GO-Biz: Made in California Program.

Existing law establishes the Made in California Program within the Governor's Office of Business and Economic Development for the purposes of encouraging consumer product awareness and fostering purchases of high-quality products made in this state. Existing law requires, in order to be eligible under the program, a company to establish that the product is substantially made by an individual located in the state and that the finished product could lawfully use a "Made in U.S.A." label, as provided. This bill would remove the requirement that a company establish that the finished product could lawfully use a "Made in U.S.A." label in order to be eligible under the program. Existing law requires the office to require each company to register with the office for use of the Made in California label and requires a company filing for registration to submit a qualified third-party certification, as defined, at least once every 3 years, as specified. This bill would remove the requirement that the certification described above be a qualified third-party certification and would instead require the certification to be signed under penalty of perjury. By expanding the scope of the crime of perjury, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program. Existing law authorizes the office to accept monetary donations or other donations from businesses, nonprofit organizations, or individuals for the purpose of implementing the Made in California Program. This bill would prohibit the office from accepting a donation that meets certain criteria, including that the donation would constitute more than 20 percent of the program's annual budget. 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.