California Bills

Existing law establishes the California Community Colleges, under the administration of the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges, as one of the segments of public postsecondary education in this state. Existing law specifies the duties of the board of governors, including, among other duties, establishing minimum standards for the formation of community colleges and districts. Under existing regulatory authority, the board of governors requires each community college to be accredited. This bill would prohibit the accrediting agency from imposing a special assessment on community colleges to pay for the accrediting agency's legal fees for any lawsuit unless there has been an affirmative vote of the majority of the chief executive officers, or their designees, of all of the community colleges. The bill would excuse compliance with this prohibition if the Chancellor of the California Community Colleges determines that the accrediting agency's compliance would violate federal law, as specified.

(1) The Child Care and Development Services Act has a purpose of providing a comprehensive, coordinated, and cost-effective system of child care and development services for children from infancy to 13 years of age and their parents, including a full range of supervision, health, and support services through full- and part-time programs. Existing law requires the Superintendent of Public Instruction to develop standards for the implementation of quality child care programs. Existing law authorizes the County of San Mateo, and as a pilot project, to develop an individualized county child care subsidy plan, as provided. Existing law requires the County of San Mateo to submit an annual report, until January 1, 2018, to the Legislature and other specified entities that summarizes the success of the plan, among other things. Existing law provides for the repeal of those provisions on January 1, 2019. This bill would authorize the County of San Mateo to implement the individualized county child care subsidy plan indefinitely and would make conforming changes. The bill would make legislative findings and declarations regarding the need for special legislation for the County of San Mateo. (2) Existing law establishes the Student Aid Commission as the primary state agency for the administration of state-authorized student financial aid programs available to students attending all segments of postsecondary education. The programs administered by the commission include the Ortiz-Pacheco-Poochigian-Vasconcellos Cal Grant Program and the Middle Class Scholarship Program. The Middle Class Scholarship Program provides that, subject to an available and sufficient appropriation, commencing with the 2014–15 academic year, an undergraduate student enrolled at the University of California or the California State University, and meeting certain requirements, is eligible for a scholarship award that, combined with other federal, state, and institutionally administered grants and fee waivers, is for an amount of up to 40% of the systemwide tuition and fees. Under existing law, to receive an award under the Middle Class Scholarship Program, a student is required to have an annual household income that does not exceed $150,000, satisfy specified requirements for a Cal Grant award, be a California resident or exempt from paying nonresident tuition, file specified financial aid forms, timely apply for publicly funded student financial aid for which he or she is eligible, maintain at least a 2.0 grade point average, be pursuing his or her first undergraduate baccalaureate degree or be enrolled in a specified professional teacher preparation program, and be enrolled at least part-time. The program provides that a student whose annual income exceeds $100,000, but does not exceed $150,000, and who otherwise meets the program requirements, receives a scholarship award that is reduced in accordance with prescribed calculations. This bill would require the commission, beginning with the 2016–17 academic year, to annually adjust these calculations to reflect changes in the cost of living, as defined. (3) Existing law establishes the California State University, under the administration of the Trustees of the California State University, as one of the segments of public postsecondary education in this state. Existing law requires, commencing on January 1, 2014, and no later than July 1 of each even-numbered year, that the Legislative Analyst's Office, in consultation with the university, submit a report to the Legislature including specified data relating to the California State University Early Start Program. Existing law makes these provisions regarding the Early Start Program inoperative on July 1, 2018. This bill would instead require the Legislative Analyst's Office to submit the required report on or before January 1, 2018, rather than no later than July 1 of each even-numbered year. (4) Existing law authorizes the California State University to establish a Doctor of Nursing Practice degree pilot program at 3 campuses chosen by the trustees to award the Doctor of Nursing Practice degree. Existing law requires the university, the Legislative Analyst's Office, and the Department of Finance to jointly conduct a statewide evaluation of the degree pilot program and report the results to the Legislature and the Governor, in writing, on or before January 1, 2017. Existing law requires that evaluation to consider specified subjects. These provisions are repealed on January 1, 2021. This bill would delete the requirement of a joint statewide evaluation of the Doctor of Nursing Practice degree pilot programs. The bill would instead require California State University to submit a report on these programs to the Legislature and Governor on or before March 1, 2016, considering most of the same subjects, except that the Legislative Analyst's Office would report to the Legislature on or before January 1, 2017, on the pilot program's compliance with the law, and with recommendations for the program. The bill would require the California State University to provide, by July 1, 2016, the Legislative Analyst's Office with data deemed necessary by the office for its report. (5) Existing law establishes the University of California, under the administration of the Regents of the University of California, the California State University, under the administration of the Trustees of the California State University, and the California Community Colleges, under the administration of the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges, as the 3 public segments of postsecondary education in this state. Existing law establishes the Office of Planning and Research in the Office of the Governor to serve the Governor and his or her Cabinet as staff for long-range planning and research. The bill would require the Director of the Office of Planning and Research, or his or her designee, to administer a study to evaluate the admissions policies used by the University of California and the California State University and determine the number of students eligible for admission to those segments. The bill would require the office to submit a report summarizing the methodology and findings of this study to the Legislature and the Governor by December 1, 2016. The bill would provide that the Director of the Office of Planning and Research would use $1,000,000 appropriated in a specified statute for its costs pursuant to this provision. (6) Existing law appropriates $490,000,000 to school districts, county offices of education, charter schools, and the state special schools in an equal amount per certificated staff in the 2014–2015 fiscal year.This bill would require that the money appropriated above be in an equal amount per full-time equivalent certificated staff, not to exceed the total certificated staff count for each eligible local educational agency, in the 2014–2015 fiscal year. The bill would require the Superintendent of Public Instruction to make the calculations for the above appropriation using the data submitted through the California Longitudinal Pupil Achievement Data System. (7) This bill would revise General Fund and federal trust fund appropriations in the Budget Act of 2015 relating to local assistance for child care and developmental programs. (8) 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 establishes the public school system in this state, and, among other things, provides for the establishment of county superintendents of schools, school districts, and charter schools throughout the state and for their provision of instruction at the public elementary and secondary schools these local educational agencies maintain. Existing law, before July 1, 2013, established a public school financing system that required funding for county superintendents of schools and school districts to be calculated pursuant to a revenue limit, as specified, and required funding for charter schools to be calculated pursuant to a general-purpose entitlement, except as provided, and required the revenue limit and general-purpose entitlement to be composed of, among other things, state aid and certain local revenues. Existing law also establishes various categorical education programs under which funding was provided for specific educational purposes. Existing law, commencing July 1, 2013, revised and recast the provisions related to the public financing system by requiring state funding for county superintendents of schools, school districts, and charter schools that previously received a general-purpose entitlement to be calculated pursuant to a local control funding formula, as specified. This bill would, among other things, repeal provisions requiring or authorizing many categorical education programs. The bill would repeal provisions relating to the revenue limit and would replace references to the former review limit and general-purpose entitlement calculations with the references to the current local control funding formula calculation. The bill would, commencing with the 2014–15 fiscal year, revise the authorization for a school participating in a special assistance alternative authorized under the federal National School Lunch Program to establish a base year for purposes of the local control funding formula for determining pupils eligible for free or reduced-price meals, as specified. The bill would require specified information to be included in an alternative household income data collection form for the federal National School Lunch Program for purposes of the local control funding formula. The bill would also change the funding calculations for necessary small schools. (2) Existing law requires a county superintendent of schools to annually present a report, on or before August 15, to the governing board of the school district and the Superintendent of Public Instruction regarding the fiscal solvency of a school district with a disapproved budget, qualified interim certification, or a negative interim certification, or that is determined to be in a position of fiscal uncertainty. This bill would instead require a county superintendent of schools to present the report on or before September 15. (3) Existing law specifies how funds appropriated pursuant to a specified budget item of the Budget Act of 2006 for specified county offices of education for site visits shall be allocated. This bill would delete that provision. (4) Existing law, on or before July 1 of each fiscal year, requires the county board of education to adopt an annual budget for the budget year and file the budget with the Superintendent of Public Instruction, the county board of supervisors, and the county auditor. Existing law requires the Superintendent to examine the budget, as specified, and, on or before August 15, approve or disapprove the