Topic: Legislative Action
CFT sends four bills to the governor’s desk – take action now!
Legislative Update
Year one of the current two-year session closed on September 10 with the CFT sending four bills to the governor’s desk. Governor Newsom has until October 10 to sign the bills.
State budget adopted for 2021-22 boasts all-time high for education spending
Research Brief
Governor Newsom and the state Legislature came to an agreement on a $263 billion budget that reflects the state’s extraordinary surplus and billions from the latest round of federal stimulus funding from the American Rescue Plan. Spending for K-12 education totals $123.9 billion and is at an all-time high, including the largest ever allocation of Proposition 98 funding for schools and community colleges.
What’s in the largest ever state education budget?
An overview of California's historic investment coming in 2021-22
On July 9, Governor Newsom signed a historic education budget with an unprecedented investment in our students and schools.
The California Legislature voted on and passed identical budget bills (AB/SB 129) on June 28, after reaching agreement with the governor about most budget issues. The full budget is $263 billion, thanks to an extraordinary surplus and the latest round of federal stimulus funding from the American Rescue Plan. A few outstanding details will be finalized in trailer bills.
Governor’s May Revision proposes highest level of education funding in California history
Legislative Update
California began the previous budget year with a looming recession forecasted due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and a projected $54 billion deficit. However, due mostly to the inequitable recovery of the stock market, profits from Silicon Valley, and high-income earners that did not lose their jobs, the state now has projected a $75.7 billion surplus.
Two sponsored bills seek parity for classified staff
Align layoff notice process with teachers, probation at community colleges
A CFT-sponsored bill would standardize the layoff notice and hearing process in an equitable way for all school employees. Assembly Bill 438 by Majority Leader Eloise Reyes (D-San Bernardino) would make the layoff process for classified staff the same as it is for teachers.
CFT seeks 85% adjunct teaching load, statewide path to pay parity
Union-sponsored legislation tackles long-standing adjunct issues
After last year’s heavily pandemic-impacted legislative session reduced the number of bills signed to its lowest number since 1967, the CFT is again taking up the adjunct cause on bills directed towards raising the part-time percentage cap on teaching in a single district, and in developing a path towards part-time/full-time pay parity.
Pass the PRO Act: Empower workers to organize and bargain
Call your senators now!
Union members have been standing up for dignity and a voice on the job. Please join the AFL-CIO to pass the Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act. Reach out to your U.S. senators and urge them to pass this crucial worker empowerment legislation. You can call your senators at 866-832-1560 or by using this link.
CFT introduces significant bills in the new legislative session
Legislative Update
The CFT is sponsoring or co-sponsoring numerous bills in the new legislative session. You can find them below with links to the bill language.
MOVING BILLS
Community college part-time faculty reemployment
Assembly Bill 375 (Medina, D, Riverside)
requires that negotiation on reemployment preference for
part-time, temporary faculty assignments be based on the minimum
standards not exceeding 80% to 85% of a full-time equivalent
load, and would prohibit the community college district from
restricting the terms of the negotiated agreement to less than
that range, unless explicitly agreed upon by an individual
part-time, temporary faculty member and the
district. Sponsor
Rob Bonta named Legislator of the Year
Addresses delegates on cusp of becoming state Attorney General
This year’s Legislator of the Year award went to Oakland Assemblymember Rob Bonta. In his first public address since Governor Newsom appointed him to fill Xavier Becerra’s position as California attorney general after Becerra became Secretary of U.S. Health and Human Services, Bonta spoke to the CFT Convention.
New U.S. Senator Alex Padilla addresses delegates
First Latino senator put voting rights first as Secretary of State
Alex Padilla, California’s Secretary of State until Governor Newsom appointed him to the U.S. Senate seat left open by Kamala Harris when she became vice president, addressed delegates on the first morning of the CFT Virtual Convention.
CFT analyzes governor’s proposed education budget for 2021-22
Research Brief
Governor Newsom introduced his proposed $227 billion budget for 2021-22 on January 8. The proposed budget is starkly different from what lawmakers anticipated when they finalized the 2020-21 budget, largely because of much larger than expected tax receipts.
