Existing law requires the State Board of Education to adopt basic instructional materials for use in kindergarten and grades 1 to 8, inclusive, for governing boards of school districts in specified subjects and any other subject, discipline, or interdisciplinary area for which the state board determines the adoption of instructional materials to be necessary or desirable, and requires the governing board of each school district maintaining one or more high schools to adopt instructional materials for use in the high schools under its control, consistent with specified conditions. Existing law requires the adopted course of study for grades 1 to 6, inclusive, and for grades 7 to 12, inclusive, to offer instruction in specified areas of study, including social sciences. Existing law establishes the Instructional Quality Commission and requires the commission to, among other things, recommend curriculum frameworks to the state board. Existing law requires the state board, concurrently with, but not before, the next revision of textbooks or curriculum frameworks in the social sciences, health, and mathematics curricula, to ensure that these academic areas integrate components of, among other things, financial literacy. Notwithstanding that requirement on the state board, existing law requires the commission, when the history-social science curriculum framework is revised after January 1, 2017, to consider including age-appropriate information for kindergarten and grades 1 to 12, inclusive, regarding certain topics on financial literacy. This bill would require the Superintendent of Public Instruction, subject to an appropriation of one-time funds for this purpose in the annual Budget Act or another statute, to allocate funding for the purchase of standards-aligned instructional materials in financial literacy for kindergarten and grades 1 to 12, inclusive, and for professional development in that content, as provided. The bill would require the Superintendent to allocate these funds to school districts, county offices of education, charter schools, and the state special schools on the basis of an equal amount per unit of average daily attendance, as those numbers were reported at the time of the first principal apportionment for the 2022–23 fiscal year. The bill would require a school district, county office of education, charter school, or state special school to expend allocated funds for professional development or instructional materials in financial literacy that is aligned to the history-social science curriculum framework adopted by the state board and the financial literacy subject matter recommended considered by the commission, as provided.
Existing law vests the Public Utilities Commission with regulatory authority over public utilities, including gas, electrical, and water corporations. Existing law authorizes an owner of a master-metered mobilehome park or manufactured housing community that provides gas or electrical service to residents to transfer ownership and operational responsibility to the gas corporation or electrical corporation providing service in the area in which the park or community is located. This bill would, in addition to making specified findings and declarations, state the intent of the Legislature to enact future legislation to require water corporations to purchase, own, and operate water systems currently owned and operated by manufactured housing communities, upon request of the owner, in order to assume responsibility for direct delivery of water to residents of those communities, as specified.
Existing law requires a prescriber, with certain exceptions, before directly dispensing or issuing for a minor the first prescription for a controlled substance containing an opioid in a single course of treatment, to discuss specified information with the minor, the minor's parent or guardian, or another adult authorized to consent to the minor's medical treatment. This bill would extend that requirement for the prescriber by applying it to any patient, not only a minor, under those circumstances. The bill would also require the prescriber to discuss the availability of nonpharmacological treatments for pain, as defined. Existing law makes an exception to the requirement for the prescriber in the case of a patient who is being treated for a diagnosis of chronic intractable pain, as specified. This bill would remove that exception and would instead make an exception in the case of a patient who is currently receiving hospice care. The bill would require the prescriber, after discussing the information, to obtain consent from the patient, a minor patient's parent or guardian, or another authorized adult, as specified. Existing federal law, the federal Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) , requires a health benefit plan issuer that offers coverage in the small group or individual market to ensure that the coverage includes the essential health benefits package, as defined. This bill would make legislative findings and declarations relating to addiction associated with overreliance on prescription medication for pain management, and providing that nonpharmacological treatments for pain should be considered during the next update to the state's essential health benefits benchmark plan.
(1) Existing law authorizes the governing board of a school district to establish a school police department under the supervision of a school chief of police and employ peace officers to ensure the safety of school district personnel and pupils, as provided. This bill would require a police officer who is not employed or contracted as a school resource officer to notify the principal of a school, or the principal's designee, before accessing school grounds or engaging with pupils, except as provided. The bill would require the governing board of a school district, if it provides training to a police officer employed by the school district, to provide that same training to a police officer with whom the governing board of the school district has contracted to perform law enforcement activities, as provided. (2) Under existing law, each school district and county office of education is responsible for the overall development of a comprehensive school safety plan for each of its schools operating kindergarten or any of grades 1 to 12, inclusive, in cooperation with certain local entities. Existing law requires that the plan include identification of appropriate strategies and programs that will provide or maintain a high level of school safety and address the school's procedures for complying with existing laws related to school safety. This bill would additionally require, as part of the comprehensive school safety plan, the development of procedures and policies relating to use of police officers, including school resource officers, or any other law enforcement official acting as a school resource officer, on school campus, to include prohibitions on the use of handcuffs and pepper spray on a school campus, except as provided. Existing law prohibits a chartering authority from denying a petition for the establishment of a charter school unless it makes written factual findings supporting at least one of specified bases for denial. One of those bases for denying a petition is if the petition does not contain a reasonably comprehensive description of the development of a school safety plan that includes the same safety topics required in the comprehensive school safety plan of a school district or county office of education. This bill would authorize a chartering authority to deny a charter school petition that does not include in its proposed development of a school safety plan the same provisions on procedures and policies relating to use of police officers, including school resource officers, or any other law enforcement official acting as a school resource officer, as are required by the bill in a school district or county office of education comprehensive school safety plan. By creating new duties for local educational agencies, including charter schools, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. (3) 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 federal law, the 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. 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 requires the Exchange to administer a program of financial assistance to help low- and middle-income Californians, by providing financial assistance to residents with household incomes at or below 600% of the federal poverty level, including appropriate subsidies designed to make health care coverage more accessible and affordable for individuals and households. Existing law requires a premium assistance subsidy provided by the program to be able to be advanced to a program participant and remitted by the Exchange to a qualified health plan issuer, based on specified factors. Existing law establishes the Health Care Affordability Reserve Fund, and authorizes the Controller to use funds in the Health Care Affordability Reserve Fund for cashflow loans to the General Fund. Existing law requires the fund to be used, upon appropriation by the Legislature, for the purpose of health care affordability programs operated by the Exchange. Existing law requires the Exchange to consult with the Legislature and stakeholders to develop options to reduce cost sharing for low- and middle-income Californians, as specified. This bill would require the Exchange to annually update the proposed program design for cost-sharing reduction, as specified, and would require the Exchange, in developing benefit designs, to maximize the number of low- and middle-income Californians with zero deductibles. The bill would provide that the premium assistance subsidy program would not be operative in any year in which federal premium subsidies are equal to or greater than those provided for the 2023 program year, and would require the program to include subsidies for cost sharing and maximum out-of-pocket limits until January 1, 2029, if federal premium subsidies continue at the level for the 2023 coverage year. The bill would make related conforming changes and delete obsolete provisions.
