Existing law requires the Public Utilities Commission, in consultation with the State Energy Resources Conservation and Development Commission (Energy Commission) and the Independent System Operator, to take specified actions by December 1, 2020, to facilitate the commercialization of microgrids for distribution customers of large electrical corporations, including, among other actions, by developing methods to reduce barriers for microgrid deployment without shifting costs between ratepayers. This bill would require the Energy Commission to conduct a study on the benefits of microgrids for local governments and communities and would require the Energy Commission, on or before January 1, 2027, to submit a report on that study to the Legislature. The bill would repeal its provisions on January 1, 2031.
Existing law, the California Land Conservation Act of 1965, otherwise known as the Williamson Act, authorizes a city or county to enter into contracts with owners of agricultural land to preserve the land for agricultural use, as specified, in return for reduced property tax assessments. The act authorizes a landowner to petition the city council or board of supervisors, as applicable, for cancellation of the Williamson Act contract under specified circumstances and imposes a cancellation fee equal to 12.5% of the fair market value of the land without the restriction of the Williamson Act contract. The act also authorizes a landowner of specified agricultural land to petition the board to cancel the Williamson Act contract in order to designate the land as a farmland security zone, whereby the land is eligible for a specified property tax valuation and taxed at a reduced rate for specified special taxes. The act authorizes a landowner to petition the council or board, as applicable, to cancel a farmland security zone contract under specified circumstances and imposes a cancellation fee equal to 25% of the fair market value of the land without the restriction of the contract. This bill would authorize a landowner, if their land is located in the Counties of Fresno, Kern, Kings, Madera, Merced, San Joaquin, Stanislaus, or Tulare, with a water basin in condition of critical overdraft, to petition the board or council to cancel a Williamson Act contract or a farmland security zone contract if the land meets specified criteria, including, among other things, not having permanent access to sufficient water to support commercially viable irrigated agricultural use on the land, and the landowner would be subject to a land use entitlement for specified energy projects. The bill would authorize a board or council to approve the cancellation if the board or council finds that the land does not have permanent access to sufficient water to support commercially viable irrigated agricultural use and the landowner would be subject to a land use entitlement for the specified energy projects that would use less water than the agricultural use on the land. The bill would require special energy projects to provide a community benefits package, as specified. The bill would impose a cancellation fee equal to 6.25% of the fair market value of the property without the restriction of the Williamson Act contract for cancellation of a Williamson Act contract, and would impose a cancellation fee equal to 12.5% of the fair market value of the property without the restriction of the contract for cancellation of a farmland security zone contract. The bill would require the cancellation fees to be collected by the county treasurer, remitted to the Controller, and, upon appropriation by the Legislature, allocated to the Department of Conservation, and for community benefits packages within the county, as specified. The act requires a board or council, as applicable, to adopt rules governing the administration of agricultural preserves, including rules related to compatible uses consistent with specified principles of compatibility. This bill would specify that a cancellation under the bill's provisions does not prevent a board or council from determining that the specified energy projects are a compatible use on contracted land. Existing law authorizes any local agency or combination of local agencies overlying a groundwater basin to become a groundwater sustainability agency for that basin. This bill would require a landowner to submit a notification to the relevant groundwater sustainability agency when starting a cancellation petition and to report a completed contract cancellation to the relevant groundwater sustainability agency. The bill would prohibit a contract cancellation from precluding a landowner from voluntary participation in the Multibenefit Land Repurposing Program. This bill would make legislative findings and declarations as to the necessity of a special statute for the Counties of Fresno, Kern, Kings, Madera, Merced, San Joaquin, Stanislaus, and Tulare.
