SECTIONS 8240-8250 - California Statutes

GOVERNMENT CODE

SECTION 8240-8250

8240. The Legislature finds and declares that despite the fact that
women apparently have greater equality in California than in many
states, they still are not able to contribute to society according to
their full potential. With a view to developing recommendations
which will enable women to make the maximum contribution to society,
the Legislature has created the Commission on the Status of Women.

8241. There is in the state government the Commission on the Status
of Women. The commission shall consist of 17 members: three Members
of the Senate and one public member appointed by the Senate Committee
on Rules, three Members of the Assembly and one public member
appointed by the Speaker, the Superintendent of Public Instruction,
the Chief of the Division of Industrial Welfare in the Department of
Industrial Relations, and seven public members appointed by the
Governor, with the consent of the Senate. The Members of the
Legislature shall serve at the pleasure of the appointing powers.
Public member appointees of the Speaker and the Senate Committee
on Rules, and appointees of the Governor shall serve four-year terms.
All persons appointed pursuant to Section 2 of Chapter 1378 of the
Statutes of 1965, as amended by Chapter 382 of the Statutes of 1973,
shall continue in office until the expiration of their term and the
appointment of their successors. The appointing powers may reappoint
a member whose term has expired, and shall immediately fill any
vacancy for the unexpired portion of the term in which it occurs.
All appointees shall hold office until the appointment of their
successors.

8242. (a) Public members of the commission shall receive one
hundred dollars ($100) per diem while on official business of the
commission, not to exceed 12 days per year. Each member of the
commission shall also be entitled to receive his or her actual
necessary traveling expenses while on official business of the
commission.
(b) The commission shall select annually from its membership, a
chairperson and vice chairperson.

8243. All meetings of the commission shall be open and public and
all persons shall be permitted to attend any meetings of the
commission.

8244. The commission shall have the powers and authority necessary
to carry out the duties imposed upon it by this chapter, including,
but not limited to, the following:
(a) To employ such administrative, technical and other personnel
as may be necessary for the performance of its powers and duties.
(b) To hold hearings, make and sign any agreements and to do or
perform any acts which may be necessary, desirable, or proper to
carry out the purposes of this chapter.
(c) To cooperate with, and secure the cooperation of, any
department, division, board, bureau, commission, or other agency of
the state to facilitate it properly to carry out its powers and
duties hereunder.
(d) To appoint advisers or advisory committees from time to time
when the commission determines that the experience or expertise of
such advisers or advisory committees is needed for projects of the
commission. Section 11009 is applicable to advisers or advisory
committees.
(e) To accept any federal funds granted, by act of Congress or by
executive order, for all or any of the purposes of this chapter.
(f) To accept any gifts, donations, grants, or bequests for all or
any of the purposes of this chapter.

8245. (a) The commission shall study the following:
(1) Women's educational and employment problems, needs, and
opportunities.
(2) State laws in regard to the civil and political rights of
women, including pensions, tax requirements, property rights,
marriage and dissolution of marriage provisions, and similar matters.
(3) The effect of social attitudes and pressures and economic
considerations in shaping the roles to be assumed by women in the
society.
(4) Any laws, practices, or conditions concerning or affecting
women which impose special limitations or burdens upon them or upon
society, or which limit or tend to limit opportunities available to
women.
(b) The commission shall act as an information center on the
status of women and women's educational, employment, and other
related needs.
(c) The commission shall recommend, develop, prepare, or
coordinate materials, projects, or other activities, and shall give
technical and consultative advice to public or private groups or
persons concerned with any of the following:
(1) Preventing or minimizing problems brought about by the
changing roles and responsibilities of women.
(2) Developing programs to encourage and enable women to be fully
contributing members of society.
(d) A prime function of the commission shall be to encourage women'
s organizations and other groups to institute local self-help
activities designed to meet women's educational, employment, and
related needs. The commission shall make reports on its activities,
findings, and recommendations to the Legislature from time to time,
but not less often than every odd-numbered year.

8246. (a) The commission is expressly authorized to inform the
Legislature of its position on any legislative proposal pending
before the Legislature and to urge the introduction of legislative
proposals.
(b) The commission is expressly authorized to state its position
and viewpoint on issues developed in the performance of its duties
and responsibilities as specified in this chapter.
(c) This section is declaratory of existing law.

8247. It is hereby declared to be the public policy of the state to
attempt to achieve an equitable relationship between the
comparability of the value of work performed by persons in state
service and the compensation and classification plans within the
state system. To further this end, a bias-free job evaluation system
needs to be developed for all jobs in state service, across job
families to rank jobs in order, to set salaries, and to create career
ladders for advancement according to the value of the work
performed.
It is the intent of the Legislature that the provisions of Section
8248 shall not be self-executing and that the findings of the
commission shall not be implemented unless further legislation
specifically authorizes that these findings be implemented in whole
or in part.

8248. The commission shall do all of the following:
(a) Evaluate the compensation and classification plans for state
civil service and related employees and the employees of the
University of California, Hastings College of the Law, and the
California State University conferred under the Higher Education
Employer-Employee Relations Act on the basis of objective,
job-related criteria in order to advise the Legislature of the
explicit worth or value of those services and positions.
(b) Determine where compensation and classification inequities
exist based on comparability of the value of work, giving primary
consideration to identifying and correcting inequities between female
dominated and male dominated classes of employees in state service.
(c) Report, by January 1, 2003, to the Legislature and to the
parties meeting and conferring pursuant to Sections 3517 and 3570 all
findings as may be required in order to implement the principles of
equitable compensation and classification based on comparability of
value of work as part of the state compensation and classification
plans and negotiated agreements, including, but not limited to,
factor values, comparative job ratings, gender makeup of all job
classifications, present salary structures, policy recommendations,
and annual cost estimates for the implementation of an equitable
compensation program.
(d) This section shall not be implemented unless and until funds
are appropriated by the Legislature in the annual Budget Act or
another statute.

8249. With respect to its duties under Section 8248, the commission
shall be an advisory commission only, and there shall be no right or
obligation on the part of the state, or the parties meeting and
conferring, to implement the findings of the commission without
further legislation that specifically authorizes that the
evaluations, determinations, and findings of the commission be
implemented.

8250. (a) The commission shall hire staff or contract for those
experts or technical and professional services as may be required for
the completion of the study required by Section 8248. Staff hired
pursuant to this section shall be hired in compliance with the State
Civil Service Act (Part 2 (commencing with Section 18500) of Division
5 of Title 2). Contracts awarded pursuant to this section shall be
in compliance with Section 19130.
(b) This section shall not be implemented unless and until funds
are appropriated by the Legislature in the annual Budget Act or
another statute.