Store Research
SENATE BILL 50 (GREENE – 1998)
CHAPTER 407, STATUTES OF 1998, SB 50
Some bill research does not include the Governor's file because at the time we researched the bill, the sitting Governor had not released his chaptered bill file. If the Governor's file is not included with this particular research, please contact our office (1-530-666-1917 or quote@legintent.com) and we will be happy to provide this file at no charge if it is available. Please Note: Governor files did not exist prior to 1943.
Upon its enactment, Senate Bill 50 affected various sections of the Education Code, Elections Code, Government Code, and Health and Safety Code regarding school construction financing. (See Exhibit A, #1l) Senator Jack O’Connell introduced the bill on December 2, 1996. (Exhibit A, #1a) He was joined with co-authors from both Houses on February 25, 1997. (See Exhibit A, #1b)
As introduced and considered in the Senate in 1997, Senate Bill 50 addressed class size reduction issues. (See Exhibit A, #1a through #1g) With these proposals, Senate Bill 50 was assigned to the Senate Committee on Education and the Assembly Committee on Education where policy issues raised by the bill were considered. (Exhibit A, #3 and #9) The fiscal ramifications of the bill were considered by the Senate Committee on Appropriations and the Assembly Committee on Appropriations. (Exhibit A, #5 and #11)
Amendments in the Assembly on March 3, and July 8, 1998 greatly revised the bill, continuing the class size reduction provisions and adding proposals for a Public Education Facilities Bond Act of 1998 and school facilities construction. (See Exhibit A, #1h and #1i) Senator O’Connell was deleted as a co-author, and co-authors Senator Betty Karnette and Assembly members Antonio Villaraigosa and Keith Olberg, with numerous other principal co-authors, remained as co-authors. (See Exhibit A, #1h and #1i)
Amendments of July 13th added developer fees to the matters covered by the bill. (See Exhibit A, #1j)
Despite the significance of the amendments of 1998, the bill was not returned to committees for hearing and analysis. Analysis and discussion of these provisions as a consequence is found in the floor analyses generated during this part of the consideration of the bill as well as in the documents gathered in committee files. (See Exhibit A, #8, #10, #12, #14 to #16, #18 through #22)
On return to the Senate the Assembly’s amendments were reviewed and rejected. (See Exhibit A, #2) Consequently, Senate Bill 50 was assigned to a Conference Committee. (Id.) The purpose of a Conference Committee is to bring together six legislators, three from each House, in an attempt to reach a compromise on a bill’s language that is acceptable to both Houses.
The Conference Committee made amendments to Senate Bill 50 in a conference report dated August 24, 1998, which were accepted by the Legislature. (See Exhibit A, #2) During the Conference Committee amendments, Senator Karnette is replaced by Senator Leroy Greene as author along with Assembly members Villaraigosa and Olberg. (See Exhibit A, #1k) Senate Bill 50 was thereafter approved by Governor Pete Wilson and was recorded by the Secretary of State as Chapter 407 of the Statutes of 1998. (See Exhibit A, #1l and #2)
Senate Bill 50 contained an urgency clause which caused the bill to become effective immediately upon enactment. The urgency clause, found in Section 37 of Chapter 407, states the reason for the urgency. (See Exhibit A, #1l, page 57)
The Office of Senate Floor Analyses Unfinished Business analysis of the July 13, 1998 version of Senate Bill 50 provided the following overview of the history of the bill:
This bill authorizes a $9.0 billion K-12 school and higher education bond to be presented to the voters November 3, 1998.
This bill also revises developer fee and mitigation procedures for school facility purposes and reforms the state program that distributes state bond funds to K-12 school districts.
Assembly Amendments delete the prior version. As it left the Senate, this bill was authored by Senator O’Connell and made changes in the Class Size Reduction Program.
(See Exhibit A, #16, page 1)