Existing law provides that certain agencies and educational entities are to make various reports or certifications or to submit information to specified entities or agencies. These reports, certifications, and submittals encompass numerous areas of the Education Code. This bill would create the Gateway Council comprised of the Superintendent of Public Instruction, the Chancellor of the California Community Colleges, and the Secretary of Labor and Workforce Development, or their designees. The bill would create Gateway Centers that would be operated by local adult schools and community colleges to leverage multiple education and workforce investment funding streams and improve the transition of adult learners into entry-level degree or certificate training programs that are linked to employment and the reform of the delivery of adult basic education services in California, as specified, as well as perform specified functions relating to this goal. The council would be required to identify state and federal resources, as well as potential philanthropic support, to fund Gateway Centers, develop a request for proposal process to fund projects in different geographic areas of the state, provide project oversight, and report outcomes of the projects. The council would have specified duties including, but not limited to, developing a request for application to participate process by no later than April 15, 2012, and funding at least 3 Gateway Center sites beginning no later than September 1, 2012, contingent upon identification of funding. The bill would require the council to submit a report to the appropriate policy and fiscal committees of the Legislature and to the Governor by January 15, 2016, on the outcomes of, and lessons learned from, the Gateway Centers. This bill would repeal these provisions on January 1, 2017, unless a later enacted statute enacted on or before January 1, 2017, deletes or extends that date.
Sponsored bills
This bill would urge the United States Patent and Trademark Office to place a satellite office in California.
(1) Existing law establishes the public school system in this state, and, among other things, provides for the establishment of school districts throughout the state and for their provision of instruction at the public elementary and secondary schools they operate and maintain. Existing law, the Interagency School Safety Demonstration Act of 1985, among other things, requires school districts and county offices of education to be responsible for the overall development of comprehensive school safety plans for schools operating kindergarten or any of grades 1 to 12, inclusive, and further requires the Department of Justice and the State Department of Education to contract with one or more professional trainers to coordinate statewide workshops for school districts, county offices of education, and schoolsite personnel to assist them in the development of school safety and crisis response plans. This bill, as of July 1, 2012, would encourage the inclusion of policies and procedures aimed at the prevention of bullying in comprehensive school safety plans. The bill also would require the Department of Justice and the State Department of Education to contract to provide training in the prevention of bullying, as defined in the bill. (2) Existing law requires each person between 6 and 18 years of age, inclusive, who is not otherwise exempt, to attend the public full-time day school in the school district in which his or her parent or guardian is a resident. Existing law authorizes the governing boards of 2 or more school districts to enter into an agreement, for a term not to exceed 5 school years, for the interdistrict attendance of pupils who are residents of the districts. Existing law requires the supervisor of attendance of the school district of residence to issue an individual permit verifying the district's approval, pursuant to policies of the governing board of the school district and terms of the agreement, for the transfer. Existing law establishes an appeal process for pupils whose permits are denied, or, in the absence of an agreement between the school districts, if the school districts fail or refuse to enter into an agreement. This bill, as of July 1, 2012, would require that a pupil who has been determined by personnel of either the school district of residence or the school district of proposed enrollment to have been the victim of an act of bullying, as defined, committed by a pupil of the school district of residence be given priority for interdistrict attendance under any existing interdistrict attendance agreement or, in the absence of an agreement, be given additional consideration for the creation of an interdistrict attendance agreement, at the request of the person having legal custody of the pupil. To the extent this provision would impose new or additional duties on school districts, it would constitute a state-mandated local program. (3) Existing law prohibits the suspension, or recommendation for expulsion, of a pupil from school unless the school district superintendent or the school principal determines that the pupil has committed any of various specified acts, including, but not limited to, bullying, as defined to include sexual harassment, hate violence, or harassment, threats, or intimidation. This bill, as of July 1, 2012, would amend the definition of bullying in this provision by specifying that bullying means any severe or pervasive physical or verbal act or conduct, including communications made in writing or by means of an electronic act, as defined, including, but not limited to, sexual harassment, hate violence, or harassment, threats, or intimidation, that has the effect or can reasonably be predicted to have the effect of placing a reasonable pupil, as defined, in fear of harm to that pupil's or those pupils' person or property, causing a reasonable pupil to experience a substantially detrimental effect on his or her physical or mental health, causing a reasonable pupil to experience substantial interference with his or her academic performance, or causing a reasonable pupil to experience substantial interference with his or her ability to participate in or benefit from the services, activities, or privileges provided by a school. (4) The bill would also make various technical and conforming changes. (5) The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement. This bill would provide that, if the Commission on State Mandates determines that the bill contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement for those costs shall be made pursuant to these statutory provisions.
