This Week In The Capitol (6/8/2009)
June 8, 2009
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This Week Inside the Capitol is a weekly e-mail update of bills monitored by California Family Council. This Week is intended as a brief synopsis to alert you about which bills are being heard and when. CFC’s complete legislative analyses about these and other bills can be found at www.californiafamily.org.
Sacramento is consumed with finding remedies to the state’s projected $24.3 billion deficit. Since the defeat of Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger’s and the Legislature’s May 19 Special Election budget measures, political leaders have become resigned to the fact that spending cuts are inevitable. However, debate remains on what specifically to cut. Last week, the joint budget conference committee met regularly to review the governor’s proposed cuts to address the state’s fiscal shortfall. They questioned the governor’s budget staff intensely on his proposals and the state fiscal outlook. They also heard from many of the groups and special interests that will be affected by the proposed cuts.
This week the conference committee will continue its work as they attempt to reconcile Legislators’ priorities with the governor’s, in order to resolve the budget hole before the state runs out of funds on July 29 – the projected date stated by State Controller John Chiang. While the Speaker of the Assembly (Karen Bass) believes the Legislature and governor will resolve the deficit by July, it is clear that legislators and the governor are not unified in their solutions. After addressing the Legislature on Tuesday, the governor and legislative leaders began implementing their public relations strategies to sell their positions to special interest leaders and the public. Over the next few weeks, the marketing and PR campaigns will be in full swing as our elected officials attempt to garner support for them and their positions.
While the budget will continue to take center stage in the Capitol, policy committees will resume their work. Committees will now review the bills introduced in the opposite legislative body. That is, bills introduced and passed in the Senate will be heard in the Assembly, and vice versa. If proposed measures are approved by the Senate or Assembly, the measures will be sent to Governor Schwarzenegger for his signature.
Remember you can stay updated on the latest Capitol activities by following CFC on Facebook and Twitter. Both can be found on our new and improved Web site.
RESULTS FROM LAST WEEK
Week of June 1, 2009
On the Assembly Floor
AB 154 – Adoption Assistance: Federal Law (Evans, D-Santa Rosa) SUPPORT
Passed, 79-0
AB 375 – Child Custody: Child Sexual Abuse (Nielson, R-Redding)
Passed, 79-0
AB 1068 – Initiatives: Signature Gathering (Saldana, D-San Diego) OPPOSE
Passed, 48-29
AB 1397 – Tissue Donation: Infected Sperm (Hill, D-San Mateo)
Passed, 79-0
SB 60 – Vehicles; Driver’s Licenses (Cedillo, D-Los Angeles)
Passed, 24-15
SB 471 – Stem Cell and Biotechnology Workforce Development (Romero, D-Los Angeles) OPPOSE
Passed, 21-14
SB 543– Minors: Mental Health Treatment without Parental Consent (Leno, D-San Francisco) OPPOSE
Passed, 22-12
SB 597 – Child Welfare Services: Foster Care: Adoption (Liu, D-La Canada Flintridge)
Passed, 36-1
COMMITTEE HEARINGS
Week of June 8, 2009
Monday, June 8, 2009
On the Assembly Floor
ACA 10 – Taxation: Education Finance District: Majority Vote Taxation (Torlakson, D-Antioch)
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Senate Public Safety Committee – 9:30 a.m.
AB 247 – Child Abuse Reporting: Availability of Information (Emmerson, R-Redlands)
Senate Judiciary Committee – 1:00 p.m.
AB 459 – Marriage Dissolution: Disclosure (Lowenthal, B., D-Long Beach)
Assembly Health Committee – 1:30 p.m.
SB 158 – Health Care Coverage: Human Papillomavirus Vaccination (Wiggins, D-Santa Rosa)
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Senate Education Committee – 9:00 a.m.
AB 167 – High School Graduation: Foster Children (Adams, R-Hesperia)
COMMITTEE HEARINGS
Week of June 15, 2009
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Assembly Public Safety Committee – 9:00 a.m.
SB 669 – Sexually Violent Predators (Hollingsworth, R- Murrieta)
Senate Public Safety Committee – 9:30 a.m.
AB 428 – Adoption: Criminal History Records (Fletcher, R-San Diego) SUPPORT
Senate Judiciary Committee – 1:00 p.m.
AB 73 – Marriage Licenses: Fees for Domestic Violence (Hayashi, D-Castro Valley)
AB 941 – Adoption: Contact with Birth Relatives, (Assembly Judiciary Committee)
AB 1185 – Birth Certificates: Gender Change: New Issuance: Venue (Lieu, D-Torrance) OPPOSE
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Senate Education Committee – 9:00 a.m.
AB 81 – Interscholastic Athletics: Pupils in Foster Care (Strickland, A.R- Moorpark) SUPPORT
AB 796 – Pupil Attendance: Civic Engagement Activities (Carter, D-Rialto)
AB 1510 – Public schools: Parental access (Eng, D-Monterey) SUPPORT
Assembly Education Committee – 1:30 p.m.
SB 572 – Harvey Milk Day: Official Designation (Leno, D-San Francisco) OPPOSE
SB 680 – School Attendance: Interdistrict Transfers (Romero, D-Los Angeles) SUPPORT
*Note: Not all bills reflect a CFC position. Others are included for informational purposes.
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Visit California Family Council’s Web site for more information about these and other bills.
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