CHAPTER _______

An act to amend Section 19792 of the Government Code, relating to veterans.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL’S DIGEST

AB 1397, Committee on Veterans Affairs. State civil service: veterans preference data.

The California Constitution requires civil service appointments to be made under a general system based on merit ascertained by competitive examination. The California Constitution allows the Legislature to provide preference for veterans and their surviving spouses. Under existing law, whenever any veteran achieves a passing score on an entrance examination, the veteran is required to be ranked in the top rank of the resulting eligibility list.

Existing law requires the Department of Human Resources to, among other things, review, examine the validity of, and update qualifications standards, selection devices, including oral appraisal panels, and career advancement programs.

This bill would additionally include the veterans preference system among those selection devices.

Existing law requires the department to maintain a statistical information system designed to yield the data and the analysis necessary for the evaluation of equal employment opportunity within the state civil service. Existing law requires the statistical information to include specific data to determine the underutilization of groups based on race, ethnicity, gender, and disability.

This bill would additionally require that statistical information to include specific data to determine the underutilization of groups based on veteran status, as specified. The bill would also require that data analysis to include specific information pertaining to veteran status.

The people of the State of California do enact as follows:

SECTION 1.  

Section 19792 of the Government Code is amended to read:

19792.  

The department shall do all of the following:

(a) Provide statewide leadership, designed to achieve equal employment opportunity in the state civil service.

(b) Develop, implement, and maintain equal employment opportunity guidelines.

(c) Provide technical assistance to state agencies in the development and implementation of their equal employment opportunity programs.

(d) Review and evaluate departmental equal employment opportunity programs to ensure that they comply with state and federal statutes and regulations.

(e) Establish programs to ensure equal employment opportunity for all state job applicants and employees through broad, inclusive recruitment efforts and other measures as allowed by law.

(f) Provide statewide training to departmental equal employment opportunity officers who will conduct training on equal employment opportunity.

(g) Review, examine the validity of, and update qualifications standards, selection devices, including oral appraisal panels and veterans preference systems, and career advancement programs.

(h) Maintain a statistical information system designed to yield the data and the analysis necessary for the evaluation of equal employment opportunity within the state civil service. The statistical information shall include specific data to determine the underutilization of groups based on race, ethnicity, gender, disability, and veteran status. The statistical information shall be made available during normal working hours to all interested persons. Data generated on a regular basis shall include, but not be limited to, all of the following:

(1) Current state civil service workforce composition by race, ethnicity, gender, age, veteran status, department, salary level, occupation, and attrition rates by occupation.

(2) Current local and regional workforce and population data for groups based on race, ethnicity, gender, and age.

(i)  The data analysis referred to in subdivision (h) above shall include, but not be limited to, all of the following:

(1) Data relating to the utilization of groups based on race, ethnicity, and gender compared to their availability in the relevant labor force.

(2) Turnover data by department and occupation.

(3) Data relating to salary administration, including average salaries for groups based on race, ethnicity, gender, and disability and comparisons of salaries within state service and comparable state employment.

(4) Data on employee age, and salary level compared among groups based on race, ethnicity, gender, and disability.

(5) Data on the number of individuals of each race, ethnicity, gender, and disability who are recruited for, participate in, and pass state civil service examinations. This data shall be analyzed pursuant to the provisions of Sections 19704 and 19705.

(6) Data on the job classifications, geographic locations, separations, salaries, and other conditions of employment that provide additional information about the composition of the state civil service workforce.

(j) The data analysis referred to in subdivision (h) shall also include, but not be limited to, all of the following pertaining to veteran status:

(1) Data relating to the utilization of veterans compared to their availability in the relevant labor force.

(2) Separation data by department and major occupational groups.

(3) Data relating to salary administration, including average salaries for veterans and comparisons of salaries within state service and comparable state employment.

(4) Data on employee age, and salary level compared among groups based on veteran status.

(5) Data on the number of veterans who participate in and pass state civil service examinations. This data shall be analyzed pursuant to the provisions of Sections 19704 and 19705.

(6) Data on the recruitment efforts, major occupational groups, geographic locations, separations, salaries, and other conditions of employment that provide additional information about veterans in the state civil service workforce.

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