Recent News in the 7th District

(Sacramento) – Under the leadership of Speaker John A. Pérez, Assembly Democrats are unveiling legislation to provide college scholarships for students whose families earn $150,000 or less per year. The Middle Class Scholarship Act (www.MiddleClassScholarship.com) would decrease tuition and fees to California public colleges and universities by about 2/3 for California students who qualify. State Assemblymember Michael Allen (D-Sonoma County) says that the economic downturn of the last few years has hit working families the hardest. Assemblymember Allen knows that getting this package of bills passed will be difficult, but California needs an educated workforce, and the Middle Class Scholarship program is a way to make that happen.  Learn more in this Assembly Access Video.

Several California legislators on both sides of the political aisle hold annual "there ought to be a law" contests. They encourage constituents to submit ideas for new laws. The winning entries are introduced by legislators and certainly stand a chance of becoming new state laws.

But with more than 2,300 bills introduced by California legislators in 2011 and nearly 800 of those proposals signed into law, the numbers seem overwhelming.

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One of the primary themes of the Occupy movement, and one of the primary complaints of voters in this primary election season, is that wealth wields too much power over today's politics.

It's hard to argue against that premise when a single wealthy Las Vegas casino owner can keep Newt Gingrich's “all 50 states” campaign on life support by pumping $10 million into a pro-Gingrich PAC in January alone.

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Dr. Quentin Young, a nationally known promoter of a single-payer health care system, will discuss his views in an event set for 3:30 to 5 p.m. Saturday at the West End Cafe, 1131 Fourth St. in San Rafael.

He will appear in conversation with local political leaders, including Assemblyman Michael Allen, Marin Supervisor Susan Adams and San Rafael Councilman Damon Connolly. It will be moderated by radio host Peter B. Collins.

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Sacramento – Assemblymember Michael Allen today introduced AB 1569 to extend "Laura's Law."

"Laura's Law" – AB 1421, authored by then-Assemblymember Helen Thomson in 2002, permits counties to provide court-ordered outpatient treatment services for people with serious mental illnesses when a court finds that a person's recent history of hospitalizations or violent behavior, coupled with noncompliance with voluntary treatment, indicate the person is likely to become dangerous or gravely disabled without the court-ordered outpatient treatment.

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Silicon Valley may be booming again, but times are still tough for the 200 out-of-work professionals who crowd into Sunnyvale’s City Hall every Thursday morning.

Most of them hold advanced degrees in engineering and have more than a decade of experience in the technology sector. They fill all of the seats in the City Council chamber and spill out into the aisles.

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(Sacramento) – As a member of the Assembly Public Employees, Retirement and Social Security Committee, Assemblymember Michael Allen (D-Santa Rosa) is reviewing the Governor’s proposed pension reform plan. At the most recent hearing, the focus was on the idea of a mandatory, statewide hybrid plan for California’s public employees. Assemblymember Allen says, since there are many different public employee pension programs in California and there are a number of ways to create hybrid plans, one size may not fit all. Here’s more in this Assembly Access video.

Unfortunately the scenario is all too common-- the longer you're out of work, the harder it is to get hired because of how long you've been unemployed. KGO's Jeannie Lynch reports that if the proposed bill passes, it could soon be illegal for companies to discriminate against the jobless in hiring practices.

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THE ISSUE: New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie signed a bill last year that prohibits businesses from excluding unemployed individuals from job ads in print or online. Employers face a penalty of $1,000 for the first offense, $5,000 for the second and $10,000 for subsequent offenses. Assemblyman Michael Allen, D-Santa Rosa, has introduced a similar bill in California (AB 1450).

Should state outlaw requirements that job applicants be employed?

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It's easier to get a job if you have a job, the old saying goes, and apparently companies think current employment is a good screen too.

But proposed state legislation would ban current employment as a filter for applicants. The argument: Requiring that an applicant be employed in order to apply discriminates against people such as graduates trying to get that first job, women re-entering the workforce and veterans leaving the military.

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