BILL NUMBER: ACR 65	CHAPTERED
	BILL TEXT

	RESOLUTION CHAPTER  106
	FILED WITH SECRETARY OF STATE  SEPTEMBER 23, 2009
	ADOPTED IN SENATE  SEPTEMBER 8, 2009
	ADOPTED IN ASSEMBLY  SEPTEMBER 10, 2009
	AMENDED IN SENATE  SEPTEMBER 2, 2009
	AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY  MAY 5, 2009

INTRODUCED BY   Assembly Member Ruskin

                        APRIL 22, 2009

   Relative to higher education.


	LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST


   ACR 65, Ruskin. Joint Committee on the Master Plan for Higher
Education.
   This measure would establish the Joint Committee on the Master
Plan for Higher Education. The measure would provide that the joint
committee would consist of a number of Assembly Members and Senators
to be determined by the Speaker of the Assembly and the Senate
Committee on Rules. The committee would be established to review the
Master Plan for Higher Education and create a framework to ensure
that higher education continues to thrive, among other things. The
measure would authorize the Assembly Committee on Rules to make money
available to the joint committee from the Assembly Operating Fund.



   WHEREAS, Education is the most important function of the State of
California and is essential to the cultural, political, and economic
health of the state and the nation; and
   WHEREAS, California's population is rich in ethnic and cultural
diversity, which is a resource that should continually be developed
to ensure the ongoing success of the state and its residents; and
   WHEREAS, California has developed an extraordinary higher
educational system with an unprecedented investment of public and
private moneys and the energy and commitment of countless
individuals; and
   WHEREAS, In 1960, California established a master plan for the
development, expansion, and integration of the facilities,
curriculum, and standards of higher education in junior colleges, the
California State University system, the University of California
system, and other institutions of higher education in the state to
meet the needs of the state during the 10 years following the master
plan's establishment; and
   WHEREAS, The 1960 Master Plan for Higher Education was a
precedent-setting document that envisioned a place for every
Californian, regardless of background or income, and the 2009-10
Master Plan review effort seeks to continue the wisdom and
opportunity included by the original framers; and
   WHEREAS, The drafters of the 1960 Master Plan for Higher Education
foresaw a changing California and a postsecondary education system
that would adapt to, meet, and overcome the demands inherent with
change; and
   WHEREAS, Since the adoption of the 1960 Master Plan for Higher
Education, the master plan has been reviewed periodically by the
Commission for the Review of the Master Plan for Higher Education,
the Coordinating Council for Higher Education, the Joint Committee
for Review of the Master Plan in Higher Education, and the California
Postsecondary Education Commission; and
   WHEREAS, California is at a crossroad as our economy demands a
highly skilled workforce, yet a significant number of our next
generation are not being prepared to meet our economic demands; and
   WHEREAS, The recent economic downturn has taken a toll on the
state's fiscal support for public higher education; however, the
economy will revive, and this Master Plan review can set a framework
for funding priorities when funds become available to restore and
increase the state's support for its colleges and universities and
invest in preparing its future workforce; now, therefore, be it
   Resolved by the Assembly of the State of California, the Senate
thereof concurring, That the Legislature of the State of California
hereby establishes the Joint Committee on the Master Plan for Higher
Education for the purposes of reviewing the Master Plan for Higher
Education and creating a framework to ensure that our higher
education system continues to thrive and contribute to a healthy and
prosperous future for California and its students; and be it further
   Resolved, That the joint committee shall consist of as many
members of the Assembly, including one co-chair, as are appointed to
the committee by the Speaker of the Assembly, and as many members of
the Senate, including one co-chair, as are appointed to the committee
by the Senate Committee on Rules, provided that the members
appointed from each house shall be appointed in equal number; and be
it further
   Resolved, That the joint committee and its members shall have and
exercise all of the rights, duties, and powers conferred upon
investigating committees and their members by the Joint Rules of the
Senate and the Assembly as they are adopted and amended from time to
time, which provisions are incorporated herein and made applicable to
this committee and its members; and be it further
   Resolved, That the Assembly Committee on Rules may make money
available from the Assembly Operating Fund, as it deems necessary,
for the expenses of the joint committee and its members. Any
expenditure of money shall be made in compliance with policies set
forth by the Assembly Committee on Rules, and shall be subject to the
approval of the Assembly Committee on Rules; and be it further
   Resolved, That the joint committee is authorized to act until
November 30, 2010, at which time the committee's existence shall
terminate; and be it further
   Resolved, That the joint committee shall submit a report at the
end of the legislative session to the Legislature on its activities;
and be it further
   Resolved, That the Chief Clerk of the Assembly shall transmit
copies of this resolution to the author for appropriate distribution.