Chapter 1 – General Administration

12020.7 Non‑departmental Meetings, Conferences, and Conventions

• This section pertains to non-departmental meetings, conferences, and conventions sponsored by professional organizations including “bona fide associations” as defined by the DPADepartment of Personnel Administration (see CalHR).

  • Meetings, conferences, and conventions sponsored by professional organizations are to provide opportunities for general professional development.

  • Meetings, conferences, and conventions sponsored by “employee organizations” are excluded from these guidelines per GCGovernment Code 3525.

• Request and Approval

  • To achieve consistency and provide guidelines for attendance at the meetings, conferences, and conventions of professional organizations in California, each Deputy Director or Assistant Director is responsible for screening and submitting all non-departmental conference requests to the appropriate Chief Deputy Director for final review and approval.

    • Programs involving partisan political speeches or activities or employee organization functions are not eligible for consideration.

• Maximum of Ten

  • Normally CDC shall not send more than ten people to individual non-departmental meetings, conferences, and conventions. Attendance by more than ten people shall require separate approval by the appropriate Chief Deputy Director.

• Upon Approval

  • Upon approval, a copy of the approval shall be sent by the requesting Deputy Director, Assistant Director, or designee to the Accounting Services Section in headquarters.

  • Note: This procedure applies only to headquarters and P&CSDParole & Community Services Division (see DAPO) staff.

    • Additional employees participating in a nondepartmental meeting, conference, or convention program as speakers or panel members may be granted time and expenses as required, determined by the duration of their participation. Such expenses shall be paid from local travel budgets.

• Attendance Without Reimbursement

  • If the request is to attend a non-departmental meeting without the sponsorship of CDC, the following guidelines apply:

    • The attending employee shall pay all expenses including travel, per diem, and registration costs.

    • The attending employee shall use vacation or other accrued time off, such as compensatory time off, holiday, etc.

    • The employee’s attendance at the meeting, conference, or convention shall not result in any cost to the State or create a burden on CDC operations.

• Training Credit

  • An employee who attends formal training workshops at a conference or convention may request training credit. This credit can be applied toward the 40-hour annual training requirement that each employee is expected to complete.

• How to Apply

  • In order to receive this credit after attending such an event, the employee must send the ISTIn-Service Training Manager or Regional Training Coordinator verification of attendance and a copy of the conference agenda detailing the workshops to be considered for credit.

• Type of Credit

  • Only career-related out-service training credit may be granted.

• Amount of Credit

  • Credit will be granted on an hour-for-hour basis, not to exceed a maximum of eight hours per year, per employee.

• Reimbursement Not Allowed

  • The granting of training credit does not entitle an employee any reimbursement of expenses for attending a conference or convention. If an employee has been approved to attend on State time at State expense, no training funds may be used to cover the approved costs.

• Restriction on Granting Credit

  • Training credits may not be granted for meetings, conferences, or conventions of “employee organizations” as stipulated in GCGovernment Code 3525.

• Need Prior Written Approval (100 Miles)

  • Prior written approval shall be obtained from YACA when 10 or more employees are required to travel more than 100 miles from their headquarters in order to participate in a meeting, conference, or convention not sponsored by the State.

    • This policy applies whether or not such a meeting, conference, or convention is paid in total or in part by State or federal funds.

• 60 Days Prior

  • A YACA Form 83-9-1 shall be prepared for the signature of the appropriate Chief Deputy Director and submitted to YACA 60 days prior to the date of the event by the requesting Deputy Director or Assistant Director.