Allison Olson, CFRW Advocate
Capitol Update
Friday, October 30, 2009
California Federation of Republican Women
Kathleen Brugger, President
Water Watch 2009
Finally! There are not one, but two bills in print regarding the water crisis. One is authored by Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg (D-6) and the other was introduced by Senator Cogdill (R-14). But with the two conflicting bills, there are still problems to overcome. Both bills include finance plans that would be a big addition to our state’s budget. To view both proposals, visit here for Senator Steinberg’s bill, and here for Senator Cogdill’s bill. The Senate is in the seventh extraordinary session within the special session. There may be a vote as early as next week, but with so much at stake, there is still much to resolve for our state’s water issues.
Senior Legislature
Every October, the California Senior Legislature meets to discuss the “quality of life for aging Californians”. 80 “Senior” Assembly members and 40 “Senior” Senators will sift through 60 legislative proposals at the state and federal level that deal with the aging population. The California Senior Legislature, or CSL, has been established since 1981 and are in their 29th Session. The 120 members are elected by their peers in the legislature to serve on the California Senior Legislature each year. The CSL is funded for by contributions, not taxes. The CSL strives to adopt at least 10 proposals by our state’s lawmakers concerning the welfare of the senior population. For a list of those proposals, visit here
2010 Ballot Update
So far, three legislative measures have qualified for the June 2010 Statewide Primary ballot. No initiative measures have qualified yet, but there are currently 19 measures in circulation with the Secretary of State’s Office. The measures on the ballot are:
AB 583 (Hancock, D-14) Political Reform Act: Would allow candidates for Secretary of State to qualify for public campaign financing.
SCA 4 (Maldonado, R-15) Top Two Primaries Act: Would allow open primary elections instead of partisan elections, where the voter nominates the top two candidates to compete in the general election.
SCA 4 (Ashburn, R-18) Seismic Retrofitting Exclusion: Would exclude seismic retrofitting of a structure as “new construction” under property tax laws, so that those upgrades would not be taxed.
Stay tuned, we will keep you updated as the initiative measures qualify for the June 2010 Primary ballot.
Happy Halloween!
Your CFRW Legislative Advocate wishes everyone a safe and happy Halloween! Enjoy your time with family and friends. I will be dressing up as our state’s budget… it was the scariest things I could think of! BOO!
Follow Me On Twitter!
At our CFRW Biennial Convention last weekend, we announced that we’ve hopped on the Twitter bandwagon! With this new media technology, I am able to disseminate legislative updates and CFRW actions faster and more efficiently. Get online and receive my Twitter updates at www.twitter.com/CFRWadvocate. See you there!
HR 3200 Info
Fairbanks RWF prepared a spectacular booklet of information about the proposed health care reform that would serve as a valuable tool for your use in talking to your friends and neighbors, and in preparation for attendance at townhall meetings.
If you would like a personal copy, please email the advocacy office and we will email a pdf copy to you.
Tracking Legislation
Although we are unable to give our members access to our web-based bill tracking service, there is a way you can find and monitor California legislation. You can access that information on the internet by going to the Legislature Home Page and completing the information on the right side by either indicating the bill number, the author, or key words. You can then subscribe to an email update and you will be notified when there is action on legislation of interest to you.
Disclaimer: The Capitol Update is an activity of the CFRW Advocate’s Office. The update is for information only. CFRW official positions on legislation are stated immediately preceding the stated legislation or immediately following the stated legislation in this report.
