This bill would express the intent of the Legislature to enact statutory changes relating to the Budget Act of 2016.
Under existing law, the Public Utilities Commission has regulatory authority over public utilities, including electrical corporations. The California Renewables Portfolio Standard Program requires the commission to establish a renewables portfolio standard requiring all retail sellers, defined as including an electrical corporation, to procure a minimum quantity of electricity products from eligible renewable energy resources, as defined, at specified percentages of the total kilowatthours sold to their retail end-use customers during specified compliance periods. The program requires the commission to direct each electrical corporation to annually prepare a renewable energy procurement plan to satisfy its procurement requirements pursuant to the program. As part of the renewable energy procurement plan process, the commission is required to adopt rules establishing a process that provides criteria for the rank ordering and selection of least-cost and best-fit eligible renewable energy resources to comply with the program's procurement obligations and requires that the criteria take specified matters into account, including workforce recruitment, training, and retention efforts, as specified. This bill would require that the criteria take into account jobs retained associated with contracting for existing eligible renewable energy resources.
This bill would express the intent of the Legislature to enact statutory changes relating to the Budget Act of 2016.
This bill would express the intent of the Legislature to enact statutory changes relating to the Budget Act of 2016.
Existing law establishes the Environmental Justice Small Grant Program under the jurisdiction of the California Environmental Protection Agency, and prescribes specific criteria and procedures for the implementation of the program. Existing law requires that grants be awarded on a competitive basis for projects that are based in communities with the most significant exposure to pollution, and limits grants to be used for specified purposes relating to, among other things, resolving environmental problems, promoting coordination among public agencies and stakeholders, developing guidance on environmental risks, and facilitating and encouraging community understanding and decisionmaking that affects the environment of a community. This bill would additionally include physical projects, including planning, engineering, and construction, monitoring or filtering technology, and environmental assessments that improve the environment or the environmental health of the community, or that address a specific environmental justice need, among the purposes for which a grant may be awarded. Existing law provides that the maximum amount of a grant shall not exceed $50,000, and authorizes the Secretary for Environmental Protection to expend up to $1,500,000 per year for the grant program. This bill would require the secretary to expend at least $5,000,000 per year for the grant program, upon appropriation by the Legislature, and each board, department, or office within the agency to allocate appropriated funds from special funds, settlements, and penalties to implement the grant program.
Existing law generally regulates formation and enforcement of contracts, including how a contract is extinguished. Existing law makes it unlawful for any business making an automatic renewal or continuous service offer to a consumer in this state to, among other things, fail to present the automatic renewal or continuous service offer terms in a clear and conspicuous manner, charge the consumer for an automatic renewal or continuous service without first obtaining the consumer's affirmative consent, and to fail to provide an acknowledgment that includes the automatic renewal or continuous service offer terms, cancellation policy, and information regarding how to cancel in a manner that is capable of being retained by the consumer. This bill would require a business that makes an automatic renewal or continuous service offer that is subject to the above-described requirements to provide a consumer with an email address or option on the business' Internet Web site for the consumer to communicate his or her decision to not renew the subscription or purchasing agreement. The bill would also require, within 24 hours of receipt of a consumer's communication to not renew the subscription or purchasing agreement, the business to notify the consumer of receipt of the consumer's communication. The bill would require the business to honor this decision.
Existing law provides that a provision of a memorandum of understanding reached between the state employer and a recognized employee organization representing state civil service employees that requires the expenditure of funds does not become effective unless approved by the Legislature in the annual Budget Act. This bill would approve provisions of a memorandum of understanding entered into between the state employer and State Bargaining Unit 19 that require the expenditure of funds and would provide that these provisions will become effective if these provisions are approved by the Legislature in legislation other than the annual Budget Act. The bill would provide that provisions of the memorandum of understanding approved by the bill that require the expenditure of funds will not take effect unless funds for those provisions are specifically appropriated by the Legislature, and would require the state employer and the employee organization to meet and confer to renegotiate if funds for those provisions are not specifically appropriated by the Legislature.
