This measure would designate March 25 through March 31, 2012, as California Tsunami Awareness Week.
This measure would declare the week of March 12, 2012, through March 16, 2012, as Multiple Sclerosis Awareness Week.
This measure would declare March 2012 to be Campus Safety Month, and would encourage citizens to visit the Internet Web site of the national nonprofit organization Security On Campus, Inc., to view public safety information about public and private colleges and universities.
Existing law requires a county superintendent of schools to make reports, when directed by the Superintendent of Public Instruction, showing matters relating to the public schools in his or her county. Existing law provides that if the county superintendent of schools fails to make a full and correct report, he is required to forfeit $100 of his salary, as specified. This bill would change that amount of forfeiture to $150.
This measure would recognize the month of February 2012 as American Heart Month in California and recognize February 3, 2012, as Wear Red Day in California.
The Political Reform Act of 1974 (PRA) prohibits a member of a state board or commission, or a designated employee of a state or local government agency, from accepting gifts from any single source in any calendar year with a total value of more than $250, as adjusted biennially by the Fair Political Practices Commission (FPPC) , if the receipt of income or gifts from that source is subject to disclosure on a statement of economic interests. Existing law makes a knowing or willful violation of the Political Reform Act of 1974 a misdemeanor and authorizes the FPPC to assess a monetary penalty if it finds a violation of the PRA has been committed. This bill would prohibit any member of the board of, and any designated employee of, the Public Employees' Retirement System (PERS) or State Teachers' Retirement System (STRS) from accepting gifts in any calendar year with a total value of more than $50 from any single person who has secured a contract with, or submitted a contract proposal to, PERS or STRS within the previous 5 years. A gift would not be deemed to have been accepted if the gift or its equivalent dollar value is returned to the donor of the gift within 30 days after receipt of the gift. Because a knowing or willful violation of this provision would be a crime, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. This bill would disqualify a vendor or contractor that makes gifts in violation of the above-described gift limit on 2 separate occasions in a 5-year period from bidding on, and being awarded, any contract for a period of 2 years from the date of the 2nd penalty assessment made by the FPPC for commission of the violation. 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. The Political Reform Act of 1974, an initiative measure, provides that the Legislature may amend the act to further the act's purposes upon a 23 vote of each house and compliance with specified procedural requirements. This bill would declare that it furthers the purposes of the act.
(1) Existing law requires the Superintendent of Public Instruction, with the approval of the State Board of Education, to develop an Academic Performance Index (API) , consisting of specified indicators, to measure the performance of schools and pupils. This bill would make these provisions inoperative on July 1, 2014, and repeal them as of January 1, 2015. The bill would require the Superintendent, in consultation with a specified advisory committee, to develop an Education Quality Index (EQI) , which would replace the API and consist of a State Assessment Index, a Graduation Rate Index, a College Preparedness Index, and a Career Readiness Index. The bill would require that these indices consist of specified criteria. In developing the EQI, the Superintendent and this advisory committee would be required to consult with the University of California, the California State University, the California Community Colleges, the Employment Development Department, and other appropriate entities. The bill would require the state board to provide opportunities for public input, make changes as necessary, and adopt the EQI no later than August 1, 2014. Commencing with the 2014–15 school year, the bill would require that all schools and school districts be evaluated using an EQI value. The bill would require the Superintendent to report to the Governor and the appropriate policy and fiscal committees of the Legislature by July 1, 2013, and annually thereafter, specified information relating to the creation of additional indices. The bill also would require the Superintendent, in consultation with a specified advisory committee, and subject to an appropriation in the annual Budget Act or another statute for this purpose, to contract for an independent evaluation of the effectiveness and reliability of the EQI and any statutory changes recommended for improvement, and to submit the evaluation and recommendations in a report to the Governor and the appropriate policy and fiscal committees of the Legislature by July 1, 2018. To the extent that this bill would impose new duties on school districts in connection with the establishment of the EQI, including, but not limited to, new reporting duties, it would impose a state-mandated local program. This bill would also make conforming and clarifying changes relating to the duties of a specified advisory committee. The bill would require this advisory committee, for purposes of work relating to the EQI, to seek input through the establishment of subcommittees or other methods from persons with expertise in various areas, and, commencing January 1, 2012, through July 1, 2016, to hold a public meeting at least once each quarter per year. (2) 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.
