Dear Friends,

Just a reminder, you are important to us and we don't want to lose contact with you. Please take a few moments and provide me with your current contact information by visiting my website at http://www.assembly.ca.gov/a31, and selecting E-mail Assemblymember Arambula. If you have already provided this information, I appreciate your help.

Sincerely,

Juan Arambula
31st Assembly Districtt

AB 49 - Disaster Assistance for January 2007 Freeze: This bill authorizes the Director of Finance to transfer monies from the Special Fund for Economic Uncertainties into the California Small Business Expansion Fund for the purpose of making loans to prevent business insolvencies in areas affected by a state of emergency. It also makes the 2007 Freeze disaster eligible for full state reimbursement of local agency costs.
Sponsor: Author
Status: Passed the Assembly Jobs Committee on a 6-0 vote, and passed the Assembly Local Government Committee on a 5-0 vote. To be considered next by the Assembly Appropriations Committee.

AB 263 - Fresno Metropolitan Flood Control District ERAF: Corrects an accounting error made by the district in 1989-90, which will ensure that the district will keep more than $600,000 annually to provide flood protection to the Fresno area.
Sponsor: Author
Status: Passed the Assembly Local Government Committee on a 7-0 vote. To be considered next by the Assembly Appropriations Committee.

AB 377 - FLC Pay Stubs: Addresses a serious loophole in state law relating to wage statements provided to agricultural workers. Existing law provides that all wage statements shall include information such as the hours worked, pieces produced (for those paid on a piece rate), the dates of employment, and the legal name of the employer, which is often the farm labor contractor. AB 377 would add one additional item to pay stubs for workers employed by farm labor contractors: the name and address of the legal entity that secured the contractor's services.
Sponsor: California Rural Legal Assistance
Status: Passed the Assembly Labor and Employment Committee on a 5-3 vote. To be considered next by the Assembly Appropriations Committee.

AB 452 - Voter Registration Fraud: Requires voters to be notified when they have been re-registered with a change in party affiliation. The bill also requires the Secretary of State, in coordination with county elections officials, to establish a procedure for voters to fix their registration when their party registration has been changed without their knowledge.
Sponsor: Author
Status: Passed the Assembly Elections and Redistricting Committee on a 7-0 vote. To be considered next by the Assembly Appropriations Committee.

AB 1272 (Arambula) - Bond Money Circuit Rider: This bill establishes a technical assistance program within the State Infrastructure Bank to help small and rural communities apply for state infrastructure bond funds.
Sponsor: Author
Status: Passed the Assembly Jobs Committee on a 5-1 vote. To be considered next by the Assembly Appropriations Committee.

AB 1431 - Emerging Domestic Markets: Establishes the Early Stage Investment Guarantee Program, administered through the California Economic Development and Infrastructure Bank for the purpose of assisting businesses located in emerging domestic markets gain access to private equity financing.
Sponsor: Author
Status: Passed the Assembly Jobs Committee on a 4-2 vote. To be considered next by the Assembly Appropriations Committee.

AB 1606 (Arambula) - State Economic Development Strategy: This bill implements a set of measures and guidelines to improve state economic development planning by addressing issues related to the attraction of private investment, microenterprise development, and support for significant and emerging regional industry clusters.
Sponsor: Author
Status: Passed the Assembly Jobs Committee on a 6-0 vote. To be considered next by the Assembly Appropriations Committee.

AB 1719 (JEDE Committee) - International Trade Code Maintenance: This bill makes technical and non-substantive changes to codes relating to the state's international trade activities.
Status: Passed by the Assembly Jobs Committee on a 6-0 vote. To be considered next on the Assembly Floor.

AB 1720 (JEDE Committee) - G-TEDA Code Maintenance: This bill makes technical and non-substantive changes to government and revenue and tax code provisions.
Status: Passed by the Assembly Jobs Committee on a 6-0 vote. To be considered next on the Assembly Floor.

AB 1721 (JEDE Committee) - JEDE Code Maintenance: This bill makes technical and non-substantive changes to codes relating to the state's economic development activities.
Status: Passed by the Assembly Jobs Committee on a 6-0 vote. To be considered next by the Assembly Appropriations Committee.

AB 1722 (JEDE Committee) - International Trade Strategy Spot: This bill requires Business, Transportation, and Housing Agency to provide the Legislature with a copy of the approved international trade policy by February 1, 2008.
Status: Passed by the Assembly Jobs Committee on a 6-0 vote. To be considered next by the Assembly Appropriations Committee.

