BILL ANALYSIS �
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|SENATE RULES COMMITTEE | AB 1397|
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THIRD READING
Bill No: AB 1397
Author: Assembly Veterans Affairs Committee
Amended: 8/13/14 in Senate
Vote: 21
SENATE VETERANS AFFAIRS COMMITTEE : 6-0, 6/24/14
AYES: Hueso, Knight, Correa, Lieu, Nielsen, Roth
NO VOTE RECORDED: Block
SENATE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE : Senate Rule 28.8
ASSEMBLY FLOOR : 71-0, 5/24/13 - See last page for vote
SUBJECT : State civil service: veterans preference data
SOURCE : Author
DIGEST : This bill adds veterans preference to the list of
selection devices that the Department of Human Resources (CalHR)
must review and examine the validity of, and adds veterans
status to the list of specified data collected in order to
determine utilization of certain groups.
Senate Floor Amendments of 8/13/14 make minor changes to the
specifications of types of data to be collected and analyzed.
ANALYSIS : Existing law:
1. Requires civil service appointments to be made under a
general system based on merit ascertained by competitive
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examination.
2. Authorizes the Legislature to provide preference for veterans
and their surviving spouses.
3. Requires a veteran to be ranked in the top rank of the
resulting eligibility list, whenever any veteran achieves a
passing score on an entrance examination.
4. Requires CalHR to review, examine the validity of, and update
qualifications standards, selection devices, including oral
appraisal panels and career advancement programs.
5. Requires CalHR to maintain a statistical information system
designed to yield the data and analysis necessary for
evaluating equal employment opportunity within state civil
service. The statistical information shall include specific
data to determine the underutilization of groups based on
race, ethnicity, gender, and disability.
This bill:
1. Adds the veterans preference to the list of selection
devices, which CalHR must review, examine the validity of,
and update.
2. Adds veteran status to the list of specified data collected
in order to determine underutilization of certain groups.
3. Requires the data analysis to include, but not be limited to,
the following with regard to veteran status:
A. Data relating to the utilization of veterans compared
to their availability in the relevant labor force;
B. Separation data by department and major occupational
groups;
C. Data relating to salary administration, including
average salaries for veterans and comparisons of salaries
within state service and comparable state employment;
D. Data on employee age, and salary level compared among
groups based on veteran status;
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E. Data on the number of veterans who participate in, and
pass state civil service examinations; and
F. Data on the recruitment efforts, major occupational
groups, geographic locations, separations, salaries, and
other conditions of employment that provide additional
information about veterans in the state civil service
workforce.
Background
For state civil service positions, veterans preference can be
applied to a veteran's eligibility for qualifying examinations.
As of January 1, 2013, veterans preference is awarded as
follows:
1. Any veteran, widow or widower of a veteran, or spouse of a
100% disabled veteran, who achieves a passing score in an
entrance examination, shall be ranked in the top rank of the
resulting eligibility list. Any veteran who has been
dishonorably discharged or released is not eligible for
veterans preference.
2. An entrance examination is defined, under the law, as any
open competitive examination.
3. Veterans preference is not granted once a person achieves
permanent civil service status.
If a veteran competes in a state civil service examination for
which veterans preference are granted, the veteran will
automatically be added to the top rank, provided that the
individual's application for veterans preference is approved
before the eligible record is created.
Persons who are retired from the military or honorably
discharged from active duty are eligible to compete in
promotional examinations, including examinations for Career
Executive Assignments, for which they meet the minimum
qualifications as prescribed by the class specification. Those
individuals receiving passing scores have their names placed on
the promotional eligibility lists resulting from these
examinations. In evaluating minimum qualifications, related
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military experience shall be considered as state civil service
experience in a class deemed comparable by CalHR, based on the
duties and responsibilities assigned.
Related legislation
SB 1563 (Cannella, Chapter 768, Statutes of 2012) requires that
a veteran who has completed acceptable training in the U.S.
Armed Forces as a military law enforcement officer shall receive
15 preference points in an examination for an open peace officer
position in state employment, and states legislative intent with
regard to veterans' abilities to become state peace officers.
AB 1729 (Yamada, Chapter 237, Statutes of 2010) extends, from
six months to 12 months, the amount of time a veteran may
receive preference points on employment lists resulting from
open, nonpromotional civil service examinations.
SB 644 (Denham, Chapter 357, Statutes of 2009) increases the
veterans preference points provided on open, non-promotional
state civil service entrance examinations from 10 to 15 points
for disabled veterans; and from five to 10 points for all other
veterans.
AB 2550 (Blakeslee, Chapter 494, Statutes of 2006) provides
qualified members of the California National Guard, or a widow,
widower, or spouse of a qualified member, preference points, as
specified, for any civil service employment.
FISCAL EFFECT : Appropriation: No Fiscal Com.: Yes
Local: No
ASSEMBLY FLOOR : 71-0, 5/24/13
AYES: Achadjian, Alejo, Allen, Ammiano, Atkins, Bigelow, Bloom,
Blumenfield, Bocanegra, Bonilla, Bradford, Brown, Buchanan,
Ian Calderon, Campos, Chau, Ch�vez, Chesbro, Conway, Cooley,
Dahle, Daly, Dickinson, Donnelly, Eggman, Fong, Fox, Frazier,
Beth Gaines, Garcia, Gatto, Gomez, Gordon, Gorell, Gray,
Hagman, Hall, Harkey, Jones, Jones-Sawyer, Levine, Linder,
Logue, Lowenthal, Maienschein, Mansoor, Medina, Melendez,
Mitchell, Morrell, Mullin, Muratsuchi, Nazarian, Nestande,
Olsen, Pan, Patterson, Perea, V. Manuel P�rez, Quirk,
Quirk-Silva, Rendon, Salas, Stone, Ting, Wagner, Weber,
Wieckowski, Williams, Yamada, John A. P�rez
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NO VOTE RECORDED: Bonta, Grove, Roger Hern�ndez, Holden,
Skinner, Waldron, Wilk, Vacancy, Vacancy
AL:d 8/13/14 Senate Floor Analyses
SUPPORT/OPPOSITION: NONE RECEIVED
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