Existing law provides for the county-administered In-Home Supportive Services (IHSS) program, under which qualified aged, blind, and disabled persons are provided with services in order to permit them to remain in their own homes and avoid institutionalization. Existing law establishes 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. Existing law authorizes certain Medi-Cal recipients to receive waiver personal care services in order to permit them to remain in their own homes. Existing law permits services to be provided under the IHSS program either through the employment of individual providers, a contract between the county and an entity for the provision of services, the creation by the county of a public authority, or a contract between the county and a nonprofit consortium. This bill would require the department, by March 1, 2025, or when the Case Management Information and Payrolling System (CMIPS) can implement the necessary automation changes, whichever is later, to develop and issue guidance, in consultation with specified entities, to ensure that individuals without satisfactory immigration status, as defined, are able to receive IHSS benefits using a provider of their choice, including a provider who is related to the 5th degree to the recipient, as specified, and who has, or is in the process of obtaining, an individual taxpayer identification number. The bill would require the department, by January 1, 2025, and in consultation with specified stakeholders, to develop recommendations to enable any recipient of services to select a related provider of their choice, as specified. Existing law requires a county to investigate the background of a person who seeks to become a supportive services provider or is already providing those services, and who is not listed on the registry of a public authority or nonprofit consortium. Existing law requires that investigation to include criminal background checks conducted by the Department of Justice, as prescribed. Existing law requires the county to deny or terminate an individual's request to provide IHSS upon notice from the Department of Justice that the person has a conviction for any specified offense. This bill would exempt a person who meets the requirements to be a related provider of IHSS, as described above, or who is related to the 5th degree to the IHSS recipient from those criminal background check requirements, but would require the person to attest to any convictions for the specified offenses. The bill would prohibit a person with a conviction for any of those offenses from providing IHSS. Under existing law, a new applicant to provide in-home supportive services, or a person whose application has been denied on the basis of a conviction and for whom an appeal of that denial is pending, is ineligible to provide or receive payment for providing supportive services for 10 years following a conviction for, or incarceration following a conviction for, specified felony offenses. Existing law permits a recipient who wishes to employ a provider applicant who has been convicted of one of the specified offenses to submit to the county an individual waiver of the exclusion provided for in those provisions. This bill would require a person who meets the requirements to be a related provider of IHSS, as described above, or who is related to the 5th degree to the IHSS recipient to attest to any convictions for an offense subject to the 10-year exclusion. The bill would permit a recipient of IHSS who wishes to employ a related provider applicant who has been convicted of an eligible offense to submit to the county an individual waiver of that exclusion. To the extent that these provisions would increase duties of counties administering the IHSS program, 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, 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, the Child Care and Development Services Act, administered by the State Department of Social Services, requires the department to administer childcare and development programs that offer a full range of services to eligible children from infancy to 13 years of age, inclusive. The act requires that families meet specified requirements to be eligible for federal and state subsidized childcare and development services, including that a family is a current aid recipient or is income eligible, among other eligible statuses, and the family needs childcare services because, among other reasons, the family is homeless. This bill would extend eligibility for childcare and development programs to families whose child is eligible for services under the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act and a family who needs the childcare services because the child is identified as eligible for services under the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.
Existing law, the Emergency Medical Services System and the Prehospital Emergency Medical Care Personnel Act, governs local emergency medical services (EMS) systems. The act establishes the Emergency Medical Services Authority (authority) , which is responsible for the coordination and integration of all emergency medical services. Existing law requires the authority to develop planning and implementation guidelines for EMS systems that address specified components, including the assessment of hospital and critical care centers and data collection and evaluation. This bill would authorize the authority to develop planning and implementation guidelines for the use of telehealth, within existing authority, in EMS systems. The bill would also authorize the authority to develop guidelines for the collection of data regarding the use of telehealth in EMS systems, as specified. Existing law establishes within the act, until January 1, 2031, the Community Paramedicine or Triage to Alternate Destination Act of 2020. Existing law states that it is the intent of the Legislature, among other things, that local EMS agencies be authorized to develop a community paramedicine or triage to alternate destination program to improve patient care and community health. Existing law states that it is the intent of the Legislature to monitor and evaluate implementation of community paramedicine and triage to alternate destination programs by local EMS agencies in California and determine whether these programs should be modified or extended before the program ends. This bill would make a technical conforming change to these provisions.