The Alcoholic Beverage Control Act, administered by the Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control, regulates the sale and distribution of alcoholic beverages and the granting of licenses for the manufacture, distribution, and sale of alcoholic beverages within the state. This bill would prohibit off-sale licensees from selling alcoholic beverages using a customer-operated checkout stand located on the licensee's physical premises. This bill makes findings and declarations regarding the effects of allowing alcoholic beverages to be sold using self-service checkouts. The Alcoholic Beverage Control Act provides that a violation of any of its provisions for which another penalty or punishment is not specifically provided is a misdemeanor. This bill would expand existing crimes by imposing additional duties on a licensee under the act, thus, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement. This bill would provide that no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason.
Existing law requires the Superintendent of Public Instruction, with approval of the State Board of Education, to develop an Academic Performance Index (API) , as part of the Public School Performance Accountability Program, to measure the performance of schools, especially the academic performance of pupils. The API consists of a variety of indicators including specified achievement test scores, attendance rates, and graduation rates. Existing law requires the Superintendent, with approval of the state board, to develop an alternative accountability system for specified types of schools, including, among others, community day schools and continuation schools. Existing law allows these schools to receive an API score, but prohibits them from being included in the API rankings of schools. This bill, until January 1, 2017, would require the Superintendent and the state board, as part of the alternative accountability system for schools, or any successor system, to allow no more than 10 dropout recovery high schools, as defined, to report the results of an individual pupil growth model that is proposed by the school and certified by the Superintendent pursuant to specified criteria instead of reporting other indicators.
Existing law prohibits a variety of electronic eavesdropping, such as wiretapping and electronic recording that is done without a person's permission or knowledge. Existing law provides that violations of these provisions are crimes. Existing law exempts a variety of law enforcement entities from these prohibitions when acting within the scope of their authority. This bill would additionally provide that a city attorney acting under the authority granted by the district attorney of the county to prosecute misdemeanors, as specified, provided that the authorization is granted prior to January 1, 2012, would be exempt from certain of these prohibitions, including eavesdropping on or recording confidential communications, as specified.
Existing law requires the Superintendent of Public Instruction to develop, in conjunction with specified persons and entities, a report that explores the feasibility of expanding and establishing career multiple pathway programs, as defined, in California. This bill, commencing with the 2012–13 school year, would establish the Linked Learning Pilot Program to be administered by the State Department of Education according to specified requirements for the purpose of implementing districtwide linked learning programs, as defined, in all participating school districts. The bill would authorize a school district that maintains any of grades 9 to 12, inclusive, to apply to the Superintendent to operate a pilot program. The bill would require the department to review these applications and would authorize the Superintendent to initially approve no more than 20 applications. The bill would require that, if funds become available for purposes of the pilot program, the Superintendent allocate these funds on a competitive basis, based on the applications submitted. The bill would require the Superintendent to transmit a report to the Legislature and the Governor by September 30, 2016, that makes specified evaluations and recommendations. The bill would make these provisions inoperative on July 1, 2017, and would repeal them as of January 1, 2018.
Existing law prohibits a pupil from receiving a diploma of graduation from high school unless he or she completes specified requirements, including, but not limited to, completing one course in visual or performing arts or foreign language. This bill, commencing with the 2012–13 school year, would add completion of a course in career technical education, as defined, as an alternative to the requirement that a pupil complete a course in visual or performing arts or foreign language. The bill would require the governing board of a school district or county office of education that elects to offer career technical education courses pursuant to these provisions to provide parents, teachers, pupils, and the public, at a regularly scheduled meeting of the governing board, with specified information relating to the impact that offering these courses would have on graduation requirements and admission requirements to the California State University and the University of California. The bill also would require a school district that elects to allow a career technical education course to satisfy a specified course graduation requirement to include, as part of an existing notification requirement, information about the high school graduation requirements of the school district and how each requirement satisfies, or does not satisfy, college admission requirements, and a list of career technical education courses offered by the school district. The bill also would require the State Department of Education to submit a comprehensive report to the appropriate policy committees of the Legislature, on or before July 1, 2017, that includes specified information relating to this alternative means of satisfying the graduation requirement. The bill would authorize the Superintendent of Public Instruction to use existing state resources and federal funds for purposes of completing the report, and to apply for and receive grants and donations from public or private sources if existing resources are not available or sufficient. The bill would also authorize the Superintendent to accept support, including, but not limited to, financial and technical support, from high school reform advocates, teachers, chamber organizations, industry representatives, research centers, parents, and pupils. The bill would make these provisions inoperative on the earlier of 2 specified dates and would repeal these provisions on January 1 immediately following that earlier date.
