Legislative Updates

Overview

Legislative Updates

The CFT Legislative Department introduces and lobbies for passage of union-sponsored bills. To communicate the progress of these and other priority bills, the department publishes regular Legislative Updates, which are posted below. 

In addition, our comprehensive Legislative Report contains positions on all bills of interest to the CFT, our State Budget Briefs track education expenditures in the California budget, and an annual Legislative Scorecard tracks how legislators vote on bills and issues that matter to CFT members.

Article Legislative Updates
Legislative Action

CFT lands an unprecedented nine bills on the governor’s desk
Legislative Update

Of this year’s 17 CFT-sponsored or co-sponsored bills, the union lobbied successfully to pass nine of them through the Legislature and onto the governor’s desk for his consideration. The governor has until October 13 to sign or veto the bills.

September 13 marked the end of the first year of the two-year legislative session. Eight of CFT’s bills became two-year bills and will be considered again when the Legislature returns from Interim Recess on January 6. 

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Legislative Action

Sponsored bills move to next house or become two-year bills
Legislative Update

May 31 was the last day for bills to pass out of their house of origin. The bills that were not heard on the floor in their house of origin became two-year bills. Bills that did not achieve a majority vote on the floor of their respective chamber are dead unless the author was granted reconsideration. Policy committees resumed on June 3, 2019, to begin hearing bills from the other chamber.

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Legislative Action

CFT succeeds in moving bills out of Appropriations Committee
Legislative Update

The Assembly and Senate Appropriations Committees both held their Suspense hearings May 16 to report which bills would make it out of Appropriations and go to the Floor in their respective chambers.

The CFT was successful in securing the passage of most sponsored and co-sponsored bills out of the Appropriations Committees. Those bills address priority issues for the CFT, including increasing school funding, ensuring accountability for charter schools, and providing support for community college and UC faculty.

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Legislative Action

CFT lobbies for charter reform, paid maternity leave
Legislative Update

The CFT was successful in securing the passage of a number of our sponsored and co-sponsored bills out of their first policy committees. These bills address priority issues for the CFT, including increasing funding for schools, ensuring accountability for charter schools and providing support for community college and University of California faculty.