Existing law declares the intent of the Legislature to preserve and strengthen a child's family ties whenever possible, removing the child from the custody of their parents only when necessary for the child's welfare or for the safety and protection of the public. Existing law declares the further intent of the Legislature that all children live with a committed, permanent, and nurturing family, with services and supports that are tailored to meet the needs of the individual child and family being served, with the ultimate goal of maintaining the family or, when this is not possible, transitioning the child or youth to a permanent family or preparing the child or youth for a successful transition into adulthood. This bill would make technical, nonsubstantive changes to those provisions.
Existing law grants the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) authority to operate the state prison system and gives the department jurisdiction over various state prisons and other institutions. Existing law requires the department to determine and implement a system of incentives to increase inmate participation in, and completion of, academic and vocational education, consistent with the inmate's educational needs, as specified. Existing law requires the department to develop and implement a plan to obtain additional rehabilitation and treatment services for prison inmates and parolees, and requires the department to expand substance abuse treatment services in prisons to accommodate at least 4,000 additional inmates who have histories of substance abuse, as specified. This bill would establish the California Department of Reentry, independent from the CDCR, to provide statewide leadership, coordination, and technical assistance to promote effective state and local efforts to ensure successful reentry services are provided to incarcerated individuals. The bill would require the department to focus on programming through the period of incarceration that supports successful reentry to society, facilitate the smooth transition of individuals from prison to release by developing individualized reentry plans for each individual, and oversee continuity of care for incarcerated individuals with health and substance use disorders during community supervision and parole, among other things.
Existing law, the Safe Neighborhoods and Schools Act, enacted as an initiative statute by Proposition 47, as approved by the electors at the November 4, 2014, statewide general election, makes the theft of money, labor, or property petty theft punishable as a misdemeanor, whenever the value of the property taken does not exceed $950. Under existing law, if the value of the property taken exceeds $950, the theft is grand theft, punishable as a misdemeanor or a felony. Proposition 47 requires shoplifting, defined as entering a commercial establishment with the intent to commit larceny if the value of the property taken does not exceed $950, to be punished as a misdemeanor. Under existing law, entering a commercial establishment with the intent to take property exceeding $950 is burglary, punishable as a misdemeanor or a felony. This bill would amend Proposition 47 by reducing the threshold amount for petty theft and shoplifting from $950 to $400. The bill would provide that it shall become effective only when submitted to, and approved by, the voters of California.
Existing law regulates the operation of recreational off-highway vehicles, including that the driver be no less than 16 years of age or directly supervised by a parent or guardian, and that the driver and any passengers wear a helmet and seatbelt, as specified. A violation of these provisions is punishable as an infraction. Existing law defines "recreational off-highway vehicle" for purposes of these and other Vehicle Code provisions. Existing law limits the definition of "recreational off-highway vehicle" to those described vehicles that have an engine displacement of no more than 1,000cc. This bill would remove the limitation on engine size from the definition of a "recreational off-highway vehicle." By expanding the application of existing crimes, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program. 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.
Existing law requires a youth sports organization that elects to offer an athletic program to comply with specified concussion and sudden cardiac arrest prevention protocols. Existing law, the California Youth Football Act, requires a youth sports organization that conducts a tackle football program to comply with specified protocols, including a coach receiving certain health-related certification and a parent or guardian of a youth tackle football participant receiving concussion and head injury information and an opioid-related factsheet. The act also requires a youth tackle football league, as defined, to retain information for the tracking of youth sports injuries, as specified. This bill would, on and after January 1, 2025, prohibit a youth sports organization that conducts a tackle football program, or a youth tackle football league, from allowing a person younger than 6 years of age to be a youth tackle football participant through the organization or league. On and after January 1, 2027, and January 1, 2029, the bill would not allow a person younger than 10 and 12 years of age, respectively, to be a youth tackle football participant through the organization or league.
Existing law requires the Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training to adopt standards regarding the training of peace officers and to allow required training to be obtained at approved institutions. Existing law requires the commission, for those instances where individuals have acquired prior comparable peace officer training, to adopt regulations providing for alternative means for satisfying the training required by a specified provision of law. This bill would make a technical, nonsubstantive change to this provision.
Existing law, the Uniform Anatomical Gift Act, authorizes the creation of a not-for-profit entity to be designated as the California Organ and Tissue Donor Registrar and requires that entity to establish and maintain the Donate Life California Organ and Tissue Donor Registry for persons who have identified themselves as organ and tissue donors upon their death. Existing law provides for the Medi-Cal program, administered by the State Department of Health Care Services and under which qualified low-income individuals receive health care services. The Medi-Cal program is, in part, governed and funded by federal Medicaid program provisions. Existing law requires the department, in consultation with the board governing the California Health Benefit Exchange, to develop a single paper, electronic, and telephone application for insurance affordability programs, including Medi-Cal. This bill would require the department to modify the electronic application for insurance affordability programs to add an option for individuals to enroll in the Donate Life California Organ and Tissue Donor Registry. The bill would require the option to include specified check boxes for an applicant to indicate whether to add the applicant's name to the registry. The bill would require the option to be voluntary to complete and to not be a required part of the application. The bill would also require a specified disclosure related to organ and tissue donations to be included with the check boxes described above. The bill would require the department to electronically transmit specified information related to enrollment in the registry on a weekly basis to the Donate Life California nonprofit organization.
