BILL ANALYSIS
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|SENATE RULES COMMITTEE | AB 113|
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THIRD READING
Bill No: AB 113
Author: Pavley (D), et al
Amended: 7/11/01 in Senate
Vote: 21
SENATE GOVERNMENTAL ORG. COMMITTEE : 7-4, 6/19/01
AYES: Vincent, Chesbro, Dunn, Karnette, Machado,
O'Connell, Soto
NOES: Johnson, Johannessen, Knight, Morrow
SENATE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE : 7-1, 7/9/01
AYES: Alpert, Bowen, Escutia, Karnette, Murray, Perata,
Speier
NOES: Battin
ASSEMBLY FLOOR : 60-10, 4/30/01 - See last page for vote
SUBJECT : California Poet Laureate
SOURCE : Author
DIGEST : This bill establishes the position of California
Poet Laureate, who will be appointed for a specified term
by the Governor, and confirmed by the Senate, from a list
of nominees garnered by the California Arts Council through
a specified process, and who will perform specified duties.
It authorizes the council to pay an appropriate stipend to
the California Poet Laureate and requires the council to
provide for the payment of his or her expenses, as
specified.
CONTINUED
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This bill also authorizes the council to solicit and
receive gifts, donations, bequests, grants of funds, or any
other revenues, from public or private sources and to
expend those moneys to increase the stipend of the
California Poet Laureate and for any other purpose it deems
necessary to implement this bill.
ANALYSIS : There is no current law that establishes the
position of, and procedure for appointing the California
Poet Laureate. The Legislature for the past 80 years has
bestowed the honorary title of Post Laureate on California
poets by means of concurrent resolution.
This bill:
1.Creates the position of California Poet Laureate to be
appointed by the Governor, and confirmed by the Senate,
from a list of three nominees provided by the California
Arts Council (Council).
2.Provides that the Council shall acquire the nominees
using a panel of three literary experts, which may
include professors, teachers, and public and private arts
organizations with significant literary components,
professional poets, and literary critics.
3.Provides that the panel shall solicit nominations from a
broad array of literary sources and individuals,
including but not limited to, the following:
University and college literature departments;
literary organizations, societies, and centers;
poetry book publishers and poetry editors;
directors of poetry reading series; and,
independent booksellers specializing in poetry.
4.Provides that a nominee must have resided in California
for at least 10 years and be a prominent poet with a
significant amount of published work.
5.Limits the appointment of the Poet Laureate to no more
than two, two-year terms.
6.Provides that the Council may establish an appropriate
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stipend for the Poet Laureate and shall provide for the
payment of the expenses of the Poet Laureate.
7.Provides that the Poet Laureate, as a condition of the
appointment, shall assume specified responsibilities set
forth by the Council.
8.Provides that the Poet Laureate shall make at least six
public readings during each term and undertake one
specific project that should last through the term. The
project should endeavor to make the poetic arts more
accessible to California and its students.
9.Encourages the Poet Laureate to coordinate his or her
project with any similar project being undertaken by the
current United States Poet Laureate.
10.Provides that the Council shall publish, beginning in
2010, and every 10 years thereafter, an anthology of
works by the Poets Laureate of the previous decade.
11.Allows the Council to solicit and receive gifts,
donations, bequests, grants, or any other revenues, from
public or private sources, and to expend those funds to
increase the stipend of the Poet Laureate, and for any
other purpose the Council deems necessary.
Honorary Poet Laureates were Ina Coolbrith (1919-28), Henry
Meade Bland (1929-31), John Steven McGroarty (1933-44),
Gordon W. Norris (1953-61), and ex-Assemblyman Charles
Garrigus (1966-2000).
FISCAL EFFECT : Appropriation: No Fiscal Com.: Yes
Local: No
SUPPORT : (Verified 7/11/01)
Poets and Writers California Programs
Sacramento Poetry Center
California Federation of Women's Clubs
California Arts Council
National Writers Union Local 3 (San Francisco Bay Area)
ARGUMENTS IN SUPPORT : According to Dr. Kevin Starr,
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California State Librarian, "When Californians honor one
poet laureate, they honor all poets as seers, those gifted
with vision to see what others cannot. Having a poet
laureate for California would serve to show the world that
Californians acknowledge their literary wealth as well as
their commercial and industrial wealth."
This bill creates a statutory method for appointing the
California Poet Laureate for a limited term. The
appointment process is similar to methods used in a number
of other states as well as some California cities. A key
aspect of the process is the inclusion of a wide range of
literary organizations, college and university literary
departments, poetry critics, and other poets.
Supporters emphasize that the state's Poet Laureate should
be an important role model for all Californians, especially
the youth, who have literary interests. Because of
California's broad and diverse citizenry, such a role model
also can have a positive impact on outreach. Supporters
believe that having someone in this position who will
actively promote poetry and literacy, and who is
knowledgeable of the lessons of history, will benefit the
state.
ASSEMBLY FLOOR :
AYES: Alquist, Aroner, Bates, Briggs, Calderon, John
Campbell, Canciamilla, Cardenas, Cardoza, Cedillo, Chan,
Chavez, Cohn, Corbett, Correa, Cox, Daucher, Diaz,
Dickerson, Dutra, Firebaugh, Florez, Frommer, Goldberg,
Harman, Havice, Horton, Jackson, Kehoe, Koretz, Leach,
Liu, Longville, Lowenthal, Maldonado, Matthews, Migden,
Nakano, Nation, Negrete McLeod, Oropeza, Robert Pacheco,
Papan, Pavley, Reyes, Salinas, Shelley, Simitian,
Strickland, Strom-Martin, Thomson, Vargas, Washington,
Wayne, Wesson, Wiggins, Wright, Wyland, Zettel, Hertzberg
NOES: Ashburn, Bogh, Bill Campbell, Cogdill,
Hollingsworth, Kelley, Mountjoy, Pescetti, Runner, Wyman
DLW:jk 7/11/01 Senate Floor Analyses
SUPPORT/OPPOSITION: SEE ABOVE
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