Existing law requires the Attorney General to publish model policies limiting assistance with immigration enforcement to the fullest extent possible consistent with federal and state law at public schools, public libraries, health facilities operated by the state or a political subdivision of the state, courthouses, Division of Labor Standards Enforcement facilities, the Agricultural Labor Relations Board, the Division of Workers Compensation, and shelters, and ensuring that they remain safe and accessible to all California residents, regardless of immigration status. Existing law requires the Attorney General to publish guidance, audit criteria, and training recommendations aimed at ensuring that any databases operated by state and local law enforcement agencies, including databases maintained for the agency by private vendors, are governed in a manner that limits the availability of information therein to the fullest extent practicable and consistent with federal and state law, to anyone or any entity for the purpose of immigration enforcement. Existing law, the California Values Act, prohibits California law enforcement agencies from using agency or department moneys or personnel to investigate, interrogate, detain, detect, or arrest persons for immigration enforcement purposes, including, among other things, providing personal information about an individual, making or intentionally participating in arrests based on civil immigration warrants, or performing the functions of an immigration officer, as specified. This bill would prohibit a state or local government agency from collecting immigration-related personally identifiable information unless it is explicitly required by law to do so and the collection is justified by a legitimate government purpose. The bill would prohibit a state or local government agency from sharing personally identifiable information with federal immigration enforcement agencies without a judicial warrant or court order. The bill would require any contract, agreement, or memorandum of understanding that facilitate data sharing between a state or local government agency and federal immigration enforcement authorities to comply with oversight mechanisms to ensure compliance with civil rights and privacy protections and be subject to review by the State Auditor, as described below. Because the bill would require local agencies to perform additional duties, it would impose a state-mandated local program. The bill would make these provisions enforceable by administrative action or by imposition of a civil penalty recovered by an action brought by the Attorney General. This bill would require the State Auditor to conduct audits of all state and local government agency data-sharing agreements at least every 2 years to ensure compliance with existing laws protecting privacy and civil rights. The bill would require the Office of the Attorney General to establish an oversight task force to review complaints and violations related to unauthorized data collection and sharing that would report to the Legislature annually on data privacy trends, risks, and policy recommendations. 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 authorizes the Department of Motor Vehicles to issue and renew driver's licenses, as specified. Existing law also authorizes the department to issue identification cards. Existing law requires the department to, by no later than July 1, 2027, issue an identification card to an eligible applicant who is unable to submit satisfactory proof that their presence in the United States is authorized under federal law if they provide satisfactory proof of identity and California residency, as specified. This bill would expedite the date by which the department is required to issue an identification card to the above-described eligible applicants to January 15, 2026.
Existing law provides that the State Department of Health Care Services has the sole authority in state government to license adult alcoholism or drug abuse recovery or treatment facilities, as defined. Existing law authorizes the department to conduct announced or unannounced site visits to licensed facilities to review compliance with all applicable statutes and regulations. This bill would require the State Department of Health Care Services to establish a pilot program to locate an investigator within a participating county to investigate complaints against licensed adult alcoholism or drug abuse recovery or treatment facilities within the county. The participating county would be the County of Orange if the Orange County Board of Supervisors elects to participate in the pilot program. The bill would require the department to implement the pilot program by executing a contract with the County of Orange providing that the department will assign an investigator and the county will reimburse the department for the costs associated with the pilot program, including, but not limited to, the administrative costs and the investigator's compensation and benefits. The bill would require the pilot program to be completed no later than December 31, 2029, and would require the county to submit a report of the results of the pilot program, as specified, to the Legislature no later than December 31, 2030. The provisions of this bill would be repealed on December 31, 2034.
