This measure would declare the Legislature's recognition of the importance of access to local parks, trails, open space, and facilities for the health and development of all Californians. This measure would also declare July 2012 as "Parks Make Life Better!®" Month.
This measure would designate the month of April 2012 as Sexual Assault Awareness Month, would recognize April 25, 2012, as Denim Day California, and would encourage everyone to wear jeans on that day to help communicate the message that there is no excuse for, and never an invitation to commit, rape.
Existing law, the Interagency School Safety Demonstration Act of 1985, among other things, requires school districts and county offices of education to be responsible for the overall development of comprehensive school safety plans for its schools operating kindergarten or any of grades 1 to 12, inclusive, and requires the schoolsite council of certain school districts to write and develop a comprehensive school safety plan. The act also requires the Department of Justice and the State Department of Education to contract with one or more professional trainers to provide training in the prevention of bullying. This bill would define teen dating abuse and a dating partner for purposes of the act and would make specified findings and declarations and state legislative intent regarding teen dating abuse. The bill would require a comprehensive school safety plan to include the development of procedures and policies to prevent and respond to teen dating abuse in middle and high schools serving pupils in any of grades 6 to 12, inclusive, which would be required to include specified actions. The bill would require a schoolsite council of a middle school or high school serving any of grades 6 to 12, inclusive, or a school safety planning committee, to consult with local, state, or national organizations with expertise in teen dating abuse prevention and response in developing the teen dating abuse procedures and policies of their comprehensive school safety plan. The bill would require the governing board of each school district to notify the parent or guardian of a minor pupil at the beginning of the first semester or quarter of the regular school term of the teen dating abuse procedures and policies, and how to make a complaint or help their child make a complaint of teen dating abuse. The bill would additionally require the Department of Justice and the State Department of Education to contract with one or more professional trainers to provide training in the prevention of teen dating abuse. The bill would also update references to dating violence and teen relationship violence to refer to teen dating abuse. The bill would make its provisions operative on July 1, 2013. By imposing new duties on schools and school districts regarding the development and notification of teen dating abuse procedures and policies, 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.
This measure would declare May 23, 2012, as the 24th Annual State Scientist Day, as a tribute to the dedication and professionalism of the state scientists who work on behalf of all the residents of California.
Existing law, until July 1, 2014, establishes the Academic Content Standards Commission and requires the commission to develop internationally benchmarked academic content standards in language arts, and mathematics, at least 85% of which are required to be the common core academic standards developed by the Common Core State Standards Initiative consortium or another specified interstate collaboration. Existing law requires the commission to present its recommended academic content standards to the State Board of Education and requires the state board by August 2, 2010, to either adopt the standards proposed by the commission or reject them. Existing law also requires the Superintendent of Public Instruction and the state board to present to the Governor and the appropriate policy and fiscal committees of the Legislature a schedule and implementation plan for integrating these academic content standards into the state educational system. This bill would require the State Department of Education, with the approval of the state board, to contract for a multiyear independent study, as specified, of those academic content standards and any subsequent common core academic content standards developed by the Common Core State Standards Initiative consortium, or other interstate collaboration, and adopted by the state board for the purpose of informing policymakers, parents of pupils, and the public about the extent to which newly adopted common core state standards are being effectively and equitably implemented in the state public school system and increasing the ability of policymakers to improve the timely implementation of the standards. The bill would require that the study examine and publicly report on the progress of the implementation of the academic content standards with respect to the actions taken by state-level entities and by a representative sample of schools and school districts across the state, as specified. The bill would require the independent evaluator who conducts the study to report his or her findings to the Governor and the Legislature on or before February 1, 2014, and then on a biennial basis in each even-numbered year, as specified. The bill would require the department to use specified available federal funds to conduct the study.
