State government.

(1) Existing law establishes the California State Mediation and Conciliation Service (CSMCS) within the Department of Industrial Relations to investigate and mediate labor disputes, as specified. Existing law governs public transportation labor disputes. This bill would repeal and recast those provisions and establish the CSMCS within the Public Employment Relations Board (PERB) . The bill would vest PERB with all of the powers, duties, purposes, responsibilities and jurisdiction vested in the Department of Industrial Relations and exercised or carried out through CSMCS. (2) Existing law creates within state government the Commission on the Status of Women, consisting of 17 members, including public members appointed by specified executive and legislative officials. Existing law sets forth the powers and duties of the commission, and requires the commission to study certain topics. Existing law requires the commission to act as a information center on the status of women and women's educational, employment, and other related needs. This bill would rename the Commission on the Status of Women the Commission on the Status of Women and Girls, and make various conforming changes to that effect. This bill would require the appointing powers, in making appointments of public members to the commission, to make every effort to ensure that there is a geographic balance of representation on the commission. This bill would modify the topics that the commission is required to study by adding some and removing others, including, among others, adding gender equity in the media. This bill would instead require the commission to act as a central information on issues that affect the lives of women and girls. This bill would require the commission to develop a strategy to attract financial support from private donors. This bill would state that certain provisions of this bill will prevail over a specified section of the Governor's Reorganization Plan No. 2 of 2012, regardless of the dates on which this bill and that Plan take effect. (3) Existing law establishes in state government the Commission on Uniform State Laws, with a specified membership. This bill would transfer the Commission on Uniform State Laws to the Legislative Counsel Bureau, and would make conforming changes in law. (4) Existing law establishes the Technology Services Board within the Office of Technology Services. Existing law requires the Secretary of California Technology to submit, for board consideration, proposed rates for Office of Technology Services' services. Existing law requires the secretary, prior to submitting the rates to the board, to first submit the proposed rates to the Department of Finance, and requires the department to evaluate the reasonableness of the proposed rates. This bill would repeal the provisions establishing the Technology Services Board, and make various conforming changes. This bill would also require the secretary to instead submit the proposed rates directly to the Director of Finance, and would require the Director of Finance to approve the proposed rates based on certain standards and criteria. (5) The California Fair Employment and Housing Act establishes the Department of Fair Employment and Housing in the State and Consumer Services Agency, with the power and duties to, among other things, receive, investigate, and conciliate complaints relating to employment and housing discrimination. The California Fair Employment and Housing Act also establishes the Fair Employment and Housing Commission within the State and Consumer Services Agency, with the powers and duties to, among other things, conduct hearings, subpoena witnesses, create or provide financial or technical assistance to advisory agencies and conciliation councils, publish opinions and publications, and conduct mediations at the request of the Department of Fair Employment and Housing. This bill would eliminate the Fair Employment and Housing Commission and would transfer the duties of the commission to the Department of Fair Employment and Housing. The bill would create within the department a Fair Employment and Housing Council that would succeed to the powers and duties of the former commission. The bill would establish the Fair Employment and Housing Enforcement and Litigation Fund in the State Treasury to be administered by the department, subject to appropriation, for purposes of deposit of attorney's fees and costs awarded to the department in specified civil actions. The bill would expand specified powers of the department related to complaints, mediations, and prosecutions, and would provide mandatory dispute resolution at no cost to the parties involved, as specified. The bill would eliminate a specified cap of actual damages under the act, and would instead require certain actions be brought in court by civil action, rather than by accusation by the department. The bill would make these provisions operative on January 1, 2013. (6) Existing law creates the Electronic Funds Transfer Task Force, consisting of 8 members appointed by specified agencies, boards, departments, and offices. This bill would eliminate the Electronic Funds Transfer Task Force. (7) Existing law establishes the Department of Industrial Relations, divided into 6 divisions known as the Division of Worker's Compensation, the Division of Occupational Safety and Health, the Division of Labor Standards Enforcement, the Division of Labor Statistics and Research, the Division of Apprenticeship Standards, and the State Compensation Insurance Fund. Under existing law, the Division of Labor Statistics and Research collects, compiles, and presents facts and statistics relating to the condition of labor in the state. Existing law provides that, except as specified, no use shall be made in the reports of the Labor Statistics and Research Division of the names of persons supplying information and makes any agent or employee of the division who violates this provision guilty of a misdemeanor. This bill would abolish the Division of Labor Statistics and Research and transfer the duties of that division to the Division of Occupational Health and Safety and the Division of Labor Standards Enforcement and make conforming changes. The bill would broaden the application of the misdemeanor referenced above to any agent or employee of the department, thereby creating a state-mandated local program. (8) Existing law requires the Division of Apprenticeship Standards to establish and validate minimum standards for the competency and training of electricians through a system of testing and certification. This bill would recast the electrician certification responsibilities of the Division of Apprenticeship Standards under the Division of Labor Standards Enforcement and make conforming changes. (9) Existing law provides that the Department of Industrial Relations shall monitor and enforce compliance with applicable prevailing wage requirements for any public works project paid for out of public funds. Existing law provides that any awarding agency whose public works contract is subject to provisions regulating the employment of apprentices upon public works shall send a copy of the award to the Division of Apprenticeship Standards. This bill would instead require that an awarding agency whose public works contract falls within the jurisdiction of specified monitoring and enforcement compliance provisions, is subject to provisions regulating the employment of apprentices upon public works, or is subject to any other provision providing for the payment of fees to the department for enforcing prevailing wage requirements send a copy of the award to the department. (10) Existing law provides that a contractor or subcontractor who is determined to have knowingly committed a serious violation of specified provisions may be denied the right to bid on or be awarded or perform work on any public works for a period of time. Existing law provides that an affected contractor, subcontractor, or responsible officer may obtain a review of the determination imposing the debarment or civil penalty within 30 days. This bill would instead allow for the request of the review within 60 days and make other related changes. (11) Existing law creates, in the Employment Development Department, the California Unemployment Insurance Appeals Board, consisting of 7 members, 2 of whom are required to be attorneys at law admitted to practice in California. Existing law authorizes the Governor to appoint 5 of the 7 members, as specified. This bill would reduce the number of members of this board to 5 and reduce the number of members the Governor may appoint to 3. This bill would require all members of the board to be attorneys at law admitted to practice in any state of the United States with either a minimum of one year of experience in conducting judicial or administrative hearings or 5 years of experience in the practice of law. This bill would provide that these amendments apply to appointments made on or after January 1, 2013. (12) This bill would appropriate $1,000 from the General Fund to the Department of Finance for purposes of implementing this bill, thereby making an appropriation. (13) The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement. This bill would provide that no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason. (14) This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as a bill providing for appropriations related to the Budget Bill.