BILL ANALYSIS Ó
SENATE COMMITTEE ON VETERANS AFFAIRS
Senator Ben Hueso, Chair
BILL NO: AB 1397 HEARING DATE: 6/24/14
AUTHOR: Committee on Veterans Affairs
VERSION: 6/17/14
FISCAL: No
VOTE: Majority
SUBJECT
State civil service: veterans preference data.
DESCRIPTION
Existing law:
1.Requires civil service appointments to be made under a general
system based on merit ascertained by competitive examination.
(CA Constitution)
2.Authorize the Legislature to provide preference for veterans
and their surviving spouses. (CA Constitution)
3.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. (Govt
Code 18973.1)
4.Requires the Department of Human Resources (CalHR) to review,
examine the validity of, and update qualifications standards,
selection devices, including oral appraisal panels and career
advancement programs.
(Govt Code § 19792(g))
5.Requires CalHR to maintain a statistical information system
designed to yield the data and analysis necessary for
evaluating equal employment opportunity within state civil
service. The statistical information shall include specific
data to determine the underutilization of groups based on
race, ethnicity, gender, and disability. (Govt Code
19792(h))
This bill:
1. Adds the veterans preference to the list of selection
devices, which CalHR must review, examine the validity of,
and update.
2. Adds veteran status to the list of specified data collected
in order to determine underutilization of certain groups.
3. Requires the data analysis to include, but not be limited
to, the following with regard to veteran status:
a. Data relating to the utilization of veterans compared
to their availability in the relevant labor force.
b. Turnover data by department and occupation.
c. Data relating to salary administration, including
average salaries for veterans and comparisons of salaries
within state service and comparable state employment.
d. Data on employee age, and salary level compared among
groups based on veteran status.
e. Data on the number of veterans who are recruited for,
participate in, and pass state civil service examinations.
f. Data on the job classifications, geographic locations,
separations, salaries, and other conditions of employment
that provide additional information about veterans in the
state civil service workforce.
BACKGROUND
For state civil service positions, veterans preference can be
applied to a veteran's eligibility for qualifying open and open,
non-promotional examinations. As of January 1, 2013, veterans
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preference is awarded as follows:
1.Any veteran, widow or widower of a veteran, or spouse of a 100
percent disabled veteran, who achieves a passing score in an
entrance examination, shall be ranked in the top rank of the
resulting eligibility list. Any veteran who has been
dishonorably discharged or released is not eligible for
veterans preference.
2.An entrance examination is defined, under the law, as any open
competitive examination.
3.Veterans preference is not granted once a person achieves
permanent civil service status.
If a veteran competes in a state civil service examination for
which veterans preference are granted, the veteran will
automatically be added to the top rank, provided that the
individual's application for veterans preference is approved
before the eligible record is created.
Persons who are retired from the military or honorably
discharged from active duty are eligible to compete in
promotional examinations, including examinations for Career
Executive Assignments (CEA), for which they meet the minimum
qualifications as prescribed by the class specification. Those
individuals receiving passing scores have their names placed on
the promotional eligibility lists resulting from these
examinations. In evaluating minimum qualifications, related
military experience shall be considered as State civil service
experience in a class deemed comparable by CalHR, based on the
duties and responsibilities assigned.
COMMENT
Related Legislation
SB 1563 (Cannella, Ch. 768, Stats. 2012) requires that a
veteran who has completed acceptable training in the U.S. Armed
Forces as a military law enforcement officer shall receive 15
preference points in an examination for an open peace officer
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position in state employment, and states legislative intent
with regard to veterans' abilities to become state peace
officers.
AB 1729 (Yamada, Ch. 237, Stats. 2010) extends, from six months
to 12 months, the amount of time a veteran may receive
preference points on employment lists resulting from open,
nonpromotional civil service examinations.
SB 644 (Denham, Ch. 357, Stats. 2009) increases the veterans
preference points provided on open, non-promotional state civil
service entrance examinations from 10 to 15 points for disabled
veterans; and from five to 10 points for all other veterans.
AB 2550 (Blakeslee, Ch. 494, Stats. of 2006) Provided qualified
members of the California National Guard, or a widow, widower,
or spouse of a qualified member, preference points, as
specified, for any civil service employment.
SB 637 (Baca, Ch. 404, Stats.1999) made revisions to existing
law providing special preferences for the appointment of
disabled veterans.
POSITIONS
Sponsor: Author.
Support: None on file.
Oppose: None on file.
Analysis by: Wade Cooper Teasdale
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