The Cortese-Knox-Hertzberg Local Government Reorganization Act of 2000 governs the procedures for the formation and change of organization of cities and special districts. Existing law authorizes a local agency formation commission to initiate proposals by resolution of application for, among other things, the consolidation of a district, a merger, and the formation of a new district or districts. This bill would additionally authorize a local agency formation commission to initiate a proposal by resolution of application for the annexation of a disadvantaged unincorporated community, as specified. Existing law requires an applicant for a change of organization or reorganization to include a plan for providing services within the affected territory that includes, among other things, an enumeration and description of the services to be extended to the affected territory and an indication of when those services can feasibly be extended to the affected territory. This bill would additionally require an applicant to include an enumeration and description of the services currently provided, and would require an indication of when services can feasibly be extended to the affected territory if new services are proposed. Existing law, except as otherwise provided, prohibits a local agency formation commission from approving an annexation to a city of any territory greater than 10 acres, or as determined by commission policy, where there exists a disadvantaged unincorporated community, as specified, unless an application to annex the disadvantaged unincorporated community to the subject city has been filed with the executive officer. This bill would extend that prohibition to an annexation to a qualified special district. The bill would define "qualified special district" to mean a special district with more than 500 service connections that provides drinking water or wastewater services. Existing law requires a local agency formation commission to develop and determine the sphere of influence of each city and each special district within the county and to enact policies designed to promote the logical and orderly development of areas within the sphere. This bill would additionally require a local agency formation commission to enact policies designed to promote the logical and orderly development of areas adjacent to the sphere of influence of each city and special district. Existing law requires a commission, in preparing and updating spheres of influence, to conduct a service review of the municipal services provided in the county or other area designated by the commission. Existing law authorizes the commission, in conducting the review, to assess various alternatives for improving efficiency and affordability of infrastructure and service delivery, as specified, and to include a review of whether the agencies under review are in compliance with the California Safe Drinking Water Act. Where there exists a disadvantaged unincorporated community that lacks adequate drinking water and wastewater services and infrastructure within or contiguous with the subject sphere, this bill would instead require the commission to make the assessment of alternatives and to include the safe drinking water review described above if the information is available from the State Water Resources Control Board or other sources. This bill would, on or before January 1, 2018, and every 5 years thereafter, additionally require a local agency formation commission to identify and determine the location of any disadvantaged unincorporated community, as defined, that is within or adjacent to the sphere of influence of a city or a special district and review the adequacy and need for water and wastewater services within the identified disadvantaged unincorporated communities, as specified. The bill would, on or before January 1, 2020, and every 5 years thereafter, require the commission to adopt a written accessibility plan that addresses any existing service inefficiencies or needs within any identified disadvantaged unincorporated community, and would require a local agency formation commission to take certain steps to implement the plan and address service needs. The bill would, on or before January, 1, 2018, additionally require a local agency formation commission to file a map of the county that identified any disadvantaged unincorporated community that lacks safe drinking water or adequate wastewater and a copy of the accessibility plan. Existing law requires each city or county, on or before the due date for the next adoption of its housing element, to review and update the land use element of its general plan based on available data, including, but not limited to, the data an analysis prepared by a local agency formation commission in a service review of the municipal services of unincorporated island, fringe, or legacy communities inside or near its boundaries, as specified. Existing law also requires each city and county to, on or before the due date for each subsequent revision of its housing element, review and if necessary amend its general plan to update specified analysis. This bill would require each city or county, on or before the next adoption of its housing element and on or before the due date for each subsequent revision of its housing element, to additionally incorporate any adopted accessibility plan into the general plan and any update of the land use element of its general plan, as specified. By imposing new duties on local government officials, 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, 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.
Existing law provides that a provision of a memorandum of understanding reached between the state employer and a recognized employee organization representing state civil service employees that requires the expenditure of funds does not become effective unless approved by the Legislature in the annual Budget Act. This bill would approve provisions of a memorandum of understanding entered into between the state employer and an unspecified bargaining unit that require the expenditure of funds, and would provide that these provisions will become effective even if these provisions are approved by the Legislature in legislation other than the annual Budget Act. The bill would provide that provisions of the memorandum of understanding approved by this bill that require the expenditure of funds will not take effect unless funds for those provisions are specifically appropriated by the Legislature, and would require the state employer and the affected employee organization to meet and confer to renegotiate the affected provisions if funds for those provisions are not specifically appropriated by the Legislature.
(1) Existing law establishes minimum requirements for the issuance of a preliminary multiple or single subject teaching credential by the Commission on Teacher Credentialing. Among other requirements, existing law requires satisfactory completion of a program of professional preparation accredited by the Committee on Accreditation, but specifies that the program shall not include more than 2 years of full-time study, except for certain programs, including for integrated programs of subject matter and professional preparation. Existing law requires an integrated program of professional preparation to enable candidates for teaching credentials to engage in professional preparation, concurrently with subject matter preparation, while completing baccalaureate degrees at regionally accredited postsecondary institutions, and to provide opportunities for candidates to complete intensive field experiences in public elementary and secondary schools early in the undergraduate sequence. This bill would require those intensive field experiences to include student teaching. This bill would authorize a postsecondary institution to offer a 4- or 5-year integrated program of professional preparation that allows a student to earn a baccalaureate degree and a preliminary multiple or single subject teaching credential, or an education specialist instruction credential authorizing the holder to teach special education, including student teaching requirements, concurrently and within 4 or 5 years of study. This bill would require the commission, as part of its accreditation process, to collect specified information about integrated programs of professional preparation. This bill would, contingent upon appropriation of funds in the annual Budget Act or another statute, require the commission to develop and implement a program to award 40 grants of $250,000 each to postsecondary institutions for the development of transition plans to guide the creation of 4-year integrated programs of professional preparation, as provided. (2) Existing law requires that an integrated program of professional preparation offered by the California State University be designed to concurrently lead to a preliminary multiple subject or single subject teaching credential and a baccalaureate degree. This bill would instead require that an integrated program of professional preparation offered by the California State University be designed to concurrently lead to a preliminary multiple subject or single subject teaching credential, or an education specialist instruction credential authorizing the holder to teach special education, and a baccalaureate degree. (3) This bill would make findings and declarations relating to teachers and teacher credentialing.
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 imposes various requirements on contracts and policies that cover prescription drug benefits. Existing law, the Pharmacy Law, provides for the licensure and regulation of pharmacists by the California State Board of Pharmacy and prohibits the refilling of a prescription without the authorization of the prescriber, except as specified. This bill would require a health care service plan contract or health insurance policy issued, amended, or renewed on or after January 1, 2017, that provides coverage for prescription drug benefits to implement a medication synchronization program for the dispensing of prescription drugs by a single retail network pharmacy so that prescriptions that are refilled at the same frequency may be filled concurrently for the purpose of improving medication adherence or if it is in the best interest of the enrollee or insured, as specified. Because a willful violation of the bill's requirements by 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.
Existing law establishes the Department of Food and Agriculture under the administration of the Secretary of Food and Agriculture to promote and protect the agricultural industry of the state. This bill would appropriate $10,000,000 from the General Fund to the Department of Food and Agriculture to provide loans for the implementation of dairy digesters and other dairy methane reduction projects and management practices.
