Asm. Randy Voepel

This measure would urge the President and the Congress of the United States to condemn the government-sanctioned persecution, torture, and murder of gay men in the Chechen Republic, join in solidarity with all lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) Russians in their fight for their lives, dignity, and respect, and take action to encourage the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services, consistent with existing federal protocols, to grant asylum and refugee status for individuals fleeing persecution, including individuals fleeing persecution due to their actual or perceived sexual orientation or gender identity.

This measure would support the April 22, 2017, March for Science and affirm the importance of basic and applied scientific research, the scientific education of all schoolchildren, and the foundational role of independent, rigorous scientific discovery and inquiry in the policymaking process at all levels. The measure would urge the President and Congress of the United States to work together to support, encourage, and heed the truths established by scientists and scientific research in policymaking to keep the United States of America the world's global leader in scientific research and business innovation.

This measure would proclaim support for the mission of the California World War One Centennial Task Force, by designating the time period between August 5, 2017, and November 11, 2018, inclusive, to be observed as the commemoration period of the 100th anniversary of the United States' involvement in World War I.

This measure would recognize the month of June 2017 as Alzheimer's and Brain Awareness Month, would recognize Wednesday, June 21, 2017, as The Longest Day in California, and would urge all Californians to wear purple on this day to help spread global awareness of the Alzheimer's Association's vision of a world without Alzheimer's disease.

The State Civil Service Act prescribes a comprehensive civil service personnel system for the state and specifically provides certain preferences for veterans. The act grants to a person retired from the United States military, honorably discharged from active military duty with a service-connected disability, or honorably discharged from active duty eligibility for civil service examinations for which they meet the minimum qualifications for the classification. The act requires that, in evaluating minimum qualifications, related military experience be considered state civil service experience in a comparable class, based on the duties and responsibilities assigned. The act also requires that request for and proof of eligibility for the veterans' preference be submitted by the veteran to the Department of Human Resources or the designated appointing authority conducting the employment examination, subject to rules promulgated by the Department of Human Resources in consultation with the Department of Veterans Affairs. This bill would authorize the Department of Human Resources or the designated appointing authority, in order to facilitate a request for veterans' preference from a currently serving active duty member of the United States Armed Forces, to use a signed document by the applicant's commanding officer of the military to verify that applicant's military service. The bill would require the department or designated authority, before the applicant enters state service with the benefit of veterans' preference, to otherwise require the same proof of eligibility for veterans' preference generally used.

This measure would state the intent of the Legislature to take the opportunity preceding July 4, 2017, to recognize and celebrate July 4, 2017, and the 241st anniversary of the birth of our great nation and the signing of the Declaration of Independence that this day represents.

This measure would recognize the month of August 2017 as Opportunity Youth Reengagement Month, and state the intent of the Legislature to encourage the expansion of schools authorized to specifically reengage "opportunity youth" 16 to 24 years of age by developing recommendations for a statewide student reengagement strategy and identifying the cost of the strategy compared to the cost of inaction; authorizing systems for accountability to students, parents, and families through transparency, active engagement, and outreach strategies; and highlighting, promoting, and uplifting evidence-based practices for successful student reengagement efforts that maintain multiple measures for evaluation of student success.

This measure would urge the President and the Congress of the United States to continue to place an emphasis on increasing funding to NASA's budget and encouraging the expansive use of public-private partnerships to propel the industry forward into the next generation of advancement.