Existing law establishes the California Community Colleges, the California State University, the University of California, independent institutions of higher education, and private postsecondary educational institutions as the segments of postsecondary education in the state. The missions and functions of these segments are set forth in the Donahoe Higher Education Act. This bill would provide that public higher education additionally consists of tribal colleges and universities geographically located in California that are operated by an Indian tribal government, as defined.
Existing law allows an individual taxpayer to contribute amounts in excess of their personal income tax liability for the support of specified funds and accounts, including, among others, to the Native California Wildlife Rehabilitation Voluntary Tax Contribution Fund. This bill would, for taxable years beginning on or after January 1, 2026, and before January 1, 2033, allow an individual to designate on their tax return that a specified amount in excess of their tax liability be transferred to the continuously appropriated California Sea Otter Voluntary Tax Contribution Fund, which would be created by this bill. The bill would require the Franchise Tax Board to revise the tax return form to include a space for the designation of contributions to the fund. By establishing a new continuously appropriated fund, this bill would make an appropriation. The bill would also require the fund to appear on the personal income tax return for taxable years beginning on or after January 1, 2026, and before January 1, 2033. The bill would require that the above provisions remain operative only until December 1, 2033, and be repealed as of that date. However, the bill would provide for an earlier repeal if the Franchise Tax Board determines that the amount of contributions estimated to be received during the 2nd and later calendar years after its first appearance on a return will not at least equal the minimum contribution amount, in which case these provisions would be repealed on December 1 of that year. The bill would require, notwithstanding the repeal of the bill's provisions, that any contribution amounts designated prior to the repeal of the bill's provisions be transferred and disbursed in accordance with those provisions, as specified.
Existing law establishes an Aging and Disability Resource Connection (ADRC) program, administered by the California Department of Aging, to provide information to consumers and their families on available long-term services and supports (LTSS) programs and to assist older adults, caregivers, and persons with disabilities in accessing LTSS programs at the local level. Existing law requires ADRC programs to provide specified services, including, among other things, enhanced information and referral services and other assistance at hours that are convenient for the public. This bill would further require ADRC programs to provide disaster and emergency preparedness community education specifically designed with the goals of informing older adults and people with disabilities about emergency preparedness and promoting their safety before, during, and after natural disasters and other emergency events, as specified.
(1) Existing law authorizes the governing board of a school district to authorize a pupil who meets specified criteria to attend community college. Existing law requires a pupil to receive credit for community college courses that the pupil completes at the level determined appropriate by the governing boards of the school district and community college district. This bill would authorize a pupil concurrently enrolled in specified community college courses to participate in work-based learning activities, as provided. (2) Existing law authorizes a group of students to organize a student body association within the public schools with the approval of and subject to the control and regulation of the governing board of the school district, as specified. This bill would authorize an above-described student body organization to operate a student-led enterprise program, as provided. (3) Existing law authorizes the governing board of a school district maintaining a high school to (A) establish courses of work-based learning or work experience education to provide pupils with instruction in the skills, attitudes, and understanding necessary for success in employment, (B) provide guidance and supervision procedures to ensure maximum educational benefit to pupils from placement in suitable work-based learning or work experience education courses, (C) provide for arranging, approving, coordinating, and awarding credit for work-based learning or work experience education courses, and employing personnel for purposes of providing that credit, and (D) provide or require pupils to acquire liability insurance for off-school-grounds work experience programs. This bill would extend the above-described authorizations provided by the governing boards of school districts to the governing boards or bodies of county offices of education, charter schools, and state special schools. The bill would define "work-based learning" and "work experience education" for purposes of those authorizations, would make other changes to those authorizations, and would make various other changes to law relating to work-based learning, as specified. Existing law authorizes work-based learning opportunities for pupils to be delivered by partnership academies, regional occupational programs, and local educational agencies, as specified. Existing law authorizes those opportunities to include work experience education, community classrooms, cooperative career technical education programs, and job shadowing experience, as specified. This bill would authorize work-based learning activities, instead of work-based learning opportunities, to be delivered by those entities, would authorize work-based learning activities to also be delivered by state special schools, and would authorize work-based learning activities to include on-the-job training in certain youth apprenticeship programs, internships, and mentorships. The bill would instead authorize work-based learning activities to be offered through work experience education courses, community classrooms, cooperative career technical education programs, and early college credit courses, among other related changes, as specified. Existing law requires the governing boards of school districts to grant credit to pupils enrolled in grade 11 or a higher grade for completing a work experience education program, as specified. This bill would extend the above-described requirement provided by the governing boards of school districts to the governing boards or bodies of county offices of education, charter schools, and state special schools. The bill would extend to pupils enrolled in grade 10 the granting of credit for completing a work experience education program to the same extent granted to pupils in grade 11 or a higher grade. To the extent that the bill would impose new duties on local educational agencies, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. Existing law authorizes the governing board of a high school district, the governing board of a joint powers regional occupational center or program, or a county superintendent of schools that conducts a county-operated