Existing California Constitution provisions grant the retirement board of a public employee retirement system plenary authority and fiduciary responsibility for investment of moneys and administration of the retirement fund and system. These provisions qualify this grant of powers by reserving to the Legislature the authority to prohibit investments if it is in the public interest and the prohibition satisfies standards of fiduciary care and loyalty required of a retirement board. Existing law, upon the passage of a federal law that imposes sanctions on the government of Turkey for failure to officially acknowledge its responsibility for the Armenian Genocide, prohibits the boards of administration of the Public Employees' Retirement System and the State Teachers' Retirement System from making additional or new investments, or renewing existing investments, of public employee retirement funds in an investment vehicle in the government of Turkey that is issued by the government of Turkey or that is owned by the government of Turkey. Existing law repeals the above-described provision on January 1, 2025, or upon a determination by the board, the United States Department of State, the Congress of the United States, or another appropriate federal agency that the government of Turkey has officially acknowledged its responsibility for the Armenian Genocide, whichever occurs first. This bill would, in addition, prohibit state trust moneys from being used to make additional or new investments or to renew existing investments in investment vehicles issued or owned by the government of Turkey, unless the government adopts a policy to acknowledge the Armenian Genocide and embark on a path of affording justice to its victims. The bill would define "state trust moneys" to mean funds administered by specified state employee retirement funds, including the Public Employees' Retirement Fund and the Legislators' Retirement Fund.
Existing law establishes a motor vehicle inspection and maintenance (smog check) program that is administered by the Department of Consumer Affairs. The smog check program requires inspection of motor vehicles upon initial registration, biennially upon renewal of registration, upon transfer of ownership, and in certain other circumstances. Existing law, except as provided, exempts motor vehicles that meet certain requirements from being inspected biennially upon renewal of registration. Existing law requires the Department of Motor Vehicles, upon application, to issue a specialty license plate to an owner of a motor vehicle that is operated primarily for purposes of historical exhibition or other similar purposes and the vehicle meets certain requirements. This bill would exempt a motor vehicle for which a specialty plate described above has been issued from the requirement that it be inspected biennially upon registration if specified criteria are met, including a requirement that proof that the motor vehicle is insured as a collector motor vehicle is submitted to the Department of Motor Vehicles.
Existing law authorizes the Department of Human Resources (CalHR) to expend, in accordance with law, moneys made available for its use or for the administration of any statute administered by it. Existing law vests in CalHR the administration of salaries generally and provides for the payment of miscellaneous compensation under specified circumstances. Existing law requires CalHR to provide the extent to which, and establish the method by which, ordered overtime or overtime in times of critical emergency is compensated, as specified. This bill would authorize CalHR to provide a one-time payment of an unspecified amount to employees who have been required to telework as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic in order to offset costs associated with working remotely.
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 a crime. Existing law also provides for the regulation of health insurers by the Department of Insurance. Existing law requires that health care service plan contracts and health insurance policies provide coverage for certain services and treatments, including emergency medical transportation services. This bill would require a health care service plan contract or a health insurance policy issued, amended, or renewed on or after January 1, 2022, that offers coverage for emergency ground medical transportation services to include those services as in-network services and would require the plan or insurer to pay those services at the contracted rate pursuant to the plan contract or policy. Because a willful violation of the bill's requirements relative to a health care service plan would be 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.
The existing Warren-Alquist State Energy Resources Conservation and Development Act establishes the State Energy Resources Conservation and Development Commission and requires the commission to prescribe, by regulation, standards for minimum levels of operating efficiency to promote the use of energy- and water-efficient appliances whose use requires a significant amount of energy or water on a statewide basis. Existing law requires that the minimum levels of operating efficiency be based on feasible and attainable efficiencies or feasible improved efficiencies that will reduce the energy or water consumption growth rates. Existing law prohibits a new appliance manufactured on or after the effective date of the standards to be sold or offered for sale in the state unless it is certified by the manufacturer thereof to be in compliance with the standards. Existing law requires the commission to administer various programs to improve energy efficiency. This bill would require the commission, by July 1, 2022, to create a 3-year appliance rebate program to provide eligible residential customers of an electric utility or gas utility with monetary incentives to purchase new appliances that meet energy star or similar energy efficiency standards approved by the commission. The bill would limit eligibility for the program to those customers with annual household incomes that are no greater than 200% of the federal poverty guideline levels. The bill would limit rebates to appliances purchased for an eligible customer's primary residence and limit a customer to no more than 3 rebates during the term of the program. The requirements of the bill would become operative upon the appropriation of sufficient funds in the Budget Act to implement the bill's requirements.
Existing law requires the California Department of Aging to establish a task force of certain members to study and make recommendations to the Legislature on the improvement of legal services delivery to senior citizens in California by exploring specified matters, including ways to ensure uniformity in the provision of legal services throughout the state and the possible establishment of a statewide legal hotline for seniors. Existing law requires the task force to report and make its recommendations to the Legislature on or before September 1, 2002. This bill would require the department to establish a similar task force to assess the implementation of the recommendations made pursuant to the above-mentioned provisions, make additional recommendations by exploring the same matters explored by the initial task force, and to report the assessment and make its recommendations to the Legislature on or before September 1, 2023.
