California Bills

This bill would express the intent of the Legislature to enact statutory changes relating to the Budget Act of 2015.

Existing law establishes a system of public elementary and secondary schools in this state, and authorizes local educational agencies throughout the state to provide instruction to pupils. This bill would establish the Safe and Supportive Schools Train the Trainer Program. The bill, to the extent that one-time funding is made available in the Budget Act of 2015, would require the State Department of Education to apportion funds to a designated county office of education, selected from applicant county offices of education, that would be the fiduciary agent for the program. The bill would require the designated county office of education to consult with stakeholders, as necessary, and to be responsible for the development or identification of professional development activities that are intended to lead to the establishment of statewide professional development support structures and a network of trainers allowing for the development and expansion of the Schoolwide Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports programs, restorative justice, social and emotional learning, trauma-informed practice, and cultural competency professional development in each region of the state, as provided. The bill would require that any funding allocated for this program be expended on or before January 1, 2019.

(1) Existing law states the intent of the Legislature that governing boards of school districts establish a uniform system of evaluation and assessment of the performance of all certificated personnel within each school district of the state. Existing law requires the governing board of each school district to establish standards of expected pupil achievement at each grade level in each area of study and to evaluate and assess certificated employee performance on a continuing basis as it reasonably relates to the progress of pupils toward the established standards and, if applicable, the state adopted academic content standards as measured by state adopted criterion referenced assessments, the instructional techniques and strategies used by the employee, the employee's adherence to curricular objectives, and the establishment and maintenance of a suitable learning environment, within the scope of the employee's responsibilities. This bill would provide that the provisions described above would become inoperative on July 1, 2018. The bill would state findings and declarations of the Legislature regarding the nature of effective teachers and of the teaching profession. Commencing on July 1, 2018, the bill would require the governing board of each school district and each county board of education to adopt and implement a locally negotiated best practices teacher evaluation system, described as one in which each teacher is evaluated on a continuing basis on the degree to which he or she accomplishes specific objectives and multiple observations of instructional and other professional practices that are conducted by trained evaluators. The bill would authorize the State Board of Education, in consultation with the Superintendent of Public Instruction and appropriate education stakeholder groups, to adopt nonregulatory guidance to support the implementation of a best practices teacher evaluation system by school districts and county offices of education, as specified. The bill would also require the governing board of each school district and each county board of education to establish and define job responsibilities for certificated, noninstructional employees whose responsibilities cannot be evaluated appropriately under the best practices teacher evaluation system and to evaluate and assess their performance in relation to the fulfillment of those responsibilities. The bill would, on or before May 1, 2016, or May 1 of the year that precedes the year in which an existing collective bargaining contract will expire, whichever is later, require the governing board of each school district and each county board of education, at a regularly scheduled public hearing, to seek comment on the development and implementation of the best practices teacher evaluation system, and, on or before May 1 of each year before local negotiations required by law, to seek comment on the best practices teacher evaluation system. The bill would require if, by mutual agreement between the school district or county office of education and the collective bargaining unit, an intermediate mid-year agreement is reached regarding a best practices teacher evaluation system, the negotiation timeline to allow time for the governing board of the school district or the county board of education to hold a public hearing to seek comment on the best practices teacher evaluation system. The bill also would require the governing board of each school district and each county board of education to disclose the provisions of the best practices teacher evaluation system at a regularly scheduled public hearing. The bill would provide that these provisions do not apply to certificated personnel who are employed on an hourly basis in adult education classes. The bill would also provide that the provisions of the best practices teacher evaluation system do not supersede or invalidate a teacher evaluation system that is locally negotiated and that is in effect at the time the best practices teacher evaluation system becomes operative. By imposing additional duties on school districts and county offices of education, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program. (2) Existing law requires that an evaluation and assessment of the performance of a certificated employee be made on a continuing basis, as provided, including at least every 5 years for personnel with permanent status who have been employed at least 10 years with the school district, are highly qualified, as specified, and whose previous evaluation rated the employee as meeting or exceeding standards, if the evaluator and certificated employee being evaluated agree. This bill, commencing July 1, 2018, would require the evaluation and assessment of the above personnel at least every 3 years, except as locally negotiated and provided in the best practices teacher evaluation system. The bill would also require county offices of education to comply with these provisions. By requiring additional duties on school districts and county offices of education, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program. (3) Existing law authorizes a school district to evaluate a school principal annually for the principal's first and 2nd year of employment as a new principal and authorizes additional evaluations, as specified. This bill would make those provisions inoperative on July 1, 2018, and, commencing July 1, 2018, would instead require the governing board of each school district and each county board of education to establish a system of evaluation for school administrators to guide their growth and performance with the purpose of supporting them as instructional leaders in order to raise pupil achievement. The bill would require the evaluation system to include certain attributes, including, but not limited to, promoting the success of all pupils, advocating and supporting a safe, nurturing school culture that sustains a quality instructional program conducive to pupil learning and staff professional growth, and ensuring the management, organization, and operation of a safe and successful learning environment as evidenced by the establishment of effective practices for personnel and resource management, campus safety, and school climate. The bill would require the governing board of the school district and the county board of education to identify who will conduct the evaluation of each school administrator. By imposing additional duties on school district and county office of education officials, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. (4) Existing law authorizes the governing board of a school district or a county board of education, as specified, after a public hearing on the matter, to request the state board to waive all or part of any section of the Education Code or any regulation adopted by the state board that implements a provision of the Education Code that may be waived, except for specified provisions. This bill would add the above-mentioned provisions relating to teacher and school administrator evaluation to the list of provisions that may not be waived. (5) This bill also would state the intent of the Legislature to provide adequate resources to train evaluators, continue robust beginning teacher induction programs, and support struggling educators. (6) Under the California Constitution, whenever the Legislature or a state agency mandates a new program or higher level of service on any local government, including a school district and a community college district, the state is required to provide a subvention of funds to reimburse the local government, with specified exceptions. Existing law requires certain funds appropriated in the annual Budget Act for reimbursement of the cost of a new program or increased level of service of an existing program mandated by statute or executive order to be available as a block grant to school districts, county offices of education, and charter schools to support specified state-mandated local programs and permits those entities to elect to receive that block grant funding in lieu of claiming mandated costs pursuant to the state claims process. This bill would, as of July 1, 2018, add the best practices teacher evaluation system and the school administrator evaluation system to the state-mandated local programs supported by the block grant funding. (7) This bill would update cross-references and would make other nonsubstantive changes. (8) 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 these statutory provisions.