regional occupational center or program to establish and maintain cooperative career technical education programs or community classrooms as part of a career technical education course, as provided. This bill would authorize the above-described cooperative career technical education programs or community classrooms to include work-based learning activities, as provided. Existing law creates within the State Department of Education an agricultural career technical education unit to assist school districts in establishing and maintaining career technical education programs in agriculture, as provided. Existing law requires the curriculum of school districts that choose to participate in the state program of agricultural career technical education to include organized classes in the study of agricultural science and technology, a student-supervised occupational experience program in agriculture, and a program of leadership, organization, and personal development. This bill would authorize funding provided for the above-described purposes to be used to support agricultural career technical education programs that provide work-based learning activities, as provided. 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 department to competitively award grant funds to local educational agencies, defined as 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. This bill would authorize Golden State Pathways Program grants to be awarded to pathways programs that provide work-based learning activities, as provided. Existing law establishes the California Career Technical Education Incentive Grant Program, administered by the department, with the purpose of encouraging, maintaining, and strengthening the delivery of high-quality career technical education programs. Existing law requires, for the 2021–22 fiscal year and each fiscal year thereafter, $300,000,000 to be available to the department, upon appropriation by the Legislature, for the program. This bill would authorize California Career Technical Education Incentive Grant Program grants to be awarded to pathway programs and work-based learning activities, as provided. Existing law establishes the California Partnership Academies and finds and declares that partnership academies have proven to be highly effective state-school-private sector partnerships that combine academic and vocational training for high school pupils who present a high risk of dropping out of school, and motivate them to stay in school and graduate. Existing law requires the Superintendent of Public Instruction to issue grants to school districts, as specified, to plan, establish, and maintain these academies. Existing law requires the Superintendent to establish eligibility criteria for school districts that apply for these grants. This bill would authorize funding provided for these academies to be used to support those academies that provide work-based learning activities, as provided. Existing law provides that an essential component of transition services for individuals with exceptional needs is the project workability program that provides instruction and experiences that reinforce core curriculum concepts and skills leading to gainful employment. Existing law requires the Superintendent to develop criteria for awarding grants, funding, and evaluating workability projects, and requires project workability project applications to include specified elements. This bill would authorize transition and employment preparation services under the project workability program to include work-based learning activities, as provided. Existing law authorizes the governing board of a community college district to enter into a College and Career Access Pathways partnership with the governing board of a school district, a county office of education, or the governing body of a charter school with the goal of developing seamless pathways from high school to community college for career technical education or preparation for transfer, improving high school graduation rates, or helping high school pupils achieve college and career readiness. This bill would authorize a College and Career Access Pathways partnership agreement to include work-based learning activities, as provided. Existing law authorizes the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges, to the extent that funds are available, to establish internship training programs and actively support apprenticeship training programs in collaboration with the Division of Apprenticeship Standards. This bill would authorize programs and partnerships established under the above-described provisions to include work-based learning activities, as provided. Existing law provides funding for the Strong Workforce Program and a K–12 component of the Strong Workforce Program with the purpose of creating, maintaining, supporting, encouraging, strengthening, and expanding the delivery of career technical education programs in the state, as provided. This bill would authorize Strong Workforce Program funds to be used to support career technical education programs that provide work-based learning activities, as provided. Existing law requires the Division of Apprenticeship Standards to develop a process to approve preapprenticeship programs, as specified. Existing law requires a program seeking approval as a preapprenticeship program to submit to the division a request for approval that includes documentation evidencing that the program's preapprenticeship training activities are conducted in partnership with an apprenticeship program approved by the division. This bill would authorize a preapprenticeship program seeking approval to instead include documentation evidencing that the program's preapprenticeship training activities are conducted with approval by a local building and construction trades council of the use of the multicraft core curriculum for the preapprenticeship program. (4) 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 Mobilehome Residency Law, prescribes various terms and conditions of tenancies in mobilehome parks. The law defines "mobilehome park" for these purposes to mean an area of land where 2 or more mobilehome sites are rented, or held out for rent, to accommodate mobilehomes used for human habitation. The law caps the amount by which management of a qualified mobilehome park may increase the gross rental rate for a tenancy over the course of any 12-month period. The cap is the lower of 5% of the lowest gross rental rate charge for a tenancy at any time during the preceding 12 months or 3% of that amount plus the percentage change in the cost of living. Under that law, a mobilehome park is subject to that cap if it is located within and governed by the jurisdictions of 2 or more incorporated cities. The law repeals these rent cap provisions on January 1, 2030. This bill would additionally make any mobilehome park that is located in the City of Torrance subject to that cap, as specified, and would extend the repeal of these rent cap provisions to January 1, 2036. For a mobilehome park that is located in the City of Torrance, the bill would cap the rent on January 1, 2027, at the amount of rent as of January 5, 2026, plus the maximum permissible increase described above. This bill would make legislative findings and declarations as to the necessity of a special statute for the City of Torrance.
