BILL ANALYSIS
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|SENATE RULES COMMITTEE | AB 66|
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THIRD READING
Bill No: AB 66
Author: Anderson (R)
Amended: As introduced
Vote: 21
SENATE EDUCATION COMMITTEE : 9-0, 6/17/09
AYES: Romero, Huff, Alquist, Hancock, Liu, Maldonado,
Padilla, Simitian, Wyland
ASSEMBLY FLOOR : 72-0, 3/26/09 - See last page for vote
SUBJECT : Pupil work permits
SOURCE : Author
DIGEST : This bill authorizes a principal of a public or
private school to issue work permits or to designate
another administrator to issue work permits for pupils that
attend their school. It specifies the hour limitations
that apply to a work permit shall be based on the school
calendar of the school the pupil attends.
ANALYSIS : Existing law authorizes the superintendent of
a school district in which a minor resides, the chief
executive officer of a charter school, or specified school
employees authorized by the superintendent or chief
executive officer in writing, to issue a work permit to a
pupil upon receipt of a written request from a parent,
guardian, foster parent, or other specified person. A
superintendent of a school district also is authorized to
CONTINUED
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designate the principal or another person having charge of
a private school to issue work permits. Existing law
imposes limits on the number of hours per schoolday and per
week that a pupil with a work permit may work.
This bill:
1. Authorizes the principal of a public or private
school to issue work permits to pupils that attend
their school.
2. Authorizes the principal of a private or public
school to designate another administrator in the
school to issue work permits to pupils that attend
their school.
3. Specifies that if the principal of a public or
private school chooses not to issue work permits, work
permits may be issued to pupils attending that school
pursuant to paragraph (1), (3), (4), or Education Code
Section 49110.1.
4. Requires a principal who issues a work permit to
provide a self-certification that he or she
understands the requirements in existing law for
issuing a work permit; and, requires the principal to
provide copies of the application and the permit to
the superintendent of the school district in which the
school is located.
5. Prohibits an individual with authority to issue a
work permit from issuing a work permit to his or her
own child.
6. Authorizes the superintendent of a school district to
revoke a work permit issued by the principal of a
private or public school located within the district
if the superintendent becomes aware of any grounds
upon which the pupil may be deemed ineligible for a
work permit under existing law.
7. Specifies the hour limitations that apply to a work
permit issued by any of the individuals described
shall be based on the school calendar of the school
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the pupil attends.
Prior Legislation
This bill is similar to AB 2213 (Houston) of 2008. AB 2213
was vetoed by Governor Schwarzenegger with the following
veto message:
The historic delay in passing the 2008-2009 State
Budget has forced me to prioritize the bills sent to
my desk at the end of the year's legislative session.
Given the delay, I am only signing bills that are the
highest priority for California. This bill does not
meet that standard and I cannot sign it at this time.
In 2007, Senator Steinberg carried SB 406 to prevent the
issuance of work permits to those pupils whose academic
records indicate that working may lead to school failure or
the pupil dropping out of school. SB 406 would have
authorized certificated employees who were designated by a
district superintendent to issue work permits and would
have authorized a similar process for private schools. SB
406 was vetoed by the Governor with the following veto
message:
Although I understand the author's desire to require
uniform statewide criteria for the issuance of work
permits, I believe that the determination of such
criteria is best left to the discretion of local
school boards. School boards are better suited to
determine the standards that meet the unique
circumstances of their students and their communities.
Moreover, given the State's current fiscal condition
it would not be prudent to approve a measure that
results in significant reimbursable state mandated
costs. Establishing voluntary statewide criteria that
could be used as guidelines for school districts would
provide necessary flexibility, without incurring the
associated state costs.
FISCAL EFFECT : Appropriation: No Fiscal Com.: No
Local: No
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SUPPORT : (Verified 6/18/09)
Association of Christian Schools International
California Association of Private School Organizations
California Catholic Conference
California Council for Environmental and Economic Balance
California Homeschool Network
California Teachers Association
Capitol Resource Family Impact
Christian Home Educators Association of California
Church State Council of Seventh-day Adventists
Homeschool Association of California
Los Angeles Unified School District
Private Home Educators of California
OPPOSITION : (Verified 6/18/09)
California Association of Work Experience Educators
ARGUMENTS IN SUPPORT : According to the author's office,
gone are the days when every child attends their local
public school. We now have private, charter, year round,
and home schools throughout the state. The education
system has changed; it is time the state's laws reflected
these changes. There is more to education than what is
taught in the classroom, and who better to give a work
permit to a student than the principal who is familiar with
his or her GPA, attendance, and any behavioral issues and
family circumstances.
The California Association of Private School Organizations
supports the bill and argues, "We believe that school site
administrators are best suited to make determinations
regarding the issuance of student work permits. This bill
upholds this position while unburdening district
superintendents of the responsibility to make decisions
concerning students enrolled in schools with which they
have a secondary association, at best. Another important
feature of the bill is its recognition that public and
private schools do not maintain identical school, holiday
and vacation calendars. Whereas current law ties the hours
private school students are permitted to work to public
school calendars, this bill links hours of work to the
actual calendar maintained in a student's school of
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attendance."
According to the California Association of Work Experience
Educators who oppose the bill, "By allowing school
principals to issue work permits without appropriate
oversight, this measure could expose students to unsafe
working conditions and expose school district[s] to
unwarranted liability."
ARGUMENTS IN OPPOSITION : The California Association of
Work Experience Educators oppose this bill, "unless the
measure is amended to narrow its scope to private and
charter schools. In its current form, AB 66 would
eliminate Superintendent oversight in the designation of
the appropriate staff to issue work permits at public
schools. The measure would grant public school principals
the authority to issue work permits directly or designate
staff to issue work permits, potentially exposing students
to unsafe working conditions and exposing school districts
to unwarranted liability."
ASSEMBLY FLOOR :
AYES: Adams, Ammiano, Anderson, Arambula, Beall, Bill
Berryhill, Blakeslee, Block, Blumenfield, Brownley,
Buchanan, Caballero, Charles Calderon, Carter, Chesbro,
Conway, Cook, Coto, De La Torre, De Leon, DeVore, Duvall,
Emmerson, Eng, Evans, Feuer, Fong, Fuentes, Fuller,
Furutani, Gaines, Galgiani, Garrick, Gilmore, Hagman,
Hall, Harkey, Hayashi, Hernandez, Hill, Huber, Huffman,
Jeffries, Jones, Knight, Krekorian, Bonnie Lowenthal, Ma,
Mendoza, Miller, Monning, Nava, Nestande, Niello,
Nielsen, John A. Perez, V. Manuel Perez, Portantino,
Price, Ruskin, Saldana, Skinner, Smyth, Solorio, Audra
Strickland, Swanson, Torlakson, Torres, Torrico, Tran,
Villines, Bass
NO VOTE RECORDED: Tom Berryhill, Davis, Fletcher, Lieu,
Logue, Salas, Silva, Yamada
DLW:nl 6/18/09 Senate Floor Analyses
SUPPORT/OPPOSITION: SEE ABOVE
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