California Bills

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

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

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

(1) Existing law, except as specified, prohibits any state agency from expending funds appropriated for design-build projects until the Department of Finance and the State Public Works Board have approved performance criteria or performance criteria and concept drawings for the project. Existing law, for these purposes, defines the term "performance criteria" to mean the information that fully describes the scope of the proposed project, as specified. Existing law, for these purposes, defines the term "concept drawings" to mean any schematic drawings or architectural renderings that are prepared, in addition to performance criteria, in the detail necessary to sufficiently describe the state's needs. This bill would revise the definition of "performance criteria," for these purposes, to include concept drawings, as specified. The bill would additionally make conforming changes. (2) Existing law establishes the State Public Works Board which consists of the Director of Finance, the Director of Transportation, and the Director of General Services. Existing law authorizes the Director of Transportation and the Director of General Services to appoint a deputy or assistant director in their respective departments to act in their place on the board, as specified. This bill would repeal that authorization. (3) Existing law requires the State Public Works Board to notify the Department of General Services whenever the revenues, rentals, or receipts from the operation of a public building that was acquired or constructed by the board are no longer required or pledged for the payment of principal or interest on any of the certificates or revenue bonds of the board. Existing law provides that thereafter, that public building is under the jurisdiction of, and operated and maintained by, the Department of General Services. This bill would repeal this notification requirement and instead require those buildings to return to the jurisdiction of, and be operated and managed by, the state agency that had jurisdiction of the property prior to the board's financing of the public building. The bill would additionally make conforming changes. Existing law exempts from these provisions any public buildings that are acquired by lease by the board from a state agency, for the purposes of leasing the public building back to the state agency, as specified, and public buildings constructed for lease purchase to the University of California, the Trustees of the California State University, the Board of Governors of the California Maritime Academy, or any community college district. Existing law provides that when the revenues, rentals, or receipts from the operation of any public facility or public building are no longer required or pledged for the payment of principal or interest on the certificates or revenue bonds of the board, title to the public building vests in the Regents of the University of California, the Trustees of the California State University, the Board of Governors of the California Maritime Academy, or the community college district. This bill would repeal these exemption and vesting provisions. (4) Existing law, until July 1, 2015, authorizes the State Public Works Board to acquire public buildings by lease from any state agency, and to lease those public buildings back to the state agency and pledge the revenues, rentals, or receipts to the lease to secure repayment of revenue bonds, notes, or certificates issued by the board for the purpose of facilitating the financing of public buildings, as specified. This bill would eliminate the repeal date and require the Department of Finance to report to the Legislature by June 30, 2017, on the effects of this repeal, as specified. (5) Existing law requires all revenue bonds issued for state building construction to bear the signature of the Governor, and the facsimile countersignature of the Controller and the Treasurer, as specified. Existing law requires all interest coupons attached to each bond to bear the facsimile signature of the Treasurer, as specified. Existing law specifies that the rate of interest to be born by the bonds need not be uniform for all bonds of the same issue or series or division and provides that the rate may be determined and fixed by the State Public Works Board by resolution adopted at or after the sale of the bonds. This bill would eliminate the requirement that all interest coupons attached to each bond bear the facsimile signature of the Treasurer and all references to interest coupons in these provisions. The bill would additionally provide that a "not to exceed" interest rate may be determined and fixed by the board by resolution adopted prior to or after the sale of the bonds. (6) Existing law requires the highest bid received on the sale of the bonds to be determined by deducting the total amount of the premium bid, if any, from the total amount of the interest that the state would be required to pay from the date of the bonds or the last preceding interest payment date, whichever is latest, to the respective maturity date of the bonds, as specified, and requires the award to be made on the basis of the lowest net interest cost to the state. Existing law requires the Treasurer, upon receipt of a resolution of the State Public Works Board authorizing the issuance of bonds, to provide for the preparation of the bonds in accordance with the resolution. In the case of a public sale, existing law authorizes the Treasurer to sell the bonds at the time, and with the notice, determined by the Treasurer, upon sealed bids, to the bidder whose bid will result in the lowest net interest cost on account of the bonds. This bill would instead authorize the Treasurer, for a public sale, to set forth the form and means of bids, and to sell to the bidder whose bid will result in the lowest interest cost to the state on account of the bonds. The bill would set forth the procedures the Treasurer may use to determine the lowest interest cost to the state, including the net interest cost of each bid, or the true interest cost of each bid, as defined. (7) Existing law authorizes the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, participating counties, and the State Public Works Board to acquire, design, and construct local jail facilities approved by the Board of State and Community Corrections (BSCC) . Existing law authorizes the State Public Works Board to issue revenue bonds, notes, or bond anticipation notes in the amounts of $365,771,000 and $854,229,000, in 2 phases, to finance the acquisition, design, and construction, and a reasonable construction reserve, of approved local jail facilities, as specified. Existing law authorizes the State Public Works Board to issue revenue bonds, notes, or bond anticipation notes in the amount of $500,000,000 to finance the acquisition, design, and construction, and a reasonable construction reserve, of approved adult local criminal justice facilities, as defined. The funds derived from those revenue bonds, notes, or bond anticipation notes are continuously appropriated for the purposes described above. This bill would decrease the authorization for revenue bonds, notes, or bond anticipation notes in the first phase from $365,771,000 to $340,866,000 and increase the authorization of the 2nd phase from $854,229,000 to $870,074,000. The bill would also increase the authorization to be used for adult local criminal justice facilities from $500,000,000 to $509,060,000. (8) This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as a bill providing for appropriations related to the Budget Bill.

