BILL ANALYSIS ------------------------------------------------------------ |SENATE RULES COMMITTEE | SB 1057| |Office of Senate Floor Analyses | | |1020 N Street, Suite 524 | | |(916) 651-1520 Fax: (916) | | |327-4478 | | ------------------------------------------------------------ THIRD READING Bill No: SB 1057 Author: Denham (R), et al Amended: 5/10/10 Vote: 21 SENATE VETERANS AFFAIRS COMMITTEE : 4-0, 4/13/10 AYES: Denham, Correa, Negrete McLeod, Cedillo NO VOTE RECORDED: Wyland, Vacancy, Vacancy SENATE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE : Senate Rule 28.8 SUBJECT : State holidays: Veterans Day: state office closure SOURCE : Author DIGEST : This bill requires that public offices of the state and state institutions including, but not limited to, all state agencies and the Legislature, be closed on November 11 for Veterans Day, except as specified. This bill also states the Legislature's intent that the University of California also be closed on November 11, Veterans Day. ANALYSIS : Existing law recognizes various holidays, including November 11, known as Veterans Day. Existing law requires that public offices of the state and state institutions, except for the University of California, be closed on Veterans Day. CONTINUED SB 1057 Page 2 Under existing law, state holidays are specified in Section 6700 of the Government Code as follows: 1. Every Sunday. 2. January 1. 3. The Third Monday in January, known as "Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day." 4. February 12, known as "Lincoln Day." 5. The third Monday in February. 6. March 31, known as "Cesar Chavez Day." 7. The last Monday in May. 8. July 4. 9. The first Monday in September. 10.September 9, known as "Admission Day." 11.The second Monday in October, known as "Columbus Day." 12.November 11, known as "Veterans Day." 13.December 25. 14.Good Friday from 12 noon until 3 p.m. 15.Every day appointed by the President or Governor for a public fast, thanksgiving, or holiday. Current law also states that if the provisions regarding state holidays are in conflict with provisions of a memorandum of understanding reached pursuant to Chapter 12 (commencing with Section 3560) of Division 4 of Title 1 of the Government Code, the memorandum of understand shall be controlling without further legislative action. The Senate Rules Committee, among other powers and duties, orchestrates and oversees all functions of the Senate, administrative or otherwise, including state holidays observed by the Senate. The Senate Rules Committee holiday schedule in effect for 2010 indicates that Thursday, November 11, 2010, Veterans Day, shall be observed by the Senate. This bill requires that all state agencies and the Legislature, be closed on November 11, for Veterans Day. However, if November 11 falls on a Saturday or Sunday, the holiday will be observed on the previous Friday or following Monday, respectively. This bill also states it is the intent of the Legislature that the University of California also be closed on the CONTINUED SB 1057 Page 3 Veterans Day holiday. Background Though the Treaty of Versailles was signed on June 28, 1919, November 11 remained in the public imagination as the date that marked the end of the Great War. In November 1918, United States President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed November 11 as the first commemoration of Armistice Day. The day's observation included parades and public gatherings, as well as a brief pause in business activities at 11 a.m. On June 4, 1926, Congress passed a resolution that the "recurring anniversary of November 11, 1918, should be commemorated with thanksgiving and prayer and exercises designed to perpetuate peace through good will and mutual understanding between nations." By that time, 27 state legislatures had made November 11 a legal holiday. An act approved on May 13, 1938, made November 11 a legal Federal holiday, "dedicated to the cause of world peace and to be hereafter celebrated and known as 'Armistice Day.'" In 1954, the 83rd United States Congress amended the 1938 act that had made Armistice Day a holiday, striking the word "Armistice" in favor of "Veterans." President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed the legislation on June 1, 1954, and from then on, November 11 became a day to honor American veterans of all wars. The Uniform Holidays Bill was passed by Congress in 1968, which sought to ensure three-day weekends for federal employees by celebrating four national holidays (Washington's Birthday, Memorial Day, Veterans Day and Columbus Day) on Mondays. It was thought that these extended weekends would encourage travel, recreational and cultural activities and stimulate greater industrial and commercial production. The observation of Veterans Day was set as the fourth Monday in October. Many states disapproved of this change and continued to observe the holiday on its original date. In 1975, after it became evident that the actual date of Veterans Day carried historical and patriotic significance CONTINUED SB 1057 Page 4 to many Americans, President Gerald R. Ford signed a new law returning the observation of Veterans Day to November 11, starting in 1978. If November 11 falls on a Saturday or Sunday, the federal government observes the holiday on the previous Friday or following Monday, respectively. There are no United States national holidays because the states retain the right to designate their own, and the federal government can only designate holidays for federal employees and for the District of Columbia. In practice, however, states almost always follow the federal lead. Comments According to the author, "SB 1057 was inspired by a letter-to-the-editor in the Sacramento Bee (11/16/09) from Marian Forness of Rancho Cordova, whose late husband served this country in the United States Air Force for 20 years. She noted in her letter that the State Senate took Friday, November 13, 2009 off instead of Veterans Day on Wednesday, November 11, so it could have a three-day weekend." FISCAL EFFECT : Appropriation: No Fiscal Com.: Yes Local: No SUPPORT : (Verified 5/28/10) American Legion, Department of California AMVETS, Department of California California Association of County Veterans Service Officers Vietnam Veterans of America, California State Council TSM:mw 5/28/10 Senate Floor Analyses SUPPORT/OPPOSITION: SEE ABOVE **** END **** CONTINUED