BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    Ó



                                                                            



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                                    THIRD READING


          Bill No:  AB 1397
          Author:   Assembly Veterans Affairs Committee
          Amended:  6/17/14 in Senate
          Vote:     21

           
           SENATE VETERANS AFFAIRS COMMITTEE  :  6-0, 6/24/14
          AYES:  Hueso, Knight, Correa, Lieu, Nielsen, Roth
          NO VOTE RECORDED:  Block

           SENATE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE  :  Senate Rule 28.8

           ASSEMBLY FLOOR  :  71-0, 5/24/13 - See last page for vote


           SUBJECT  :    State civil service:  veterans preference data

           SOURCE  :     Author


           DIGEST  :    This bill adds veterans preference to the list of  
          selection devices that the Department of Human Resources (CalHR)  
          must review and examine the validity of, and adds veterans  
          status to the list of specified data collected in order to  
          determine utilization of certain groups.

           ANALYSIS  :    Existing law:

          1. Requires civil service appointments to be made under a  
             general system based on merit ascertained by competitive  
             examination. 

          2. Authorizes the Legislature to provide preference for veterans  
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             and their surviving spouses. 

          3. Requires a veteran to be ranked in the top rank of the  
             resulting eligibility list, whenever any veteran achieves a  
             passing score on an entrance examination. 

          4. Requires CalHR to review, examine the validity of, and update  
             qualifications standards, selection devices, including oral  
             appraisal panels and career advancement programs. 

          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.

          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;  
                and







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             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 examinations.   
          As of January 1, 2013, veterans preference is awarded as  
          follows:

          1. Any veteran, widow or widower of a veteran, or spouse of a  
             100% 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, 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.








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           Related legislation
           
          SB 1563 (Cannella, Chapter 768, Statutes of 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  
          position in state employment, and states legislative intent with  
          regard to veterans' abilities to become state peace officers.

          AB 1729 (Yamada, Chapter 237, Statutes of 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, Chapter 357, Statutes of 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, Chapter 494, Statutes of 2006) provides  
          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. 

           FISCAL EFFECT  :    Appropriation:  No   Fiscal Com.:  Yes    
          Local:  No

           ASSEMBLY FLOOR  : 71-0, 5/24/13
          AYES: Achadjian, Alejo, Allen, Ammiano, Atkins, Bigelow, Bloom,  
            Blumenfield, Bocanegra, Bonilla, Bradford, Brown, Buchanan,  
            Ian Calderon, Campos, Chau, Chávez, Chesbro, Conway, Cooley,  
            Dahle, Daly, Dickinson, Donnelly, Eggman, Fong, Fox, Frazier,  
            Beth Gaines, Garcia, Gatto, Gomez, Gordon, Gorell, Gray,  
            Hagman, Hall, Harkey, Jones, Jones-Sawyer, Levine, Linder,  
            Logue, Lowenthal, Maienschein, Mansoor, Medina, Melendez,  
            Mitchell, Morrell, Mullin, Muratsuchi, Nazarian, Nestande,  
            Olsen, Pan, Patterson, Perea, V. Manuel Pérez, Quirk,  
            Quirk-Silva, Rendon, Salas, Stone, Ting, Wagner, Weber,  
            Wieckowski, Williams, Yamada, John A. Pérez
          NO VOTE RECORDED: Bonta, Grove, Roger Hernández, Holden,  
            Skinner, Waldron, Wilk, Vacancy, Vacancy









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          AL:d  8/7/14   Senate Floor Analyses 

                         SUPPORT/OPPOSITION:  NONE RECEIVED

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