budget, as specified. If the Superintendent disapproves the budget, existing law requires the county superintendent of schools and the county board of education, on or before September 8, to review recommendations of the Superintendent at a regularly scheduled meeting of the county board of education and respond to those recommendations, as specified. Existing law requires the Superintendent to examine a revised budget, as specified, and, on or before October 8, to approve or disapprove the revised budget. If the Superintendent disapproves the budget, existing law requires him or her to call for the formation of a budget review committee, and requires the budget review committee, on or before October 31, to review the proposed budget, as specified. If the budget review committee disapproves the budget of the county office of education, existing law requires the Superintendent to either approve or disapprove the budget, as specified. If the Superintendent disapproves the budget, existing law authorizes the Superintendent or his or her designee to do certain things for the remainder of the year, including, among others, to develop and adopt, in consultation with the county superintendent of schools and the county board of education, on or before November 30, a fiscal plan and budget for the county office of education, as specified. This bill would, among other things, extend those dates by one month to September 15, October 8, November 8, November 30, and December 31, respectively. (5) Existing law, on or before July 1 of each fiscal year, requires a school district to adopt a budget for the subsequent fiscal year and file the adopted budget with the county superintendent of schools, as specified. Existing law requires the county superintendent of schools to examine the adopted budget, as specified, make certain determinations related to the adopted budget, and, on or before August 15, approve, conditionally approve, or disapprove the adopted budget for each school district, as specified. If the county superintendent of schools conditionally approves or disapproves the budget, existing law requires the governing board of the school district, in conjunction with the county superintendent of schools, on or before September 8, to review and respond to the recommendations of the county superintendent of schools as specified. Existing law requires the county superintendent of schools to examine the revised budget to make certain determinations and, on or before October 8, to approve or disapprove the revised budget, as specified. If the county superintendent of schools disapproves the budget, existing law requires him or her to call for the formation of a budget review committee, and requires the budget review committee, on or before October 31, to review the proposed budget, as specified. If the budget review committee disapproves the budget of the school district, existing law requires the Superintendent of Public Instruction to either approve or disapprove the budget, as specified. If the Superintendent disapproves the budget, existing law requires the county superintendent of schools to do certain things, including, among others, on or before November 30, develop and adopt, in consultation with the governing board of the school district and the Superintendent, a fiscal plan and budget for the school district, as specified. This bill would, among other things, extend those dates by one month to September 15, October 8, November 8, November 30, and December 31, respectively. (6) This bill would appropriate $5,994,417,000 from the General Fund to the Superintendent of Public Instruction for purposes of allocating those funds to school districts and charter schools pursuant to the local control funding formula for those local educational agencies. (7) This bill also would make conforming changes, would correct cross-references, would delete obsolete provisions, and would make other nonsubstantive changes. (8) Funds appropriated by this bill would be applied toward the minimum funding requirements for school districts and community college districts imposed by Section 8 of Article XVI of the California Constitution. (9) This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as a bill providing for appropriations related to the Budget Bill.

The Budget Act of 2015 made appropriations for the support of state government for the 2015–16 fiscal year. This bill would amend the Budget Act of 2015 by revising items of appropriation and making other changes. This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as a Budget Bill.

(1) Under existing law, the State Department of Public Health licenses and regulates clinical laboratories and certain clinical laboratory personnel performing clinical laboratory tests or examinations, subject to certain exceptions. Existing law requires a clinical laboratory to perform all clinical laboratory tests or examinations classified as waived under the federal Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments of 1988 (CLIA) in conformity with the manufacturer's instructions. Existing law requires a clinical laboratory that performs tests or examinations that are not classified as waived under CLIA to establish and maintain a quality control program that meets specified CLIA standards. This bill would provide that the quality control program may include the clinical laboratory's use of an alternative quality testing procedure recognized by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, including equivalent quality control procedures or an Individual Quality Control Plan, as specified. (2) Existing federal law, the federal Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) , enacts various health care coverage market reforms that took effect January 1, 2014. Among other things, PPACA requires each state, by January 1, 2014, to establish an American Health Benefit Exchange that facilitates the purchase of qualified health plans by qualified individuals and qualified small employers. Existing state law establishes the California Health Benefit Exchange (the Exchange) within state government for the purpose of facilitating the enrollment of qualified individuals and qualified small employers in qualified health plans, and specifies the powers and duties of the board governing the Exchange. Among other things, existing law grants the board the authority to standardize products to be offered through the Exchange, and requires the board to establish and use a competitive process to select participating carriers and any other contractors, as specified. This bill would require any product standardized by the board to be discussed by the board during at least one properly noticed board meeting prior to the board meeting at which the board adopts the standardized products. The bill would require the board to adopt a Health Benefit Exchange Contracting Manual incorporating procurement and contracting policies and procedures that shall be followed by the Exchange, as specified. The bill would also exempt any regulations adopted, amended, or repealed by the board to implement these provisions from the Administrative Procedure Act. (3) Existing law authorizes the board of the Exchange to adopt emergency regulations until January 1, 2016. Existing law prohibits the Office of Administrative Law from repealing any emergency regulations adopted until revised or repealed by the board, except that existing law also requires any emergency regulation adopted by the board to be repealed by operation of law, except as specified. Existing law allows more than 2 readoptions of those emergency regulations until January 1, 2017, and allows the emergency regulations adopted by the board to remain in effect for 2 years, as specified. This bill would extend the authority of the board of the Exchange to adopt emergency regulations until January 1, 2017. The bill would delete the prohibition against the office from repealing any emergency regulation of the board, but would continue to require any emergency regulation adopted by the board to be repealed by operation of law, except as specified. The bill would instead authorize the board to allow more than 2 readoptions of those emergency regulations until January 1, 2020, and would allow the emergency regulations adopted by the board to instead remain in effect for 3 years, as specified. (4) Existing law provides for the licensure and regulation of health care facilities, including skilled nursing facilities and long-term health care facilities, as defined, by the State Department of Public Health. Existing law imposes specified fees for the licensure of skilled nursing facilities. This bill would require the fees for the licensure of skilled nursing facilities to be increased in a specified manner to generate moneys for expenditure by the California Department of Aging for purposes of its Long Term Care Ombudsman Program for work related to investigating complaints against skilled nursing facilities and increasing visits to those facilities. (5) Existing law requires the State Department of Public Health to follow specified procedures when the department receives a written or oral complaint about a long-term health care facility, as specified, including investigation procedures. Existing law requires the issuance of a citation under specified provisions to be served upon a facility within 3 working days of a final determination, unless a licensee agrees to an extension of time. This bill would make changes to those investigation procedures, as specified, including, but not limited to, changing the time period for investigation of a complaint and authorizing an extension of that time period under extenuating circumstances. The bill would instead require a citation issued under those provisions to be served within 30 days of a final determination or completion of a complaint investigation, as specified. The bill would make conforming changes to a reporting requirement. Existing law requires the State Department of Public Health, when it receives a complaint or report involving a general acute care hospital, acute psychiatric hospital, or special hospital, that indicates an ongoing threat of imminent danger of death or serious bodily harm, to complete an investigation of the complaint or report within 45 days. If the department fails to meet those requirements, this bill would require the department to document the extenuating circumstances leading to the failure to meet the 45-day time period, and to provide written notice to the facility and the complainant of the extenuating circumstances and an anticipated completion date. (6) Existing law requires the State Department of Health Care Services to perform various health functions, including providing for breast and cervical cancer screening and treatment for low-income individuals, prostate cancer screening and treatment for low-income and uninsured men, and specified family planning services. This bill would require, with regard to the above health care programs, providers, or the enrolling entity, as applicable, to make available to all applicants and beneficiaries prior to, or concurrent with, enrollment, information on the manner in which to apply for insurance affordability programs, in a manner determined by the department. The information provided would be required to include the manner in which applications can be submitted for insurance affordability programs, information about the open enrollment periods for the Exchange, and the continuous enrollment aspect of the Medi-Cal program. (7) Existing law creates the Food Safety Fund, as a special fund, and requires all moneys collected by the State Department of Public Health, pursuant to specified authority, to be deposited in the fund, for use by the department, upon appropriation by the Legislature, for the purposes of providing