Existing law establishes the California Housing Finance Agency in the Business, Consumer Services, and Housing Agency for the purpose of meeting the housing needs of persons and families of low or moderate income. This bill would establish the Homeowner's Assistance for Descendants of Enslaved Persons Program for purposes of making, upon appropriation by the Legislature, financial aid and assistance for the purpose of purchasing, owning, or maintaining a home available to descendants, defined to include African American descendants of chattel enslaved persons. The bill would require the agency to develop and administer the program and provide financial aid and assistance to qualified applicants it selects. The bill would set forth eligibility requirements for applicants and procedures for administering the program.
The Personal Income Tax Law allows various credits against the tax imposed by that law. Existing law requires any bill authorizing a new tax credit to contain, among other things, specific goals, purposes, and objectives that the tax credit will achieve, detailed performance indicators, and data collection requirements. This bill would allow credits against the tax imposed by the Personal Income Tax Law for each taxable year beginning on or after January 1, 2025, and before January 1, 2030, to a qualified taxpayer for qualified costs relating to qualified home hardening, as defined, and for qualified costs relating to qualified vegetation management, as defined, in specified amounts, not to exceed an aggregate amount of $500,000,000 per taxable year. The bill would require a qualified taxpayer to reserve a credit for qualified costs relating to qualified home hardening or qualified vegetation management to be eligible for the above-described credits and provide all necessary information for this purpose, as specified. This bill also would include additional information required for any bill authorizing a new income tax credit and would require the Legislative Analyst's Office to prepare a written report regarding the credits, as provided. This bill would take effect immediately as a tax levy.
Existing law establishes the California Department of Tax and Fee Administration (CDTFA) , the State Board of Equalization (BOE) , and the Franchise Tax Board (FTB) to administer specified taxes. Existing law establishes in state government the Office of Tax Appeals (OTA) to conduct tax appeals hearings. This bill, until January 1, 2035, would establish in the Government Operations Agency the California Tax Policy Oversight Board, consisting of the Controller, Director of Finance, Chairperson of the State Board of Equalization, the Treasurer, and the Secretary of the Government Operations Agency, to work collaboratively with the above-described tax agencies to promote clarity and communication and to consider recommendations regarding input brought by the tax agencies, taxpayers, or other state or local entities, as specified. This bill would require the board to provide transparent, open, and accessible forums, meeting at least 2 times each year, and would require the boards to report on findings after each hearing, together with recommendations, to all participants, tax agencies, and the Governor. The bill would also require the board to issue an annual report to the Governor, the Legislative Analyst's Office, and the Legislature, as specified.
(1) Existing law appropriates, for the 2021–22 fiscal year, funds from the General Fund to the Superintendent for allocation for the A–G Completion Improvement Grant Program and makes these funds available for expenditure or encumbrance through the 2025–26 fiscal year. Existing law requires grants awarded by that program to be used for activities that directly support pupil access to, and successful completion of, the A–G course requirements, including, but not limited to, paying Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate fees for unduplicated pupils. This bill would authorize A–G Completion Improvement Grant funds to additionally be used for Cambridge Assessment International Education fees for unduplicated pupils. By expanding the purposes for which appropriated funds may be spent, the bill would make an appropriation. (2) Existing law authorizes a school district to evaluate a principal annually for the principal's first and 2nd year of employment as a new principal and authorizes additional evaluations, as specified. Existing law authorizes the criteria for school principal evaluations to be based upon the California Professional Standards for Educational Leaders and to include evidence of, among other things, pupil academic growth. Existing law authorizes pupil academic growth to be evaluated pursuant to local and state academic assessments, including, among others, state standardized assessments and performance assessments. This bill would explicitly add the Cambridge International AS & A Level examinations to the list of authorized assessments that may be used to measure pupil academic growth for a principal evaluation. (3) Existing law authorizes the governing board of a school district to provide access to a comprehensive educational counseling program for all pupils enrolled in the school district. For schools that enroll pupils in grades 6 to 12, inclusive, existing law defines educational counseling to include, among other things, counseling to encourage participation in advanced placement and international baccalaureate programs. This bill would expand the definition of an educational counseling program to explicitly include encouraging participation in Cambridge International AS & A Level programs. (4) Existing law establishes that the State Seal of Biliteracy certifies attainment of a high level of