Existing law requires the Commission on Teacher Credentialing to, among other duties, establish standards for the issuance and renewal of credentials, certificates, and permits. Existing law requires the commission to appoint a Committee of Credentials and requires allegations of acts or omissions for which adverse action may be taken against applicants or holders of teaching or services credentials to be reported to the committee. Existing law requires a person applying for a certificated or noncertificated position at a school district, county office of education, charter school, state special school or diagnostic center operated by the State Department of Education, or private school to provide that prospective employer with a complete list of every school district, county office of education, charter school, state special school or diagnostic center operated by the department, and private school that previously employed the applicant. Existing law requires those entities, when considering an applicant for a certificated or noncertificated position, to inquire with each disclosed entity as to whether the applicant, while previously employed by the disclosed entity, was the subject of any credible complaints of, substantiated investigations into, or discipline for, egregious misconduct. Existing law requires the responding entities that have made a report of an employee's egregious misconduct to the commission to disclose this fact to the inquiring entity, and to provide the inquiring entity with a copy of all relevant information within its possession that was reported to the commission, as applied to certificated employees, or used to support a substantiated investigation, as applied to noncertificated employees. This bill would establish that the failure by a certificated employee to provide the above-described employment history constitutes unprofessional conduct and may subject the person applying for the certificated position to adverse action by the commission. The bill would prohibit the superintendent of a school district or county office of education, or the chief administrator of a charter or private school, from hiring a certificated or noncertificated employee without completing the applicable inquiry for employment history, as described above. The bill would require the superintendent of a school district or county office of education, or the chief administrator of a charter or private school, to ensure compliance with the above-described inquiries for employment history of certificated or noncertificated employees. The bill would establish that the failure to comply with these requirements constitutes unprofessional conduct and may subject the superintendent or chief administrator to adverse action by the commission. To the extent the bill would impose additional duties on local agencies or officials, 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 requires the Commission on Teacher Credentialing to establish standards and procedures for the issuance and renewal of credentials, certificates, and permits. Under existing regulations, the requirements for the initial issuance of an emergency career substitute teaching permit include, among other requirements, verification by an employer that the applicant has completed at least 90 days of substitute teaching in each of the 3 years immediately preceding the date of the application either in the school district or, if the county office of education assigns substitute teachers, in one or more school districts in the county, as provided. This bill would require the commission to accept, as an alternative to verification of 90 days of substitute teaching described above, verification that the substitute teacher has received at least 5 hours of professional development, an orientation training, and an assigned teaching mentor program, as provided. The bill would authorize a holder of an emergency career substitute teaching permit who was issued the permit based on the alternatives pursuant to these provisions to serve up to 70 cumulative days in a single classroom, including for special education teachers. The bill would require, the first time a permitholder who was issued a permit issued pursuant to these provisions has their permit renewed, the permitholder to provide verification of 30 hours of professional development, as provided. The bill would require a permit issued or renewed pursuant to these provisions to be valid for 12 months. The bill would require a local educational agency to follow specified procedures before assigning a substitute who holds a career substitute permit and to annually report specified information to its governing board or governing body and additional information to the Commission on Teacher Credentialing related to those assignments.