funds necessary to carry out and implement, among other things, inspection provisions relating to food, licensing, inspection, enforcement, and specified provisions relating to water. This bill would require moneys awarded to the department pursuant to court orders or settlements for the use of food safety-related activities to be deposited in the fund for those same health and safety purposes. (8) Existing law authorizes a public entity that receives General Fund money from the State Department of Public Health for HIV prevention and education to use that money to support clean needle and syringe exchange programs authorized pursuant to law. Existing law requires several conditions to be met for the use of funds in this manner, such as the amount used not exceeding 7.5% of the total amount of General Fund money received for HIV prevention and education. This bill would authorize the State Department of Public Health to purchase sterile hypodermic needles and syringes, and other supplies, for distribution to syringe exchange programs, for the purpose of reducing the spread of HIV, hepatitis C, and other potentially deadly blood-borne pathogens. (9) Existing law requires the State Public Health Officer to establish, and authorizes him or her to administer, a program to provide drug treatments to persons infected with HIV, to the extent that state and federal funds are appropriated. Existing law makes a person financially eligible to receive services under this program if his or her adjusted gross income does not exceed $50,000 per year, and as specified. Existing law establishes a payment schedule to determine the payment obligation of a person receiving drugs under the program, except as specified. Existing law requires the State Department of Public Health and the Franchise Tax Board to exchange prescribed information in order to verify financial eligibility under the program. Existing law provides that this information constitutes confidential public health records, as specified. This bill would instead make a person financially eligible to receive services under the program if his or her modified adjusted gross income, as defined, does not exceed 500% of the federal poverty level, as defined, per year based on family size and household income, as defined. The bill would make conforming changes to the provisions that establish a payment schedule and that require the department and the board to exchange information for purposes of determining eligibility. (10) Existing law establishes various programs relating to treatment of persons with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and the acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) . Under existing law, the Office of AIDS, State Department of Public Health, is responsible for coordinating state programs, services, and activities relating to HIV and AIDS, and AIDS-related conditions. This bill would require the State Department of Public Health, upon an appropriation in the annual Budget Act, to establish the Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) Navigator Services Program, under which the department shall provide for specified activities relating to, among other things, oversight of the program and funding for community-based organizations and local health departments to provide outreach and education services to populations affected by HIV. (11) Existing law requires the State Department of Public Health to make available protocols and guidelines developed by the National Institutes of Health, the University of California at San Francisco, and California legislative advisory committees on hepatitis C for educating physicians and health professionals and training community service professionals and training community service providers on the most recent scientific and medical information on hepatitis C detection, transmission, diagnosis, treatment, and therapeutic decisionmaking. This bill would establish a 3-year Hepatitis C Linkage to Care demonstration pilot project to allow for innovative, evidence-based approaches to provide outreach, hepatitis C screening, and linkage to, and retention in, quality health care for the most vulnerable and underserved individuals living with, or at high risk for, hepatitis C viral infection. The bill would, upon appropriation, require the department to award funding to community-based organizations or local health jurisdictions to operate demonstration pilot projects, as specified. (12) Existing law requires the governing board of a county to establish a community child health and disability prevention program for the purpose of providing early and periodic evaluation of the health status of children in the county. The program plan is required to include screening and evaluation for each child, including referrals to a dentist participating in the Medi-Cal program for all children 3 years of age and older who are eligible for Medi-Cal. This bill would, instead, require the program plan to include referrals to a dentist for all children eligible for the Medi-Cal program one year of age and older. Because the bill would require expansion of the county program plan, it would create a state-mandated local program. (13) Existing law requires the State Department of Public Health to establish a program for the development, provision, and evaluation of genetic disease testing. Existing law requires the department to charge a fee to all payers for certain genetic disease screening tests and activities. Existing law requires fees charged for prenatal screening and followup services provided to persons enrolled in the Medi-Cal program, health care service plan enrollees, or persons covered by health insurance policies, to be paid in full and deposited in the Genetic Disease Testing Fund or the Birth Defects Monitoring Program Fund, as prescribed, subject to all terms and conditions of each enrollee's or insured's health care service plan or insurance coverage, including, but not limited to, applicable copayments and deductibles. 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. Existing law also provides for the regulation of health insurers by the Department of Insurance. Under existing law, a group or individual health care service plan contract, with designated exceptions, or a health insurer is required to include coverage for the statewide Expanded Alpha Feto Protein (AFP) genetic testing program. This bill would prohibit coverage by a health care service plan or health insurer for these genetic testing services from being subject to copayment, coinsurance, deductible, or any other form of cost sharing. The services would be paid according to the fee amounts set under the department's genetic disease testing programs and applicable regulations. The bill also would make various technical and conforming changes. Because existing law makes a willful violation of the provisions relating to health care services plans a crime, by expanding the definition of this crime, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. (14) Under existing law, a health care service plan and a health insurer are required to offer a standard benefit plan, as specified, under which health care service plans and insurers are required to continue to provide coverage under the same terms and conditions prescribed under a previously authorized pilot program. Under existing law, the State Department of Health Care Services is responsible for paying the costs of the coverage, completing periodic reconciliation reports with health care service plans and insurers, and adopting appropriate regulations. Existing law requires the department to complete reconciliation with a health care service program or insurer for a given reporting period within 6 months after receiving the plan's or insurer's conciliation report. Existing law establishes the California Major Risk Medical Insurance Program (MRMIP) , which is administered by the department, operative July 1, 2014. Under existing law, MRMIP provides major risk medical coverage to certain categories of individuals who have been rejected for coverage by at least one private health plan, and meet other program requirements. Existing law specifies the powers and duties of the department with respect to MRMIP. Existing law creates the Major Risk Medical Insurance Fund as a continuously appropriated fund for purposes of funding services under MRMIP and the standard benefit plans described above. This bill would extend the time within which the department is required to complete reconciliation with plans and insurers, to 18 months after receiving the conciliation report. The bill would authorize the department to implement these provisions in a specified manner. The bill would also establish procedures that would apply under circumstances in which the department and a health care service plan or health insurer have not agreed to a final reconciliation of the amount to be expended from the Major Risk Medical Insurance Fund or to be reimbursed to the fund for the purposes described above, including provisions relating to the payment of interest or the negotiation of payment plans, as specified. (15) Existing law establishes the Office of Problem and Pathological Gambling within the State Department of Public Health. Under existing law, the office is responsible for developing programs for problem gambling prevention and treatment services for California residents. Existing law defines the terms "pathological gambling disorder" and "problem gambling" for these purposes. This bill would rename that office the Office of Problem Gambling and would substitute the term "gambling disorder," as defined, for the terms "pathological gambling disorder" and "problem gambling." The bill would, among other things, additionally authorize the gambling disorder prevention and treatment programs to provide services to an affected individual, which the bill would define as a person who experiences adverse psychiatric or physical impacts due to another person's gambling disorder. The bill would also authorize the treatment program to include research and training components, as specified. (16) 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. The federal Medicaid Program provisions prohibit payment to a state for medical assistance furnished to an alien who is not lawfully admitted for permanent residence or otherwise permanently residing in the United States under color of law. This bill would extend eligibility for full-scope Medi-Cal benefits to individuals under 19 years of age who do not have, or are unable to establish, satisfactory immigration status. The bill would direct the State Department of Health Care Services to seek any necessary federal approvals to obtain federal financial participation for these services, and would require that these services be provided with state-only funds only if federal financial participation is not available. Because counties are required to make Medi-Cal eligibility determinations and this bill would expand Medi-Cal eligibility, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. (17) Existing law, until July 1, 2015, requires the department to retain or delegate the authority to perform Medi-Cal eligibility determinations as set forth in specified provisions related to electronic determination of eligibility. This bill would delete the repeal date, and would thereby extend the operation of those provisions indefinitely. (18) Existing law authorizes certain ground emergency medical transportation providers to receive supplemental Medi-Cal reimbursement in addition to the rate of payment that the provider would otherwise receive for those services. Existing law specifies the manner in which the supplemental reimbursement is calculated, and requires the nonfederal share of the supplemental reimbursement to be paid only with funds