This bill would express the intent of the Legislature to enact statutory changes relating to the Budget Act of 2015.

This measure would declare that the Legislature of the State of California supports finding the best long-term solution for peace and security in the Middle East and a nuclear-free Iran, and believes that any agreement signed with Iran should provide for ongoing international oversight.

Existing law authorizes various career technical education programs, including regional occupational centers and programs, specialized secondary programs, partnership academies, and agricultural career technical education programs. This bill would authorize the Superintendent of Public Instruction to certify, by name, any regional occupational center or program, county office of education, or adult education program, that provides a program of training to prepare adult students for gainful employment in a recognized occupation, to legally authorize the center, program, or office to provide an educational program beyond secondary education, as specified. This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.

The Economic Revitalization Act establishes the Governor's Office of Business and Economic Development, also known as "GO-Biz," to serve the Governor as the lead entity for economic strategy and the marketing of California on issues relating to business development, private sector investment, and economic growth. This bill would require GO-Biz to create a Web-access point on its Internet Web site and would require the Web-access point to include information about the state rulemaking process and a link to relevant information on the Internet Web site of the Office of Administrative Law, as specified.

Existing law authorizes the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) to impose, in addition to any other tax that it is authorized to impose, a transactions and use tax at a rate of 0.5% for the funding of specified transportation-related projects and programs, subject to various requirements, including the adoption of an expenditure plan and voter approval. Existing law authorizes the MTA to seek voter approval to extend the transactions and use tax pursuant to an amended ordinance, subject to various requirements, including adoption of an amended expenditure plan that, among other things, updates certain cost estimates and identifies expected completion dates for projects and programs under the previous expenditure plan, and also requires the amended expenditure plan to be included in an updated long range transportation plan, as specified. This bill would authorize the MTA to impose an additional transportation transactions and use tax at a rate of 0.5%, for a period not to exceed 30 years, subject to various requirements, including the adoption of an expenditure plan and voter approval. The Transactions and Use Tax Law limits to 2% the combined rate of all transactions and use taxes imposed in any county, with certain exceptions. This bill would exempt the transactions and use tax authorized by the bill from this limitation.

