Graduation dress code bill and other key measures vetoed as 2017 session ends
Published: October 18, 2017
Gov. Jerry Brown has now taken action on all 2017 legislation sent to his desk, officially closing out the 2017 legislative year before the Senate and Assembly reconvene on January 3, 2018.
Click here to view all 2017 bills with CSBA positions. Veto messages and signing messages from the Governor are included where applicable.
(Note: Each vetoed bill includes a message from the Governor; messages accompanying signed bills are uncommon, but are used occasionally.)
With four minutes left until his midnight deadline on Oct. 15, the Governor announced that he had vetoed Assembly Bill 233 (Gloria, D-San Diego), a CSBA-opposed bill which would have limited the ability of local boards to establish and enforce cohesive dress codes for graduation ceremonies.
Leaning on local control in his veto message, Gov. Brown proclaimed, “To the extent that there is a dispute about what a student can wear at school graduation ceremonies, I believe those closest to the problem — principals and democratically elected school boards —are in the best position to make wise judgments.”
On Friday, Oct. 13, the Governor vetoed the CSBA-sponsored Senate Bill 527 (Galgiani, D-Stockton), which would have added a much-needed cost-of-living adjustment for home-to-school transportation. His veto message can be viewed here.
“While the Governor’s veto was not unexpected, this underscores the need to continue working toward a comprehensive, long-term solution to help school districts and county offices of education meet the transportation needs of their students,” said Teri Burns, CSBA legislative advocate.
CSBA’s other two sponsored 2017 bills were signed by Gov. Brown: AB 1354 (Kiley, R-Roseville), an Education Code “cleanup” bill was signed in July, and SB 751 (Hill & Glazer) was signed on Oct. 11 as a legislative solution to the school district reserve cap.
2017 bills vetoed by Gov. Brown include:
AB 17 (Holden, D-Pasadena) would have created a new grant program for local transit agencies to provide free and reduced-priced fares for low-income students. The Governor called for a “fuller discussion” on transit discounts before creating new programs. Veto message
AB 45 (Thurmond, D-Richmond) would have created a new grants and loans program for developers to create affordable rental housing for school district employees. Veto message
AB 189 (Low, D-Campbell) and AB 858 (Dababneh, D-Encino) would have directed the Instructional Quality Commission to adopt model curriculum on student service learning, and established the California Financial Literacy Initiative, respectively. In his veto messages (here and here), Gov. Brown opined that both were unnecessary, as the topics are covered in the History-Social Science Framework.
AB 568 (Gonzalez Fletcher, D-San Diego) would have required at least six weeks of maternity leave for certificated and classified school employees. Veto message
AB 621 (Bocanegra, D-Pacoima) would have created a fund to allow classified school employees to voluntarily contribute earnings for the purposes of providing income during times when these employees are not receiving a salary, with employee contributions matched two-to-one by the state. An Assembly analysis estimated that state Proposition 98 costs could have reached $200 million annually. Veto message
AB 1029 (Weber, D-San Diego) would have required school safety planning committees to include one or more individuals with expertise in the social-emotional health of children and youth; the Governor leans on local control in his veto message.
SB 169 (Jackson, D-Santa Barbara) would have codified federal Title IX regulations pertaining to sexual harassment and sexual assault into California law; the Governor issued an extensive veto message on the matter.
SB 494 (Hueso, D-San Diego) would have established the Golden State Reading Guarantee grant program. Veto message