from specified governmental entities. This bill would require the State Department of Health Care Services to develop a modified supplemental reimbursement program that would seek to increase the reimbursement to an eligible provider, as specified. The bill would provide that the department shall not implement the modified program unless it determines that the modified program would likely result in an overall increase to the supplemental reimbursement available under existing law, and the department receives all necessary federal approvals. (19) Existing law requires, except as otherwise provided, Medi-Cal provider payments and payments for specified non-Medi-Cal programs to be reduced by 10% for dates of service on and after June 1, 2011, and requires payments to Medi-Cal managed health care plans to be reduced by the actuarial equivalent amount of the payment reductions for fee-for-service Medi-Cal benefits, as specified. This bill would exempt from the application of those reductions dental services and applicable ancillary services for dates of service on or after July 1, 2015, or the effective date of any necessary federal approvals, whichever is later. The bill would also exempt from the application of those reductions payments to dental managed care plans for contract amendments or change orders effective on or after July 1, 2015, or the effective date of any necessary federal approvals, whichever is later. (20) Existing law authorizes the State Department of Health Care Services, subject to federal approval, to create a Health Home Program for Medi-Cal enrollees with chronic conditions, as prescribed, as authorized under federal law. This bill would create the Health Home Program Account in the Special Deposit Fund within the State Treasury in order to collect and allocate non-General Fund public or private grant funds, to be expended upon allocation by the Legislature, for the purposes of implementing the Health Home Program. The bill would appropriate $50,000,000 from the Health Home Program Account to the State Department of Health Care Services for the purposes of implementing the Health Home Program. (21) Existing law requires Medi-Cal beneficiaries to make set copayments for specified services and, upon federal approval, existing law revises these copayment rates and makes other related changes, as specified. This bill would delete the revised copayment rate provisions and would make a conforming change. (22) Under existing law, the Legislature finds and declares that linking appropriate funding for county Medi-Cal administrative operations, including annual cost-of-doing-business adjustments, with performance standards will give counties the incentive to meet the performance standards and enable them to continue to do the work they do on behalf of the state. Existing law provides that it is the intent of the Legislature to provide appropriate funding to the counties for the effectual administration of the Medi-Cal program, except for specified fiscal years in regard to any cost-of-doing-business adjustment. This bill would additionally provide that it is the intent of the Legislature to not appropriate funds for the cost-of-doing-business adjustment for the 2015–16 fiscal year. (23) One of the methods by which Medi-Cal services are provided is pursuant to contracts with various types of managed care health plans. Existing federal law provides for the federal Medicare Program, which is a public health insurance program for persons who are 65 years of age or older and specified persons with disabilities who are under 65 years of age. Existing law requires the State Department of Health Care Services to seek federal approval pursuant to a Medicare or Medicaid demonstration project or waiver, or a combination thereof, to establish a demonstration project, known as the Coordinated Care Initiative, that enables beneficiaries who are dually eligible for the Medi-Cal program and the Medicare Program to receive a continuum of services that maximizes access to, and coordination of, benefits between these programs. Existing law requires that Medi-Cal beneficiaries who have dual eligibility in the Medi-Cal and Medicare programs be assigned as mandatory enrollees into managed care health plans in counties participating in the demonstration project, and requires, beginning January 1, 2015, or 19 months after commencement of beneficiary enrollment into managed care, whichever is later, all Medi-Cal long-term services and supports, which includes Multipurpose Senior Services Program (MSSP) services, to be covered under managed care health contracts and only available through managed care health plans to beneficiaries residing in counties participating in the Coordinated Care Initiative. This bill would extend the transition date MSSP services are required to be a Medi-Cal benefit only available through managed care health plans to no later than December 31, 2017, or on the date managed care health plans and MSSP providers jointly satisfy the readiness criteria developed by the department, and would make additional conforming changes. The bill would require the department to notify the appropriate fiscal and policy committees of the Legislature of its intent to transition MSSP services to managed care health plans at least 30 days before this transition occurs. The bill would require the department and the California Department of Aging, in consultation with specified entities, to develop readiness criteria, as specified. The bill would require the department to evaluate the readiness of the managed care health plans and MSSP providers to commence the transition of MSSP services to managed care health plans. (24) Existing law requires the State Department of Health Care Services to accept contributions by private foundations in the amount of at least $14,000,000 for purposes of making Medi-Cal in-person enrollment assistance payments to eligible entities and persons, as specified, and in the amount of at least $12,500,000 to provide allocations for the management and funding of Medi-Cal outreach and enrollment activities, as specified. Existing law requires the department to seek federal matching funds for those purposes. Existing law establishes the Healthcare Outreach and Medi-Cal Enrollment Account in the Special Deposit Fund within the State Treasury in order to collect and allocate these funds, as specified. This bill would require the department to make the in-person enrollment assistance payments described above for submitted applications received through June 30, 2015, that result in approved applications. Once all of those payments have been made, the bill would require the department to allocate any remaining funds accepted pursuant to the in-person enrollment assistance payment provisions to counties to be used for the Medi-Cal outreach and enrollment activities described above. The bill would require those remaining funds that are allocated to those counties to be distributed to community-based organizations providing enrollment assistance to prospective Medi-Cal enrollees, as specified. The bill would authorize those counties to retain a specified amount for administrative costs. The bill would require the department to make an initial allocation to counties for these funds no later than January 1, 2016, and the final allocation no later than June 30, 2016. The bill would make the in-person enrollment assistance provisions inoperative on a specified date. (25) Existing law establishes the California Health Benefit Exchange within state government and specifies the powers and duties of the executive board governing the Exchange. Existing law requires the board to undertake outreach and enrollment activities that seek to assist enrollees and potential enrollees with enrolling in the Exchange, and requires the board to inform individuals of eligibility requirements for the Medi-Cal program, the Healthy Families Program, or any applicable state or local public program, and, if through screening of the application by the Exchange, the Exchange determines that an individual is eligible for of those programs, to enroll that individual in the program. Existing law requires the department to accept specified contributions by private foundations for purposes of making payments to entities and persons for Medi-Cal in-person enrollment assistance and renewal assistance, and to provide allocations for the management and funding of Medi-Cal outreach and enrollment plans, as specified. Existing law further requires the State Department of Health Care Services to immediately seek an equal amount of federal matching funds. Existing law appropriates specified funds to the department from the Healthcare Outreach and Medi-Cal Enrollment Account for the purposes described above, which are available for encumbrance or expenditure until June 30, 2016, and December 31, 2016, as specified. This bill would make the requirement that the State Department of Health Care Services accept the private foundation funding for outreach and enrollment grants inoperative on June 30, 2018. The bill would extend the availability of amounts previously appropriated from the Healthcare Outreach and Medi-Cal Enrollment Account and the Federal Trust Fund to June 30, 2018, thereby making an appropriation. (26) This bill would require, upon an appropriation of funds by the Legislature for this purpose, the State Department of Health Care Services to provide a grant to health benefit plans that meet certain criteria for purposes of funding health care coverage for agricultural employees and dependents, as specified. (27) This bill, for the 2015–16 fiscal year and upon appropriation of funds by the Legislature for this purpose, would require the State Department of Health Care Services to provide a grant to LifeLong Medical Care, a federally qualified health center in Contra Costa County, to be used to support LifeLong Medical Care. (28) Existing law, the Budget Act of 2013, appropriates $142,000,000 to the California Health Facilities Financing Authority (CHFFA) for mental health wellness grants. Existing law, the Budget Act of 2013, authorizes these funds to be available for encumbrance or expenditure until June 30, 2016. This bill would authorize CHFFA to use up to $3,000,000 of these funds, if unencumbered, to develop peer respite sites. The bill would require any grant awards authorized by CHFFA for peer respite sites to be used to expand local resources for the development, capital, equipment acquisition, and applicable program startup or expansion costs to increase bed capacity for peer respite support services. The bill would authorize CHFFA to adopt emergency regulations relating to grants for peer respite sites in accordance with the Administrative Procedure Act. (29) This bill would require the Office of System Integration to report to the Legislature by April 1, 2017, on the feasibility, benefits, costs, and risks of installing the Modified Adjusted Gross Income (MAGI) Eligibility Decision Engine in one, two, or all of the Statewide Automated Welfare System consortia systems. (30) 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. (31) This bill would make legislative findings and declarations as to the necessity of a special statute for LifeLong Medical Care and Contra Costa County. (32) 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 with regard to certain mandates no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason. With regard to any other mandates, this bill would provide that, if the Commission on State Mandates determines that the bill contains costs so mandated by the state, reimbursement for those costs shall be made pursuant to the statutory provisions noted above. (33) This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as a bill providing for appropriations related to the Budget Bill.