proficiency by a graduating high school pupil in one or more languages, in addition to English, and certifies that the graduate meets certain criteria for being proficient in English and one or more languages other than English. For purposes of the State Seal of Biliteracy, proficiency in one or more languages other than English can be demonstrated through at least one of specified methods, including passing a world language Advanced Placement examination with a score of 3 or higher, passing a world language International Baccalaureate examination with a score of 4 or higher, or passing a world language ACTFL Writing Proficiency Test (WPT) and an Oral Proficiency Interview (OPI) with scores of Intermediate Mid or higher. This bill would include passing a Cambridge International A Level examination with a score of E or higher or a Cambridge International AS Level examination with a score of e or higher as another method to demonstrate language proficiency in one or more languages other than English for purposes of the State Seal of Biliteracy. (5) Existing law requires the governing board of each school district and county board of education to adopt a local control and accountability plan and to update its respective local control and accountability plan before July 1 of each year. Existing law requires a local control and accountability plan to include, among other things, a description of the annual goals to be achieved for each state priority, as specified, for all pupils and certain subgroups of pupils. The state's delineated priorities include, among others, pupil achievement as measured by, and as applicable, among other things, the percentage of pupils who have passed an advanced placement examination with a score of 3 or higher. This bill would require pupil achievement to also be measured by the percentage of pupils who have passed a Cambridge International A Level examination with a score of E or higher or a Cambridge International AS Level examination with a score of e or higher. To the extent this bill would impose additional duties on school districts and county boards of education in regard to local control and accountability plans, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. (6) Existing law establishes the Golden State Pathways Program to promote pathways in high-wage, high-skill, high-growth areas, including technology, health care, education, and climate-related fields that, among other things, allow pupils to advance seamlessly from high school to college and career and provide the workforce needed for economic growth. Existing law appropriates $500,000,000 from the General Fund to the State Department of Education to competitively award grant funds to school districts, charter schools, county offices of education, or regional occupational centers or programs operated by a joint powers authority or county office of education for purposes of the program, and makes these funds available for encumbrance until June 30, 2029. Existing law requires Golden State Pathways Program recipients to commit to providing participating pupils with, among other commitments, the opportunity to earn at least 12 postsecondary credits that are applicable toward the completion of a degree, certificate, or credential through various methods. This bill would include Cambridge Assessment International Education courses as one of methods pupils can use to earn those postsecondary credits. By expanding the purposes for which appropriated funds may be spent, the bill would make an appropriation. (7) Existing law requires an applicant for the California Career Technical Education Incentive Grant Program to demonstrate, among other requirements, that the applicant's career technical education program offers high quality curriculum and instruction that offers the opportunity for participants to earn postsecondary credits through Advanced Placement courses and International Baccalaureate courses or by formal agreement with a postsecondary partner to provide dual enrollment opportunities. This bill would authorize an applicant to use Cambridge Assessment International Education courses to demonstrate that the applicant has met the above-described requirement. (8) This bill would require the Superintendent of Public Instruction to annually update information on the Cambridge Assessment International Education program available on the department's internet website to include current information on the various programs available to school districts to offer or access Cambridge Assessment International Education Advanced Subsidiary (AS) and Advanced (A) level courses, including online courses. The bill would require the Superintendent to also provide support to high schools that offer Cambridge Assessment International Education AS and A level courses to facilitate communication with the Academic Senate for the California Community Colleges, the Academic Senate of the California State University, and the Academic Senate of the University of California to ensure students receive college credit for successful participation in Cambridge Assessment International Education assessments. The bill would authorize a school district that offers Cambridge International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE) , or AS or A level courses and examinations, to help pay the test fees for pupils in need of financial assistance. (9) The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement. This bill would provide that, if the Commission on State Mandates determines that the bill contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement for those costs shall be made pursuant to the statutory provisions noted above. (10) 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.
