BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    Ó



                                                                     SB 221


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          SENATE THIRD READING


          SB  
          221 (Jackson)


          As Amended  July 9, 2015


          Majority vote


          SENATE VOTE:  40-0


           ------------------------------------------------------------------ 
          |Committee       |Votes|Ayes                  |Noes                |
          |                |     |                      |                    |
          |                |     |                      |                    |
          |                |     |                      |                    |
          |----------------+-----+----------------------+--------------------|
          |Public          |6-0  |Bonta, Waldron,       |                    |
          |Employees       |     |Cooley,               |                    |
          |                |     |                      |                    |
          |                |     |                      |                    |
          |                |     |Jones-Sawyer,         |                    |
          |                |     |O'Donnell, Rendon     |                    |
          |                |     |                      |                    |
          |----------------+-----+----------------------+--------------------|
          |Veterans        |8-0  |Irwin, Mathis, Alejo, |                    |
          |Affairs         |     |Brough, Brown, Daly,  |                    |
          |                |     |Frazier, Salas        |                    |
          |                |     |                      |                    |
          |----------------+-----+----------------------+--------------------|
          |Appropriations  |17-0 |Gomez, Bigelow,       |                    |
          |                |     |Bloom, Bonta,         |                    |
          |                |     |Calderon, Chang,      |                    |
          |                |     |Nazarian, Eggman,     |                    |








                                                                     SB 221


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          |                |     |Gallagher, Eduardo    |                    |
          |                |     |Garcia, Holden,       |                    |
          |                |     |Jones, Quirk, Rendon, |                    |
          |                |     |Wagner, Weber, Wood   |                    |
          |                |     |                      |                    |
           ------------------------------------------------------------------ 


          SUMMARY:  Provides any state employee who is hired on or after  
          January 1, 2016, and who is a military veteran with a military  
          service-connected disability rated at 30% or more with  
          additional credit for sick leave with pay of up to 96 hours, as  
          specified.  Specifically, this bill:  


          1)Provides, in addition to any other entitlement for sick leave  
            with pay, an additional credit for sick leave with pay of up  
            to 96 hours to a state officer or employee hired after January  
            1, 2016, who is a military veteran with a military  
            service-connected disability rated at 30% or more by the  
            United States Department of Veterans Affairs.


          2)Requires the additional sick leave be for the purposes of  
            undergoing medical treatment for a military service-connected  
            disability.


          3)Requires the additional sick leave to be credited on the first  
            day of the eligible employee's employment and be available for  
            use for the following 12 months of employment.


          4)Prohibits any portion of the 96 hours of additional leave not  
            used during the 12 month period from accruing to the employee  
            and provides that any unused leave upon termination of the 12  
            month period will be forfeited.










                                                                     SB 221


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          5)Permits employing agencies to require "submission of  
            satisfactory proof" that the sick leave is being used for  
            treatment of a service-connected disability, pursuant to rules  
            adopted by the Department of Human Resources.


          6)Specifies that this act shall be known, and may be cited, as  
            the California Wounded Warriors Transitional Leave Act.


          EXISTING LAW provides each state officer and employee who is  
          employed full time with one day of credit for sick leave with  
          pay following the completion of one month of continuous service.  
           Each state officer or employee is entitled to this leave with  
          pay, on the submission of satisfactory proof of the necessity  
          for sick leave as provided by rule of the department.  Unused  
          sick leave accumulates throughout the individual's employment.


          FISCAL EFFECT:  According to the Assembly Appropriations  
          Committee: 


          1)Unknown, but potentially significant General and Special Fund  
            costs to state agencies, in excess of $150,000, as a result of  
            granting additional sick leave credit; potentially minor  
            administrative costs to modify systems and procedures and  
            monitor compliance.


          2)Potential cost savings to state agencies that provide services  
            to disabled veterans to the extent the additional sick leave  
            affords those veterans greater access to their federal  
            Veterans Affairs benefits.


          COMMENTS:  According to the author, "Newly hired state employees  
          begin their careers with no sick leave, and accrue it slowly,  
          after their first month of employment, at a rate of 8 hours per  








                                                                     SB 221


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          month. As a result, disabled veterans who have recently entered  
          the workforce may not have sufficient sick leave to attend  
          medical appointments on a regular basis."


          "Many veterans are returning from Iraq and Afghanistan with  
          physical and mental health issues that require medical  
          attention. VA appointments can be very hard to get and very  
          difficult to reschedule. A shortage of mental health specialists  
          in the VA makes it particularly important to follow up and  
          attend appointments as soon as they are received."


          The author concludes, "For these disabled veterans, SB 221 will  
          mean an easier transition from military to state service. For  
          the state, this will mean a healthier and more productive  
          workforce, and a way to show our continued commitment to the men  
          and women who have served our country."




          Analysis Prepared by:                                             
                          Karon Green / P.E.,R., & S.S. / (916) 319-3957    
                                                                    FN:  
          0001639