This measure would declare June 1, 2015, as Disneyland Day in recognition of the 60th anniversary of Disneyland.

Existing law provides for the Medi-Cal program, 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 federal law authorizes the state to obtain waivers for home- and community-based services. Existing law authorizes the department to seek an increase in the scope of these waivers, in order to enable additional nursing facility residents to transition into the community, subject to implementation of these amended waivers upon obtaining federal financial participation, and to the extent it can demonstrate fiscal neutrality within the overall department budget. This bill would authorize the department to seek additional increases in the scope of the home- and community-based Nursing Facility/Acute Hospital Waiver. The bill would require the department to, by February 1, 2016, apply for an additional 5,000 slots, to be added in the 2016–17 fiscal year, beyond those currently authorized for the waiver.

This measure would urge the United States Department of Labor and the Congress of the United States to investigate alleged misuse of the H1-B Visa program.

(1) Existing law establishes the Department of the California Highway Patrol, which is under the control of a civil executive officer, known as the Commissioner of the California Highway Patrol. Under existing law, the commissioner is required to, among other things, enforce all laws regulating the operation of vehicles and the use of the highways, except as provided. This bill would require, on or before January 1, 2016, the department to develop a plan for implementing a body-worn camera pilot program. The bill would require that plan to examine, among other things, the minimum specifications for body-worn cameras to be utilized in a body-worn camera program, best practices for officer review of recorded body-worn camera data, and best practices for sharing recorded body-worn camera data internally and externally. (2) Existing law designates official state holidays, including Native American Day. Existing law makes those state holidays, with certain exceptions, judicial holidays. This bill would additionally exclude Native American Day from the list of judicial holidays. (3) Existing law establishes in the State Treasury the Local Revenue Fund 2011, a continuously appropriated fund, and requires that its funds be allocated exclusively for public safety services, as defined. Existing law creates the Enhancing Law Enforcement Activities Subaccount in that fund and further creates the Enhancing Law Enforcement Activities Growth Special Account in that subaccount. Existing law requires each county to establish in the county treasury various corresponding subaccounts and special accounts for the receipt of funds allocated to a county for specified local law enforcement purposes. Existing law allocates specified funds on August 25 of each year from the Enhancing Law Enforcement Activities Growth Special Account to the corresponding subaccount at the county level, including the following: 27.08% for purposes that include jail construction and operation and criminal prosecution; 27.08% to implement multiagency juvenile justice plans; and 7.44% to counties that operate juvenile camps and ranches, based on the number of beds in each camp. Existing law allocates these funds to counties pursuant to a schedule provided by the Department of Finance for these purposes. This bill would delete the requirement that the funds be allocated on August 25 of each year and would make other technical changes. (4) Existing law establishes in each county treasury a Supplemental Law Enforcement Services Account (SLESA) and requires the county auditor to allocate moneys in the SLESA in a prescribed manner to counties and cities located within the county for the purpose of funding specified public safety programs. Existing law requires a local agency that receives SLESA moneys to expend or encumber those moneys no later than June 30 of the fiscal year following receipt. Existing law requires a local agency that does not meet that requirement to remit unspent SLESA moneys for deposit in the County Enhancing Law Enforcement Activities Subaccount. This bill would, beginning July 1, 2015, eliminate the deadline for a local agency to expend or encumber SLESA moneys. This bill would require the county auditor to redirect unspent SLESA moneys that were remitted after July 1, 2012, to the County Enhancing Law Enforcement Activities Subaccount to the agency that remitted the moneys, as specified. (5) Existing law, until July 1, 2015, imposes a supplemental fee of $40 for filing first papers in certain civil proceedings, subject to reduction if the amount of the General Fund appropriation to the Trial Court Trust Fund is decreased from the amount appropriated in the 2013–14 fiscal year. This bill would extend the operation of the supplemental fee until July 1, 2018. (6) Existing law, until July 1, 2015, requires a $1,000 fee to be paid on behalf of all plaintiffs, and by each defendant, intervenor, respondent, or adverse party to a civil action that is designated or determined to be a complex case. On and after July 1, 2015, existing law requires a fee of $550 to be paid under those circumstances. Existing law, until July 1, 2015, imposes a limitation of $18,000 on the total amount of complex fees collected from all defendants, intervenors, respondents, or other adverse parties appearing in a complex case. On and after July 1, 2015, existing law imposes a limitation of $10,000 on the amount of the fee required to be paid in those circumstances. This bill would extend the operation of the $1,000 complex case fee and the $18,000 total fee limitation to July 1, 2018, thereby extending that higher fee rate and limitation by 3 years. (7) Under existing law, the uniform fee for filing any specified motion, application, order to show cause, or any other paper requiring a hearing subsequent to the first paper is $60 until July 1, 2015, at which time that fee is reduced to $40. This bill would extend the operation of the $60 filing fee to July 1, 2018, thereby extending that higher fee by 3 years. (8) Existing law, the California Community Corrections Performance Incentives Act of 2009, authorizes each county to establish a Community Corrections Performance Incentives Fund, and authorizes the state to annually allocate moneys into a State Community Corrections Performance Incentives Fund to be used for specified purposes relating to improving local probation supervision practices and capacities. Existing law requires the Director of Finance, in consultation with specified other entities, to calculate a baseline probation failure rate, which is the average number of adult felony probationers sent to state prison during the 2006 to 2008 calendar years, as a percentage of the weighted average of the population of adult felony probationers during the same period. Existing law requires the Director of Finance, in consultation with those entities, to calculate, on a yearly basis, a statewide probation failure rate, and a probation rate for each county, based on the percentage of adult felony probationers sent to state prison or to a county jail as a percentage of the average statewide or county adult felony probation population, respectively, as specified. Existing law requires the Director of Finance, in consultation with those entities, to estimate the number of adult felony probationers each county successfully prevented from being incarcerated, based on each county's probation failure rate and the county's baseline probation failure rate, taking into account specified changes in each county's adult felony probation caseload, as specified. This bill would recast those requirements to eliminate the requirement that the director calculate a baseline probation failure rate. The bill would require the director to calculate the statewide probation failure rate and the probation failure rate for a county based only on the total number of adult felony probationers sent to state prison. The bill would require the director to estimate the number of adult felony probationers, felons on mandatory supervision, and felons on postrelease community supervision successfully prevented from being incarcerated in state prison, based only on a county's probation failure rate, mandatory supervision failure rate, and postrelease community supervision failure rate. The bill would also require the director to calculate a combined statewide return to prison rate and a combined individual county return to prison rate, as specified. (9) Existing law requires the Director of Finance, in consultation with specified other entities, to develop a revised formula for performance incentive funding related to the act that takes into account changes to the eligibility of some felony probationers for revocation to the state prison that results from implementation of the 2011 Public Safety Realignment, for the purpose of providing incentive funding for a county probation department that is successful in reducing postrelease community supervision and mandatory supervision failure rates. Existing law requires the director and those entities to calculate a probation failure reduction incentive payment under a tier-based system based on a county's probation failure rate, as specified. This bill would eliminate the tier-based system described above and would recast the calculation of the probation failure reduction