(1) The Cal Grant Program establishes the Cal Grant A and B 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, and establishes eligibility requirements for awards under these programs for participating students attending qualifying institutions. Existing law establishes the total number of Competitive Cal Grant A and B awards granted annually at 22,500 and the maximum tuition award amount for each Cal Grant A and B award for new students attending private nonprofit postsecondary educational institution at $9,084 for the 2014–15 award year and $8,056 for the 2015–16 award year and each award year thereafter. This bill would increase the total number of Competitive Cal Grant A and B awards granted annually to 30,000 and would increase the maximum tuition award amount for Cal Grant A and B for students at private nonprofit postsecondary educational institutions to $9,084 for the 2015–16 award year and each award year thereafter. (2) Existing law establishes the California State University, under the administration of the Trustees of the California State University, and the University of California, under the administration of the Regents of the University of California, as 2 of the segments of public postsecondary education in this state. This bill would establish, commencing with the 2015–16 academic year, the Graduation Incentive Grant program to provide eligible matriculating undergraduate students of California State University with financial need attending a campus of the California State University with financial aid for up to 3 college years, as specified. The bill would specify the eligibility criteria and the award amounts of the Graduation Incentive Grant program. The bill would require the California State University to make an annual report, containing specified data about the program, to the Legislature. The program would only be operative in a fiscal year if the Trustees of the California State University determine that sufficient funding has been provided for purposes of the program for that fiscal year in the annual Budget Act or another statute. The bill would express the intent of the Legislature to appropriate funds, for the 2015–16 fiscal year, to the University of California to eliminate a specified tuition increase and to appropriate funds to both the University of California and the California State University to provide additional course offerings and support services for students.

Existing law provides for the Medi-Cal program, which is administered by the State Department of Health Care Services, under which qualified low-income individuals receive health care services. The Medi-Cal program is, in part, governed and funded by federal Medicaid Program provisions. Existing law requires the department to impose a uniform quality assurance fee on each skilled nursing facility, with certain exceptions, in accordance with a prescribed formula. Existing law requires that the fee be based on the entire net revenue of all skilled nursing facilities subject to the fee. Under existing law, the fee may not be assessed after July 31, 2015, and these provisions will be repealed on January 1, 2016. Existing law, the Medi-Cal Long-Term Care Reimbursement Act, requires the department to implement a facility-specific reimbursement ratesetting system for certain skilled nursing facilities. Reimbursement rates for freestanding skilled nursing facilities are funded by a combination of federal funds and moneys collected pursuant to the skilled nursing uniform quality assurance fee. Existing law also establishes the Skilled Nursing Facility Quality and Accountability Special Fund in the State Treasury, which is a continuously appropriated fund that contains moneys from the assessment of specified administrative penalties and set asides of General Fund moneys, for the purposes of making quality and accountability payments. Under existing law, the rate methodology will become inoperative after July 31, 2015, and these provisions will be repealed on January 1, 2016. This bill would modify the calculation of rates under the above-referenced rate methodology, and would extend the assessment of the quality assurance fee, implementation of the rate methodology, as modified, and implementation of related provisions until July 31, 2020. By extending the period of time during which transfers are made to the Skilled Nursing Facility Quality and Accountability Special Fund, the bill would make an appropriation. The bill would also make changes to the amount of set-asides to be transferred to the fund. The bill would require the department, in coordination with the State Department of Public Health, to report specified information to the relevant Assembly and Senate budget subcommittees by May 1, 2016. This bill would include a change in state statute that would result in a taxpayer paying a higher tax within the meaning of Section 3 of Article XIIIA of the California Constitution, and thus would require for passage the approval of 23 of the membership of each house of the Legislature. This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as a bill providing for appropriations related to the Budget Bill.

