California Senate Bill SB309 Amended / Bill

 BILL NUMBER: SB 309AMENDED BILL TEXT AMENDED IN SENATE APRIL 14, 2009 INTRODUCED BY Senator Ducheny FEBRUARY 25, 2009 An act to amend  Sections 14302 and 14581   Section 14302  of the Public Resources Code, relating to public resources. LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST SB 309, as amended, Ducheny. Public resources:  beverage container recycling fund:  conservation corps.  (1) Existing   Existing  law requires the California Conservation Corps to select young men and women for participation in the corps program on the basis of motivation for hard work, personal development, and public service, and without regard to their prior employment or educational background. This bill would require preference for inclusion in corps membership to be given to emancipated foster youth and at-risk youth.  (2) The California Beverage Container Recycling and Litter Reduction Act requires a distributor of specified beverage containers to pay a redemption payment to the Department of Conservation for each beverage container sold or transferred for deposit in the California Beverage Container Recycling Fund. The department is authorized to make other specified expenditures from the moneys remaining in the fund after the moneys for specified purposes have been set aside.   This bill would authorize the department to expend an undetermined amount annually, upon appropriation by the Legislature, for existing and new California Conservation Corps and community conservation corps for the purposes of reopening residential corps member facilities, litter abatement, recycling, emergency response, fire brush clearance, energy conservation, green technology jobs, and related activities that educate, train, and employ at-risk youth. Because the moneys in the fund would be used for purposes other than those related to beverage containers, the bill would impose a tax.   By imposing a new tax, this bill would result in a change in state taxes for the purpose of increasing revenues within the meaning of Section 3 of Article XIII A of the California Constitution, and thus would require for passage the approval of 2/3 of the membership of each house of the Legislature.  Vote:  2/3   majority  . Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: yes. State-mandated local program: no. THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS: SECTION 1. The Legislature finds and declares all of the following: (a) The California Conservation Corps provides critical emergency response work, including fighting fires and floods, that protects the health and safety of the state. (b) For over 30 years, the California Conservation Corps has conserved the state's natural resources through the use of California' s young men and women. This has been beneficial not only to the youth of the state by providing them with educational and work opportunities, but also to the state economy and its environment. (c) The California Conservation Corps provides a unique opportunity for those California youth who are not bound directly for college to follow a different path and gain needed training and experience in preparation for entrance into the workforce. SEC. 2. Section 14302 of the Public Resources Code is amended to read: 14302. (a) Young women and men shall be selected for participation in the corps program on the basis of motivation for hard work, personal development, and public service, and without regard to their prior employment or educational background. Participation shall be for a period of one year, which may be extended. (b) Preference for inclusion in corps membership shall be given to emancipated foster youth and at-risk youth. (c) The corps, in conjunction with the Employment Development Department, shall place an emphasis on developing and executing plans to assist corpsmembers in obtaining employment following their participation in the corps program. All matter omitted in this version of the bill appears in the bill as introduced in the Senate, February 25, 2009 (JR11)