incentive payment as a statewide performance payment that is calculated as a specified percentage of the highest year of funding that a county received from the California Community Corrections Performance Incentives Grant Program from the 2011–12 fiscal year to the 2014–15 fiscal year, inclusive. The bill would provide that the percentage used to calculate the statewide performance incentive payment for a county shall be based on that county's return to prison rate, as specified. (10) Existing law requires the Director of Finance, in consultation with specified other entities, to calculate a high performance grant payment, as specified, for the purpose of providing performance-based funding for a county that demonstrates a high success rate with reducing recidivism among adult felony probationers. This bill would eliminate the high performance grant payment described above, and would instead require the director to calculate a yearly county performance incentive payment that is based on the estimated number of felons on probation, subject to mandatory supervision, and subject to postrelease community supervision that were successfully prevented from being incarcerated in state prison, multiplied by 35% of the cost to incarcerate a felony prison offender in a contract prison facility. (11) Existing law requires the Department of Finance to distribute the moneys remaining in the State Community Corrections Performance Incentives Fund after the calculation and award of the probation failure reduction incentive payments and high performance grant payments described above to qualifying counties. This bill would eliminate the requirement of distribution of those moneys, and instead require the Department of Finance to increase to a total of no more than $200,000 the award of a county's statewide performance incentive payment and county performance incentive payment if that county's payment totals less than $200,000. The bill would further require the Department of Finance to adjust the award amount, up to $200,000 per county, to counties that did not receive a statewide performance incentive payment and county performance incentive payment. By increasing the amount of funds that a county may receive from the continuously appropriated State Community Corrections Performance Incentives Fund, the bill would make an appropriation. The bill would require counties to provide specified information to the Judicial Council in order to receive these increases in award amounts. (12) Existing law requires the Administrative Office of the Courts, in consultation with specified other entities, to provide a quarterly statistical report to the Department of Finance that includes specified information, including the number of felons who had their postrelease community supervision revoked and were sent to a county jail for that revocation. This bill would instead require the Judicial Council to provide the quarterly statistical information. The bill would provide that the information related to felons on postrelease community supervision who had their postrelease community supervision revoked and were sent to a county jail shall not include felons who are subject to flash incarceration, as specified. (13) Existing law authorizes each county to establish a Community Corrections Performance Incentives Fund, and authorizes the state to annually allocate moneys into a State Community Corrections Performance Incentives Fund to be used for specified purposes relating to improving local probation supervision practices and capacities. Existing law creates the Recidivism Reduction Fund in the State Treasury to be available upon appropriation by the Legislature for activities designed to reduce the state's prison population, and authorizes funds available in the Recidivism Reduction Fund to be transferred to the State Community Corrections Performance Incentives Fund. Existing law, upon agreement to accept funding from the Recidivism Reduction Fund, requires a county board of supervisors, in collaboration with the county's Community Corrections Partnership, to develop, administer, and collect and submit data to the Board of State and Community Corrections regarding a competitive grant program intended to fund community recidivism and crime reduction services, including, but not limited to, delinquency prevention, homelessness prevention, and reentry services. Existing law requires the funding to be allocated to counties from the Budget Act of 2014 by the State Controller's Office according to a specified allocation schedule. Existing law requires that any funds not encumbered with a community recidivism and crime reduction service provider one year after allocation of grant funds to counties immediately revert to the state General Fund. This bill would enact a revised schedule allocating funds to counties from the Budget Act of 2015 that would reduce each allocation by 50%. The bill would also delete the requirement that any funds not encumbered with a community recidivism and crime reduction service provider one year after allocation of grant funds to counties immediately revert to the state General Fund. The bill would require any funds in the Recidivism Reduction Fund that are not encumbered by June 30, 2016, to revert to the General Fund upon order of the Department of Justice. The bill would also abolish the Recidivism Reduction Fund once all funds encumbered in the fund are liquidated. (14) Existing law prohibits a person from being tried or adjudged to punishment while that person is mentally incompetent. Existing law establishes a process by which a defendant's mental competency is evaluated and by which the defendant receives treatment, including, if applicable, antipsychotic medication, with the goal of returning the defendant to competency. Existing law requires that the court order the defendant to be delivered to a treatment facility, and, until January 1, 2016, defines "treatment facility" to include a county jail for these purposes. Existing law, until January 1, 2016, authorizes certain medications to be provided to a defendant in a county jail if he or she is mentally incompetent and unable to provide informed consent due to a mental disorder. Existing law, until January 1, 2016, limits to 6 months the maximum period of time a defendant may be treated in a treatment facility. This bill would delete that January 1, 2016, repeal date, thereby extending the operation of these provisions indefinitely. (15) If a mentally incompetent defendant is sent to a county jail for treatment, existing law requires the State Department of State Hospitals to provide treatment at the county jail treatment facility and to reimburse the county jail treatment facility for the reasonable cost of the bed during treatment. This bill would, upon approval by the State Department of State Hospitals and an appropriation in the Budget Act, authorize the county jail treatment facility to provide restoration of competency services and would allow the department to reimburse the county for these services and the reasonable costs of any necessary medical treatment not provided within the county jail treatment facility. This bill would, if the county jail is used as a treatment facility, require the county to provide for transportation of the defendant to the county jail treatment facility unless otherwise agreed to by the State Department of State Hospitals and the facility. This bill would require the State Department of State Hospitals and a county jail treatment facility, if found to be comparatively at fault for any claim, action, loss, or damage which results from their obligations, to indemnify the other to the extent of their comparative fault. (16) Existing law establishes the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation to oversee the state prison system. Existing law requires the department to develop policies related to contraband interdiction efforts for individuals entering department facilities. This bill would require those policies to ensure visitors are informed further potential search or visitation options and to consider the use of full-body scanners. The bill would further require that the department, after 2 years of implementation of the policies it creates pursuant to this bill, conduct an evaluation of the policy. (17) Existing law establishes the Commission on Correction Peace Officer Standards and Training (the CPOST) within the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. Existing law requires the executive board of the CPOST to be comprised of 6 voting members, 3 appointed by the department and 3 appointed by the Governor. Existing law requires that one of the department's appointees represent the Division of Juvenile Facilities. Existing law requires each appointing authority to appoint an alternate for each regular member it appoints, and requires the alternate to possess the same qualifications as the regular member and to substitute for, and vote in place of, the regular member whenever he or she is absent. Existing law requires the CPOST to appoint an executive director. This bill would instead, commencing July 1, 2015, require that one of the department's appointees represent the Division of Juvenile Justice or the Division of Rehabilitative Programs within the department. The bill would instead require alternate members to possess the same qualifications as a regular member and to substitute for, and vote in place of, a regular member who was appointed by the same appointing authority