Trailer Bill Wednesday, July 07, 2021
Note: The item excerpted below is by Dick Ackerman (former Republican legislator) and Mel Levine (former Democratic legislator and congressman), both of whom hail from the days when there was actual bipartisanship. The pair regularly co-write articles in support of UC funding. In the item below, they reference a "trailer bill," SB 132, a bill that supplements the basic budget bill.* In fact SB 132 is a grab bag, with many provisions regarding many funding issues. The part of the bill to which they refer is reproduced below.** It is apparently supported by a union within UC but opposed by building trades unions. Note: To illustrate the "grab bag" nature of the bill, consider that the previous section deals with financial aid in summer school and the section after the one of concern deals with animal shelters. Excerpt (from CalMatters): Senate Bill 132 would stop the University of California from moving ahead with badly needed capital improvement projects unless the university submits to a costly and cumbersome annual certification process sought by one public employee union... (The) bill would withhold funds for all construction and capital improvements each year until a lengthy audit can certify that no contracted support service labor is – or ever was – employed across most UC capital projects, with no exceptions, even for emergencies or other unexpected circumstances. Such legislation should never have made it out of committee. But it is a budget “trailer bill,” which is legislation drafted after the state budget’s approval without any meaningful public notice or debate. This legislation is simply unnecessary. Senate Bill 820, which was signed into law just last year, requires the university to certify each year that UC has not contracted out any portion of work that is traditionally performed by people represented by the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees. The law applies to certain university facilities built after 2017. Instead of giving SB 820 a chance to work, proponents of SB 132 want to impose a brand-new set of requirements. They would expand certification requirements to include all capital expenditures, even those secured without state support, such as grants, private gifts and campus and hospital funds.
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UCLA Faculty Association Blog: 3rd Quarter 2021