Existing law, the California Children's Services (CCS) Program, is a statewide program providing medically necessary services required by physically handicapped children whose parents are unable to pay for those services. Existing law requires the State Department of Health Care Services to administer the program. Existing law requires the board of supervisors of each county to designate the county department of public health or the county department of social welfare as the designated agency to administer the program. Existing law prohibits denying eligibility or aid under the program because an otherwise eligible person is receiving treatment services under specified teaching programs provided that treatment services are under the general supervision of a CCS Program panel physician and surgeon. Existing law requires those panel members to be board certified and have expertise in the care of children. Existing law requires prior authorization for CCS services provided pursuant to these provisions, contingent on the determination by the department or its designee of specified criteria, including that the provider of the services is approved in accordance with the standards of the program. This bill would authorize the department to approve an advanced practice provider's, defined as a nurse practitioner, physician assistant, or certified registered nurse that meet specified qualifications, request to be CCS paneled. The bill would require eligible applicants to submit an application through the CCS internet website. The bill would require the department to acknowledge receipt of the application within 5 business days and would require the department to approve, deny, or return the application for additional information within 10 business days of submission. The bill would require the advanced practice provider to be paneled prior to providing care, and once paneled, would authorize the advanced practice provider to perform initial or continuing care without the need of a cosignature for specified professional services. The bill would also authorize those paneled providers enrolled as Medi-Cal ordering, referring, and prescribing only providers to bill Medi-Cal directly for independent office and inpatient visits. The bill would also expand the meaning of a provider to include physician certified by their respective specialty board, except when in the opinion of the specialist, treatment may be delegated or shared with a family physician and advanced practice providers, as defined, who meet specified criteria.
The California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) requires a lead agency, as defined, to prepare, or cause to be prepared, and certify the completion of an environmental impact report on a project that it proposes to carry out or approve that may have a significant effect on the environment or to adopt a negative declaration if it finds that the project will not have that effect. CEQA also requires a lead agency to prepare a mitigated negative declaration for a project that may have a significant effect on the environment if revisions in the project would avoid or mitigate that effect and there is no substantial evidence that the project, as revised, would have a significant effect on the environment. This bill would exempt from the requirements of CEQA a project developed solely to serve an urgent public health or housing need, as specified, that is within the boundaries of an expired regional habitat conservation plan, and that had an environmental review completed consistent with the requirements of the regional habitat conservation plan as the plan existed before the plan's expiration. Because the bill would require a lead agency to determine the applicability of this exemption, 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.
Existing law declares that it is the policy of the state that each county and city shall permit and encourage the development of sufficient numbers and types of alcoholism or drug abuse recovery or treatment facilities as are commensurate with local need. Existing law requires an alcoholism or drug abuse recovery or treatment facility that serves 6 or fewer persons to be considered a residential use of property for the purposes of local regulation, regardless of whether or not unrelated persons are living together. This bill would exempt an alcoholism or drug abuse recovery or treatment facility from being considered a residential use of property for the purposes of local regulation if multiple single-family dwellings are being used as a licensed or unlicensed alcohol or other drug recovery or treatment facility, they share an owner, a director, programs, or amenities with another facility, and any of the dwellings are within 300 feet of that facility, or if a single-family dwelling being used as an alcohol or other drug recovery or treatment facility shares an owner, a director, programs, or amenities with another facility that is commercially owned, operated, and licensed that is located anywhere in the state.
Existing law requires, in conformance with federal law, that the Secretary of State and the Department of Motor Vehicles establish and implement the California New Motor Voter Program for the purpose of increasing opportunities for voter registration for qualified voters. Existing law requires the department to transmit to the Secretary of State specified information related to a person's eligibility to vote, which the person provides when applying for a driver's license or identification card or when the person notifies the department of an address change. Existing law requires that if this information transmitted to the Secretary of State constitutes a completed affidavit of registration, the Secretary of State must register or preregister the person to vote, as applicable, unless the person affirmatively declines to register or is ineligible to vote, as specified. This bill would prohibit the department from providing a person the opportunity to attest to meeting voter eligibility requirements when they submit a driver's license application if the person provides a document to the department during the transaction demonstrating that the person is not a United States citizen, and would prohibit the department from providing records of that person to the Secretary of State.