Existing law provides that a provision of a memorandum of understanding reached between the state employer and a recognized employee organization representing state civil service employees that requires the expenditure of funds does not become effective unless approved by the Legislature in the annual Budget Act. This bill would approve provisions of a memorandum of understanding entered into between the state employer and State Bargaining Unit 6, the California Correctional Peace Officers Association, that require the expenditure of funds, and would provide that these provisions will become effective even if these provisions are approved by the Legislature in legislation other than the annual Budget Act. The bill would provide that provisions of the memorandum of understanding approved by this bill that require the expenditure of funds will not take effect unless funds for those provisions are specifically appropriated by the Legislature, and would require the state employer and the affected employee organization to meet and confer to renegotiate the affected provisions if funds for those provisions are not specifically appropriated by the Legislature. This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.

The Budget Act of 2014 appropriated specified amounts from the General Fund for the support of state government. This bill would appropriate $521,541,114 from the General Fund and $96,000,000 from unallocated special funds in augmentation of specified appropriations in the Budget Act of 2014 regarding augmentations for contingencies and emergencies and would require the Controller to allocate these additional amounts, as specified. This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as a Budget Bill.

Existing law makes it unlawful for any person, firm, corporation, or association to sell, or offer for sale, merchandise that advertises itself as being made or manufactured in the United States when any article, unit, or part of the merchandise has been entirely or substantially made, manufactured, or produced outside of the United States. This bill would instead make it unlawful for any person, firm, corporation, or association to sell, or offer for sale, merchandise that advertises itself as being made or manufactured in the United States unless the merchandise has been all or virtually all made in the Unites States, and provides that "all or virtually all" has the same meaning as a specified policy statement of the Federal Trade Commission. The bill would also state the intent of the Legislature in enacting the bill.

This measure would urge the 114th Congress to reauthorize and fund the federal Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act of 2000.

Existing law requires the collection of fees for providing certified copies of vital records, including marriage certificates, birth certificates, fetal death records, and death records. Existing law provides for the establishment of county domestic violence program special funds for the purpose of funding local domestic violence programs. Certain fees payable at the time a marriage license or a certified copy of any of the above vital records is issued may be collected by the county clerks for deposit into these funds. This bill would, until January 1, 2021, authorize the Sacramento County Board of Supervisors, upon making certain findings and declarations, to authorize an increase in fees for certified copies of certain vital records, up to $4. This bill would further authorize the Sacramento County Board of Supervisors to make further increases in fees each year, as specified. This bill would require the fees to be allocated for purposes relating to domestic and family violence prevention, intervention, and prosecution. This bill would require the Sacramento County Board of Supervisors, by July 1, 2017, to submit a report on funds received and expended in connection with the fee increases, and the outcome of activities associated with the act, to the Legislature. This bill would make legislative findings and declarations as to the necessity of a special statute for the County of Sacramento.