Existing law sets forth various requirements for the issuance of diplomas conferred upon a pupil as evidence of graduation from high school. Statutory provisions establish the Golden State Seal Merit Diploma for the purpose of recognizing pupils who have mastered the high school curriculum. This bill would establish the State Seal of Biliteracy to recognize high school graduates who have attained a high level of proficiency in speaking, reading, and writing in one or more languages in addition to English. The State Seal of Biliteracy would be awarded by the Superintendent of Public Instruction in accordance with specified criteria. The Superintendent would be required to prepare and deliver to participating school districts the seal insignia. Participating school districts would be required to maintain records in order to identify pupils who have earned a State Seal of Biliteracy and to affix an appropriate insignia to the diploma or transcript of pupils who earn a State Seal of Biliteracy. The bill would make an appropriation by authorizing the Superintendent to use money appropriated for purposes of the Golden State Seal Merit Diploma program to develop an Internet Web site for electronic delivery of the seals for both the Golden State Seal Merit Diploma and State Seal of Biliteracy programs to school districts.
(1) The Donahoe Higher Education Act sets forth, among other things, the missions and functions of California's public and independent segments of higher education, and their respective institutions of higher education. Provisions of the act apply to the University of California only to the extent that the Regents of the University of California, by appropriate resolution, act to make a provision applicable. Existing law requires that a student, other than a nonimmigrant alien, as defined, who has attended high school in California for 3 or more years, who has graduated from a California high school or attained the equivalent thereof, who has registered at or attends an accredited institution of higher education in California not earlier than the fall semester or quarter of the 2001–02 academic year, and who, if he or she is an alien without lawful immigration status, has filed a prescribed affidavit is exempt from paying nonresident tuition at the California Community Colleges and the California State University. This bill would amend the Donahoe Higher Education Act, as of January 1, 2013, to require the Trustees of the California State University and the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges, and to request the regents, to establish procedures and forms that enable students who are exempt from paying nonresident tuition under the above-described provision, or who meet equivalent requirements adopted by the regents, to apply for, and participate in, all student aid programs administered by these segments to the full extent permitted by federal law, except as provided. This provision would apply to the University of California only if the regents, by appropriate resolution, act to make it applicable. This bill would provide that students who are exempt from paying nonresident tuition under the above provision, or who meet equivalent requirements adopted by the regents, are eligible to apply for, and participate in, any student financial aid program administered by the State of California to the full extent permitted by federal law. This bill would require the Student Aid Commission to establish procedures and forms that enable those students who are exempt from paying nonresident tuition under the above provision to apply for, and participate in, all student financial aid programs administered by the State of California to the full extent permitted by federal law. This bill would prohibit students who are exempt from paying nonresident tuition under the provision described above from being eligible for Competitive Cal Grant A and B Awards unless specified conditions are met. The bill would make these provisions operative as of January 1, 2013. (2) Existing federal law requires that a state may provide that an alien who is not lawfully present in the United States is eligible for any state or local public benefit for which that alien would otherwise be ineligible under a specified federal law only through enactment of a state law that affirmatively provides for that eligibility. This bill would find and declare that the amendments to the Donahoe Higher Education Act described above are state laws within the meaning of this federal provision. (3) Existing law establishes the California Community Colleges under the administration of the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges. Existing law authorizes the establishment of community college districts under the administration of community college governing boards, and authorizes these districts to provide instruction, for prescribed fees, at community college campuses throughout the state. Existing law authorizes the waiver of these fees for, among others, students who are eligible under income standards established by the board of governors. This bill, as of January 1, 2013, would require community college districts to waive the fees of students who are exempt from nonresident tuition under the provision described in (1) above, and who otherwise qualify for a waiver under this provision, under regulations and procedures adopted by the board of governors. Because the bill would impose new duties on community college districts with respect to determining eligibility for fee waivers, the bill would constitute a state-mandated local program. (4) The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement. This bill would provide that, if the Commission on State Mandates determines that the bill contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement for those costs shall be made pursuant to these statutory provisions.