Sen. Ed Hernandez

This measure would proclaim the month of May to be Women Veterans Recognition Month.

Existing law requires each person between the ages of 6 and 18 years, 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 board of a school district to accept interdistrict transfers by adopting a resolution to become a school district of choice, as defined, and authorizes the governing board to ensure, by resolution, that pupils accepted for transfer are selected through a random, unbiased process that prohibits an evaluation of whether or not the pupil should be enrolled based upon his or her academic or athletic performance. Existing law authorizes a school district of choice to reject the transfer of a pupil if the transfer of that pupil would require the district to create a new program to serve that pupil, except that a school district of choice is prohibited from rejecting the transfer of a special needs pupil, including an individual with exceptional needs, and an English learner. Existing law requires a school district of choice to give priority for attendance to siblings of children already in attendance in that district and authorizes the district to give priority for attendance to children of military personnel. Existing law authorizes a school district of residence to limit the number of pupils transferring out each year, as specified. This bill would require a school district of choice to give priority to English learners, pupils who are individuals with exceptional needs, and pupils who are eligible for free and reduced price meals. The bill would make a legislative finding and declaration related to the fiscal responsibilities of the county superintendent of schools in implementing the limitation on the transfers out of a school district of residence. The bill would require a school district of choice to ensure that a pupil who transfers into the district is enrolled in a school with a higher Academic Performance Index score than the school in which the pupil was previously enrolled.

This measure would recognize the Lunar New Year 4708 celebration.

This measure would declare February 23, 2010, to be Spay Day USA 2010 in California, and would request that Californians observe that day by having their dogs and cats spayed or neutered and by providing voluntary services or other support to organizations that provide spay and neuter services.

Existing law establishes a workers' compensation system, administered by the Administrative Director of the Division of Workers' Compensation, to compensate an employee for injuries sustained in the course of his or her employment. Existing law requires the administrative director to conduct audits of insurers, self-insured employers, and 3rd-party administrators to ensure that injured workers are promptly and accurately receiving the full measure of compensation they are entitled to receive. This bill would require a group self-insurer to annually file with the director an audited financial statement and an actuarial certification of reserve adequacy, as prescribed. The bill would require that the audited financial statement and actuarial certification be made available to the public, as prescribed.

This resolution would respectfully request that the International Maritime Organization, a specialized agency of the United Nations, adopt the North American Emission Control Area, as proposed by the United States, Canada, and France at the 60th session of the Marine Environment Protection Committee, scheduled for March 2010.

(1) Existing law contains legislative findings and declarations stating that advanced placement courses, among other things, help to improve the overall curriculum at schools where they are provided and provide a cost-effective means for high school pupils to obtain college-level coursework experience. Existing law states the intent of the Legislature to provide financial assistance to economically disadvantaged pupils for the payment of advanced placement examination fees. This bill would require, commencing with the 2012–13 school year, school districts maintaining any of grades 9 to 12, inclusive, to offer advanced placement courses in science and mathematics at each high school that did not offer any advanced placement courses during the 2011–12 school year, thereby imposing a state-mandated local program. The bill would exempt a school district from this requirement if an advanced placement teacher is not available or if fewer than 10 pupils would be enrolled in any given advanced placement course, and would state the intent of the Legislature that the school district consider alternative means of providing advanced placement courses. The bill would authorize these alternative means to include high-quality online advanced placement courses that meet specified requirements. The bill also would make technical, nonsubstantive changes in the existing provision of legislative intent described above. (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.

This measure would urge various state and private entities to withhold financial support of Arizona businesses in response to recent Arizona state laws relating to illegal immigration.

The California Constitution provides electors, through the initiative, the power to propose statutes and constitutional amendments and to adopt or reject them. An initiative measure may be proposed by presenting to the Secretary of State a certified petition signed by a specified number of electors. The Secretary of State is required to submit an initiative measure at the next general election held at least 131 days after the measure qualifies or at a special statewide election held prior to that general election. This measure would limit the number of initiative measures that the Secretary of State may place on each statewide election ballot to 5, prioritized according to the date of qualification. The measure would prohibit qualified initiative measures not placed on the statewide election ballot from being placed on the ballot at a subsequent election, but would allow a new initiative measure containing the same or a similar proposal to qualify for a subsequent election ballot.

This measure would declare February 19, 2010, as a Day of Remembrance in order to increase public awareness of the events surrounding the internment of Americans of Japanese ancestry during World War II.