Asm. Diane L Harkey

This measure would recognize the Lunar New Year 4709 Celebration.

This measure would recognize the month of February 2011 as American Heart Month in California, would recognize February 4, 2011, as Wear Red Day in California, and would urge public support for Go Red for Women events.

This measure would declare February 22, 2011, to be Spay Day USA 2011 in California, and would request that Californians observe that day by having their dogs and cats spayed or neutered and by contributing to organizations that provide spay and neuter services.

This measure would recognize February 2011 as Black History Month, urge all citizens to join in celebrating the accomplishments of African Americans during Black History Month, and encourage the people of California to recognize the many talents, achievements, and contributions that African Americans make to their communities.

This measure would state the intent of both houses of the Legislature to begin each of their respective floor sessions, following the opening prayer and the pledge of allegiance to the flag, with a recitation of an excerpt from the United States Constitution, and to begin their respective floor sessions held nearest in time to the 4th of July of each year with a recitation of the full text of the Declaration of Independence.

This measure would designate that January 17, 2011, be observed as the official memorial of the late Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s birth, commemorate Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, the work of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and the Civil Rights Movement in changing public policy in California and in the United States of America.

Existing law, the California High-Speed Rail Act, creates the High-Speed Rail Authority to develop and implement a high-speed rail system in the state, with specified powers and duties. Existing law, pursuant to the Safe, Reliable High-Speed Passenger Train Bond Act for the 21st Century, approved by the voters as Proposition 1A at the November 4, 2008, general election, provides for the issuance of $9.95 billion in general obligation bonds for high-speed rail and related purposes. This bill would require the authority to annually adopt a 6-year high-speed train program, as specified, for submission to the chairs of the appropriate policy and budget committees of the Legislature. The bill would also require the authority to annually prepare and submit to the chairs of those committees of the Legislature a report including, among other things, a description of the progress made on the program and a detailed financial plan to pay for construction of the high-speed train network.

Existing state law authorizes the Secretary of State to provide grants to local elections officials, nonprofit corporations, and unincorporated associations to conduct voter outreach and voter education programs, or to increase accessibility for eligible voters with disabilities, using funding provided by the Help America Vote Act of 2002. This bill would make a nonsubstantive change to these provisions.

This measure would designate the week of May 2 to May 8, 2010, as Public Service Recognition Week, and encourage all Californians to recognize the crucial role of public employees in this state.

Existing law prescribes the course of study a pupil is required to complete while in grades 9 to 12, inclusive, in order to receive a diploma of graduation. Existing law authorizes the governing board of a school district to adopt rules specifying additional coursework requirements. Existing law requires each school district maintaining any of grades 7 to 12, inclusive, to offer to all otherwise qualified pupils in those grades a course of study that provides an opportunity for those pupils to attain entry-level employment skills in business or industry upon graduation from high school. This bill would prohibit a school district from adopting a graduation requirement that commences with the 2010–11 school year and requires the completion of additional coursework to meet or exceed the requirements and prerequisites for admission to a 4-year California public university unless the district also requires the completion of a sequence of at least 3 career and technical education courses. However, this provision would not apply to a school district that, by June 30, 2009, has adopted graduation requirements that require the completion of all minimum coursework necessary to meet the requirements and prerequisites for admission to a 4-year California public university. The bill also would make conforming and clarifying changes.