Existing law, the Digital Equity Bill of Rights, provides that it is the principle of the state to ensure digital equity for all residents of the state, that, among other things, residents have access to broadband that meets specific requirements, and provides that it is the policy of the state that, to the extent technically feasible, broadband internet subscribers benefit from equal access to broadband internet service within the service area of a broadband provider. This bill, contingent upon funding for this purpose, would require a broadband internet service provider, on or before January 1, 2027, and annually thereafter, to submit to the Department of Consumer Affairs, or the Department of Broadband and Digital Equity if Assembly Bill 693 of the 2025–26 Regular Session is enacted, a report containing broadband internet access service pricing and speed data that includes, among other information, the advertised speeds offered to consumers and the advertised and total prices paid by consumers. The bill would require the department to publish an annual broadband internet access service affordability and speed report aggregating and analyzing the data submitted by the broadband internet service providers and would require the department to make the data submitted by broadband internet service providers available to the public, as specified. The bill would make a broadband internet service provider that fails to comply with these provisions subject to an administrative penalty not to exceed $1,000 per violation per day until compliance is achieved. This bill would require a broadband internet service provider to establish and maintain a dedicated consumer complaint resolution process that allows consumers to submit complaints via telephone, email, and an online portal, and would require a broadband internet service provider to respond to a complaint within 7 business days and provide a resolution, explanation, or corrective action within a specified timeframe. The bill would prescribe remedies for a consumer if a broadband internet service provider fails to resolve a complaint within the specified timeframe or refuses to act in good faith, including the issuance of a minimum credit of $50 for a complaint that remains unresolved beyond 60 days without valid justification. The bill would require a broadband internet service provider to disclose the complaint resolution process and remedies clearly and conspicuously in its terms of service, in its billing statements, and on its internet website. The bill would require a broadband internet service provider to report complaint statistics to the department, as specified. Existing constitutional provisions require that a statute that limits the right of access to the meetings of public bodies or the writings of public officials and agencies be adopted with findings demonstrating the interest protected by the limitation and the need for protecting that interest. This bill would make legislative findings to that effect.
Under existing law, it is unlawful for a person who is under 18 years of age to purchase etching cream or an aerosol container of paint that is capable of defacing property. Existing law further makes it unlawful for a person, firm, or corporation, except as specified, to furnish to a person who is under 18 years of age any etching cream or aerosol container of paint without first obtaining bona fide evidence of majority and identity. Existing law punishes a violation of these provisions as a misdemeanor. This bill would make it unlawful for a person, firm, or corporation to sell to another person, who is in fact under 18 years of age, an over-the-counter anti-aging skin care product or anti-aging cosmetic product that lists as an ingredient vitamin A or an alpha hydroxy acid without first verifying the purchaser's age and identity. The bill would define "verifying age and identity" to include, among other things, verbally asking the buyer's age and asking for documents that are evidence of age and identity related to the age-based prohibitions for aerosol paint and etching cream.
Existing law establishes the licensure and regulation of health facilities by the State Department of Public Health, including, among others, general acute care hospitals. A violation of these provisions is a crime. Under existing law, a general acute care hospital is required to provide certain basic services, including medical, nursing, surgical, anesthesia, laboratory, radiology, pharmacy, and dietary services. Existing law authorizes a general acute care hospital to provide various special or supplemental services if certain conditions are met. Existing regulations define a supplemental service as an organized inpatient or outpatient service that is not required to be provided by law or regulation. This bill would, beginning ____, include perinatal services as a basic service. The bill would require, on or before ____, the department to establish a process to approve or deny a "perinatal service compliance plan" to meet the requirement to provide perinatal services. The bill would require, on or before ____, any general acute care hospital that does not provide perinatal services to submit a "perinatal service compliance plan to the department, with specified information. By expanding the scope of 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 requires a person arrested without a warrant to be taken before the nearest magistrate in the county in which the offense is triable without delay. Existing law also authorizes a peace officer to release the arrested person from custody instead of taking them before a magistrate under certain specified circumstances, including if the person was arrested for intoxication only. Existing law requires the court, during the in-custody appearance of a person charged with a misdemeanor, to determine whether there is probable cause to believe that a public offense has been committed. This bill would require the court to promptly, but no later than 48 hours after a warrantless arrest, review the basis for the arrest and make an initial determination whether probable cause exists that an offense has been committed and that the arrested person committed it if the defendant remains in custody, as specified. The bill would require that if the court makes an initial finding of no probable cause, the court to order the person to be released immediately and provide notice to both the arrested person and the person having custody of the arrested person. Existing law similarly requires a juvenile that has been arrested to be released with 48 hours, excluding judicial holidays, unless a petition has been filed to make the minor a ward of the court or charges have been filed charging the minor as an adult. This bill would require the court to promptly, but no later than 48 hours after a juvenile is taken into custody, make a determination whether an offense has been committed and whether the juvenile in custody committed it, as specified. The bill would require that if the court makes an initial finding of no probable cause, the court to order the juvenile to be released immediately and provide notice to the juvenile, the person or entity having custody of the juvenile, and the public defender or indigent defense provider.