Existing law defines "residence" for voting purposes as a person's domicile. Existing law describes the domicile of a person for voting purposes as that place in which their habitation is fixed, wherein the person has the intention of remaining, and to which, whenever they are absent, the person has the intention of returning. Existing law provides that a person who leaves their home to go into another state or precinct in this state for temporary purposes, with the intention of returning, does not lose their domicile. This bill would additionally provide that a person who leaves their home for temporary purposes because of a natural disaster, and who intends to return to that home or to another address within the same jurisdiction, does not lose their domicile at that home.
Existing law establishes the Office of Health Care Affordability within the Department of Health Care Access and Information to analyze the health care market for cost trends and drivers of spending, develop data-informed policies for lowering health care costs for consumers and purchasers, and create a state strategy for controlling the cost of health care. Existing law establishes the Health Care Affordability Board to establish, among other things, a statewide health care cost target and the standards necessary to meet exemptions from health care cost targets or submitting data to the office. Existing law authorizes the office to establish advisory or technical committees, as necessary, in order to support the board's decisionmaking. This bill would require the board, on or before June 1, 2026, to establish a Patient Advocate Advisory Standing Committee, as specified, that is required to publicly meet, and receive public comments, at least 4 times annually. The bill would require the committee to include specified data from the meetings to the board as part of its annual report.
Existing law authorizes the Employment Development Department to administer the unemployment disability compensation benefits program, which provides for the partial compensation for the wage losses suffered by an individual deemed disabled under the program. Existing law provides that an individual is deemed disabled for these purposes on any day in which, because of their physical or mental condition, the individual is unable to perform their regular or customary work, and defines "disability" for that purpose to include, among other things, an illness or injury, whether physical or mental, including any illness or injury resulting from pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical condition. Existing law specifies that a disabled individual is eligible to receive disability benefits equal to 17 of their weekly benefit amount for each full day during which the individual is unemployed due to a disability only if the director finds that, among other things, the individual has made a claim for disability benefits as required by authorized regulations and the individual has filed a certificate of a treating physician or practitioner that establishes, among other things, the sickness, injury, or pregnancy of the employee, as specified. Existing law requires the maximum amount of benefits payable to an individual during any one disability benefit period to be 52 times their weekly benefit amount, as specified, and except as specified. This bill would, notwithstanding any other law or practice to the contrary, provide that any individual who is deemed disabled on the basis of any illness or injury resulting from pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical condition and is determined to be eligible to receive disability benefits for those purposes is eligible to receive those disability benefits for a period of no less than 12 weeks following childbirth.
Existing law, notwithstanding the requirement that each person between 6 and 18 years of age who is not otherwise exempted is subject to compulsory full-time education, requires a pupil to be excused from school for specified types of absences, including, among others, if the absence was due to the pupil's illness. This bill would include as another type of required excused absence an absence that is for the purpose of a middle school or high school pupil participating in career technical education enhancement, as defined, provided that the pupil notifies the school ahead of the absence. The bill would require a middle school or high school pupil who is absent from school to engage in career technical education enhancement to be excused for only one schoolday-long absence per school year. The bill would also authorize a middle school or high school pupil who is absent from school to engage in career technical education enhancement to be permitted additional excused absences in the discretion of a school administrator, as provided. To the extent that this bill would impose additional duties on local educational entities, 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, 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 Attorney General to establish an online, automated computer system designed to effect an immediate law enforcement response to reports of missing persons. Existing law requires the online missing persons registry to accept and generate specified information on a missing person. Existing law also requires the Attorney General to establish a separate and confidential historic database relating to missing children and at-risk adults, for statistical and research purposes, as specified. This bill would require the Attorney General to establish, in consultation with specified groups, agencies, and organizations, an electronic database and support system, as specified, for the public to report and search for missing children, as specified. The bill would require that parents reunified with children be offered free DNA testing to confirm parentage.
