BILL ANALYSIS
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|SENATE RULES COMMITTEE | SB 1057|
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THIRD READING
Bill No: SB 1057
Author: Denham (R), et al
Amended: 5/10/10
Vote: 21
SENATE VETERANS AFFAIRS COMMITTEE : 4-0, 4/13/10
AYES: Denham, Correa, Negrete McLeod, Cedillo
NO VOTE RECORDED: Wyland, Vacancy, Vacancy
SENATE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE : Senate Rule 28.8
SUBJECT : State holidays: Veterans Day: state office
closure
SOURCE : Author
DIGEST : This bill requires that public offices of the
state and state institutions including, but not limited to,
all state agencies and the Legislature, be closed on
November 11 for Veterans Day, except as specified. This
bill also states the Legislature's intent that the
University of California also be closed on November 11,
Veterans Day.
ANALYSIS : Existing law recognizes various holidays,
including November 11, known as Veterans Day. Existing law
requires that public offices of the state and state
institutions, except for the University of California, be
closed on Veterans Day.
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Under existing law, state holidays are specified in Section
6700 of the Government Code as follows:
1. Every Sunday.
2. January 1.
3. The Third Monday in January, known as "Dr. Martin
Luther King, Jr. Day."
4. February 12, known as "Lincoln Day."
5. The third Monday in February.
6. March 31, known as "Cesar Chavez Day."
7. The last Monday in May.
8. July 4.
9. The first Monday in September.
10.September 9, known as "Admission Day."
11.The second Monday in October, known as "Columbus Day."
12.November 11, known as "Veterans Day."
13.December 25.
14.Good Friday from 12 noon until 3 p.m.
15.Every day appointed by the President or Governor for a
public fast, thanksgiving, or holiday.
Current law also states that if the provisions regarding
state holidays are in conflict with provisions of a
memorandum of understanding reached pursuant to Chapter 12
(commencing with Section 3560) of Division 4 of Title 1 of
the Government Code, the memorandum of understand shall be
controlling without further legislative action.
The Senate Rules Committee, among other powers and duties,
orchestrates and oversees all functions of the Senate,
administrative or otherwise, including state holidays
observed by the Senate. The Senate Rules Committee holiday
schedule in effect for 2010 indicates that Thursday,
November 11, 2010, Veterans Day, shall be observed by the
Senate.
This bill requires that all state agencies and the
Legislature, be closed on November 11, for Veterans Day.
However, if November 11 falls on a Saturday or Sunday, the
holiday will be observed on the previous Friday or
following Monday, respectively.
This bill also states it is the intent of the Legislature
that the University of California also be closed on the
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Veterans Day holiday.
Background
Though the Treaty of Versailles was signed on June 28,
1919, November 11 remained in the public imagination as the
date that marked the end of the Great War. In November
1918, United States President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed
November 11 as the first commemoration of Armistice Day.
The day's observation included parades and public
gatherings, as well as a brief pause in business activities
at 11 a.m.
On June 4, 1926, Congress passed a resolution that the
"recurring anniversary of November 11, 1918, should be
commemorated with thanksgiving and prayer and exercises
designed to perpetuate peace through good will and mutual
understanding between nations." By that time, 27 state
legislatures had made November 11 a legal holiday.
An act approved on May 13, 1938, made November 11 a legal
Federal holiday, "dedicated to the cause of world peace and
to be hereafter celebrated and known as 'Armistice Day.'"
In 1954, the 83rd United States Congress amended the 1938
act that had made Armistice Day a holiday, striking the
word "Armistice" in favor of "Veterans." President Dwight
D. Eisenhower signed the legislation on June 1, 1954, and
from then on, November 11 became a day to honor American
veterans of all wars.
The Uniform Holidays Bill was passed by Congress in 1968,
which sought to ensure three-day weekends for federal
employees by celebrating four national holidays
(Washington's Birthday, Memorial Day, Veterans Day and
Columbus Day) on Mondays. It was thought that these
extended weekends would encourage travel, recreational and
cultural activities and stimulate greater industrial and
commercial production. The observation of Veterans Day was
set as the fourth Monday in October. Many states
disapproved of this change and continued to observe the
holiday on its original date.
In 1975, after it became evident that the actual date of
Veterans Day carried historical and patriotic significance
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to many Americans, President Gerald R. Ford signed a new
law returning the observation of Veterans Day to November
11, starting in 1978. If November 11 falls on a Saturday
or Sunday, the federal government observes the holiday on
the previous Friday or following Monday, respectively.
There are no United States national holidays because the
states retain the right to designate their own, and the
federal government can only designate holidays for federal
employees and for the District of Columbia. In practice,
however, states almost always follow the federal lead.
Comments
According to the author, "SB 1057 was inspired by a
letter-to-the-editor in the Sacramento Bee (11/16/09) from
Marian Forness of Rancho Cordova, whose late husband served
this country in the United States Air Force for 20 years.
She noted in her letter that the State Senate took Friday,
November 13, 2009 off instead of Veterans Day on Wednesday,
November 11, so it could have a three-day weekend."
FISCAL EFFECT : Appropriation: No Fiscal Com.: Yes
Local: No
SUPPORT : (Verified 5/28/10)
American Legion, Department of California
AMVETS, Department of California
California Association of County Veterans Service Officers
Vietnam Veterans of America, California State Council
TSM:mw 5/28/10 Senate Floor Analyses
SUPPORT/OPPOSITION: SEE ABOVE
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