Existing law requires, beginning on January 1, 2028, a vehicle with connected vehicle service to clearly indicate to a person who is inside the vehicle when a person who is outside the vehicle has accessed, among other things, connected vehicle location access. For these purposes, existing law defines "connected vehicle service" to mean any capability, including through a software application that is designed to be operated on a mobile device, to remotely obtain data from, or send commands to, a vehicle, and "connected vehicle location access" to mean a type of connected vehicle service that allows a person, who is outside of a vehicle, to view or track the location of the vehicle, as specified. If a vehicle includes connected vehicle location access, existing law requires a covered provider, as defined, to provide a mechanism that can be used by a driver who is inside a vehicle to immediately disable connected vehicle location access. Existing law delays the operation of this requirement depending on whether the vehicle was manufactured prior to, or on or after, January 1, 2028. Unless otherwise provided, a violation of the Vehicle Code constitutes an infraction. This bill would, instead, limit the provisions above to specified vehicles with connected vehicle access. The bill would apply the requirement for a vehicle with connected vehicle service to indicate to a person inside the vehicle if connected vehicle location access is enabled to all vehicles beginning with the 2031 model year. The bill would make this requirement operative beginning with the 2031 model year, for 2028, 2029, and 2030 model year vehicles, as soon as practicable after the vehicle is sold unless technologically infeasible, and on or before July 1, 2027, for 2027 model year or older vehicles unless technologically infeasible. By establishing a new duty on vehicle manufacturers, this bill would expand the general crime applicable to provisions under the Vehicle Code, thereby imposing 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. This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.
Existing law establishes the Department of Health Care Access and Information to oversee various aspects of the health care market, including oversight of hospital facilities and community benefit plans. Existing law, the Knox-Keene Health Care Service Plan Act of 1975, provides for the licensure and regulation of health care service plans by the Department of Managed Health Care and makes a willful violation of the act's requirements a crime. Existing law provides for the regulation of health insurers by the Department of Insurance. Existing law provides for the licensure and regulation of general acute care hospitals and clinics by the State Department of Public Health. This bill would, beginning on January 1, 2028, prohibit a health care provider, hospital, or health system from charging, billing, or collecting a facility fee for any outpatient services in specified circumstances, including for specified preventative health care services and health care services furnished via telehealth. The bill would not prohibit the billing of a professional fee. The bill would require a health care provider, hospital, or health system to provide notice, as specified, to a patient at the time of scheduling and at check-in if a facility fee will be charged. The bill would require the Director of the Department of Health Care Access and Information to impose an administrative penalty pursuant to a specified process for each violation against a health care provider, hospital, or health system that fails to comply with these provisions. The bill would specify that multiple violations identified during the same investigation constitute a single violation for purposes of assessing an administrative penalty. The bill would require a health care provider, hospital, or health system to reimburse the patient or patients any amount actually paid for a prohibited facility fee. The bill would, beginning on January 1, 2028, prohibit a health care service plan or health insurer from reimbursing, paying, or otherwise providing coverage for any prohibited facility fee. The bill would prohibit a plan from including in any contract or provider agreement any term permitting payment of a prohibited facility fee, and would prohibit a plan or insurer from passing through or otherwise shifting the fee to an enrollee or insured. Because a willful violation of these provisions relative to health care service plans would be a crime, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program. The bill would, beginning on January 1, 2028, require a hospital or health system, as defined, to file a report with the Department of Health Care Access and Information regarding specified information on the facility fees charged, including the number of patient visits at each facility where a facility fee was charged or billed and the total amount of fees charged. The bill would authorize the department to incorporate this report into an existing reporting requirement to minimize costs. 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.
