This House resolution honors California veterans and urges the federal government to speed up the processing of disability claims. It highlights that long wait times for these benefits can cause financial hardship and delay access to necessary medical care. The bill calls on Congress and the Department of Veterans Affairs to reduce backlogs by improving staffing, increasing administrative efficiency, and modernizing their claims systems. Ultimately, it is a formal request for federal action rather than a law that changes state rules or allocates new funds.
Existing law authorizes a thoroughbred racing association or fair to distribute the audiovisual signal and accept wagers on the results of out-of-state thoroughbred races conducted in the United States during the calendar period the association or fair is conducting a race meeting, including days on which there is no live racing being conducted by the association or fair, without the consent of the organization that represents horsemen and horsewomen participating in the race meeting and without regard to the amount of purses. Existing law prohibits the total number of thoroughbred races imported by associations or fairs on a statewide basis under these provisions from exceeding 75 races per day on days when live thoroughbred or fair racing is being conducted in the state, with the exception of prescribed races. This bill would exempt from the 75 imported race per day limitation, races imported that are part of the race card of the Japan Cup.
Existing law requires the California Transportation Commission to establish a competitive funding program, commonly known as the Short-Line Railroad Improvement Program, to provide funds to the Department of Transportation or regional transportation planning agencies, or both, for short-line railroad projects such as railroad reconstruction, maintenance, upgrade, or replacement. Existing law appropriates up to $7,200,000 from the Trade Corridors Improvement Fund to the program and makes those moneys available for encumbrance or expenditure until June 30, 2028. This bill would extend the availability of those moneys for expenditure by one year. By extending the expenditure date of those moneys, the bill would make an appropriation. In order to receive funding from the Short-Line Railroad Improvement Program, existing law requires at least 30% of the total project cost to be provided from nongovernmental sources. This bill would authorize, for a project under the program for a publicly owned railroad, those funds to be provided from private funds, local funds, or state or federal funds not allocated by the commission on a project-specific basis.
Existing law requires the Department of Motor Vehicles to issue a certificate of ownership to the legal owner of a vehicle upon registering the vehicle. Existing law requires the Director of Motor Vehicles to develop an Electronic Lien and Title (ELT) Program to require that all lienholders' title information be held in an electronic format, if the department determines that the program is cost effective compared to the current paper title and registration system. This bill would define "title," "certificate of title," and "certificate of ownership" for purposes of the Vehicle Code as an official record, whether in paper or electronic form, establishing and providing proof of legal ownership of a vehicle.
Existing law states that it is the public policy of this state that foster family agencies or noncustodial adoption agencies, also known as FFAs, provide necessary services to vulnerable youth and are integral to the foster care system. Existing law provides that an FFA, which contracts with a public entity for the provision of foster youth services, may be held liable for injury or damage caused by the FFA's negligence but not for the injury or damage caused by the public entity. Existing law requires the FFA and the public entity to each bear the cost of insuring against their respective acts and omissions and defending against claims arising from those risks. Existing law prohibits the above provisions from being waived or suspended by a court, and specifies that certain indemnification provisions in contracts between FFAs and public entities are void as against public policy and unenforceable. Existing law repeals these provisions on January 1, 2027. This bill would instead repeal those provisions on January 1, 2028.
Existing law authorizes school districts that maintain high schools to establish work experience programs for the purpose of providing pupils with instruction in skills, attitudes, and understandings necessary for success in employment. Existing law requires the Superintendent of Public Instruction to coordinate the development, on a cyclical basis, of model curriculum standards for required courses of study, including a career technical education course of study for pupils in grades 7 to 12, inclusive, as specified. This bill would, at the next revision of the California Career Technical Education Model Curriculum Standards, require the State Department of Education to consider adding content on the role of youth caregivers within the Personal Care and Services career pathway, as provided. The bill would require, by July 1, 2028, the department to provide guidance for the implementation of the Personal Care and Services career pathway, and would explicitly authorize certain types of guidance, including (1) a focus on skills specific to Personal Care and Services occupations, including, but not limited to, in-home caregiving for youth caregivers supporting household family members, and (2) eligibility for youth caregivers caring for a family member in the family member's home for credits through work experience education programs, as provided.