Existing law vests the Department of Transportation with full possession and control of all state highways. Existing law, through the year 2025, 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. Existing law requires the department to pursue development of a programmatic environmental review process with appropriate state and federal regulatory agencies for remediating barriers to fish passage that will streamline the permitting process for projects. This bill would extend this annual reporting requirement until the year 2030 and would require the reports to include other specified information. The bill would impose a deadline of January 1, 2026, for the department to implement the programmatic environmental review process. Before the commencement of project design for a project using state or federal transportation funds, existing law requires the department to ensure that an assessment of potential barriers to fish passage is completed if the project affects a stream crossing on a stream where anadromous fish are, or historically were, found. If any structural barrier to passage exists, existing law requires remediation of the problem to be designed into the project by the implementing agency. This bill would expand the projects for which an assessment is required to also include a project that is adjacent to, or has a nexus with, a stream where anadromous fish are, or historically were, found. If any structural barrier to passage exists, the bill would require remediation of the problem by removal of the fish passage barrier to be designed into the project by the implementing agency and remedied at the time of the project's construction. Existing law prohibits, in certain fish and game districts, the construction or maintenance of any device or contrivance that prevents, impedes, or tends to prevent or impede, the passing of fish up and down stream. Existing law makes a violation of this provision a crime. This bill would eliminate the requirement that the prohibition apply only in certain fish and game districts, thereby expanding the prohibition statewide. By expanding the scope of 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, the California Child Day Care Facilities Act, provides for the licensure and regulation of child daycare facilities, including daycare centers, employer-sponsored childcare centers, and family daycare homes, by the State Department of Social Services. Existing law requires a prospective applicant, before obtaining licensure, to secure and maintain a fire clearance approval for the applicant's facility from the local fire enforcing agency or the State Fire Marshal, whichever has primary fire protection jurisdiction. Existing law requires that prospective applicants be notified of this requirement and other information relating to the fire safety clearance application. Under existing law, upon receipt of a request from a prospective child daycare facility, the local fire enforcing agency or the State Fire Marshall, whichever has primary jurisdiction, is required to conduct a preinspection of the facility before the final fire clearance approval. Existing law requires the primary fire enforcing agency to complete the final fire clearance inspection under a specified timeline. This bill would require the local fire enforcing agency or the State Fire Marshal, whichever has primary fire protection jurisdiction, to conduct a preinspection of a prospective applicant for licensure, without being conditioned on a request from the prospective licensee. The bill would require the preinspection to verify whether the facility is authorized to enroll ambulatory children only or both ambulatory and nonambulatory children, as defined, even if the facility is not actively seeking to enroll nonambulatory children, for purposes of identifying any applicable modifications that are required for compliance with the federal Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. The bill would exempt a child daycare facility from a revised fire clearance for the addition of each nonambulatory child once approved for enrolling nonambulatory children, unless the facility exceeds current capacity or the facility makes additional modifications after already obtaining fire clearance approval. Under the bill, that provision would also apply to a child daycare facility that obtained fire clearance approval before January 1, 2025, authorizing the facility to enroll a nonambulatory person, as specified. By creating new duties for local fire enforcing agencies, 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, 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, in modified conformity with federal income tax law, generally defines "gross income" as income from whatever source derived, except as specifically excluded, including an exclusion for the amount of student loan indebtedness repaid or canceled pursuant to a specified federal law. This bill, for taxable years beginning on or after January 1, 2024, and before January 1, 2029, would exclude qualified discharge of indebtedness income from gross income. The bill would define "qualified discharge of indebtedness income" for this purpose to mean income that would otherwise be realized from the discharge of student loan debt, as defined, or medical debt that is discharged by a qualifying nonprofit organization. Existing law requires a bill authorizing a new tax expenditure to contain, among other things, specific goals, purposes, and objectives the tax expenditure 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 take effect immediately as a tax levy.