Existing law sets forth the minimum requirements for a services credential with a specialization in health. Existing law authorizes the holder of a services credential with a specialization in health to perform, at all grade levels, health services approved by the Commission on Teacher Credentialing. Existing law specifies that services as an occupational therapist or physical therapist are not health services for this purpose. This bill would delete the provision specifying that services as an occupational therapist or physical therapist are not health services for purposes of a services credential with a specialization in health. This bill would require the commission, until January 1, 2029, to issue a services credential with a specialization in health to an appropriately licensed occupational therapist or physical therapist who meets certain requirements and would authorize, but would not require, an occupational therapist or a physical therapist to apply for a services credential with a specialization in health, as provided. The bill would require the commission to provide a report to the appropriate policy and fiscal committees of the Legislature by January 1, 2028, on the number of service credentials issued pursuant to these provisions with a specialization in health authorizing service in occupational therapy or physical therapy, as specified. The bill would also make various nonsubstantive changes.
Existing law establishes the Department of Financial Protection and Innovation within the Business, Consumer Services, and Housing Agency and places the department under the direction of the Commissioner of Financial Protection and Innovation. Under existing law, the department has charge of the execution of specified laws relating to various financial institutions and financial products and services. This bill would declare the intent of the Legislature to enact legislation relating to consumer financial protections, including protecting consumers from misleading advertising and unfair fees and costs for professional services.
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 charges the department with the execution of the laws of this state relating to health care service plans to ensure that health care service plans provide enrollees with access to quality health care services. This bill would make technical, nonsubstantive changes to those provisions.
Existing law, including statutory law and wage orders issued by the Industrial Welfare Commission, with certain exceptions, requires an employer to provide employees with rest breaks during working hours, as specified. Existing law requires that employees be relieved of all duties during rest periods. Existing law requires the employer to pay the employee one additional hour of pay at the employee's regular rate of compensation for each workday that a meal or rest or recovery period is not provided. This bill would exempt from the requirement that an employee be relieved of all duties an employee providing direct support to an individual with an intellectual or developmental disability in an integrated community setting, under prescribed circumstances. The bill would require, if a nonexempt employee is affirmatively required to interrupt their rest period to respond to the needs of a consumer, that another rest period be authorized and permitted reasonably promptly after the circumstances that led to the interruption have passed. The bill would require the employer, if circumstances do not allow the employee to take a rest period, to pay the employee one hour of pay at the employee's regular rate of pay for the rest period that was not provided. This bill would make related legislative findings and declarations, and would express the intent of the Legislature to enact legislation to permit direct support staff providing services and supports in community settings to maintain general supervision of their consumers during rest periods, as specified.
Existing law, the Water Quality, Supply, and Infrastructure Improvement Act of 2014, a bond act approved by the voters as Proposition 1 at the November 4, 2014, statewide general election, authorizes the issuance of general obligation bonds to finance a water quality, supply, and infrastructure improvement program, as specified. Under the bond act, $520,000,000 is available, upon appropriation by the Legislature, for expenditures, grants, and loans for projects that improve water quality or help provide clean, safe, and reliable drinking water to all Californians. Existing law requires projects eligible for this funding to help improve water quality for a beneficial use. This bill would make a nonsubstantive change to the latter provision.
The Pharmacy Law provides for the licensure and regulation of pharmacists by the California State Board of Pharmacy. Existing law requires a pharmacist to inform a patient orally or in writing of the harmful effects of a drug dispensed by prescription if a prescription drug poses a substantial risk to the person consuming the drug when taken in combination with alcohol or if the drug may impair a person's ability to drive a motor vehicle, and the board has determined that the drug is a drug or drug type for which this warning shall be given. A violation of the Pharmacy Law is a crime. This bill would require a pharmacist that dispenses a prescription drug to a patient for use that has major or moderate interactions with edible or inhaled cannabis or cannabidiol products to affix an auxiliary label to the prescription container with that information. The bill would require a pharmacy to develop a cannabis labeling guideline on which medications require a label pursuant to the bill. Because a violation of this requirement 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 requires the California FAIR Plan Association to establish and maintain a statewide toll-free telephone number through which a person may receive information and assistance in applying for insurance through the plan and to cause the toll-free telephone number to be published in all general distribution telephone directories in the state. This bill would delete the requirement that the toll-free number be published in all general distribution telephone directories in the state.