This measure would designate the interchange at State Route 52 and Interstate 805 in the County of San Diego as the Officer Kirk Leland Johnson Memorial Interchange. The measure would request that the Department of Transportation determine the cost of appropriate signs showing this special designation and, upon receiving donations from nonstate sources sufficient to cover the cost, to erect those signs.
This bill would designate a specified portion of State Route 20 in the County of Sutter as the Gordon Lee Bordsen Memorial Highway. The measure would request that the Department of Transportation determine the cost of appropriate signs showing this special designation and, upon receiving donations from nonstate sources sufficient to cover the cost, to erect those signs.
Existing law, the Administrative Procedure Act, sets forth requirements for the adoption, publication, review, and implementation of regulations by state agencies, and for review of those regulatory actions by the Office of Administrative Law. Existing law requires the office to review regulations on the bases of necessity, authority, clarity, consistency, reference, and nonduplication and requires the office to either approve or disapprove the regulation within 30 working days. If the office disapproves a regulation, existing law requires the office to return it to the adopting agency and include the reasons for disapproval, as specified. This bill would require the office to report a disapproval and the reasons for disapproval to the Legislature within 60 days of returning a regulation to the adopting agency, as specified.
Existing law requires a filing fee of $50 in a small claims case where the demand is more than $1,500 but less than or equal to $5,000, and a filing fee of $75 if the amount of the demand in a small claims case is more than $5,000. This bill would instead require a filing fee of $50 for small claims cases with a demand of more than $1,500 but less than or equal to $6,250, and a filing fee of $75 for cases if the amount of the demand is more than $6,250. Existing law requires a uniform filing fee of $205 for the first paper in a case where the amount demanded, excluding attorney's fees and costs, is $10,000 or less. Existing law requires the first paper to state whether the amount demanded exceeds or does not exceed $10,000. Existing law also requires a $205 filing fee for a petition for a writ or a notice of appeal to the appellative division of the superior court if the amount demanded in a limited civil case, excluding attorney's fees and costs, is $10,000 or less. This bill would revise these provisions to apply to cases where the amount demanded, excluding attorney's fees and costs, is $12,500 or less. Existing law requires, if a plaintiff or petitioner files an amended complaint or other initial pleading that increases the amount demanded to an amount that exceeds $10,000 but does not exceed $25,000, a fee equal to the difference between the original filing fee and the filing fee for the new amount demanded to be charged to make up the difference between the filing fees. Existing law also requires, if a party files a cross-complaint, amended cross-complaint, or amendment to a cross-complaint demanding an amount that exceeds $10,000 but does not exceed $25,000, a fee equal to the difference between the original filing fee and the filing fee for the new amount to be charged to make up the difference between the filing fees. This bill would revise these provisions to apply to cases where the revised amount demanded exceeds $12,500 but does not exceed $35,000.
The California State Lottery Act of 1984, an initiative measure, authorizes a California State Lottery and provides for its operation and administration by the California State Lottery Commission and the Director of the California State Lottery, with certain limitations. The act prohibits the assignment of the right of any person to a prize, but authorizes assignment of the payment of a lottery prize, in whole or in part, under specified circumstances, including if there is a judicial order appointing a conservator or a guardian for the protection of the prizewinner, or for adjudicating rights to, or ownership of, the prize. This bill would instead authorize assignment of the payment of a prize if there is an appropriate judicial order issued for either (1) appointing a conservator or guardian for the protection of the prizewinner or (2) adjudicating rights to, or ownership of, the prize.
This measure would encourage relevant stakeholders to evaluate existing transportation programs, develop policy options, and consider pilot initiatives that improve reliable, affordable, and accessible transportation for individuals with epilepsy. The measure would also encourage coordination with federal partners and welcome the participation of advocacy groups in informing and advancing complementary state-federal strategies.
