BILL ANALYSIS
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|SENATE COMMITTEE ON RULES | 2009-2010 Regular |
| |Session |
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SENATOR Darrell Steinberg , CHAIRMAN
_____________________staff analysis
Fiscal: No
Hearing: June 24, 2009
Urgency: Yes
BILL NO: AB 573
AUTHOR: Portantino
AMENDED: April 28, 2009
SUBJECT : California Council on Science and Technology:
fellows
SOURCE : California Council on Science and Technology
(CCST)
DIGEST : This bill would clarify that the services of a
California Science and Technology Policy Fellow provided by
the California Council on Science and Technology and
authorized by the Senate Committee on Rules, the Assembly
Committee on Rules, or the Joint Committee on Rules are not
compensation, a reward, or a gift to a Member of the
Legislature. The bill would also clarify that a fellow is
not an employee of either house of the Legislature. In
addition, the bill would require that a fellow be selected
according to criteria, and pursuant to a process, approved
by the Senate Committee on Rules, the Assembly Committee on
Rules, or the Joint Committee on Rules. The bill would
further require the council to execute a Memorandum of
Understanding with the Senate Committee on Rules, the
Assembly Committee on Rules, or the Joint Committee on
Rules that outlines standards of conduct, economic interest
disclosure requisites, and other requirements for a fellow.
ANALYSIS : Current law states that no member or employee of
the legislature can "receive or agree to receive, directly
or indirectly, any compensation, reward, or gift from any
source except the State of California for any service,
advice, assistance or other matter related to the
Continued
AB 573
Page 2
legislative process," except under specified circumstances.
This bill would add a section to the Government Code
providing an exception to current law that the California
Science and Technology Policy Fellows should not be
considered a reward, gift, or compensation, and that the
Fellows are not employees of the legislature.
This bill also creates two requirements for the fellowship
program:
1. That the fellows are selected according to criteria
and pursuant to a process approved by the Senate
Committee on Rules, the Assembly Committee on Rules,
or the Joint Committee on Rules.
2. That the fellows be subject to a Memorandum of
Understanding executed by CCST with the Senate
Committee on Rules, the Assembly Committee on Rules,
or the Joint Committee on Rules that outlines the
"standards of conduct, economic interest disclosure
requisites and other requirements specified" or other
requirements deemed necessary by the Senate Committee
on Rules, the Assembly Committee on Rules, or the
Joint Committee on Rules.
COMMENTS :
California Council on Science and Technology:
The CCST, sponsor of the bill, is a nonprofit and
nonpartisan corporation established in 1988 by the
legislature (ACR 162, Resolution Chapter 148, Statutes of
1988) "to provide expert science and technology expertise
and advice." Their letter of support states that the
California Science and Technology Policy Fellows is a
method to further its legislative mandate.
CCST is governed by a Board of Directors, representing many
of the educational institutions in California, such as the
University of California, California State University,
California Community Colleges, the University of Southern
California, Stanford, and the California Institute of
Technology.
AB 573
Page 3
California Science and Technology Fellowships:
These fellowships would be modeled after the 35-year old
Congressional Fellows Program of the American Association
for the Advancement of Science. The pilot program would
begin in the fall of 2009. A Fellow Training Program would
be implemented for 10 fellows per year. Fellows would be
Ph.D.-level or equivalent students. Each fellow would
serve a one-year appointment with an individual legislator.
Placements would be determined by the legislature.
Fellows would be selected by CCST based on the
recommendations of a selection committee created for this
purpose.
CCST recently received a $7 million grant from the Gordon
and Betty Moore Foundation, among others, that would fund
the placement of 10 fellows per year beginning in December
2009. Fellows would be paid a stipend by CCST, and would
be directly supervised by the legislator or committee with
whom they will serve. Terms of selection, conduct, roles,
responsibilities, and termination must be agreed upon by
CCST with the Legislature. The bill requires that these
terms be agreed upon before placement of fellows within the
legislature.
Precedent:
The California Science and Technology Policy Fellowships
would be the first program in the nation to place
Ph.D-level (or equivalent) scientists and engineers in a
formal fellowship program of a state legislature. It would
also set a precedent of allowing non-state funded personnel
to act as staff, as existing fellowship programs are state
funded.
Bill History:
This bill received no opposition in the Assembly Committees
on Higher Education and Rules and passed without opposition
on the Assembly Floor.
SUPPORT :
BayBio
California Association for Local Economic Development
AB 573
Page 4
California Council on Science and Technology (sponsor)
California Space Authority
California State University, Los Angeles
Larta Institute
Southern California Biomedical Council
Stanford University
The California State University
University of California
University of Southern California
OPPOSE :
No opposition on file
SENATE RULES COMMITTEE: Sandy Kenyon/651-4153
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