Existing law requires prisoners sentenced to imprisonment in the state prison to serve time on parole or community supervision after their release from prison. Existing law authorizes courts to suspend the imposition or execution of punishments in specified criminal cases and instead enforce terms of probation or mandatory supervision. This bill would prohibit a supervision authority, as defined, from imposing a condition of supervision that prohibits a person on supervision from being in contact with any family member. The bill would authorize the supervision authority to prohibit contact if the family member is a victim of the crime for which the person on supervision was convicted, and it is deemed necessary for public safety. The bill would require the supervision authority prohibiting contact to provide a written explanation of why the public safety and rehabilitative benefits of prohibiting contact outweigh the rights to familial association, any rehabilitative benefits from contact, and any harms to either person from prohibiting contact. By increasing duties on local governments, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program. The bill would exclude courts from the definition of a supervision authority. 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, the Cal Grant Program, establishes the Cal Grant A Entitlement Awards, the Cal Grant B Entitlement Awards, the California Community College Expanded Entitlement Awards, the California Community College Transfer Entitlement Awards, the Competitive Cal Grant A and B Awards, the Cal Grant C Awards, and the Cal Grant T Awards under the administration of the Student Aid Commission. Existing law establishes eligibility requirements for awards under the Cal Grant Program for participating students attending qualifying postsecondary educational institutions, and prescribes requirements that postsecondary educational institutions must comply with in order to be a qualifying postsecondary educational institution for purposes of the Cal Grant Program, including, among others, certain disclosure requirements. This bill would require, as part of the criteria to be a qualifying institution under the Cal Grant Program, an institution to develop and implement a cost of attendance policy and adjustment process to estimate and adjust cost of attendance information in a manner that is consistent with federal standards, as specified.
Existing law, known as the Seymour-Campbell Student Success Act of 2012, provides that the act's purpose is to increase California community college student access and success by providing effective core matriculation services, including orientation, assessment and placement, counseling, and other education planning services, and academic interventions. This bill would require, as part of the act, community colleges to provide, commencing with the 2026–27 academic year, students with specified information related to completing and submitting the Free Application for Federal Student Aid and the California Dream Act application, and to confirm, commencing with the 2027–28 academic year, that students who have not opted out have completed and submitted the Free Application for Federal Student Aid or the California Dream Act application, as specified. The bill would require community college districts to ensure that students are directed to services to assist students in complying with the bill's requirements, and that the information shared by students is handled in compliance with state and federal privacy laws. The bill would require the Student Aid Commission to adopt regulations that include model opt-out forms and acceptable use policies, as specified. By imposing new duties on community college districts, 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 federal law establishes the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) , known in California as CalFresh, under which supplemental nutrition assistance benefits allocated to the state by the federal government are distributed to eligible individuals by each county. Existing law establishes a statewide electronic benefits transfer (EBT) system, administered by the State Department of Social Services, for the purpose of providing financial and food assistance benefits, including CalFresh benefits. Existing law establishes the California Fruit and Vegetable EBT Pilot Project, and requires the department, in consultation with the Department of Food and Agriculture and specified stakeholders, to include within the EBT system a supplemental benefits mechanism that allows an authorized retailer to deliver and redeem supplemental benefits. Existing law repeals the pilot project on January 1, 2027. This bill would rename the pilot project as the CalFresh Fruit and Vegetable Supplemental Benefits Program, and would delete the repeal of these provisions, thereby making the program operative indefinitely. The bill would also specify how the department is required to allocate the funding provided for the program, and would require the department to quarterly publish certain data on program utilization on its internet website.
