BILL ANALYSIS Ó AJR 24 Page 1 ASSEMBLY THIRD READING AJR 24 (Bonilla) As Amended April 10, 2012 Majority vote EDUCATION 7-3 ----------------------------------------------------------------- |Ayes:|Brownley, Ammiano, | | | | |Buchanan, Butler, Carter, | | | | |Eng, Williams | | | | | | | | |-----+--------------------------+-----+--------------------------| |Nays:|Norby, Grove, Halderman | | | | | | | | ----------------------------------------------------------------- SUMMARY : Urges the members of California's congressional delegation to sign on as cosponsors of, and requests the Congress and the President of the United States enact, the proposed federal Student-to-School Nurse Ratio Improvement Acts of 2011 and 2012. Specifically, this bill : 1)Makes findings and declarations relative to the crucial role the school nurse has as the leader and coordinator of the school health services team in providing health services to children and youth. 2)Makes findings and declarations relative to the lack of school nurses in 15 California counties and the 2,172:1 student-to-school nurse ratio statewide. 3)Makes findings and declarations relative to the increasingly severe and chronic health conditions, such as autism, asthma and diabetes that children across the nation and in California are experiencing. 4)Makes findings and declarations relative to the fact that schools are the only source of health care for many children and adolescents in the United States and that the presence of a school nurse leads to an increase in student attendance at school. 5)Resolves that the Legislature urges the members of California's congressional delegation to sign on as cosponsors AJR 24 Page 2 of the proposed federal Student-to-School Nurse Ratio Improvement Acts of 2011 and 2012. 6)Resolves that the Legislature requests that the Congress and the President of the United States enact the federal Student-to-School Nurse Ratio Improvement Acts of 2011 and 2012. 7)Resolves that the Chief Clerk of the Assembly transmit copies of this resolution to the President and Vice President of the United States, to the Speaker of the House of Representatives, to the Majority Leader of the Senate, to each Senator and Representative from California in the Congress of the United States, and to the author for appropriate distribution. FISCAL EFFECT : This bill has been keyed non-fiscal by the Legislative Counsel. COMMENTS : This resolution resolves that California's State Legislature urges the congressional delegation from California to sign on as cosponsors of the federal Student-to-School Nurse Ratio Improvement Acts of 2011 and 2012. Further, this resolution resolves that California's State Legislature requests the Congress and President of the United States to enact the Student-to-School Nurse Ratio Improvement Acts of 2011 and 2012. The federal Student-to-School Nurse Ratio Improvement Acts of 2011 and 2012: Introduced on June 16, 2011, in the United States Congress as H.R. 2229 and on January 31, 2012, as S. 2047, this federal legislation would authorize the Secretary of Education to provide demonstration grants to local educational agencies (LEAs) in order to reduce the ratio of students to school nurses in public elementary and secondary schools. It would provide priority for grants to LEAs that serve a high number or percentage of impoverished students and demonstrate the greatest need for new or additional nursing services for their students. Currently, H.R. 2229 has been referred to the Committee on Education and the Workforce as well as the Committee on Energy and Commerce within the United States House of Representatives; and, S. 2047 has been officially introduced. Among the co-sponsors of H.R. 2229, four representatives are from California's congressional delegation. S. 2047 was not introduced by and has not been cosponsored by any California AJR 24 Page 3 senators. School nurses in California: According to Children Now, only 17% of California's schools have a school nurse or school health center. Statistics from 2010 indicate that California's student-to-school nurse ratio is 2,172:1. This ratio is far higher than the recommended ratio by the National Association of School Nurses (NASN). The NASN recommends guidelines of 750:1 for students in general population; 225:1 in the student population that may require daily professional school nursing services or intervention; and, 125:1 in the student population with complex health care needs. In addition, the NASN recommends there be a school nurse in each school all day, every day. In 2009, according to the author, 15 entire counties within California did not have a single public school with a school nurse. In comparison to other states across the nation, California ranks 45th in student-to-school nurse ratio. California, therefore, stands to benefit tremendously from the proposed federal Student-to-School Nurse Ratio Improvement Acts of 2011 and 2012. Districts with high numbers of impoverished students and low numbers of school nurses: The federal legislation provides districts with high student-to-school nurse ratios and high numbers of or a high percentage of impoverished students to receive preference for demonstration grants. California is home to many districts that would fit these priority characteristics. Lack of trained and certified individuals: It is unclear if enough credentialed school nurses would be available to take on these new positions or if the augmentation of recruiting efforts for school nurse credentialing would be required. According to the Commission on Teacher Credentialing, between 2002 and 2009, the average number of credentials issued was 247 credentials per year. It appears possible that in order to take full advantage of the federal Student-to-School Nurse Ratio Improvement Acts of 2011 and 2012, California may need to increase recruitment efforts and program offerings for such credentials. Analysis Prepared by : Mark Murphy and Chelsea Kelley / ED. / AJR 24 Page 4 (916) 319-2087 FN: 0003231