MONTHLY REPORT Government Relations
June2016
I.Contract Deliverable 1: Strategic planning and analysis of political and policy-making situations, including potential sponsored legislation based on SELPA Administrators of California’s goals
a.Had CCS planning call with members of the Executive and Legislative Committee to prep for June 15th meeting with the Department of Health Care Services.
II.Contract Deliverable 2: Attending legislative/regulatory hearings as necessary, and preparing and presenting testimony
a.Testified or coordinated testimony in the following committees on the following bills:
SB 1113 (Beall) – Assembly Education and Assembly Health Committees (double referred)
SB 884 (Beall) – Assembly Education Committee
AB 2785 (O’Donnell) – Senate Education Committee
AB 2091 (Lopez) – Senate Education Committee
III.Contract Deliverable 3: Working with coalitions to strengthen SELPA Administrators of California’s advocacy position
a.Held phone calls and meetings with CTA, CSBA, CAFSE, ACSA, LAUSD, and Riverside USD regarding strategy to oppose SB 884 (Beall).
b.Met with Kristin Wright, State Board of Education, about various special education bills they will be analyzing for the Governor.
IV.Contract Deliverable 4: Opposing legislation that may have an adverse impact on SELPA Administrators of California’s interests
a.Met with Assembly Education Committee staff and Senator Beall’s office to discuss amendments to SB 1113. Amendments were successfully adopted to make it clear that AB 114 funds may not be used for the purpose of EPSDT pilot programs.
b.Met with Assembly Member Lopez’s staff regarding recent amendments AB 2091 and remaining concerns. A stakeholder meeting will take place in July to further negotiate on the bill.
c.Had multiple meetings with Assembly Education Committee staff regarding amendments to SB 884 (Beall). The bill has been significantly gutted but our opposition remains and we will push for further amendments to mitigate the impact of this bill as much as possible.
V.Contract Deliverable 5: Budget advocacy as necessary to ensure that SELPA Administrator resources are maintained
a.Drafted and submitted letter to the Budget Conference Committee on MTSS item and trailer language in the budget process. The final budget, which was passed on time before the June 15th deadline, included $20 million for this program to be administered by the Orange County Office of Education.
VI.Contract Deliverable 6: Scheduling and facilitating meetings between key state officials and SELPA Administrators of California’s representatives
a.Attended meeting with Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) Director Jennifer Kent and two DHCS Divisions chiefs with SELPA representatives regarding CCS issues. A line of communication has been initiated on this issue with channels for troubleshooting and resolving conflicts in the future.
VII.Contract Deliverable 7: Providing meeting recaps, legislative reports, and policy papers with recommended action
a.Distributed weekly federal updates from EMG group.
b.Sent budget and legislative updates to the Legislative Committee and Executive Committee members.
VIII.Contract Deliverable 8: Composing legislative summaries and public presentations for SELPA Administrators of California as needed
a.Drafted monthly GRR report.
IX.Attending and staffing regular SELPA legislative committee calls, and working closely with your members to analyze and form positions on bills, draft amendments, and develop legislative strategies
a.Attended Legislative Committee call on June 16th.
b.Updated legislative matrix with SELPA positions.
Major Upcoming Deadlines: July 4th is the last day for policy committees to meet and report bills to the floor. Summer Recess begins upon adjournment.