(1) Existing law creates the State Transit Assistance program, under which certain revenues in the Public Transportation Account are allocated by formula for public transportation purposes. Under that program, funds may not be allocated to a transit operator for operating purposes unless the operator meets one of 2 specified efficiency standards, subject to certain exceptions. However, existing law suspends those restrictions with respect to allocations for operating purposes made through the 2014–15 fiscal year. This bill would continue the suspension of those restrictions through the 2015–16 fiscal year. (2) Existing law, the California High-Speed Rail Act, creates the High-Speed Rail Authority to develop and implement a high-speed rail system in the state, with specified powers and duties. Existing law requires the authority to establish an independent peer review group for the purpose of reviewing the planning, engineering, financing, and other elements of the authority's plans and issuing an analysis of the appropriateness and accuracy of the authority's assumptions and an analysis of the viability of the authority's funding plan for each corridor. Existing law specifies the required qualifications for the members of the peer review group. This bill would revise the required qualifications for certain members of the peer review group. (3) Existing law, as part of an amendment of the Budget Act of 2012, appropriates $2,609,076,000 from the High-Speed Passenger Train Bond Fund to the High-Speed Rail Authority for construction of the high-speed rail project and makes that appropriation available for encumbrance until June 30, 2018. Existing law requires the authority to provide a project update report to specified committees of the Legislature by March 1 and November 1 of each year in which that funding is encumbered. This bill would instead require the project update report to be provided to those committees by March 1, 2017, and every 2 years thereafter. (4) Existing law, in connection with the appropriation referenced in (3) , also requires the High-Speed Rail Authority to provide various reports relating to authority staffing and contract management issues with respect to certain contracts to be awarded by the authority. This bill would repeal those reporting requirements. (5) Existing law defines the authorized routes in the State Highway System, including State Route 275, which is defined to be the Tower Bridge from the west side of the Sacramento River near the City of West Sacramento to the east side of the Sacramento River near the City of Sacramento. Existing law authorizes the California Transportation Commission to relinquish any portion of State Route 275 to a city in which it is located with the agreement of that city, pursuant to terms that the commission finds to be in the best interest of the state. This bill would authorize the commission to relinquish the Tower Bridge to one or more cities in which it is located. The bill, until July 1, 2016, would provide that the Tower Bridge shall be deemed to be in a state of good repair for these purposes, provided that it is not structurally deficient and is rated as satisfactory pursuant to the National Bridge Index. (6) Existing law provides that the Department of Transportation has full possession and control of all state highways. Existing law, through the year 2020, requires the department to prepare an annual report to the Legislature describing the status of the department's progress in locating, assessing, and remediating barriers to fish passage, as defined. Existing law requires the department also to complete assessments of potential barriers to anadromous fish prior to commencing specified projects using state or federal transportation funds. Existing law requires the department to submit these assessments to the Department of Fish and Wildlife. Existing law also requires new projects to be constructed without presenting barriers to fish passage. This bill would require the department to prepare the annual report to the Legislature through the year 2025. The bill would require the Department of Fish and Wildlife to identify the above-described projects that present the most significant barriers to fish passage. The bill would require the Department of Transportation to prioritize and expedite the remediation of barriers to fish passage on those projects and would require the department to include a status report on those projects in each annual report issued after October 31, 2016. The bill would appropriate $5,000,000 from the State Highway Account to the Department of Transportation for the identification and remediation of high-priority fish passages pursuant to these provisions. (7) Existing law provides for apportionment of fuel excise tax revenues to cities and counties pursuant to various formulas. This bill would authorize the Sacramento County Board of Supervisors to allocate up to $700,000 from fuel excise tax revenues apportioned to Sacramento County or from other transportation funds available to the county for the purpose of building a soundwall in and around the Walerga Park area adjacent to State Route 80 in Sacramento County. (8) Existing law creates the Transportation Investment Fund, and continuously appropriates the moneys in the fund for various transportation purposes. This bill would require all assets and liabilities of the Transportation Investment Fund to become assets and liabilities of the State Highway Account before June 30, 2016. (9) Existing law authorizes the Department of Transportation to issue Clean Renewable Energy Bonds for purposes of financing the acquisition and installation of solar energy systems and related appurtenances at facilities of the department. Existing law requires the net proceeds of bonds issued under these provisions to be deposited in the Clean Renewable Energy Bonds Subaccount in the Special Deposit Fund. Existing law provides for the payment of debt service on these bonds from a specified appropriation from the State Highway Account. This bill would require any remaining moneys in the Clean Renewable Energy Bonds Subaccount to be transferred to the State Highway Account by July 1, 2015. (10) Existing law creates the Pedestrian Safety Account in the State Transportation Fund, and provides for the Department of Transportation to award pedestrian safety grants from appropriated funds to local agencies on a competitive basis. This bill would require all assets and liabilities of the Pedestrian Safety Account to become assets and liabilities of the State Highway Account before January 1, 2016. The bill would repeal all provisions relating to the account on January 1, 2016. (11) Existing law provides for the Department of Transportation and certain other agencies to contract for intercity rail passenger service with state funds appropriated for that purpose. This bill, by April 1, 2016, would require the department to prepare a report to the Legislature examining improvements to safety, reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, and improvements to intercity rail passenger service levels that could be achieved through investments in improvements to grade level crossings or construction of grade separation projects at key intersections along state-sponsored intercity rail routes. (12) Existing federal law, until September 30, 2017, authorizes a state to allow specified labeled vehicles to use lanes designated for high-occupancy vehicles (HOVs) . Existing law authorizes the Department of Transportation to designate certain lanes for the exclusive use of HOVs. Under existing law, until January 1, 2019, until federal authorization expires, or until the Secretary of State receives a specified notice, those lanes may be used by certain vehicles not carrying the requisite number of passengers otherwise required for the use of an HOV lane, if the vehicle displays a valid identifier issued by the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) . Existing law authorizes the DMV to issue no more than 70,000 of those identifiers. This bill would increase the number of those identifiers that the DMV is authorized to issue to 85,000. (13) This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as a bill providing for appropriations related to the Budget Bill.