And now the new legislative year begins.... -----Original Message----- Legislators look to many changes in new year Sher, Lempert, Papan set their upcoming agendas By Tyler Cunningham STAFF WRITER, SAN MATEO COUNTY TIMES Assuming the Y2K apocalypse has fizzled, the state Legislature will begin work again the first week of 2000. Times STAFF WRITERs asked our local representatives about their New Year's resolutions for the upcoming session. Assemblyman Ted Lempert, D-San Carlos, said he will push for new tests for teachers, one that would quiz them on their area of expertise as well as their classroom skills. Lempert said the current test doesn't focus enough on the teacher's specialty subject. "How do we ensure folks are qualified?" he said. "We need to create a better measure for people who want to become teachers." Lempert said he will support increased funding for schools, particularly a plan to give schools more money that isn't tied to particular programs. School officials often complain that such categorical funding deprives them of the flexibility to decide the best way to spend money, he said. Finally, Lempert said he will reintroduce his bill to require schools to have fire detectors. The bill stalled in the Assembly this year when legislators voiced concerns about the cost. On the technology front, Lempert hopes to extend the moratorium on taxing access to the Internet. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---- Assemblyman Lou Papan, D-Millbrae, will consider legislation requiring credit card companies to disclose more about their rates and fees, according to his Chief of Staff Ed Randolph. Currently, companies may advertise a low percentage rate, Randolph said, but that number often jumps higher after one missed payment. Papan also plans to revisit a bill held over from last year's session that would give people moving off the welfare rolls more money for child care. The current formula dictates that child care is state-subsidized if a worker is earning less than 75 percent of the average state income, Randolph said. But the high cost of living in San Mateo County has inflated the price of child care, he said, sometimes to the point where it's more profitable to stay home with a baby than to work. Papan's bill would change that formula, making the cut-off point a percentage of the county's average income. The end result, Randolph said, is that people in new jobs would keep state child-care money a little bit longer. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---- A key priority for state Sen. Byron Sher, D-Redwood City, is the $2 billion park bond on the March ballot, according to his Chief of Staff Kip Lipper. Sher helped put the measure before voters and said the money would help counties build new urban parks, acquire new lands and rehabilitate old, dilapidated parks. Sher plans to drum up support for the measure among newspaper editorial boards and community groups. Sher is also considering re-introducing legislation expanding the state's public records act. When a resident is denied a public document, he has to file a lawsuit to challenge that decision; Sher's bill would allow the resident to appeal the decision to the state Attorney General. The bill also allows a court to penalize agencies up to $100 per day for wrongly denying the public access to records. Gov. Gray Davis vetoed the bill last year, saying it could create a conflict of interest for the state Attorney General, who advises state agencies on what documents to release. But Lipper said Sher would revisit the issue, possibly suggesting a more neutral arbiter, such as a new office of public records. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---- STAFF WRITERs Heather Angney, Michele R. Marcucci and Rebecca Wallace contributed to this report. Political Times appears every weekend and takes a look at the activities of state and federal lawmakers as well as the local political scene. You can reach STAFF WRITER Tyler Cunningham at 306-2428 or by e-mail at [EMAIL PROTECTED] <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> .
