In the California State Senate, ACA 6—a proposed constitutional amendment to the California constitution that would have limited the ability of the University of California system to contract for services—was defeated during a recent meeting of the elections and constitutional amendments committee.

The UC system adamantly opposed the bill—with strong support from ASA and California Staffing Professionals, an ASA-affiliated chapter. Led by longtime ASA lobbyist Mike Robson and his colleague Jason Ikerd, ASA submitted written testimony and met with legislative leaders to express the industry’s concerns with the bill.

They noted that while the UC system strictly follows state public contracting laws, it still relies on contract workers for assignments that are highly specialized or to fill critical vacancies such as during staff absences and spikes in demand in the UC health care system. The bill was defeated when it failed to receive two-thirds of the vote in committee.

With little time left in the legislative session, legislative leaders had opted to advance ACA 6 instead of a similar bill (ACA 14, which relates to labor standards in the UC system) because ACA 6 was further along in the process. With the defeat of ACA 6, it is unlikely that ACA 14 will receive further consideration or be scheduled for a hearing. ASA will continue to monitor the bill and will renew its opposition if necessary.