Existing federal law, the federal Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) , requires each state to establish an American Health Benefit Exchange to facilitate the purchase of qualified health benefit plans by qualified individuals and qualified small employers. PPACA defines a "qualified health plan" as a plan that, among other requirements, provides an essential health benefits package. Existing state law creates the California Health Benefit Exchange, also known as Covered California, to facilitate the enrollment of qualified individuals and qualified small employers in qualified health plans as required under PPACA. Existing law, the Knox-Keene Health Care Service Plan Act of 1975 (Knox-Keene) , provides for the licensure and regulation of health care service plans by the Department of Managed Health Care. Existing law provides for the regulation of health insurers by the Department of Insurance. 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. This bill, the California Guaranteed Health Care for All Act, would create the California Guaranteed Health Care for All program, or CalCare, to provide comprehensive universal single-payer health care coverage and a health care cost control system for the benefit of all residents of the state. Under the bill, CalCare would be a health care service plan subject to Knox-Keene. The bill, among other things, would provide that CalCare cover a wide range of medical benefits and other services and would incorporate the health care benefits and standards of other existing federal and state provisions, including the federal Children's Health Insurance Program, Medi-Cal, ancillary health care or social services covered by regional centers for persons with developmental disabilities, Knox-Keene, and the federal Medicare Program. The bill would make specified persons eligible to enroll as CalCare members during the implementation period, and would provide for automatic enrollment. The bill would require the board to seek all necessary waivers, approvals, and agreements to allow various existing federal health care payments to be paid to CalCare, which would then assume responsibility for all benefits and services previously paid for with those funds. This bill would create the CalCare Board to govern CalCare, made up of 9 voting members with demonstrated and acknowledged expertise in health care, and appointed as provided, plus the Secretary of California Health and Human Services or their designee as a nonvoting, ex officio member. The bill would provide the board with all the powers and duties necessary to establish CalCare, including determining when individuals may start enrolling into CalCare, employing necessary staff, negotiating pricing for covered pharmaceuticals and medical supplies, establishing a prescription drug formulary, and negotiating and entering into necessary contracts. The bill would require the board, on or before July 1 of an unspecified year, to conduct and deliver a fiscal analysis to determine whether or not CalCare may be implemented and if revenue is more likely than not to pay for program costs, as specified. The bill would establish an Advisory Commission on Long-Term Services and Supports to advise the board on matters of policy related to long-term services and supports. The bill would require the board to convene a CalCare Public Advisory Committee to advise the board on all matters of policy for CalCare, an Advisory Committee on Public Employees' Retirement System Health Benefits to provide recommendations related to public employee retiree health benefits, and a CalCare Health Workforce Working Group to provide the board with input on issues related to health care workforce education, recruitment, and retention. The bill would establish an Office of Health Equity within CalCare and under the direction of the Director of the Department of Health Care Access and Information to ensure health equity under the program and other health programs of the California Health and Human Services Agency and to support the board through specified actions. This bill would provide for the participation of health care providers in CalCare, including the requirements of a participation agreement between a health care provider and the board, provide for payment for health care items and services, and specify program participation standards. The bill would prohibit a participating provider from discriminating against a person by, among other things, reducing or denying a person's benefits under CalCare because of a specified characteristic, status, or condition of the person. This bill would prohibit a participating provider from billing or entering into a private contract with an individual eligible for CalCare benefits regarding a covered benefit, but would authorize contracting for a health care item or service that is not a covered benefit if specified criteria are met. The bill would authorize health care providers to collectively negotiate fee-for-service rates of payment for health care items and services using a third-party representative, as provided. The bill would require the board to annually determine an institutional provider's global budget, to be used to cover operating expenses related to covered health care items and services for that fiscal year, and would authorize payments under the global budget. This bill would state the intent of the Legislature to enact legislation that would develop a revenue plan, taking into consideration anticipated federal revenue available for CalCare. The bill would create the CalCare Trust Fund in the State Treasury, as a continuously appropriated fund, consisting of any federal and state moneys received for the purposes of the act. The bill would specify uses for moneys in the CalCare budget, including special projects for which not-for-profit or governmental entities may apply. Because the bill would create a continuously appropriated fund, it would make an appropriation. This bill would prohibit specified provisions of this act from becoming operative until the Secretary of California Health and Human Services gives written notice to the Secretary of the Senate and the Chief Clerk of the Assembly that the CalCare Trust Fund has the revenues to fund the costs of implementing the act. The California Health and Human Services Agency would be required to publish a copy of the notice on its internet website. 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.
