BILL ANALYSIS
AB 2412
Page 1
Date of Hearing: May 5, 2010
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION
Julia Brownley, Chair
AB 2412 (Tran) - As Amended: April 8, 2010
SUBJECT : Ronald Reagan Day
SUMMARY : Designates February 6 of each year as Ronald Reagan
Day, a day of special significance. Specifically, this bill :
1)Makes Legislative findings and declarations regarding the
life, career, contributions and death of Ronald Reagan,
including his accomplishments as both Governor of California
and President of the United States.
2)Adds February 6 of each year as Ronald Reagan Day to the list
of days having special significance.
3)Encourages all public schools and educational institutions to
observe this day and conduct exercises remembering the life of
Ronald Reagan, recognizing his accomplishments, and
familiarizing pupils with the contributions he made to this
state.
4)Requires the Governor to annually proclaim February 6 as
Ronald Reagan Day.
EXISTING LAW :
1)Requires public schools to close on or for a number of
holidays, including, January 1, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Day, Lincoln Day, Washington Day, Memorial Day, July 4, Labor
Day, Veterans Day, Thanksgiving Day, December 25, all days
appointed by the Governor or the President for a public fast,
thanksgiving or holiday, and any other day designated as a
holiday by the governing board of the school district.
2)Requires, for some specified holidays for which schools are
required to close, that schools conduct exercises or
instruction that focus students on the purpose of that
holiday.
3)Authorizes public schools to close on or for a number of other
holidays, if the governing board pursuant to an agreement
AB 2412
Page 2
under collective bargaining agrees; these include Cesar Chavez
Day and Native American Day. Also authorizes public schools
to conduct exercises or instruction that focus students on the
purpose of these holidays.
4)Requires public schools to remain open, and celebrate specific
holidays with appropriate commemorative exercises, including
the anniversary of the adoption of the Constitution of the
United States, the birthday of Luther Burbank, Susan B.
Anthony Day, and the anniversary of the death of Crispus
Attucks (Black American Day).
5)Designates a number of days as days having special
significance, when public schools are encouraged to observe
and conduct suitable commemorative exercises, as specified.
These days include the Day of the Teacher, John Muir Day,
California Poppy Day, Harvey Milk Day, and Welcome Home
Vietnam Veterans Day.
FISCAL EFFECT : This bill is keyed non-fiscal.
COMMENTS : According to the author, "Ronald Wilson Reagan was a
man of humble background who worked throughout his life serving
freedom and advancing the public good, having been employed as
an entertainer, union leader, corporate spokesman, Governor of
California, and President of the United States." The author
also states that, "Reagan's contributions have been felt the
world over as his vision of "peace through strength" led to the
end of the Cold War. Reagan's influence has been far-reaching -
lowering crime and drug use in our neighborhoods, preparing our
Armed Forces for the 21st Century, and reinvigorating American
pride. It is appropriate to honor Ronald Reagan for his many
contributions to our country and celebrate his life."
Ronald Wilson Reagan (February 6, 1911 - June 5, 2004) was the
40th President of the United States (1981-1989) and the 33rd
Governor of California (1967-1975). Reagan was born in Tampico,
Illinois, attended nearby Eureka College, worked as a sports
announcer in radio, and in the late 1930's moved to Los Angeles
to begin a career as an actor; he appeared first in films and
later television, eventually appearing in 52 movie productions.
Reagan also served twice as the president of the Screen Actors
Guild (1947-52, 1959-60). Originally a member of the Democratic
AB 2412
Page 3
Party, he switched to the Republican Party in 1962. He was
elected Governor of California in 1966 and served two terms. As
Governor of California he sought to impose tax cuts of 10 per
cent across the board, found that budgets could be cut only
slowly, and went on to preside over expanding state budgets and
some of largest tax increases in California history. He also
supported increased spending on higher education, and worked to
implement a return to the use of the death penalty. He was
defeated in a run for the Republican presidential nomination in
1968 as well as 1976, but won both the nomination and the
presidency in 1980. Shortly after taking office, he was wounded
in an assassination attempt.
His presidential administration adopted policies based on
supply-side economics, including large tax cuts, reductions in
funding for social services and cuts to education, in an effort
to promote rapid economic growth and reduce the federal deficit.