(1) Existing law, the Digital Financial Assets Law, prohibits a person, on or after July 1, 2026, from engaging in digital financial asset business activity, or holding itself out as being able to engage in digital financial asset business activity, with, or on behalf of, a resident, unless any of certain criteria are met, including that the person is licensed with the Department of Financial Protection and Innovation, as prescribed, or the person submits an application on or before July 1, 2026, and is awaiting approval or denial of that application. This bill would revise the above-described latter criterion to specify that the person submits a completed application, as provided. The Digital Financial Assets Law authorizes the Commissioner of Financial Protection and Innovation to issue a conditional license to an applicant who holds or maintains a license to conduct virtual currency business activity in the State of New York, as specified, provided the license was issued or approved no later than January 1, 2023. This bill would revise the above-described authorization to require that the license be issued or approved no later than January 1, 2025. (2) The Digital Financial Assets Law defines "digital financial asset business activity" to mean any of specified activities, including, among others, exchanging, transferring, or storing a digital financial asset, as specified, or exchanging one or more digital representations of value used within one or more online games, game platforms, or family of games, as provided. This bill would remove exchanging one or more digital representations of value used within one or more online games, game platforms, or family of games from the definition of "digital financial business activity." The bill would specify that a "digital financial asset" does not include, among other things, a transaction in which a merchant grants digital representations of value that primarily relate to an affinity or rewards program, as provided, or a digital representation of value issued by or on behalf of a publisher and used primarily within online games or game platforms and that is not otherwise a digital financial asset. The Digital Financial Assets Law declares that its provisions do not apply to specified activity, including by a person who does not receive compensation for providing digital financial asset products or services or for conducting financial asset business activity or that is engaged in testing products or services with the person's own funds. This bill would specify that the above-described exclusion includes a person who merely retains the ability to terminate, suspend, or interrupt a digital financial transaction solely to prevent unauthorized or fraudulent activity and who is not compensated for that service. The Digital Financial Assets Law prohibits a covered person from exchanging, transferring, or storing a digital financial asset that is a stablecoin or engaging in digital financial asset administration of a stablecoin, as specified, unless certain conditions are met. However, existing law authorizes a covered person to exchange, transfer, or store a stablecoin or engage in digital financial asset administration of that stablecoin, as specified, if the stablecoin is approved by the commissioner and complies with certain requirements, restrictions, or prohibitions established by the commissioner. This bill would repeal the above-described provisions related to stablecoins. (3) The Digital Financial Assets Law requires a licensee to submit an annual report, as provided, containing specified information, including a description of any data security breach or cybersecurity event of the licensee. Existing law requires a licensee to file with the department, as applicable, a report of, among other things, a change in the licensee's business for the conduct of its digital financial asset business activity with, or on behalf of, a resident that meets one of specified criteria, including that the proposed change might raise safety and soundness or operational concerns. This bill would revise the above-described annual report to instead include a description of any material data security breach or cybersecurity event of the licensee. The bill would revise the specified criteria in the requirement to file the above-described report of a change in the licensee's business to instead include that the proposed change might raise material safety and soundness or operational concerns. Before engaging in digital financial asset business activity with a resident, the Digital Financial Assets Law requires a covered person, defined as a person required to obtain a license pursuant to that law, to disclose, as provided, certain information, including the resident's right to at least 14 days' prior notice of specified changes that have a material impact on digital financial asset business activity with the resident, or the policies applicable to the resident's account. Existing law requires a covered exchange, as provided, to certify on a form provided by the department that the covered exchange has taken specified actions, except for any digital financial asset approved for listing on or before January 1, 2023. In a transaction for or with a resident, existing law prohibits the covered exchange from interjecting a third party between the covered exchange and the best market for the digital financial asset in a manner inconsistent with specified requirements. This bill would prohibit the 14-day notice requirement from applying to changes in terms, conditions, or policies that are reasonably necessary to address a risk of loss to the resident or covered person, to the extent that the change does not relate to the fee schedule. The bill would instead exclude from the above-described certification requirement a digital financial asset approved for listing on or before January 1, 2025. The bill would require a covered person to provide and make available an up-to-date description of the order execution practices of the covered person, as specified. The bill would exempt a transaction in which a resident receives stablecoin, as defined, in exchange for legal tender or bank or credit union credit from the above-described prohibition against interjecting a third party. The Digital Financial Assets Law requires an applicant, as provided, to create, and during licensure, maintain in a record specified policies and procedures. Existing law requires these policies and procedures be disclosed separately from other disclosures made available to a resident, as specified, except for, among other things, an adopted information security program or an operational security program. This bill would instead exclude from the above-described requirement to disclose separately from other disclosures programs with information that is sensitive to potential security risks, as specified. This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.
