(SACRAMENTO, CA)— Assemblymember Kevin McCarty (D-Sacramento), chair of the Assembly Budget Subcommittee No. 2 and Assemblymember Jose Medina (D-Riverside), chair of the Assembly Higher Education Committee, issued the following statement regarding the University of California enrollment data:

Closes existing loophole for local elected officials

(SACRAMENTO, CA) – Today, Assemblymember Kevin McCarty (D-Sacramento) and Joint Author Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez (D-San Diego) introduced Assembly Bill (AB) 1661 which would require local elected officials to take a mandatory sexual harassment training and education course within the first six months of being elected and must be repeated every two years.

(SACRAMENTO, CA) – Today, Assemblymember Kevin McCarty (D-Sacramento) issued a statement following the recent death of 9-year old Tyler Griffin-Huston and other high profile child deaths related to the role of counties regarding Child Welfare Services:

“Like many Sacramentans, I'm heartbroken and outraged about the horrific death of Tyler Griffin-Huston and the circumstances surrounding this tragedy.  I also share the tough questioning of Sacramento’s Child Protective Services System.  From Tyler to Jadianna Larsen to Adrian Conway in the Sacramento region and so many other cases throughout the state, too many children are slipping through the cracks and end up dying.  We need to look inward and review the shortcomings in our counties and their Child Welfare Services role and response.

I am requesting a hearing to delve further into the issues and focus on a strategy for response.  Also, I’m introducing legislation to strengthen our oversight over child welfare services at the county level.  Lastly, I will ask our State Auditor to review county child welfare systems to ensure taxpayer dollars are being properly used to protect our children.  Since realignment, it’s harder for the state to track where there are needs in the system, and this is something that requires legislative attention so that we can respond when we see tragic events like the one that took place in my community and other communities throughout the State.”

Statement from Assemblymember Kevin McCarty (D – Sacramento) Chair of Budget Sub- Committee 2 on Education Finance, regarding the 2016-17 proposed budget:

“I am pleased with the Governor’s proposed budget blue print which reflects a growing economy and rightly invests in education from K-12, community colleges, and higher education.  Also, I welcome the state’s continued investment of Cap and Trade funds to reduce greenhouse emissions, particularly to develop infrastructure for waste diversion.  This framework is a good starting point for the Legislature to engage the administration and I look forward to working with the Governor on these issues and others however, I’d like to see more investments in increasing access to early learning and higher education.”

Bill requires all local elected officials to complete sexual harassment prevention training, closing existing loophole

(SACRAMENTO, CA) – Today, Assemblymembers Kevin McCarty (D-Sacramento) and Lorena Gonzalez (D-San Diego) announced legislation which would require all local elected officials to take the same sexual harassment prevention training required of city staff and state legislative bodies.

"Elected officials have a higher bar as supervisors to understand the laws that protect their employees and to ensure their workplaces are free from sexual harassment," noted Assemblywoman Gonzalez, Chair of the Assembly Select Committee on Women in the Workplace, "This starts with guaranteeing they receive the necessary training to keep workers safe."