These proposals, when implemented, succeeded in lowering
inflation but led to a dramatic increase in the national debt by
1986; this effect is estimated by economists to have been
somewhere between a doubling and a quadrupling of the national
debt. He also began a large peacetime military buildup,
including the proposed construction of the Strategic Defense
Initiative; concluded a treaty with the Soviet Union to restrict
intermediate-range nuclear weapons; conducted a proxy war
against Nicaragua by supporting the counterrevolutionary
Contras; and invaded the Caribbean island nation of Grenada in
order to prevent Soviet influence. His tough stance toward the
Soviet Union and communism, along with his increasing
expenditures on the military, is generally credited with
contributing to the demise of Soviet communism and to the end of
the Cold War.
In 1994, the former president disclosed that he had been
diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease earlier in the year; he died
ten years later at the age of 93. Many public polls rank Reagan
high among former U.S. presidents in terms of approval rating,
and most surveys of presidential scholars rank him in the first
or second quartile in terms of presidential success.
This bill requires the Governor to proclaim February 6 as Ronald
Reagan Day, and designates February 6 as a day having special
significance. This bill does not result in additional average
daily attendance or funding for a school district, nor does it
result in an additional holiday or day of school closure. The
AB 2412
Page 4
designation of a day of special significance simply triggers
statutory encouragement for public schools to observe the day
and to conduct commemorative exercises suitable to the day, as
specified in law; however, the decision as to whether to observe
any day of significance or to conduct suitable commemorative
exercises is left to the local district. If this day is
observed, then suitable exercises would recognize Ronald
Reagan's life and accomplishments, as well as the contributions
that he made to this state and country.
Committee amendments: In recent years, multiple bills have been
introduced proposing to establish a specified date as a day of
special significance under the law. For example, in 2009 two
bills were introduced and ultimately chaptered, and in the
current year four bills are pending in the Legislature. Due to
the structure of the Education Code section within which the day
of special significance provisions exist, multiple bills
introduced in a single legislative year creates technical
conflicts which are difficult, and sometimes contentious, to
resolve. Committee staff recommends that this bill be amended
in order to restructure these provisions of the Education Code
so as to avoid these technical conflicts both this year and in
the future. At the same time this restructuring will clean up
previous approaches used to avoid the technical conflict. These
amendments will not have an effect on the content (or the
intent) of this bill or of existing provisions of code, but will
simply restructure these provisions.
Related legislation: AB 1775 (Furutani), pending in the Assembly
Education Committee, designates April 19 of each year as Fred
Korematsu Day of Civil Liberties and the Constitution, a day of
special significance. SB 944 (Runner and Strickland), pending
in the Assembly, is substantially similar to this bill. SB 1256
(Hancock), pending on the Senate Floor, designates January 23 of
each year as Ed Roberts Day, a day of special significance.
Previous legislation: SB 572 (Leno), Chapter 626, Statutes of
2009, designates May 22 of each year as Harvey Milk Day, a day
of special significance. AB 717 (Cook), Chapter 158, Statutes
of 2009, designates March 30 or each year as Welcome Home
Vietnam Veterans Day, as day of special significance. AB 2567
(Leno), vetoed in 2008, was substantially similar to SB 572. SB
984 (Polanco), Chapter 213, Statutes of 2000, establishes March
31 as "Cesar Chavez Day," establishes the Cesar Chavez Day of
Service and Learning grant program, which provided grants for
AB 2412
Page 5
activities that engaged school pupils in community service on
that day. AB 1953 (Baca), Chapter 637, Statutes of 1998 ,
establishes "Native American Day," authorizes public school
governing boards to close for this holiday (pursuant to a
collective bargaining agreement), and authorizes school
districts to conduct exercises or instruction that focuses
students on the contributions of Native Americans to this
country. SB 1373 (Torres), Chapter 1011, Statutes of 1994,
authorizes public school governing boards to close for "Cesar
Chavez Day" (pursuant to a collective bargaining agreement). SB
2410 (Rogers), Chapter 364, Statutes of 1990, establishes the
current list of days having special significance, when public
schools are encouraged to observe and conduct suitable
commemorative exercises, as specified.
REGISTERED SUPPORT / OPPOSITION :
Support
Traditional Values Coalition
Opposition
None on file
Analysis Prepared by : Gerald Shelton / ED. / (916) 319-2087