The Personal Income Tax Law and the Corporation Tax Law allow various credits against the taxes imposed by those laws, including, for taxable years beginning on or after January 1, 2017, and before January 1, 2027, a credit for qualified taxpayers in an amount equal to 15% of the qualified value of fresh fruits or vegetables and specified raw agricultural products or processed foods donated to a food bank. This bill would extend the authorization for those tax credits for taxable years beginning before January 1, 2032. Existing law requires any bill authorizing a new tax expenditure to contain, among other things, specific goals that the tax expenditure will achieve, detailed performance indicators, and data collection requirements. For purposes of complying with these requirements, existing law requires the Franchise Tax Board to submit a report to the Legislature regarding the utilization of the credit on or before December 1 of each year until January 1, 2026. This bill would extend that reporting requirement to December 1, 2035. This bill would take effect immediately as a tax levy.
Existing law regulates official court reporters in the superior courts. Under existing law, a court may use electronic recording equipment in a limited civil case, a misdemeanor or infraction case, or for the internal purpose of monitoring subordinate judicial officer performance. Existing law requires, prior to purchasing or leasing any electronic recording technology or equipment, a court to obtain advance approval from the Judicial Council. This bill would, until January 1, 2028, authorize the court to use electronic recording technology in civil proceedings when specified circumstances are met, including, among other things, when a litigant who cannot afford to retain a private court reporter has requested a verbatim record of the proceeding. The bill would require a court to find that a litigant cannot afford to retain a private court reporter if any specified circumstances are met, including when the litigant has been granted a waiver of court fees for the proceeding. The bill would require the court to follow prescribed procedures when the court lacks sufficient reporters or official reporters pro tempore to provide verbatim records, as specified, including, among other things, providing public notice that the court is accepting applications from certified shorthand reporters for positions as official court reporters. The bill would set forth a grievance and arbitration process for resolving disputes regarding compliance with these provisions, as specified. The bill would require a transcript created from electronic recordings to include a designation for portions of the recording that contain no audible sound or are not discernible. The bill would require the Judicial Council to develop and approve official forms for use in trial courts consistent with the above provisions. The bill would require each trial court to report to the Judicial Council, on a quarterly basis, specified information, including, among other things, the number of applications received by the court from certified shorthand reporters. The bill would require the Judicial Council to make this information public available on its internet website.
The Digital Financial Assets Law, on or after July 1, 2026, prohibits a person from engaging in digital financial asset business activity or holding itself out as being able to engage in digital financial asset business activity, with or on behalf of a resident unless any of specified conditions is true. The law defines "digital financial asset" to mean a digital representation of value that is used as a medium of exchange, unit of account, or store of value, and that is not legal tender, whether or not denominated in legal tender and defines "digital financial asset business activity" to mean, among other similar things, exchanging, transferring, or storing a digital financial asset or engaging in digital financial asset administration, whether directly or through an agreement with a digital financial asset control services vendor. This bill, the Digital Financial Asset Banking Act, would generally regulate a bank or a credit union under the examination authority of the Department of Financial Protection and Innovation with respect to its provision of digital asset custody services, staking services, and digital asset transaction services, as those terms are defined, including by requiring certain disclosures to costumers and requiring certain financial safety measures. The bill would require a financial institution engaged in digital financial asset custody services to conduct an annual audit of its custodial activities and holdings that is either an independent audit or a review by the financial institution's board of directors for accuracy and signed be each board member under penalty of perjury. By expanding the scope of the crime of perjury, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program. This bill would authorize the department to enforce its provisions with administrative and civil remedies, as specified. The Corporate Securities Law of 1968 generally regulates the offering and selling in this state of a security, as defined. This bill would define "security" to not include a staking reward, as defined. 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.
This Senate resolution commemorates the United Nations International Day of Peace and honors the late Chancellor Young-Seek Choue for proposing the concept that led to its creation. The bill encourages all Californians to observe the day by reaffirming their commitment to peace, nonviolence, mutual understanding, and respect for human dignity. It does not create new laws or change existing policies but serves as a symbolic gesture to promote global peace and recognize the role of education in fostering international cooperation.
Existing law prohibits a person from locating or positioning a weighing or measuring device used in retail trade so that its indications cannot be accurately read by the purchaser under ordinary circumstances, except as specified. A violation of this prohibition is a misdemeanor. This bill would revise and recast that prohibition to instead prohibit a person from locating or positioning a weighing or measuring device used for commercial purposes, as defined, so that its indications cannot be accurately read by the customer and operator under ordinary circumstances, except as specified. To the extent that the bill would expand the definition of a crime, the 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.