whenever that regular member is absent. The bill would delete the requirement that the CPOST appoint an executive director. The bill would require the CPOST executive board to seek advice from national experts, including university and college institutions and correctional associations, on issues pertaining to adult corrections, juvenile justice, and the training of the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation staff that are relevant to its mission. (18) Existing law, until January 1, 2017, allows the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation to use a training academy established for the California City Correctional Center. This bill would extend that provision indefinitely. (19) Existing law requires the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation to provide 16 weeks of training to each correctional peace officer cadet prior to his or her assignment to a post or position as a correctional peace officer. If an agreement is reached between the department and the bargaining unit for the correction peace officers, existing law allows the department, with the approval of the CPOST, to have cadets sworn in as correctional peace officers upon completion of 12 weeks of training and complete the final 4 weeks of training at the institution where the cadet is assigned to a post or position. This bill would, commencing July 1, 2015, require the department to instead provide 480 hours of training to each correctional peace officer cadet. The bill would require the CPOST to determine the on-the-job training requirements for correctional peace officers. (20) Existing law requires a county to establish a one-time amnesty program for fines and bail due on or before January 1, 2009, for certain infraction or misdemeanor violations of the Vehicle Code and the Penal Code. Existing law allows a person owing a fine or bail that was eligible for amnesty under this program to pay to the superior or juvenile court 50% of the total fine or bail, as defined, which is required to be accepted by the court in full satisfaction of the delinquent fine or bail. Under existing law, the amnesty program was required to accept these payments from January 1, 2012, until June 30, 2012. This bill would require a county to establish a similar amnesty program for fines and bail initially due on or before January 1, 2013, to be conducted in accordance with guidelines adopted by the Judicial Council. The bill would require the program to accept payments between October 1, 2015, to March 31, 2017, inclusive, and would authorize a participant to receive an additional reduction in his or her repayment amount if the participant certifies, under penalty of perjury, that he or she receives specified public assistance programs or that his or her monthly income is 125% or less of the current poverty guidelines. By requiring each county to establish and operate an amnesty program, and by expanding the scope of the crime of perjury, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program. The bill would, following the transfer to the Judicial Council of the first $250,000 received, increase the percentage of specified penalties to be deposited in the Peace Officers' Training Fund and the Corrections Training Fund, which are continuously appropriated funds. By increasing the amount of money deposited into continuously appropriated funds, this bill would make an appropriation. (21) Existing law requires the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation to close the California Rehabilitation Center located in Norco, California, no later than December 31, 2016, or 6 months after the construction of 3 Level II dorm facilities, whichever is earlier. Existing law suspends this requirement pending a review by the Department of Finance and the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation that determines the facility can be closed. This bill would require the Department of Finance and the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation to release a report that provides an updated comprehensive plan for the state prison system, including a permanent solution to the decaying infrastructure of the California Rehabilitation Center. The bill would require the report to be submitted with the Governor's 2016–17 Budget to the Assembly Committee on Appropriations, the Assembly Committee on Budget, the Senate Committee on Appropriations, the Senate Committee on Budget and Fiscal Review, and the Joint Legislative Budget Committee. (22) Existing law establishes the State Department of Developmental Services and sets forth its powers and duties relating to the administration of state developmental centers. Existing law establishes the State Department of State Hospitals and sets forth its powers and duties relating to the administration of state hospitals. Existing law establishes the Office of Law Enforcement Support within the California Health and Human Services Agency for the purpose of improving and providing oversight of various law enforcement activities within the State Department of Developmental Services and the State Department of State Hospitals. This bill would require the Office of Law Enforcement Support to investigate specified incidents at a developmental center or state hospital, including any incident that involves developmental center or state hospital law enforcement personnel and that meets certain criteria. The bill would also provide that the Office of Law Enforcement Support be responsible for contemporaneous oversight of specified investigations by the State Department of State Hospitals and the State Department of Developmental Service. The bill would require reports written upon completion of that review to be confidential. The bill would require the Office of Law Enforcement Support to issue regular reports, no less than semiannually, summarizing the investigations it conducted and its oversight of investigations, 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. (23) Existing law generally requires the nontreatment costs of trials and hearings related to persons confined in a state hospital to be paid by the state to the county where the trial or hearing was had, except that existing law requires the county of commitment to pay these costs if the hearing is for an order seeking the involuntary treatment with psychotropic medication of a person confined in a state hospital as a condition of parole who is subject to an order for continued treatment beyond his or her period of parole. This bill would additionally require the county of commitment to pay the county where the proceeding is held for the nontreatment costs associated with any hearing for an order seeking involuntary treatment with psychotropic medication of a person confined in a state hospital after being found not guilty by reason of insanity. (24) Existing law establishes state hospitals for the care, treatment, and education of mentally disordered persons, which are under the jurisdiction of the State Department of State Hospitals. Commencing July 1, 2015, and subject to available funding, existing law authorizes the department to establish and maintain pilot enhanced treatment programs (ETPs) , for the treatment of patients who are at high risk of most dangerous behavior, and when safe treatment is not possible in a standard treatment environment. This bill would require the department, at least 60 days prior to implementing an ETP, to submit written draft policies and procedures that will guide the operation of the ETP, including, but not limited to, admittance criteria, staffing levels, services to be provided to patients, a transition planning process, and training requirements to the appropriate policy committees of the Legislature and to the Joint Legislative Budget Committee. (25) Existing law, in the Budget Act of 2014, appropriates $15,000,000 for the establishment or ongoing operation and staffing of programs known to reduce recidivism and enhance public safety by means of a competitive grant program developed and administered by the Judicial Council. Existing law, the Budget Act of 2014, authorizes these funds to be expended until June 30, 2017, after which any unexpended funds revert to the General Fund. This bill would allow these funds to be encumbered, in addition to being expended, until June 30, 2017, thereby making an appropriation. (26) Existing law, in the Budget Act of 2014, appropriates $28,000,000 for local assistance to the Board of State and Community Corrections. This bill would reappropriate these funds for the purposes specified in the above appropriation and make the funds available for encumbrance or expenditure until June 30, 2016, except that the bill would make the balance of a $900,000 appropriation to administer the mentally ill offender crime reduction grant available for encumbrance or expenditure until June 30, 2017, thereby making an appropriation. (27) 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. (28) 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 with regard to certain mandates no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason. With regard to any other mandates, this bill would provide that, if the Commission on State Mandates determines that the bill contains costs so mandated by the state, reimbursement for those costs shall be made pursuant to the statutory provisions noted above. (29) This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as a bill providing for appropriations related to the Budget Bill.