Existing law, the Lanterman Developmental Disabilities Services Act, requires the State Department of Developmental Services to contract with regional centers to provide services and supports to individuals with developmental disabilities, including intellectual disabilities and other conditions, and their families. Under existing law, the regional centers purchase needed services and supports for individuals with developmental disabilities through approved service providers, or arrange for their provision through other publicly funded agencies. The services and supports to be provided to a regional center consumer are contained in an individual program plan (IPP) , which is developed by the planning team according to specified procedures. Existing law defines "services and supports for persons with developmental disabilities" to mean specialized services and supports or special adaptations of generic services and supports directed toward the alleviation of a developmental disability or toward the social, personal, physical, or economic habilitation or rehabilitation of an individual with a developmental disability, or toward the achievement and maintenance of an independent, productive, and normal life. Under existing law, specialized medical and dental care are included within that definition. Under existing law, the determination of which services and supports are necessary for each consumer are made through the IPP process. This bill would require the department, by July 1, 2026, to enter into a contract with a dental school or college in the state that meets certain criteria relating to public status, accreditation, and a demonstrated record of working with regional centers, for the purpose of establishing a statewide program centered in the state's regional centers. The bill would require that the contract expire on June 30, 2031. Under the bill, the program would be established to improve the provision of dental care services to people with developmental and intellectual disabilities, and specifically to prevent or reduce the need for developmental services consumers to receive dental treatment using sedation and general anesthesia. The bill would require the dental school or college to establish an Oral Health for People with Disabilities Technical Assistance Center. The bill would require the center, among other responsibilities, to provide practical experience, systems development, and expertise in relevant subject areas, to train, monitor, and provide support for regional center and oral health personnel, and to collect and analyze program data with the support of participating regional centers and oral health providers. The bill would require the department to submit an annual report of the collected data to the Legislature. The bill also would specify regional center duties, including identifying consumers who can benefit from the program, and establishing vendor agreements with interested oral health professionals. Under the bill, duties of the department would include providing guidance and establishing protocols to support the program, and establishing procedures for regional center directors for participation in the program and allowing aggregation and publication by the center of deidentified results data, as specified.
Existing law, the California Emergency Services Act, creates the Office of Emergency Services (OES) in the office of the Governor. The OES is responsible for addressing natural, technological, or man-made disasters and emergencies, including responsibility for activities necessary to prevent, respond to, recover from, and mitigate the effects of emergencies and disasters to people and property. This bill would establish the Maritime Firefighting Mutual Aid Program within OES for the purpose of enhancing maritime firefighting capabilities of local fire departments. The bill, upon appropriation by the Legislature, would require OES to conduct an all-risk maritime response capabilities assessment, as specified, and acquire and provide fire boats to local fire departments, as specified, and would require the local fire departments to utilize the fire boats to enhance local, regional, and mutual aid response capabilities. By requiring local fire departments to utilize fire boats, as provided, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. The bill would also establish the Maritime Firefighting Mutual Aid Fund for purposes of the 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 vests the Public Utilities Commission with regulatory authority over public utilities. Existing law establishes within the commission the independent Public Advocate's Office to represent and advocate on behalf of the interests of public utility customers and subscribers within the commission's jurisdiction, as provided. Under existing law, the goal of the office is to obtain the lowest possible rate for service consistent with reliable and safe service levels. This bill would revise and recast the above-described goal to instead require the office to advocate for lower rates before the commission and for service consistent with reliable and safe service levels.