Existing law requires the Public Utilities Commission (PUC) , in consultation with the State Energy Resources Conservation and Development Commission (Energy Commission) , on or before March 31, 2024, to provide transmission-focused guidance to the Independent System Operator about resource portfolios of expected future renewable energy resources and zero-carbon resources, including the allocation of those resources by region based on technical feasibility and commercial interest in each region to allow the Independent System Operator to identify and approve transmission facilities needed to interconnect resources and reliably serve the needs of load centers, as specified . On December 23, 2022, the PUC, Energy Commission, and Independent System Operator entered into a memorandum of understanding related to resource and transmission planning, transmission development and permitting, procurement, and interconnections in order to achieve reliability and policy needs and to coordinate the timely development of resources, resource interconnections, and needed transmission infrastructure. Existing law requires the Energy Commission and PUC, in coordination with the Independent System Operator, every 5 years, to review and update, as necessary, the memorandum of understanding and a related workplan to ensure the memorandum and workplan reflect the coordination that is needed to help meet the state's energy goals. This bill would require those entities to review and update, as necessary, the memorandum every 3 years, rather than every 5 years.
(1) Existing law, the California Consumer Privacy Act of 2018 (CCPA) , grants a consumer various rights with respect to personal information, as defined, that is collected or sold by a business, as defined, including the right to direct a business that collects sensitive personal information about the consumer to limit its use, as prescribed. Existing law defines "sensitive personal information" to mean, among other things, personal information that reveals a consumer's precise geolocation. Existing law, the California Privacy Rights Act of 2020, approved by the voters as Proposition 24 at the November 3, 2020, statewide general election, amended, added to, and reenacted the CCPA. This bill would prohibit a covered entity from collecting or processing the location information of an individual unless doing so is necessary to provide goods or services requested by that individual. The bill would impose various other restrictions on covered entities with regard to location information. The bill would define various terms for purposes of these provisions, including "location information" to mean information that pertains to or directly or indirectly reveals the present or past geographical location of an individual or device, as specified. This bill would require a covered entity to prominently display, at the point where location information is being captured, a notice to individuals stating that their location information is being collected, the name of the covered entity and service provider collecting the information, and a phone number and an internet website where the individual can obtain more information. The bill would require a covered entity to maintain and make available to the data subject a location privacy policy that includes specified information on data usage and management and is subject to a specified notice procedure. This bill would make a covered entity that violates these provisions liable for actual or statutory damages and other specified relief. The bill would authorize the Attorney General or other public prosecutors to bring an action to recover a civil penalty against a covered entity that violates these provisions. This bill would require a business, as defined by the CCPA, to comply with the above-described provisions. (2) Existing law, the Information Practices Act of 1977, prescribes a set of requirements, prohibitions, and remedies applicable to agencies, as defined, with regard to their collection, storage, and disclosure of personal information, as defined. This bill would prohibit a state or local agency, including an agency as defined under the Information Practices Act, from monetizing, as defined, location information. By imposing new requirements on local agencies, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program. (3) 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. (4) The California Consumer Privacy Act of 2020 authorizes the Legislature to amend the act to further the purposes and intent of the act by a majority vote of both houses of the Legislature, as specified. This bill would declare that its provisions further the purposes and intent of the California Privacy Rights Act of 2020.
Existing law authorizes the Department of Motor Vehicles to issue an identification card to any person attesting to the true full name, correct age, and other identifying data as certified by the applicant for the identification card. Existing law provides for the issuance of senior citizen identification cards for any person 62 years of age or older free of charge. This bill would require the department to amend any forms used for the cancellation or surrender of a driver's license to allow a person 62 years of age or older to apply for an identification card using the same form. The bill would require the department to issue an identification card bearing the notation "Senior Citizen" to the applicant upon receipt of this amended form.
Existing law establishes the California Conservation Corps in the Natural Resources Agency and requires the corps to implement and administer the conservation corps program. Existing law authorizes the Director of the California Conservation Corps to establish various training and educational program, including, among others, the Education and Employment Reentry Program, within the corps, to provide education and training to formerly incarcerated individuals who successfully served on a California Conservation Camp program crew. This bill would require the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection and the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation to jointly evaluate the Ventura Training Center and would require the evaluation to include specified components, including, among others, an evaluation of ways to increase the rate of graduated trainees entering the firefighter workforce. The bill would require the departments to submit a report describing the evaluation to certain legislative committees by January 1, 2026, and would repeal these provisions on January 1, 2030. This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.
