AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY MAY 16, 2019

CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2019–2020 REGULAR SESSION

96

CHAPTER 447

Statutes of 2019

[ Approved by Governor October 2, 2019. Filed with Secretary of State October 2, 2019. ]

Introduced by Assembly Member Cooper

February 21, 2019

An act to add Section 19057.2 to the Government Code, relating to state employment.

Vote: majority   Appropriation: no   Fiscal committee: yes   Local program: no

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL’S DIGEST

Existing law, the State Civil Service Act, regulates employment with the state and vests in the Department of Human Resources all powers, duties, and authority necessary to operate the state civil service system. Existing law requires that appointments to state employment generally be made from lists of eligible candidates established pursuant to competitive examinations, which may be administered by an appointing power designated by the department. Existing law requires the department to establish salary ranges for each class of position in the state civil service, as specified, and to provide for intermediate steps within these ranges. Existing law establishes the Public Employees’ Retirement System, which provides a defined benefit to members of the system based on final compensation, credited service, and age at retirement, subject to certain variations.

This bill would require an appointing power, prior to offering employment to an applicant, to provide the applicant with an explanation of the benefits of state service, both general and particular to the applicable position, in the form of specified materials. The bill would require that a formal offer of employment contain a written memorialization document acknowledging that the applicant received these materials before accepting employment. The bill would require the Department of Human Resources to create these materials, subject to certain requirements.

The people of the State of California do enact as follows:

SECTION 1.

Section 19057.2 is added to the Government Code, to read:

19057.2.

(a) An appointing power, before offering employment to an applicant, shall provide the applicant with an explanation of the benefits that accompany state service in the form of the materials described in subdivision (b). A formal offer of employment shall contain a written memorialization document acknowledging that the applicant received these materials before accepting employment.

(b) The department shall create documents for dissemination to applicants regarding the benefits of state service before accepting appointment. These documents shall include a summary of the applicable civil service position, with salary ranges and steps within them, as described in Section 19829, as well as information describing where on the internet website of the Department of Human Resources the applicant may find information on:

(1) Benefits afforded by membership in the Public Employees’ Retirement System.

(2) Benefits and protections provided to public employees by the State Civil Service Act.