Existing law vests the Public Utilities Commission with regulatory authority over public utilities, including electrical corporations. Existing law authorizes the commission to fix the rates and charges for every public utility and requires that those rates and charges be just and reasonable. This bill would require the commission, on or before July 1, 2026, in a new or existing proceeding, to evaluate and, if just and reasonable, establish a clean energy development incentive rate time-of-use tariff to encourage the development of new commercial or industrial electrical loads that contribute to the state's efforts to reduce the emissions of greenhouse gases. The bill would require the tariff to offer lower rates for customers and to meet specified requirements, including, among other things, that the program only be open to new electrical customers that did not establish service before January 1, 2025, or to existing electrical customers that are expected to increase their total annual electrical demand by more than 50% after beginning service under the tariff. The bill would require that the tariff only be open to customers producing hydrogen using an electrolysis of water or using electricity to provide industrial process heat. The bill would require the tariff to be available to bundled customers of electrical corporations until the tariff meets a statewide limitation of 5,000 megawatts of customer participation. Under existing law, a violation of the Public Utilities Act or any order, decision, rule, direction, demand, or requirement of the commission is a crime. Because the provisions of this bill would be a part of the act and because a violation of a commission action implementing the bill's requirements would be a crime, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement. This bill would provide that no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason.
Existing law establishes in the California Environmental Protection Agency the Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery, which administers various solid waste management and recycling programs. This bill would require the Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery to draft and submit a report to the Legislature on or before January 1, 2027, relating to the in-state collection, recycling, reuse, and stockpiling for domestic consumption of precious metals, critical minerals, as defined, and other similar valuable materials as reasonably decided by the department, contained within products in the state, as specified. The bill would require the department to provide opportunities for public input and to perform outreach to potentially interested parties, as specified.
Under existing law, a person between 6 and 18 years of age who is not exempted by law is subject to compulsory full-time education. Existing law excludes a child under 6 years of age from the public schools, subject to specified exceptions. Existing law requires a school district maintaining a kindergarten to admit a child who will have their 5th birthday on or before September 1 of the school year. Existing law also requires a child who will have their 6th birthday on or before September 1 of the school year to be admitted to the first grade of an elementary school. Existing law authorizes a child who has been lawfully admitted to a public school kindergarten or a private school kindergarten in California and who is judged by the administration of the school district to be ready for first-grade work to be admitted to the first grade, as specified. This bill, beginning with the 2026–27 school year, would require a child to have completed one year of kindergarten before that child may be admitted to the first grade at a public elementary school, except for a child who has been lawfully admitted to a public school kindergarten or a private school kindergarten in California, but has not yet completed one school year, and is judged to be ready for first-grade work, as specified, thereby imposing a state-mandated local program. The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement. This bill would provide that, if the Commission on State Mandates determines that the bill contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement for those costs shall be made pursuant to the statutory provisions noted above.
Existing law authorizes the Attorney General or a district attorney to make an application, as specified, to a judge of a superior court, for an order authorizing the interception of wire or electronic communications. Existing law authorizes a judge, upon a finding of probable cause as that an individual is committing, has committed, or is about to commit offenses involving a substance containing fentanyl or its precursors or analogs that exceeds 10 gallons by liquid volume or 3 pounds of solid substance by weight, to issue an order authorizing the interception. This bill would reduce the above-described amounts for an order authorizing interception to 1.67 gallons by liquid volume and 8 ounces of solid substance by weight of a substance containing fentanyl or its precursors or analogs.