Existing law makes it a crime to solicit a person that the solicitor knows or should have known is a minor to commit an act of prostitution. Under existing law, this crime is punishable by imprisonment in a county jail for not less than 2 days and not more than one year, or by a fine not exceeding $10,000, or by both that fine and imprisonment. This bill would remove the requirement that the person soliciting for prostitution knew or should have known that the person being solicited was a minor at the time of the offense. The bill would also authorize a person convicted of this crime to be punished either by the current punishment or by 16 months or 2 or 3 years in state prison, a fine not to exceed $10,000, or by both that fine and imprisonment. By changing the definition of a crime and increasing the punishment for 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.
Under existing law, the Public Utilities Commission has regulatory authority over electrical corporations, local publicly owned electric utilities are under the direction of their governing boards, and electrical cooperatives are subject to the regulatory authority of the commission, except as specified. Existing law requires each electrical corporation, local publicly owned electric utility, or electrical cooperative to construct, maintain, and operate its electrical lines and equipment in a manner that will minimize the risk of catastrophic wildfire posed by those electrical lines and equipment. This bill would require each electrical corporation, local publicly owned electric utility, or electrical cooperative engaging in fire safety, prevention, or mitigation services in a high fire-risk area, as defined, to notify the fire protection district responsible for that area at least 48 hours before work is commenced, except when waiting to commence critical or emergency repairs in order to provide that notification would endanger public health or safety, as specified. The bill would require those electrical utilities to also provide the fire protection district with a copy of any form used to document any daily safety briefing at those worksites no later than 72 hours after the completion of that workday. By placing additional duties upon local publicly owned electric utilities, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. Under existing law, a violation of any order, decision, rule, direction, demand, or requirement of the commission is a crime. Because a violation of a commission action implementing the bill's requirements would be 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 specified reasons.
Existing law authorizes the Director of Forestry and Fire Protection to enter into an agreement for prescribed burning or other hazardous fuel reduction for specified purposes, such as vegetation management and forest improvement. Existing law requires an agreement that is entered into pursuant to that authorization to, among other requirements, provide that the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection be fully responsible for prescribed burns initiated at the department's request, with the consent of the landowner, for training or other purposes on lands owned by a nonprofit organization or other public agencies. This bill would delete the qualification that those prescribed burns initiated at the department's request be on lands owned by a nonprofit organization or other public agencies.
Existing law provides for officers and employees of the state to receive travel expenses when away from their headquarters for state business. This bill would state the intent of the Legislature to enact legislation that would prohibit state-sponsored travel to any state that enacts any law that limits or reduces access to voting.
Existing law, the Personal Income Tax Law and Corporation Tax Law, in modified conformity with federal income tax laws, generally allow various deductions in computing the income that is subject to taxes imposed by those laws, including a deduction for a net operating loss as specified. Existing law suspends the deduction for a net operating loss, as specified, for taxable years beginning on or after January 1, 2020, and before January 1, 2023. The Personal Income Tax Law and Corporation Tax Law generally authorize various credits against the taxes imposed by those laws. Existing law provides that, except as specified, the total credits allowable under those laws may not reduce the taxes imposed by those laws by more than $5,000,000, as provided, for taxable years beginning on or after January 1, 2020, and before January 1, 2023. This bill, the Golden State Innovation Act of 2021, would, for taxable years beginning on or after January 1, 2021, and before January 1, 2023, exclude a taxpayer that performs research and development in biotechnology, as described, from the above-described suspension of the deduction for net operating losses and the above-described limitation on the total credits allowable. 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. The bill also would include additional information required for any bill authorizing a new tax expenditure. This bill would take effect immediately as a tax levy.
(1) Existing law establishes the Feed Inspection Advisory Board in state government and generally requires it to serve in an advisory capacity to the Secretary of Food and Agriculture with respect to the operation of the law governing commercial feed. Existing law authorizes the advisory board to establish or designate one or more other entities to administer all or part of the law governing commercial feed and requires the secretary to adopt regulations and procedures to be used by the entity or entities. Existing law specifies the entity or entities that may be established or designated by the advisory board for this purpose including state accredited or certified chemistry laboratories. This bill would expand the types of entities that may be established or designated for this purpose to include any state accredited, certified, or licensed laboratories. (2) The California Seed Law regulates seed sold in California, and requires the Secretary of Food and Agriculture to maintain a properly equipped laboratory for examining and testing seeds. This bill would instead authorize the secretary to maintain a properly equipped laboratory for examining and testing seeds for the purpose of enforcing the germination and purity standards established by the California Seed Law. The bill would authorize the secretary to approve laboratories to conduct germination and purity examinations and testing of seeds that meet specified requirements.
