BILL ANALYSIS AB 66 Page 1 ASSEMBLY THIRD READING AB 66 (Anderson) As Introduced December 10, 2008 Majority vote EDUCATION 9-1 ----------------------------------------------------------------- |Ayes:|Brownley, Nestande, | | | | |Arambula, Buchanan, | | | | |Carter, Eng, Garrick, | | | | |Miller, Torlakson | | | | | | | | |-----+--------------------------+-----+--------------------------| |Nays:|Ammiano | | | | | | | | ----------------------------------------------------------------- SUMMARY : Authorizes a principal of a public or private school to issue work permits or to designate another administrator to issue work permits for pupils that attend their school. Specifies the hour limitations that apply to a work permit shall be based on the school calendar of the school the pupil attends. Specifically, this bill : 1)Authorizes the principal of a public or private school to issue work permits to pupils that attend their school. 2)Authorizes the principal of a private or public school to designate another administrator in the school to issue work permits to pupils that attend their school. 3)Specifies that if the principal of a public or private school chooses not to issue work permits, work permits may be issued to pupils attending that school pursuant to paragraph (1), (3), (4), or Education Code Section 49110.1. 4)Requires a principal who issues a work permit to provide a self-certification that he or she understands the requirements in existing law for issuing a work permit; and, requires the principal to provide copies of the application and the permit to the superintendent of the school district in which the school is located. AB 66 Page 2 5)Prohibits an individual with authority to issue a work permit from issuing a work permit to his or her own child. 6)Authorizes the superintendent of a school district to revoke a work permit issued by the principal of a private or public school located within the district if the superintendent becomes aware of any grounds upon which the pupil may be deemed ineligible for a work permit under existing law. 7)Specifies the hour limitations that apply to a work permit issued by any of the individuals described shall be based on the school calendar of the school the pupil attends. EXISTING LAW : 1)Authorizes a superintendent of a school district to designate the principal or another person having charge of a private school to issue work permits. (Education Code Section 49110.1) 2)Authorizes the superintendent of a school district in which a minor resides, the chief executive officer of a charter school, or specified school employees authorized by the superintendent or chief executive officer in writing, to issue a work permit to a pupil upon receipt of a written request from a parent, guardian, foster parent, or other specified person. (Education Code Section 49110) FISCAL EFFECT : This bill is keyed non-fiscal. COMMENTS : Existing law allows school district superintendents to authorize principals of private schools to issue work permits. This bill would authorize principals of private or public schools to issue work permits and to designate another administrator to issue work permits at their school. According to the author, gone are the days when every child attends their local public school. We now have private, charter, year round, and home schools throughout the state. The education system has changed; it is time the state's laws reflected these changes. There is more to education than what is taught in the classroom, and who better to give a work permit to a student than the principal who is familiar with his or her GPA, attendance, and any behavioral issues and family AB 66 Page 3 circumstances. The California Association of Private School Organizations supports the bill and argues, "We believe that school site administrators are best suited to make determinations regarding the issuance of student work permits. AB 66 upholds this position while unburdening district superintendents of the responsibility to make decisions concerning students enrolled in schools with which they have a secondary association, at best. Another important feature of the bill is its recognition that public and private schools do not maintain identical school, holiday and vacation calendars. Whereas current law ties the hours private school students are permitted to work to public school calendars, AB 66 links hours of work to the actual calendar maintained in a student's school of attendance." According to the California Association of Work Experience Educators who oppose the bill, "By allowing school principals to issue work permits without appropriate oversight, this measure could expose students to unsafe working conditions and expose school district[s] to unwarranted liability." Previous legislation: The enrolled version of AB 2213 (Houston) from 2008, is identical to the introduced version of AB 66 (Anderson). AB 2213 was vetoed by Governor Schwarzenegger with the following message: "The historic delay in passing the 2008-2009 State Budget has forced me to prioritize the bills sent to my desk at the end of the year's legislative session. Given the delay, I am only signing bills that are the highest priority for California." Analysis Prepared by : Chelsea Kelley / ED. / (916) 319-2087 FN: 0000212