(1) Existing law establishes the State Board of Education to adopt policies, and to establish rules and regulations, not inconsistent with the laws of the state, to govern the public elementary and secondary schools of the state. Existing law provides that the state board consists of 11 members, including 10 members who are appointed by the Governor to 4-year terms with the advice and consent of 23 of the Senate and a student member appointed by the Governor to a one-year term with the advice and consent of 23 of the Senate. This bill, commencing January 15, 2027, would add the Superintendent of Public Instruction to the state board by replacing one of the nonstudent positions that expires on January 15, 2027, with the Superintendent, thereby maintaining the state board's 11-member composition. The bill also would, commencing January 15, 2027, replace 4 of the existing positions that are appointed by the Governor with the advice and consent of 23 of the Senate with 2 members who are appointed by the President pro Tempore of the Senate and 2 members who are appointed by the Speaker of the Assembly, as provided. (2) Existing law requires the State Department of Education to be administered through the state board, which is the governing and policy determining body of the department, and the Director of Education, in whom all executive and administrative functions of the department are vested and who is the executive officer of the state board and the department. Existing law provides that the Superintendent is the ex officio Director of Education, and requires the department to be conducted under the control of the Director of Education. Existing law assigns to the Superintendent numerous duties related to the state board and the department. This bill would revise and recast those provisions by, among other things, (A) deleting the provision in existing law that establishes the Superintendent as the ex officio Director of Education, (B) vesting all executive and administrative functions of the department in an Education Commissioner to be appointed by, and serve at the pleasure of, the Governor and confirmed by the Senate after January 1, 2027, (C) transferring various duties of the Superintendent and the Director of Education relating to, among other things, the state board and the department, to the Education Commissioner, and (D) providing for the transfer, as specified, of certain employees (i) of the state board to the department, (ii) of the Superintendent to the department, and (iii) of the department to the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction, which the bill would establish, as specified. The bill would delay to July 1, 2027, the operative date of some of these provisions. This bill would require the Education Commissioner to create a plan no later than June 30, 2027, to transition the functions and operations of the department and other related activities from the Superintendent to the Education Commissioner, as provided. The bill would require the Superintendent to serve as an independent evaluator and cross-sector coordinator for public education, covering preschool through higher education, with specified duties. The bill would require the Superintendent to conduct independent evaluations of specified education initiatives and authorize the Superintendent to conduct independent evaluations of other education initiatives. This bill would prohibit the Superintendent and the Education Commissioner from holding positions of outside employment and would require all philanthropic foundations of the department to be dissolved no later than June 30, 2028. (3) Existing law establishes the California Community Colleges, under the administration of the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges, as one of the segments of public postsecondary education in this state. The board of governors consists of 18 voting members, as provided. This bill, commencing July 1, 2027, would add the Superintendent to the board of governors as a 19th voting member.
This measure would urge the Governor, relevant state agencies, and all local governments to adopt an urgent and coordinated approach to end and prevent unsheltered homelessness statewide, as specified.
Existing law establishes the California College Promise, under the administration of the Chancellor of the California Community Colleges, to provide funding, upon appropriation by the Legislature, to each community college meeting prescribed requirements. Existing law authorizes a community college to use that funding to waive some or all of the fees for 2 academic years for first-time community college students and returning community college students, as defined, who are enrolled in 12 or more semester units or the equivalent, or less for students certified as "full time," as specified, and who complete and submit either a Free Application for Federal Student Aid or a California Dream Act application, except that a student who has previously earned a degree or certificate from a postsecondary educational institution is not eligible for this fee waiver. This bill would prohibit a certificate awarded to a student by a postsecondary educational institution as part of a course sequence leading to an associate degree from making the student ineligible for that fee waiver.
Existing law, the Mobilehome Residency Law, prescribes various terms and conditions of tenancies in mobilehome parks. Existing law prohibits an action based upon the management's alleged failure to maintain the physical improvement in the common facilities in good working order or condition or alleged reduction of service from being commenced by a homeowner unless the management has been given at least 30 days' prior notice of the intention to commence the action. This bill would authorize management to move to dismiss with prejudice a claim that alleges a failure to maintain, or a reduction of service regarding, a physical improvement, as described above, if that physical improvement is not actually present within the mobilehome park, nor provided or under the control of the park owner or manager. The bill would, upon petition by the management, require a court that grants a motion to dismiss for this reason to award the management reasonable attorney's fees and impose a civil penalty and other sanctions to be paid by the attorney filing the action, as specified.
