BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    �



                                                                  AB 372
                                                                  Page  1

          Date of Hearing:   May 8, 2013

                        ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
                                  Mike Gatto, Chair

                    AB 372 (Eggman) - As Amended:  April 8, 2013 

          Policy Committee:                              Veterans  
          AffairsVote: 9-0
                         PERS                                 7-0

          Urgency:     No                   State Mandated Local Program:  
          No     Reimbursable:               

           SUMMARY  

          This bill deletes current statutes granting veterans' preference  
          points in specified state examinations, and instead requires  
          that whenever any veteran, widow or widower of a veteran, or  
          spouse of a 100% disabled veteran achieves a passing score on an  
          entrance exam, he or she will be ranked in the top rank of the  
          resulting eligibility list. This bill also makes a series of  
          related technical and conforming changes.

           FISCAL EFFECT  

          Minor administrative costs to the Department of Human Resources.  


           COMMENTS  

           1)Rationale  . Sponsored by the Department of Human Resources,  
            this bill is intended to ensure veterans qualify for state  
            employment.

            According to the author, "The current process does not provide  
            any advantage to veterans who pass the exam but do not score  
            in the highest three ranks, and have the minimum  
            qualifications for the job, because they will never be in the  
            higher ranks on the list.  As a result the true objective, to  
            get veterans jobs in state government, is frustrated.  This  
            legislation will ensure that more veterans will be competitive  
            for state positions by allowing veterans who pass exams to  
            automatically be placed in the top rank."









                                                                  AB 372
                                                                  Page  2

            The author concludes, "This proposal simplifies the system and  
            gives every veteran, disabled veteran, and widow of a veteran  
            an equal advantage.  The revised law would provide simply that  
            any one of those individuals who passes an open examination  
            would be automatically moved to the top rank of the list,  
            meaning all of those individuals would be eligible for  
            consideration for hire.  With more reachable veterans,  
            departments are more likely to find a veteran who meets the  
            particular needs of the job they need to fill."

           2)Current law  requires state agencies to hold open exams for  
            nonpromotional positions in civil service, in which  
            applicants, based on their scores, are placed on ranked hiring  
            lists and are then eligible to be hired into state civil  
            service. Applicants are ranked according to their scores into  
            six ranks. In general, applicants must be hired first from the  
            top three ranks. Veterans are accorded additional points.
           Analysis Prepared by  :    Geoff Long / APPR. / (916) 319-2081