BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    



                                                                  SB 944
                                                                  Page  1


          SENATE THIRD READING
          SB 944 (Runner and Strickland)
          As Amended  June 23, 2010
          Majority vote 

           SENATE VOTE  :34-0  
           
           EDUCATION           5-1                                         
           
           ----------------------------------------------------------------- 
          |Ayes:|Nestande, Arambula,       |     |                          |
          |     |Carter, Miller, Torlakson |     |                          |
          |     |                          |     |                          |
          |-----+--------------------------+-----+--------------------------|
          |Nays:|Ammiano                   |     |                          |
          |     |                          |     |                          |
           ----------------------------------------------------------------- 
           SUMMARY  :   Designates February 6 of each year as Ronald Reagan  
          Day, a day of special significance.  Specifically,  this bill  :   

          1)Makes legislative findings and declarations regarding the  
            life, career, contributions and death of Ronald Reagan,  
            including his accomplishments as both Governor of California  
            and President of the United States.

          2)Adds February 6 as Ronald Reagan Day to the list of days  
            having special significance, and requires the Governor to  
            annually proclaim February 6 as Ronald Reagan Day.

          3)Encourages all public schools and educational institutions to  
            observe this day and conduct exercises remembering the life of  
            Ronald Reagan, recognizing his accomplishments, and  
            familiarizing pupils with the contributions he made to this  
            state.

           EXISTING LAW  :

          1)Requires public schools to close on or for a number of  
            holidays, including, January 1, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.  
            Day, Lincoln Day, Washington Day, Memorial Day, July 4, Labor  
            Day, Veterans Day, Thanksgiving Day, December 25, all days  
            appointed by the Governor or the President for a public fast,  
            thanksgiving or holiday, and any other day designated as a  
            holiday by the governing board of the school district; also  








                                                                  SB 944
                                                                  Page  2


            requires, for some of these  holidays, that schools conduct  
            exercises or instruction that focus students on the purpose of  
            that holiday.

          2)Authorizes public schools to close on or for other holidays,  
            if the governing board pursuant to an agreement under  
            collective bargaining agrees; these include Cesar Chavez Day  
            and Native American Day.  Also authorizes public schools to  
            conduct exercises or instruction that focus students on the  
            purpose of these holidays.

          3)Requires public schools to remain open and celebrate specific  
            holidays with appropriate commemorative exercises, including  
            the anniversary of the adoption of the Constitution of the  
            United States, the birthday of Luther Burbank, Susan B.  
            Anthony Day, and the anniversary of the death of Crispus  
            Attucks (Black American Day).

          4)Designates the Day of the Teacher, John Muir Day, California  
            Poppy Day, Harvey Milk Day and Welcome Home Vietnam Veterans  
            Day as days having special significance, when public schools  
            are encouraged to observe and conduct specified commemorative  
            exercises.

           FISCAL EFFECT  :  This bill is keyed non-fiscal.

           COMMENTS :  Ronald Wilson Reagan (February 6, 1911 - June 5,  
          2004) was the 40th President of the United States (1981-1989)  
          and the 33rd Governor of California (1967-1975).  Reagan was  
          born in Tampico, Illinois, attended nearby Eureka College,  
          worked as a sports announcer in radio, and moved to Los Angeles  
          in the late 1930's to begin a career as an actor; he appeared  
          first in films and later television, eventually appearing in 52  
          movie productions.  Reagan also served twice as the president of  
          the Screen Actors Guild (1947-52, 1959-60).  Originally a member  
          of the Democratic Party, he switched to the Republican Party in  
          1962.  He was elected Governor of California in 1966 and served  
          two terms.  As Governor of California he sought to impose tax  
          cuts of 10 per cent across the board, found that budgets could  
          be cut only slowly, and went on to preside over expanding state  
          budgets and some of largest tax increases in California history.  
           He also supported increased spending on higher education, and  
          worked to implement a return to the use of the death penalty.   
          He was defeated in runs for the Republican presidential  








                                                                  SB 944
                                                                  Page  3


          nomination in 1968 and 1976, but won both the nomination and  
          presidency in 1980.

          His presidential administration adopted policies based on  
          supply-side economics, including large tax cuts, reductions in  
          funding for social services and cuts to education, in an effort  
          to promote rapid economic growth and reduce the federal deficit.  
           These proposals, when implemented, succeeded in lowering  
          inflation but led to a dramatic increase in the national debt by  
          1986; this effect is estimated by economists to have been  
          somewhere between a doubling and a quadrupling of the national  
          debt.  He also began a large peacetime military buildup,  
          including the proposed construction of the Strategic Defense  
          Initiative; concluded a treaty with the Soviet Union to restrict  
          intermediate-range nuclear weapons; conducted a proxy war  
          against Nicaragua by supporting the counterrevolutionary  
          Contras; and invaded the Caribbean island nation of Grenada in  
          order to prevent Soviet influence.  His tough stance toward the  
          Soviet Union and communism, along with his increasing  
          expenditures on the military, is generally credited with  
          contributing to the demise of Soviet communism and to the end of  
          the Cold War.  In 1994, the former president disclosed that he  
          had been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease earlier in the year;  
          he died ten years later at the age of 93.  Many public polls  
          rank Reagan high among former U.S. presidents in terms of  
          approval rating, and most surveys of presidential scholars rank  
          him in the first or second quartile in terms of presidential  
          success.

          This bill requires the Governor to proclaim February 6 as Ronald  
          Reagan Day, and designates February 6 as a day having special  
          significance.  This bill does not result in additional average  
          daily attendance or funding for a school district, nor does it  
          result in an additional holiday or day of school closure.  The  
          designation of a day of special significance simply triggers  
          statutory encouragement for public schools to observe the day  
          and to conduct commemorative exercises suitable to the day, as  
          specified in law; however, the decision as to whether to observe  
          any day of special significance or to conduct suitable  
          commemorative exercises is left to the local district.  If this  
          day is observed, then suitable exercises would recognize Ronald  
          Reagan's life and accomplishments, as well as the contributions  
          that he made to this state and country.









                                                                  SB 944
                                                                  Page  4



           Analysis Prepared by  :    Gerald Shelton / ED. / (916) 319-2087  
          FN: 0004965