Existing sales and use tax laws impose a tax on retailers measured by the gross receipts from the sale of tangible personal property sold at retail in this state, or on the storage, use, or other consumption in this state of tangible personal property purchased from a retailer for storage, use, or other consumption in this state. Those laws provide various exemptions from those taxes. This bill, beginning January 1, 2024, and until January 1, 2029, would exempt from those taxes the gross receipts from the sale in this state of, and the storage, use, or other consumption in this state of, zero-emission public transportation ferries, as defined, sold to a public agency, as specified. Existing law requires a bill that would authorize a new tax expenditure under the Sales and Use Tax Law to identify specific goals, purposes, and objectives that the tax expenditure will achieve, and detailed performance indicators and data collection requirements for determining whether the tax expenditure achieves these goals, purposes, and objectives. The bill would provide findings and declarations relating to the goals of the exemption for zero-emission public transportation ferries. Existing law imposes or dedicates certain state sales and use tax rates for local funding, including through the Local Revenue Fund 2011. This bill would specify that this exemption does not apply to those state sales and use tax rates imposed or dedicated for local government funding, including those rates for which revenues are deposited into the Local Revenue Fund 2011. The Bradley-Burns Uniform Local Sales and Use Tax Law authorizes counties and cities to impose local sales and use taxes in conformity with the Sales and Use Tax Law, and existing laws authorize districts, as specified, to impose transactions and use taxes in accordance with the Transactions and Use Tax Law, which generally conforms to the Sales and Use Tax Law. Amendments to the Sales and Use Tax Law are automatically incorporated into the local tax laws. This bill would specify that this exemption does not apply to local sales and use taxes or transactions and use taxes. This bill would take effect immediately as a tax levy.
Existing law creates the Department of Insurance, headed by the Insurance Commissioner, and generally regulates the business of insurance in the state. Existing law requires the Insurance Commissioner to develop a pamphlet to provide specified information to small business owners and others on the key features of, and suggested ways of purchasing, commercial property insurance. Existing law requires the pamphlet, to the extent feasible, to be made available to persons operating small businesses, business groups, chambers of commerce, and other persons and groups. Commencing on July 1, 2024, and at least every 5 years thereafter, this bill would require the commissioner to complete a revision of that pamphlet. The bill would also make technical, nonsubstantive changes to those provisions.
Existing property tax law, in accordance with the California Constitution, provides for a "welfare exemption" for property used exclusively for religious, hospital, scientific, or charitable purposes and that is owned or operated by certain types of nonprofit entities, if certain qualifying criteria are met. Existing property tax law states that property is within that welfare exemption if the property is owned and operated by a nonprofit corporation, otherwise qualifying for the welfare exemption, that is organized and operated for the specific and primary purpose of building and rehabilitating single or multifamily residences for sale at cost to low-income families, with financing in the form of a zero interest rate loan and without regard to religion, race, national origin, or the sex of the head of household. This bill would provide, for property tax lien dates occurring on or after January 1, 2024, that property is exempt from taxation and is within the welfare exemption if that property is owned and operated by a nonprofit corporation, as described, that is organized and operated for the specific and primary purpose of building or rehabilitating residential units for sale or rent at an affordable cost and if at least one residential unit on the property is subject to an agreement that requires the unit to be made available at an affordable cost to buyers or renters and is recorded with the appropriate local agency. The bill would provide that the exemption shall be equal to the percentage of the value of the property that is equal to the percentage that the number of units meeting the aforementioned specifications represents of the total number of residential units available for rent or sale on the property. By adding to the duties of local tax officials, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. Existing law requires any bill authorizing a new tax expenditure to contain, among other things, specific goals, purposes, and objectives that the tax expenditure will achieve, detailed performance indicators, and data collection requirements. This bill would state the intent of the Legislature to comply with those provisions. 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, if the Commission on State Mandates determines that the bill contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement for those costs shall be made pursuant to the statutory provisions noted above. Existing law requires the state to reimburse local agencies annually for certain property tax revenues lost as a result of any exemption or classification of property for purposes of ad valorem property taxation. This bill would provide that, notwithstanding those provisions, no appropriation is made and the state shall not reimburse local agencies for property tax revenues lost by them pursuant to the bill. This bill would take effect immediately as a tax levy.
Existing law vests the Public Utilities Commission with regulatory authority over public utilities, including electrical corporations. The commission's Electric Rule 21 establishes a tariff that describes the interconnection, operating, and metering requirements of generation facilities to be connected to an electrical corporation's distribution system. This bill would require the commission, on or before March 31, 2024, to commence the consideration of adopting mechanisms, as provided, for distributed renewable generation interconnections to enforce timelines, reduce administrative burden, and provide transparency and certainty to customers. The bill would require the commission, in considering the adoption of mechanisms, to create process improvements to, and potential timelines for, Electric Rule 21 to address certain types of delays. Under existing law, a violation of the Public Utilities Act or any order, decision, rule, direction, demand, or requirement of the commission is a crime. Because a violation of a commission action implementing its requirements would be a crime, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program. 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.
Existing law with respect to the collection of property taxes provides that any county department, officer, or employee may refrain from collecting any tax, assessment, penalty or cost, license fees, or money owing to the county where the amount to be collected is $20 or less. This bill would make nonsubstantive changes to that provision.
