10 BILLS BY ASSEMBLYMAN BLOCK AWAIT GOVERNOR’S SIGNATURE

Printer-friendly versionPrinter-friendly version Share this

 

Septemer 23, 2010 (Sacramento) Assemblymember Marty Block (D-Lemon Grove) announced that 10 bills which he authored now await Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger’s signature. This package includes measures to boost skills for the unemployed, improve community college student assessment, eases the voting process for military serving overseas and protect funding for special education programs in schools across California.

“I am proud of the bills that have reached the Governor’s desk because they speak directly to the priorities of the residents in my district. San Diegans are worried about the state of the economy and the quality and affordability of education in the region,” said Block, who represents the 78th Assembly District. “This bipartisan package of legislation includes bills that will boost skills for out-of-work Californians who are trying to rejoin our workforce, improve success rates at our community colleges, and help schools prevent additional budget cuts and layoffs. In a tough economic climate, these are the core issues we must work together on to rebuild California, and I look forward to seeing these bills signed into law.”

 

Block’s office provided the following descriptions of his bills on the Governor’s desk:

• AB 2058: Unemployment Benefits – Recognition Training: This bill would allow unemployed workers receiving Unemployment Insurance (UI) benefits to continue their coverage while enrolled in job training or education courses to develop the skills necessary for our state’s changing workforce. Currently, some recipients of UI lose their coverage when they seek training, causing an unfair hardship for many Californians in need. It just makes sense to encourage unemployed workers to get retrained more quickly and back to work in areas that our economy is growing, and my AB 2058 allows them to do that without fear of losing their UI benefits they need to help them survive while learning new skills.

• AB 2402: CSU Admissions Transparency: AB 2402 would require the CSU campuses like San Diego State University (SDSU) to notify the public and key stakeholders of any change in their admissions policy for students within a campus’ local service area. AB 2402 addresses the situation that occurred last year at SDSU where school officials made a change in their admission criteria for local students two weeks before the deadline for 2010 school year without notifying or consulting with anyone. Students had planned their academic curriculum based on one set of criteria only to have it changed at the last minute, when it was too late to do anything about it. This left 1,740 local freshmen without a local CSU to attend.

• AB 184: K-12 SDA Funding Fix: AB 184 prevents the California Department of Education (CDE) from requiring school districts to repay the state for Special Disabilities Adjustment (SDA) funding they received in the previous fiscal year that has already been spent to teach the special-needs students in their classrooms. Statewide this figure is $70 million; for schools in San Diego County the figure is $17 million. Due to a bureaucratic oversight in the 2009-10 Budget Act, the CDE announced that it did not have the authority to distribute the funds and began recouping those funds on July 1 placing San Diego schools in a precarious financial situation as they struggle to meet solvency requirements. My AB 184, overwhelmingly passed by the Legislature, puts a quick fix into place so that school districts can avoid layoffs and cuts to these important programs.

• AB 2682: Community College Assessments: AB 2682 requires the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges to establish a pilot project that will create a uniform, centrally delivered system of student assessment. Currently about 70% of incoming community college students do not have the adequate preparation to perform successfully in college-ready courses. Accurate assessment is vital to ensuring that these students are placed in the appropriate basic-skills classes that build the foundation for success.

• AB 2294: Local Pedicab Regulation: AB 2294 would define “pedicab” in the California Vehicle Code and would authorize a city or county to require operators of pedicabs to obtain a California driver’s license from the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) as part of its pedicab licensing process. My bill would help to make sure that pedicab operators transporting passengers for hire understand the rules of the road here in San Diego. Jointly authored by Assemblymember Nathan Fletcher.

• AB 2369: Military Voting by Fax: AB 2369 permanently allows our military and overseas voters to return completed ballots by fax transmission. The bill would make it easier for California’s military to participate in our democracy and exercise their constitutional right to vote as they protect democracy and freedom in other parts of the world.

• AB 2698: Foster Youth and Identity Theft Protection: This bill would build on and clarify a former bill that was part of a bipartisan foster care package in 2006. AB 2698 requires the state to request a free credit report within a year of the foster youth’s 16th birthday and remediate any suspicious activity through the local county welfare department who already works with the foster youth. The bill clearly defines the steps needed to correct any suspicious activity.

• AB 434: K-12 After School Programs: AB 434 makes a technical change that allows on-site supervisors to spend more time with students instead of on paperwork. Currently, after school on-site supervisors have to keep track of the time they spend providing services “directly” and “indirectly” to students. This frees up supervisors from that burdensome paperwork.

• AB 1223: Multiple Pathways / Linked Learning Recognition Study: Linked Learning is a teaching methodology that combines CTE coursework with academic work that broadly enriches the learning experience. Many pupils are better able to master a subject involving technical skills when they are enrolled in courses that use hands-on experiential learning to show how academic knowledge is used to solve real world problems. AB 1223 authorizes the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing to form a work group for the purpose of defining and issuing a certificate for Linked Learning. This signifies that the teacher is able to instruct linked learning education programs in schools.

• AB 1775: Fred Korematsu Day of Civil Liberties and the Constitution: AB 1775 adds each January 30, Fred Korematsu Day of Civil Liberties and the Constitution, to the days having special significance for public schools and requires the Governor to annually proclaim January 30 as Fred Korematsu Day of Civil Liberties and the Constitution. (Principal Co-Author)

Governor Schwarzenegger has until September 30th to act on all bills.
 


Error message

Support community news in the public interest! As nonprofit news, we rely on donations from the public to fund our reporting -- not special interests. Please donate to sustain East County Magazine's local reporting and/or wildfire alerts at https://www.eastcountymedia.org/donate to help us keep people safe and informed across our region.