Existing law prohibits the possession of certain controlled substances. The California Constitution provides for the Right to Truth-in-Evidence, which requires a 23 vote of the Legislature to exclude any relevant evidence from any criminal proceeding, as specified. This bill would require law enforcement agencies and prosecutorial entities to adopt policies for the arrest and prosecution of drug possession charges to ensure reliable and accurate identifications of controlled substances and to maintain the integrity of convictions, as specified. Unless a test from a crime laboratory confirms the presence of a controlled substance in the sample, the bill would prohibit the use of a colorimetric field drug test, as defined, by law enforcement for a determination of probable cause for an arrest, by a prosecutor when deciding whether to charge a person, by a prosecutor as evidence against a defendant in an arraignment or preliminary hearing, or by a court for a conviction or sentencing, as specified. By excluding relevant evidence from a criminal proceeding, this bill would require a 23 vote of the Legislature. The bill would, when a colorimetric field drug test is used for any reason, allow an individual who pleads guilty to a charge of drug possession to withdraw the plea and move for dismissal of charges in the event of a confirmatory laboratory test that finds that there was no controlled substance in the sample. The bill would allow a defendant to request a confirmatory test at any time during the pendency of the case or, subsequent to the entry of the plea, up to a year after the adjudication of the case. By increasing the duties of local law enforcement, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program. The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement. This bill would provide that, if the Commission on State Mandates determines that the bill contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement for those costs shall be made pursuant to the statutory provisions noted above.
The Personal Income Tax Law and the Corporation Tax Law, in conformity with federal income tax law, generally defines "gross income" as income from whatever source derived, except as specifically excluded, and provides various exclusions from gross income. This bill would provide an exclusion from gross income for any qualified taxpayer, as defined, for amounts received in settlements associated with the October 2, 2021, oil spill that occurred off the coast of the County of Orange near the City of Huntington Beach. The bill would repeal these provisions on January 1, 2029. Existing law establishes the continuously appropriated Tax Relief and Refund Account and provides that payments required to be made to taxpayers or other persons from the Personal Income Tax Fund are to be paid from that account. This bill would authorize the refund of overpayments of tax as a result of the above-described exclusion, in prior tax years, payable out of the Tax Relief and Refund Account. By authorizing new payments from a continuously appropriated fund, this bill would make an appropriation. Existing law requires that any bill that would authorize certain tax expenditures contain, among other things, specific goals, purposes, and objectives that the tax expenditure or exemption will achieve, detailed performance indicators, and data collection requirements. This bill would include additional information required for any bill authorizing a new tax expenditure. This bill would apply its provisions to taxable years beginning before, on, and after the effective date of this bill. The bill would make legislative findings and declarations regarding the public purpose served by this bill. This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.
Under existing law, a nonprofit organization that regularly organizes and hosts travel for elected officials and spends more than $10,000 in a calendar year, or more than $5,000 in a calendar year for a single person, for travel by an elected state officer or local elected officeholder, must disclose to the Fair Political Practices Commission the names of donors who, in the preceding year, donated more than $1,000 to the nonprofit organization and accompanied an elected state officer or local elected officeholder for any portion of the travel, as specified. Under existing law, this requirement applies only if the sum of the organization's expenses relating to travel, study tours, or conferences, conventions, and meetings, was greater than one-third of the organization's total expenses, as specified. This bill would instead require any person that regularly organizes and hosts travel for elected officials and spends more than $10,000 in a calendar year, or more than $5,000 in a calendar year for a single person, for travel by an elected state officer or local elected officeholder, to file certain disclosures with the commission. A violation of the Political Reform Act of 1974 is punishable as a misdemeanor. By creating a new crime, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program. The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement. This bill would provide that no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason. The Political Reform Act of 1974, an initiative measure, provides that the Legislature may amend the act to further the act's purposes upon a 23 vote of each house of the Legislature and compliance with specified procedural requirements. This bill would declare that it furthers the purposes of the act.
Existing law, the Pharmacy Law, establishes the California State Board of Pharmacy and sets forth its powers and duties relating to the licensing and regulation of pharmacists, pharmacy technicians, and pharmacies. Existing law authorizes a pharmacy technician to perform packaging, manipulative, repetitive, or other nondiscretionary tasks only while assisting, and while under the direct supervision and control of, a pharmacist. Existing law prohibits a pharmacy with only one pharmacist from having more than one pharmacy technician performing those tasks and prohibits the ratio of pharmacy technicians performing those tasks for any additional pharmacist from exceeding a 2 to 1 ratio, except as specified. This bill would instead authorize a pharmacy with only one pharmacist to have up to 4 pharmacy technicians performing those tasks and would prohibit the ratio of pharmacy technicians performing those tasks for any additional pharmacist from exceeding a 4 to 1 ratio.