Under existing law, the state, through the State Department of Social Services and county welfare departments, is required to establish and support a public system of statewide child welfare services for the protection of children. Existing law requires the department to establish the California Child and Family Service Review System to review all county child welfare systems. Existing law requires the California Health and Human Services Agency to convene a workgroup, as specified, to establish a workplan by which child and family service reviews shall be conducted. Existing law requires the workgroup to consider, among other things, measurable outcome indicators. Existing law requires the department to identify and promote the replication of best practices in child welfare service delivery to achieve these outcomes. Existing law requires the department to provide prescribed information to legislative committees relating to child welfare system improvements, as specified. This bill would require the workgroup described above to examine outcome indicators for each racial and ethnic population served within a county. This bill would require a county to address in its self-assessment and system improvement plan, among other things, its efforts to eliminate disparities in services and outcomes for children of color in, and to provide adequate and culturally appropriate services within, its child welfare system. This bill would require the department to identify and promote best practices for increasing cultural competency in the provision of services and eliminating inequities in service delivery to racial and ethnic communities. This bill would authorize the director of the department to take various actions if he or she determines a county substantially failed to comply with the requirements of its system improvement plan, as specified. This bill would require the department to report prescribed information to the Legislature by January 1, 2015. By requiring counties to address additional matters in its self-assessment and system improvement plan, 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.
(1) Existing law requires the custodian of records within a county child welfare agency, within 5 business days of learning that a child fatality has occurred in the county and that there is a reasonable suspicion that the fatality was caused by abuse or neglect, to release upon request specified records, subject to the redaction of certain identifying personal information, of child abuse or neglect that results in the death of a child. Existing law requires each county welfare agency or department to notify the State Department of Social Services, as provided, of all child fatalities that occurred within its jurisdiction that were the result of child abuse or neglect. This bill would require each county child welfare agency, within 60 calendar days of determining that abuse or neglect led to a child's death in the county, as described, to review the child's death and prepare a written report containing specified information. The bill would require the county child welfare agency to submit this report to the State Department of Social Services within 10 business days of its completion. By increasing the duties of local agencies, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program. (2) Existing law requires the State Department of Social Services to annually issue a report identifying the child fatalities and any systemic issues or patterns revealed by the notices submitted by county welfare services departments or agencies and other relevant information. This bill, commencing January 1, 2013, would require this report to include additional information provided to the department pursuant to the above-described reports prepared by county child welfare agencies. (3) 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.
(1) The Donahoe Higher Education Act authorizes the activities of the 4 segments of the postsecondary education system in the state. These segments include the 3 public postsecondary segments: the University of California, which is administered by the Regents of the University of California, the California State University, which is administered by the Trustees of the California State University, and the California Community Colleges, which is administered by the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges. Private and independent postsecondary educational institutions constitute the other segment. Provisions of the Donahoe Higher Education Act apply to the University of California only to the extent that the regents act, by resolution, to make them applicable. Existing law urges textbook publishers to take specified actions aimed at reducing the amounts that students pay for textbooks, including providing to faculty and departments considering textbook orders a list of all the different products the publisher sells. Existing law requires the Trustees of the California State University and the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges, and requests the Regents of the University of California, to take specific actions with their respective academic senates, college and university bookstores, and faculty to promote the selection of textbooks that will result in cost savings to students. This bill would require the trustees and the governing board of each community college district, and urge the regents and the governing body of each private postsecondary educational institution that offers a baccalaureate degree, to develop and adopt rules, regulations, and procedures that would mandate that an e-textbook, as defined, that is assigned as required or recommended reading in a course offered at the postsecondary educational institution comply with specified requirements. These requirements include the provision of digital rights management information, as specified, and a refund policy, as prescribed. Because the bill would impose new duties on community college districts, it would constitute a state-mandated local program. (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.
Existing law establishes the California State University under the administration of the Trustees of the California State University, and the University of California under the administration of the Regents of the University of California, as 2 of the segments of public postsecondary education in the state. This bill would prohibit the trustees from entering into or renewing, and would request the regents not to enter into or renew, a contract that provides for a compensation increase, as defined, for an administrator, as defined, using state moneys or moneys from tuition or fees in a fiscal year in which the amount of General Fund moneys appropriated to the respective segment in the annual Budget Act for the current fiscal year is less than the amount of moneys appropriated to that segment in the annual Budget Act for the immediately preceding fiscal year, or if mandatory systemwide resident tuition or fees have been increased in the same fiscal year. This bill would prohibit the trustees from increasing, and would request the regents not to increase, the compensation of an administrator by more than 10% relative to the immediately preceding compensation for that position. Subsequent to this increase, the bill would require, and request, that compensation to only be increased annually by the percentage of inflation, as specified.
This measure would designate May 2012 as Foster Care Month in California.
