Sen. Portantino’s Senate Bill 830 would have transformed school funding in California by funding districts based on enrollment rather than attendance, and SB 387 would have required local educational agencies to train their classified and certificated employees that work directly with students on youth behavioral health by 2025. Neither bill included the necessary funding to make their policies a reality at the school district level, and without that funding both bills raised fundamental questions as to whether either policy was attainable. As a result, CSBA had taken an Oppose unless Amended position and was engaging with the author on both bills, which were expected to feature prominently in the Legislature’s final month. Instead, both were held in committee and — since this is the second year of the two-year 2021–22 legislative session — will not move forward.
The choice to hold the bills touched off a heated exchange between the two legislators during the Assembly hearing. The following day, the Senate Education Committee declined to hear three of Assemblymember O’Donnell’s bills, including Assembly Bill 2034, a bill sponsored by CSBA, which would have expanded access to school-based health and mental health services by encouraging more schools to participate in the Local Educational Agency Medi-Cal Billing Option Program.
Likewise AB 2295 (Bloom, D-Santa Monica), a bill aimed at addressing both the educator and housing shortages by removing bureaucratic hurdles and increasing incentives for school districts to develop education workforce housing on vacant school property, will move forward for consideration in the Senate Appropriations Committee.
Suspense hearings are conducted without a public vote, providing a convenient place to discard politically difficult bills. Less fortunate legislation may be “held on suspense,” meaning the bill will die in the Appropriations committee. For those that survive, the Legislature will take up all remaining legislation in floor votes of the full Senate and Assembly in a race to beat the clock before the session ends on Aug. 31.
When the clock strikes midnight on Aug. 31, all eyes will turn to Gov. Gavin Newsom, who will have until Sept. 30 to sign or veto all bills sent to his desk.