Asm. Shirley N. Weber

Existing law establishes the California State University, under the administration of the Trustees of the California State University, and the California Community Colleges, under the administration of the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges, as 2 of the segments of public postsecondary education in this state. This bill would establish the California Promise, which would require the trustees and the board of governors to establish a program that authorizes a campus of the California State University and the California Community Colleges to enter into a pledge with a student who satisfies specified criteria to support the student in obtaining an associate degree within 2 academic years, or a baccalaureate degree within 4 academic years, of freshman admission. The bill would prohibit systemwide tuition charged to a California State University student who participates in a California Promise program for an academic year from exceeding the amount of tuition charged to the student for the academic year of the student's freshman admission, and would prohibit tuition of a community college transfer student from exceeding a specified amount. By imposing new duties on community college districts, this 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, 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.

Existing law requires the State Board of Education to develop guidelines that school districts may use in the development of certain teacher evaluation procedures and to distribute those guidelines to every school district. This bill would require a local educational agency, if the agency, as a part of its evaluation and assessment of a certificated employee, determines that the employee requires additional development and growth to meet adopted standards of performance, to provide the certificated employee professional development opportunities to support the certificated employee in working towards meeting these standards. To the extent the bill would impose additional duties on school districts and county offices of education, 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, 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.

Existing law required, on or before July 1, 2014, the governing boards of school districts and county boards of education to adopt a local control and accountability plan using a state template adopted by the State Board of Education. Existing law requires the local control and accountability plan to include, among other things, a description of annual goals for all pupils and specified subgroups of pupils to be achieved for certain state priorities, including a school climate priority, as measured by, among other things, local surveys of pupils, parents, and teachers on the sense of safety and school connectedness, and a parental involvement priority. Existing law provides that an adopted local control and accountability plan is effective for 3 years and requires the governing board of each school district and each county board of education to update its local control and accountability plan before July 1 of each year. Existing law requires the governing boards of school districts and county offices of education to each establish a parent advisory committee to provide advice to the governing board of the school district or the county office of education regarding the requirements of local control and accountability plans. This bill would require the Superintendent of Public Instruction to convene an advisory committee consisting of representatives from the state board, public schools, governing boards of school districts, local educational agencies, parent groups, parent and youth-serving community-based organizations, and advocacy organizations to provide general guidance on, and to make recommendations relating to, the creation of model survey questions. The bill would require the Superintendent, on or before July 1, 2017, to recommend model surveys to the state board for consideration and adoption, and, if the state board adopts the model surveys, would require the model surveys to be made available to local educational agencies and the California Collaborative for Educational Excellence as a resource to assist local educational agencies, including in assisting them in meeting the local survey requirement on safety and school connectedness. The bill also would express the Legislature's intent to, among other things, provide funding to support local educational agencies with the implementation of the surveys.

This measure would declare the month of April 2016 as the Month of the Military Child.

This measure would designate April 3, 2016, to April 9, 2016, inclusive, as Women and Girls in STEM Week and would encourage all citizens and community organizations to support the observance of California Women and Girls in STEM Week by encouraging and celebrating women in the STEM fields.

This measure would declare the week of March 7, 2016, through March 13, 2016, as Multiple Sclerosis Awareness Week.

Existing unemployment compensation disability law provides a formula for determining benefits available to qualifying disabled individuals. For an individual who has quarterly base wages of greater than $1,749.20, the weekly benefit is calculated by multiplying base wages by 55% and dividing the result by 13. For a benefit that is not a multiple of $1, existing law provides that the benefit shall be computed to the next higher multiple of $1. However, existing law provides that this amount may not exceed the maximum workers' compensation temporary disability indemnity weekly benefit amount. Under existing law, the family temporary disability insurance program provides up to 6 weeks of wage replacement benefits to workers who take time off work to care for specified persons, or to bond with a minor child within one year of the birth or placement of the child in connection with foster care or adoption. Existing law defines "weekly benefit amount" for purposes of this program to mean the amount of benefits available to qualifying disabled individuals pursuant to unemployment compensation disability law. This bill would revise the formula for determining benefits available pursuant to unemployment compensation disability law and for the family temporary disability insurance program, for periods of disability commencing after January 1, 2018, but before January 1, 2022, to provide a weekly benefit amount minimum of $50 and increase the wage replacement rate to specified percentages, but not to exceed the maximum workers' compensation temporary disability indemnity weekly benefit amount established by the Department of Industrial Relations pursuant to existing law. Existing law deems an individual to be eligible for family temporary disability benefits if, among other things, the individual is unable to perform his or her regular or customary work for a 7-day waiting period during each disability benefit period. and prohibits payments for benefits during this waiting period. This bill, on and after January 1, 2018, also would remove the 7-day waiting period for these benefits. This bill, by authorizing an increase in the expenditure of money from the Unemployment Compensation Disability Fund, would make an appropriation. This bill would require, by July 1, 2017, the Employment Development Department to report to the Assembly Committee on Insurance and Senate Committee on Labor and Industrial Relations specified information regarding the waiting period for disability benefits. The bill also would require, by March 1, 2021, the department to prepare a report to the Legislature and specified legislative committees on levels and trends regarding utilization, costs, and rates with respect to family leave and disability insurance.