," for
the purposes of negotiations on collective bargaining agreements covering
public school employees, as the governing board of a school district, a school
district, a county board of education, or a county superintendent of schools.
This bill would expand the definition of "public school employer" or "employer" to include joint powers agencies created as an entity separate from the parties to the joint powers agreement with separate employees that meet certain additional criteria.
AB 420 (Wildman): Community Colleges: Faculty
Existing law requires that a person employed to teach adult or community
college classes for not more than 60% of the hours per week of a full-time
employee having comparable duties, excluding substitute service, be classified
as a temporary employee and not become a contract employee.
This bill would require, commencing July 1, 2003, each person employed by a community college district as a temporary academic employee to be compensated at a salary or hourly rate that is directly proportional to the salary of a full-time regular employee with comparable training and experience.
AB 667 (Romero): California Community Colleges: Transfer
Policy
Existing law establishes the California Community Colleges under the
administration of the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges.
This bill would require the Trustees of the California State University and
the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges, and would request
the Regents of the University of California and the independent colleges
and universities, to continue collaborative efforts to improve the rate of
transfer between the California Community Colleges and the University of
California, 4-year colleges and universities .
SB 1132 (Costa): Capital Facilities Fees
Existing law authorizes a public agency that provides public utility service,
as defined, to impose a capital facilities fee on any school district, county
office of education, community college district, the California State University,
the University of California, or state agency, subject to certain restrictions.
This bill would revise the definition of the term "capital facilities fee" to mean a nondiscriminatory charge, including, but not limited to, a connection fee, as defined, or capacity charge, as defined, or both and would provide additional definitions, as prescribed .
Held in Suspense
The following bills have been held in committee on the suspense file, until this point.
SB 358 (Ortiz): Community College Districts: Background
Checks
Existing law prohibits a person who has been convicted of any sex offense,
as defined, or controlled substance offense, as defined, from being employed
or retained in employment by a community college district. This bill would
also prohibit a person who has been convicted of a violent or serious felony,
as defined, from being employed or retained in employment by a community
college district.
SB 919 (Vasconcellos): Master Plan For Service Learning
Existing law establishes a program known as the Human Corps within the University
of California and the California State University, whereby students entering
those universities are encouraged to participate in an average of 30 hours
of community service each academic year. This bill would require the California
Postsecondary Education Commission (CPEC), in conjunction with the segments
of public higher education, to develop a Master Plan for Service Learning.
SB 1203 (Poochigian): School and Community College Facilities: Joint Use
Facilities
Existing law establishes the California Community Colleges under the
administration of the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges.
This bill would add to the Greene Act provisions authorizing the funding,
including the temporary funding, of facilities for the joint use of school
districts and community college districts that receive approval in accordance
with specified criteria.
SB 1283 (Polanco): Community College Facilities: Modernization
Projects
Existing law establishes the California Community Colleges under the
administration of the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges.
This bill would authorize the Board of Governors of the California Community
Colleges to allocate, upon appropriation by the Legislature, funds for
modernization projects, as defined to include improvements to extend the
useful life of, or to enhance the physical environment of, a community college
campus.
Suspense File Whittles Away at Retirement Bills
The Senate and Assembly Appropriations Committees have to date let out only one of three key retirement bills from their suspense files.
SB 400 (Ortiz (Public Employees' Retirement System: Benefits
Under the Public Employees' Retirement Law, retirement allowances for school
members are calculated, in part, based on the highest average compensation
earnable during a consecutive 3-year period. This bill would instead base
that calculation on the highest average compensation earnable during a
consecutive 12-month period.
Less lucky are AB 821 and SB 159, which have been held in committee to this point.
AB 821 (Committee on Public Employees): Retirement
Existing law provides for the payment of retirement benefits to various school
employees under the State Teachers' Retirement System and the Public Employees'
Retirement System. This bill would change that definition of "final compensation"
to, instead, mean the highest average annual compensation earnable by a member
during a consecutive 12-month period of employment, as specified.
SB 159 (Johnston): State Teachers' Retirement System: Health Care
Benefits
Under existing law, the State Teachers' Retirement System provides retirement,
disability, and survivor benefits to members of the system and their
beneficiaries. This bill would require the system to develop a program to
provide health care benefits to members of the system and to their beneficiaries,
children, and dependent parents, as defined, and would require the costs
incurred by the system to be paid by allocations from the Teachers' Retirement
Fund as appropriated for that purpose.
-- Bob Blattner