ACR 23 (Arambula) - Entrepreneurship Week USA: This Concurrent Resolution commemorates national Entrepreneurship Week and encourages teachers, school administrators and others who work with youth to instill them with entrepreneurial spirit and provide fundamental information on entrepreneurship skills.
Sponsor: Author
Status: Approved by the Legislature. Resolution Chapter 12 of 2007.

AJR 7 (Arambula) - Federal Freeze Aid: This resolution urges support of federal aid legislation to provide $1.7 billion in relief and assistance to California agricultural workers, producers and processors that have suffered significant losses from this January's severe cold weather. In addition, the resolution requests the federal government to act swiftly in enacting legislation providing relief and assistance to freeze victims, and specifically encourages support of the relief bills introduced by Senator Boxer and Representative Nunes and supported by a bipartisan group of California's Congressional Delegation.
Status: Passed the full Assembly on a unanimous vote. To be considered next by the State Senate.

For more information on any of these events, please contact my district office in Fresno.

May 2 - I will attend the California Small Business Association Celebration honoring the Small Business Owner of the Year.

May 2-4 - I will attend and speak at the California Association for Local Economic Development Conference.

May 11 - I will be the Keynote Speaker for the Hmong History Month and Veterans Memorial Day of Honor.

May 11 - I will attend the Maddy Institute Board Meeting.

May 12 - I will be hosting a Town Hall meeting on Health Care in Fresno.

May 14 - May Revise Begins

May 16 - I will attend the League of California Cities Latino Caucus Legislative Conference.

May 19 - Staff will be attending the Child Safety Seat Check-Up.

May 28 - Memorial Day Holiday

June 3 - I will be Hosting a Preschool Dental Screening in Kerman.

State Farm Insurance and Safe Kids Central Valley invite you to attend a FREE Child Safety Seat Check-Up Saturday, May 19, 2007, 10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. in front of Food Maxx at the Kearney/Palms Shopping Center 1177 Fresno Street at Highway 99.

Secretary of Food and Agriculture, A.G. Kawamura, announced the availability of $1 million for grants to help increase the competitiveness of California's specialty crops. These funds were made available through the Federal Specialty Crops Competitiveness Act of 2004. Grant applications are due by May 31; see application for eligibility requirements.

For more information and to download the application, go to http://www.cdfa.ca.gov/egov/specialtycropgrants/.

The Readiness and Emergency Management for Schools (REMS) grant competition, supports efforts by Local Education Agencies (LEAs) to improve and strengthen their school emergency management plans, and procedures with parents; and coordinating with local law enforcement, public safety, public health, and mental health agencies.

The application may be found at: www.ed.gov/programs/.

A program of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, "New Routes to Community Health" supports local partnerships among immigrant organizations, media production centers, and established community institutions to foster collaborations to improve immigrants' health, work life, and civic participation.

Up to eight geographically and ethnically diverse sites will receive awards of as much as $225,000 each over thirty-nine months.

Visit www.rwjf.org to view complete calls for proposal.

The Service Corps of Retired Executives (SCORE), is an opportunity for business executives to be involved in the business community and to share some of their hard-earned business expertise with other small business owners.

Tulare SCORE is currently recruiting for members to assist in programs in Tulare and Visalia areas. To find out more, contact Melende Ward at the Small Business Administration www.sba.gov.

Assemblymember Arambula has partnered with United Health Clinics to get Preschoolers ready for kindergarten with a free dental checkup.

Sunday June 3, 2007 at United Health Centers of the San Joaquin Valley, 517 S. Madera Avenue, Kerman California.

The American Pharmacist Association Foundation (APhA), will award grants in the amount of $1,000 for projects to be initiated for pharmacists in all community/ambulatory practice settings. These grants provide seed money to help pharmacists explore new methods and services that enhance their role as healthcare providers and encourage them to share their experiences with other pharmacists.

Application forms are available at: www.aphafoundation.org/programs/incentive-grants/379.cfm.

Sunset Elementary School is recruiting for the 2007-2008 school year.

Sunset is a Two-Way Immersion academic program which offers students the unique and exciting opportunity of learning to communicate and become academically successful in two languages, Spanish and English.

Unique in its educational program, Sunset is the only Fresno Unified School that offers a school-wide K-8 two-way immersion program.

To learn more about this program call (559)457-3310 or www.fresno.k12.ca.us.

Email: assemblymember.arambula@assembly.ca.gov
Web Site: http://www.assembly.ca.gov/arambula