BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    






          SENATE PUBLIC EMPLOYMENT & RETIREMENT    BILL NO: AB 1729
          Lou Correa, Chair             Hearing date: June 14, 2010
          AB 1729 (Yamada)    as amended  3/18/10      FISCAL:  YES

           CIVIL SERVICE EXAMINATIONS:  VETERANS' PREFERENCE POINTS
           
           HISTORY  :

              Sponsor:  Author

              Prior legislation:  AB 2550 (Blakeslee)
                               Chapter 494, Statutes 2006

           ASSEMBLY VOTES  :

              PER & SS             5-0       4/07/10
              Veteran Affairs      9-0       4/13/10
              Appropriations       15-0      4/28/10
              Assembly Floor       74-0      5/06/10
           
          SUMMARY  : 

          Extends from 6 months to 12 months the amount of time a  
          veteran may receive preference points on employment lists  
          resulting from open nonpromotional civil service  
          examinations.                                                

           BACKGROUND AND ANALYSIS  : 
          
          1)   Existing law:

             a)   creates the state civil service, a merit system, in  
               which individuals compete, via an examination process,  
               for jobs and promotions.  Applicants who successfully  
               compete in open nonpromotional exams are ranked and  
               placed on lists of individuals who are then eligible to  
               be hired.

             b)   allows veterans who have been honorably discharged  
               from military service, national guard members who have  
               served in active duty for at least at least 90 days,  
               widows and widowers of deceased veterans, and spouses of  
               100% disabled veterans to receive additional points  
          Pamela Schneider
          Date:  6/7/10                                          Page 1  










               (i.e., preference points) added to their exam scores.

             c)   requires veterans and national guard members to  
               submit proof to departments that they are eligible for  
               preference points.

             d)   allows an active member of the armed forces who has  
               passed a civil service exam and been placed on a hiring  
               list-for up to 6 months following the establishment of  
               that list-to qualify for veteran's preference points,  
               have those points added to his or her score, and have  
               the list re-ordered to reflect those additional points  
               as if that individual had those points from the time the  
               list was first established.

          2)   This bill would allow an active member of the armed  
            forces to qualify for preference points and have those  
            points added to his or her score for up to 12 months after  
            passing a civil service exam and being placed on an  
            employment list.

           FISCAL IMPACT  :
           
           According to the Assembly Appropriations Committee analysis,  
          this bill creates minor and absorbable costs to the State  
          Personnel Board (SPB) to modify examination scoring  
          procedures for open nonpromotional examinations.

           COMMENTS  :

          1)   Argument in support  

          According to the author:

            A new veteran may not learn within 6 months of being  
            honorably discharged of the availability of preference  
            points.  Additionally, if a veteran misplaces pertinent  
            documentation proving his or her service and honorable  
            discharge, it may take more than 6 months to obtain  
            replacement forms from the federal government.  Such forms  
            are needed to prove eligibility for preference points.

            This bill will assist new veterans in re-entering the job  
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          Date:  6/7/10                                          Page 2  










            market by extending their access to preference points for  
            state hiring.

          2)   SUPPORT  :

               American Legion, Department of California
               AMVETS, Department of California
               California Association of County Veterans Service  
          Officers
               California Peace Officers' Association
               California Police Chiefs Association
               Vietnam Veterans of America, California State Council

          3)   OPPOSITION  :

               None to date




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          Pamela Schneider
          Date:  6/7/10                                          Page 3