Governor’s budget proposes increases for education, financial incentive to return to in-person
Legislative Update
Gov. Newsom released the annual January budget proposal for the 2021-22 budget year, totaling $227.2 billion on Friday, January 8. The budget is very different from what lawmakers anticipated six months ago, when the 2020-21 budget was finalized, thanks to much larger than expected tax receipts. The proposal includes $34 billion allocated to reserves (including the Public School System Stabilization reserve) and as discretionary surplus funding.
Governor proposes record education funding in state budget
To cap a tumultuous week, today Governor Newsom announced his state budget proposal for the coming year. Despite a struggling economy, and high unemployment, the top line budget numbers are hopeful for public education: a record $85.8 billion for K-14 schools, along with additional funding for teacher recruitment and training, and special education, among other programs. Additionally, the governor estimates that there will be an additional $6.7 billion from the federal government for K-12 as part of the most recent stimulus package.
Four new laws classified employees need to know about
From contracting COVID at work to personnel commission changes
Workers’ Comp classifies on-the-job COVID cases as occupational injuries
Senate Bill 1159 (Hill, D-San Mateo) directs the state Workers’ Compensation system to presume that an employee’s COVID-related illness is an occupational injury and therefore the worker eligible for Workers’ Comp benefits if specific criteria are met.
Legislative gains and losses for adjuncts in a time of COVID
Union scores expanded Workers’ Comp support, Student Borrower Bill of Rights
Just as the COVID-19 pandemic severely impacted public education, so too did it impact the California Legislature and CFT’s legislative goals.
What would normally have been a rigorous six-month period to discuss the state budget and legislation, was reduced to two virtual sessions, one running from May 4 to June 19, and the other from July 27 to August 31. This forced the Legislature, which was slated to hear and discuss some 2,390 bills, to shelve consideration of any bills not deemed related to the pandemic, wildfires, and affordable housing.
New Workers’ Comp law deems corona-related employee illness occupational injury
Quick Facts: SB 1159
On September 17, Governor Newsom signed SB 1159 (Hill, D-San Mateo), which directs the Workers’ Compensation system to presume that an employee’s illness related to coronavirus is an occupational injury and therefore eligible for Workers’ Compensation benefits if specified criteria are met. The bill creates a “rebuttable presumption” for healthcare workers, first responders, or workers on any worksite that has an outbreak of COVID-19.
Governor signs 10 important bills to close unprecedented session
Legislative Update
August 31 marked the end of an unprecedented two-year legislative session, one in which the number of bills heard was pared down because of the COVID-19 pandemic and all hearings were held online.
Governor Newsom had until September 30 to sign or veto those bills that made it to his desk. Below is a summary of several CFT priority bills that the governor has either signed or are on his desk awaiting his action. Bills without an emergency clause and signed into law will take effect on January 1, 2021.
Governor signs union-sponsored Student Borrower Bill of Rights
Sweeping legislation to protect student loan borrowers
Governor Newsom signed CFT co-sponsored AB 376, the Student Borrower Bill of Rights, on Friday, September 25. This critical piece of legislation will bring much-needed reforms to the student loan market and regulate the private sector companies that service both federal and private student loans for California borrowers.
Pandemic leads to big cuts for education in May Revision
Legislative Update
Governor Newsom released the May Revision to the 2020-21 state budget on May 14. California began 2020 with a solid fiscal foundation. As the proposal notes, the state started the year with a “strong and diverse economy, historic reserves, and a structurally balanced budget.
The state had eliminated past budgetary debts and deferrals and was making extraordinary payments to reduce pension liabilities. In January, a budget surplus of $5.6 billion was projected for the 2020-21 fiscal year. Revenues through March were running $1.35 billion above projections.
Uncertainty surrounds education budget for coming year
The one known — coronavirus has blown a giant hole in the state budget
The governor and the Legislature know the COVID-19 pandemic has blown a huge hole in the state budget, but they can’t easily project state revenues or the impact on Proposition 98 — the mechanism that provides K-12 schools and community colleges about 40 percent of the state’s General Fund.