The California Constitution establishes the Public Utilities Commission (PUC) with jurisdiction over all public utilities, authorizes the PUC to establish its own procedures, subject to statutory limitations or directions and constitutional requirements of due process, and authorizes the PUC to fix the rates and establish rules for public utilities, subject to control by the Legislature. The Public Utilities Act provides that the office of the PUC shall be in the City and County of San Francisco, requires that the PUC hold its sessions at least once in each calendar month in the City and County of San Francisco, and authorizes the PUC to also meet at those other times and places as may be expedient and necessary for the proper performance of its duties. This bill would require that the PUC hold its sessions at least once in each calendar month in the City and County of San Francisco or the City of Sacramento. The Public Utilities Act authorizes the PUC to appoint an attorney for the PUC who holds that office at the pleasure of the PUC. The act requires the PUC's attorney to commence, prosecute, and expedite the final determination of all actions and proceedings directed or authorized by the president, except as otherwise directed or authorized by vote of the PUC, to advise the PUC and each commissioner in regard to all matters in connection with the powers and duties of the PUC or a commissioner, when requested, and generally to perform all duties and services as attorney to the PUC that the president, or vote of the PUC, may require of him or her. This bill would require the PUC to notify the Joint Legislative Budget Committee when it enters into a contract for outside legal counsel to represent the PUC in any criminal investigation at an expense exceeding $1,000,000 and to provide a copy of the contract to that committee within 10 days of it being approved by the Department of General Services. Existing law provides that upon request made in writing to a public entity, that public entity may, in its discretion, defend or indemnify or defend and indemnify any witness who has testified on behalf of the public entity in any criminal, civil, or administrative action, except as specified. This bill would prohibit the PUC from including in a contract for outside legal counsel terms providing for the representation in any criminal matter of individual employees except as provided in the above-described law. The bill would require the PUC to supply the Joint Legislative Budget Committee with a copy of the contract to represent an individual employee in a criminal investigation pursuant to the above-described law within 10 days of the date the contract is approved by the Department of General Services. The Public Utilities Act establishes an independent Office of Ratepayer Advocates within the PUC to represent the interests of public utility customers and subscribers, with the goal of obtaining the lowest possible rate for service consistent with reliable and safe service levels. Existing law requires the director of the office to develop a budget for the office that is submitted to the Department of Finance for final approval. Existing law authorizes the director of the office to appoint a lead attorney to represent the office and requires the lead attorney to obtain adequate legal personnel for the work to be conducted by the office from the PUC's attorney and requires the PUC's attorney to timely and appropriately fulfill all requests for legal personnel made by the lead attorney for the office, provided the office has sufficient moneys and positions in its budget for the services requested. Existing law requires the PUC to develop appropriate procedures to ensure that the existence of the office does not create a conflict of roles for any employee. This bill would delete the requirement that the lead attorney obtain adequate legal personnel for the work to be conducted by the office from the PUC's attorney and the requirement that the PUC's attorney timely and appropriately fulfill all requests for legal personnel made by the lead attorney for the office. The bill would require the PUC to coordinate with the office in developing appropriate procedures to ensure that the existence of the office does not create a conflict of roles for any employee. Existing law requires the PUC to submit to the Joint Legislative Budget Committee reports on all sources and amount of funding and actual and proposed expenditures for various activities. This bill would require the Department of Finance, on a semiannual basis, to provide the Joint Legislative Budget Commission a written notification of any redirection of funds and positions within the PUC, including any loaning of staff to other state agencies or departments. The bill would require the California Research Bureau to conduct a review of the organization of the PUC to ensure that the PUC is the best governmental entity to direct, regulate, and oversee specified public utility sectors. Existing decisions of the PUC establish the California Hub for Energy Efficiency Financing, or CHEEF, program, a 2-year pilot program administered by the California Alternative Energy and Advanced Transportation Financing Authority and funded through charges collected by specified electrical corporations and gas corporations from their ratepayers. The bill would require the commission to report to the relevant policy and fiscal committees of the Legislature on the outcomes of the CHEEF program and would prohibit the PUC from approving any extension of the program sooner than 30 days after making its report. Existing law places various duties upon the PUC with respect to distributed generation and requires each electrical corporation, as defined, to submit to the PUC for its approval a distribution resources plan proposal to identify optimal locations for the deployment of distributed resources, as defined. Pursuant to existing law, the PUC has established operational and metering requirements for a generation facility to be interconnected to an electrical corporation's distribution grid. This bill would require the PUC, by April 1, 2016, to establish an expedited distribution grid interconnection dispute resolution process, as specified, with the goal of resolving disputes over interconnection applications within the jurisdiction of the PUC in no more than 60 days from the time the dispute is formally brought to the PUC. Decisions of the PUC adopted the California Solar Initiative administered by electrical corporations and subject to the PUC's supervision. Existing law requires the PUC and the State Energy Resources Conservation and Development Commission (Energy Commission) to undertake certain steps in implementing the California Solar Initiative and requires the PUC to ensure that the total cost over the duration of the program does not exceed $3,550,800,000. Existing law specifies that the financial components of the California Solar Initiative include the New Solar Homes Partnership Program, which is administered by the Energy Commission. Existing law requires the program to be funded by charges in the amount of $400,000,000 collected from customers of the state's 3 largest electrical corporations. If moneys from the Renewable Resource Trust Fund for the program are exhausted, existing law authorizes the PUC, upon notification by the Energy Commission, to require those electrical corporations to continue the administration of the program pursuant to the guidelines established by the Energy Commission for the program until the $400,000,000 monetary limit is reached. Existing law authorizes the PUC to determine if a 3rd party, including the Energy Commission, should administer the electrical corporations' continuation of the program. Existing law makes the New Solar Homes Partnership Program inoperative on June 1, 2018, and requires any funding made available be encumbered no later than June 1, 2018, and disbursed no later than December 31, 2021. If the PUC determines that the Energy Commission should be the 3rd-party administrator for the New Solar Homes Partnership Program, this bill would require that any additional moneys made available to fund the New Solar Homes Partnership Program be deposited into the Emerging Renewable Resources Account of the Renewable Resource Trust Fund and used for this purpose. Existing law authorizes the Department of Finance to furnish services, or provide work for, any other state agency as requested by the Legislature and authorizes the department to charge an amount sufficient to recover the cost of furnishing services or the work performed. This bill would require the Office of State Audits and Evaluations within the Department of Finance to assess the degree to which each activity and position related to the energy responsibilities of the PUC supports the core mission of the PUC and to make recommendations as to how resources might be better allocated to achieve the core mission objectives of the PUC. The bill would require the office, by April 1, 2016, to submit a report to the Legislature on the assessment. The bill would require the PUC to reimburse the department for the costs incurred by the office upon request by the department. The bill would appropriate $5,000,000 to the PUC for the support of the PUC. This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as a bill providing for appropriations related to the Budget Bill.

(1) The California Constitution provides that the civil service includes every officer and employee in the state except as otherwise provided in the Constitution, and existing statutory law, the State Civil Service Act, prescribes a comprehensive civil service personnel system for the state. The act grants eligibility for promotional civil service examinations and career executive assignment examinations to persons who meet certain requirements and minimum qualifications and who are employed by the Legislature, persons who are retired from the United States armed forces, honorably discharged from active military duty with a service-connected disability, or honorably discharged from active duty, or persons who were employees of the executive branch in exempt positions. This bill would revise eligibility standards applicable to people who were employed by the Legislature, people who retired or were discharged from the armed forces, and people who were formerly employed in exempt, executive branch positions, as described above, to permit them, upon request, to obtain civil service appointment list eligibility by taking promotional exams or career executive exams for which they meet minimum qualifications, as specified. The bill would eliminate the requirement that an employee or veteran, in this context, select only one promotional examination in which to compete when multiple examinations are given. Among other things, the bill would also remove a time limit on this eligibility granted to specified former employees of the Legislature and employees of the executive branch in exempt positions. (2) Existing law generally requires that appointments to vacant positions be made by lists. Existing law requires, with specified exceptions, that an appointing power receive the names and addresses of the three persons highest on a promotional employment list for the class in which a position belongs, and if there are fewer than three names, as specified, additional names are provided from the various lists next lower in order of preference. Existing law prescribes requirements for providing names to an appointing power for positions designated as management and specifies a method of ranking eligible candidates in this context. Existing law prescribes requirements for providing names to an appointing power for positions designated as supervisory and not professional, scientific, or administrative, and that are not examined for on an open basis, and specifies a method of ranking eligible candidates in this context. Existing law requires an appointing power to fill a position from the names of the persons provided. This bill would repeal these provisions and make conforming changes. (3) Existing law provides for career executive assignments to encourage the development for well-qualified executives and requires the State Personnel Board to establish, by a rule, a system of merit personnel administration specifically suited to the selection and placement of executive personnel. The State Civil Service Act defines career executive. Existing law requires the State Personnel Board, by rule, to provide that employees whose appointments to career executive assignments are terminated to be reinstated to civil service positions, as specified, at their option. This bill would revise the definition of career executive to eliminate the requirement that the person have permanent status in the civil service. This bill would provide that various provisions relating to personnel examinations don't apply to career executive assignments unless provided for by rule, as specified. The bill would grant reinstatement rights to employees who at the time of appointment to a career executive assignment were not employed by the state but who had previously worked for it and had gained permanent civil service status. The bill would grant an employee who at the time of his or her appointment to a career executive assignment was from outside civil service the right to defer examination for any open eligible list, as specified, in existence at the time of the termination of the career executive assignment for which he or she meets the minimum qualifications of the class to which appointment is sought. The bill would require, in this regard, that related experience gained in a career executive assignment be considered state civil service experience in a comparable class, as specified. The bill would make an appropriation from the General Fund of $300,000 to the Department of Finance for the purpose of funding the posting on the department's Internet Web site of all budget requests included as part of the Governor's Budget. This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as a bill providing for appropriations related to the Budget Bill.