BILL ANALYSIS
SB 471
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Date of Hearing: August 19, 2009
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
Kevin De Leon, Chair
SB 471 (Romero) - As Amended: July 15, 2009
Policy Committee: Education Vote:7-2
Urgency: No State Mandated Local Program:
No Reimbursable: No
SUMMARY
This bill establishes the California Stem Cell and Biotechnology
Education and Workforce Development Act of 2009 (the Act) to
promote stronger links among industry sectors, the California
Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM), and public schools.
Specifically, this bill:
1)Requires the State Department of Education (SDE), in
consultation with CIRM and representatives of the
biotechnology industry, to promote stem cell and biotechnology
education and workforce development in specified existing SDE
programs, including the following: (a) the California Health
Science Educators Institute, (b) the Health Science Capacity
Building Project, (c) Partnership Academies (PA) programs, (d)
regional occupational center resource (ROC/P) programs, (e)
the California Career Resource Network (CalCRN), (f) multiple
pathway programs, and (g) the K-12 High Speed Network.
2)Requires SDE to post specified information related to
biotechnology programs, CIRM education initiatives, and
related stem cell and workforce development programs on its
Internet website, including its website devoted to career
technical education (CTE) programs.
3)Requires the State Board of Education (SBE) to incorporate
stem cell science curriculum content into the science
curriculum framework, evaluation criteria, and instructional
materials at its next revision and adoption.
4)Requests the University of California (UC) Regents to consult
with CIRM and representatives of the biotechnology industry in
developing curriculum for the California State Summer School
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for Mathematics and Science.
5)Requests the Independent Citizens Oversight Committee (ICOC),
when allocating funds for stem cell research and facilities,
to consider education and workforce development in addition to
other criteria, with the goal of furthering the purpose of
this Act.
FISCAL EFFECT
Potential GF administrative costs, of approximately $700,000, to
the State Department of Education (SDE) to complete the
requirements of this measure. This assumes a portion or all of
the Commission's funding is restored to complete the development
of the science curriculum framework, as specified. The governor
vetoed all GF funding for the Commission and indicated his
intention to do so for the next several years (see comment #4
below).
COMMENTS
1)Purpose . In November 2004, voters approved Proposition 71:
the California Stem Cell Research and Cures Initiative, which
authorizes the state to sell $3 billion in general obligation
(G.O.) bonds to provide funding for stem cell research in
California. The issue was put before the voters to address
federal restrictions on the use of human embryonic stem cells.
CIRM, which is governed by the ICOC, is required to award
grants and loans and to adopt governance, scientific, medical
and regulatory standards regarding stem cell research in
California. According to CIRM, as of July 2009, it has
awarded a total of 295 grants (research and facility) to
various California entities, including UC and California State
Universities, for a total of $761.6 million. Furthermore,
CIRM's 2008 Annual Report states: "Another $1.15 billion has
been authorized for the construction of new stem cell research
facilities and faculty hiring (including $880 million in donor
and institutional matching funds). These facilities are
scheduled for completion in 2010."
According to the author, "California will fully realize the
medical and economic promise of regenerative medicine only if
it has a workforce with the education and technical training
necessary to translate discoveries into therapies and cures.
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Recent reports predict a shortage of trained professionals to
fill jobs in the biotechnology and life sciences sector and a
more general shortage of workers with the college education or
technical training needed to meet industry demands."
This bill establishes the Act to promote stem cell and
biotechnology education and workforce development in specified
existing SDE programs.
2)Existing law establishes several programs that either directly
provide or facilitate CTE in public schools. This bill
requires SDE, in consultation with CIRM and the biotechnology
industry, to promote stem cell and biotechnology education and
workforce development in specified existing SDE programs. Two
of the programs specified in this measure, the PA program and
ROC/Ps, have been reduced by 19.8% each in the 2009-10 FY.
3)Should Proposition 71 funds be used to further the purposes of
this Act ? Proposition 71 states as its purpose: "To make
grants and loans for stem cell research, for research
facilities, and for other vital research opportunities to
realize therapies, protocols, and/or medical procedures that
will result in, as speedily as possible, the cure for, and/or
substantial mitigation of, major diseases, injuries, and
orphan diseases."
California voters passed Proposition 71 to provide $3 billion
in G.O. bonds for the direct funding of stem cell research,
which includes facilities. This bill requests the ICOC, when
allocating funds for stem cell research and facilities, to
consider education and workforce development in addition to
other criteria, with the goal of furthering the purpose of
this Act. The committee may wish to consider whether or not
it is appropriate to establish criteria regarding the
allocation of Proposition 71 funds for education and workforce
issues.
4)AB 2 X4 (Evans), Chapter 2, Statutes of 2009 , specified that
local education agencies are not required to purchase IM
through the 2012-13 fiscal year. Consistent with the
non-purchasing requirement, Chapter 2 also suspended the
requirement for SBE to adopt IM or conduct other procedures
associated with adoption (i.e., adopting curriculum
frameworks) until the 2013-14 school year.
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Prior to the enactment of AB 2 X4, the next science curriculum
framework was scheduled for adoption in September 2010, with
IM for this subject to be adopted in 2012. However, this
timeline is no longer relevant and the next adoption of this
framework would be in 2016.
5)Governor's July 2009 budget veto . The Curriculum Commission
is an 18-member advisory board to SBE. Commissioners tend to
be recognized authorities in a specific subject matter,
professors, curriculum experts, K-12 teachers, or community
members. The commission advises SBE on the K-12 curriculum
frameworks and K-8 IM. In doing so, it serves as a kind of
intermediary between the field experts and SBE. The commission
holds a public hearing on a framework after the Subject Matter
Committee hearing and before the SBE hearing on the framework.
In July 2009, the governor vetoed $705,000 GF from SDE's
budget "to capture the maximum amount of savings from the
instructional materials flexibility provided in the Education
trailer bill [AB 2 X4] to school districts, which suspends the
adoption of instructional materials by the State Board of
Education (Board) and the subsequent purchasing requirements
for school districts until 2013-14. As a result, it is
unnecessary for the Curriculum Development and Supplemental
Materials Commission to continue to advise the Board on
content frameworks and instructional materials adoptions for
the next five years or until an agreed-upon process is
reestablished. This reduction removes funding for unnecessary
Commission per diem and travel as well as funding for
Department staff."
Analysis Prepared by : Kimberly Rodriguez / APPR. / (916)
319-2081