The California Private Postsecondary Education Act of 2009 provides, among other things, for student protections and regulatory oversight of private postsecondary educational institutions in the state. The act is enforced by the Bureau for Private Postsecondary Education within the Department of Consumer Affairs. The act requires the Director of Consumer Affairs to provide biannual written updates to the Legislature that describe the bureau's progress in protecting consumers and enforcing the act, as specified. The act requires institutions to report to the bureau specified investigations and actions by oversight entities within 30 days. The act is repealed on January 1, 2027. This bill would revise and recast the act's provisions. The bill would instead require the director to provide those written updates to the Legislature annually. The bill would additionally require institutions to report bankruptcy filings, felony charges against the institution or specified persons, and certain civil actions or arbitrations to the bureau, as provided. The bill would specify that an institution's failure to provide the bureau with a required report is a material violation and subjects the institution to citation, probation, suspension, or revocation of its approval to operate. The bill would authorize the bureau to deny an application for approval to operate if the institution would be owned, controlled, or managed by a person who previously owned, controlled, or managed an institution that closed without providing required student refunds or appropriately preserving and making available records. The act requires an out-of-state private postsecondary educational institution to register with the bureau, pay a fee, and comply with additional delineated requirements, including reporting to the bureau certain enforcement or adverse occurrences. The act requires the bureau, after receipt of such a report, to determine if the institution will be permitted to continue to enroll new students, as provided. The act requires the bureau to receive complaints about these institutions. This bill would instead authorize the bureau, after receipt of a report or a complaint, to request from the institution information necessary to determine whether the institution's registration should be revoked or have conditions placed on it. The act applies to private entities with a physical presence in the state that offer postsecondary education to the public for a charge, but exempts certain institutions from its application, including certain institutions that only offer educational programs to members of a bona fide trade or fraternal organization, as specified, certain religious organizations if instruction is limited to the principles of that religious organization, certain flight instruction providers or programs if they meet specified student loan and prepayment conditions, and institutions that do not award degrees and that solely provide educational programs for total charges of $2,500 or less, as provided. This bill would clarify that institutions can qualify for the trade or fraternal organization exemption only if they offer nondegree educational programs to those members, and that adding religious perspectives or verbiage to the titles or descriptions of otherwise secular programs does not limit instruction to the principles of that religious organization for purposes of the religious organization exemption. The bill would remove those student loan and prepayment conditions from the flight instruction exemption and would specify that the $2,500 or less program exemption does not apply to institutions that provide any training or curriculum for Class A, B, or C commercial driving licenses, except as specified. The bill would specify processes for and limits on granting a verification of exemption. The act requires an institution seeking to offer one or more degree programs to satisfy certain requirements to obtain a provisional approval to operate. The act requires, within the first 2 years of the issuance of provisional approval to operate degree programs, a visiting committee to make a recommendation to the bureau regarding an institution's progress to achieving full accreditation. The act requires the bureau to automatically suspend a provisional approval to operate if an institution fails to comply with certain requirements. The act requires the bureau to grant an institution that is accredited an approval to operate by means of its accreditation. The act exempts an accredited institution from certain recordkeeping requirements. This bill would require accreditation for degree-granting institutions to cover all degree programs offered by the institution. The bill would require, for institutions seeking a provisional approval to operate, that enrollment of students on student visas not exceed more than 25% of total enrollment in any provisionally approved degree program. The bill would authorize, within the first 4 years of the issuance of a provisional approval to operate degree programs, the bureau to empanel a visiting committee to make a recommendation to the bureau regarding an institution's progress to achieving full accreditation. The bill would require the bureau to automatically terminate a provisional approval to operate if an institution fails to comply with certain requirements. The bill would specify, for an approval to operate by means of its accreditation, that a nondegree program not within the scope of accreditation is not included as an approved program by the bureau without the written consent of the institution's accrediting agency. The bill would remove the recordkeeping exemption for accredited institutions. The bill would remove a requirement that the bureau indicate in an annual report and make available on its internet website the number of enforcement actions taken by the bureau against institutions. The act requires an institution to obtain bureau approval before making certain substantive changes to its operations, including an addition of a separate branch more than 5 miles from the main or branch campus. The act requires that a student enrollment agreement, school catalog, and other disclosures meet certain requirements. This bill instead would require an institution to obtain bureau approval before adding a separate branch, regardless of the distance from the main or branch campus. The bill would revise the requirements for a student enrollment agreement, school catalog, and other disclosures. The act establishes the Private Postsecondary Education Administration Fund, requires that fees collected from institutions be deposited in the fund, and, upon appropriation by the Legislature, authorizes moneys in the fund to be used by the bureau for the administration of the act. This bill would increase certain fees collected from institutions. The act requires private postsecondary educational institutions to provide refunds to students under specified circumstances, including upon a notice of cancellation, and establishes methods for calculating those refunds based on the institution's total charges and periods of attendance. This bill would require an institution that originated or accepted payment from an income share agreement to calculate the required refund based on the institution's total charges for a student who does not receive a notice of cancellation refund, as specified. The act establishes the Student Tuition Recovery Fund, requires the bureau to adopt regulations governing the administration and maintenance of the fund, including requirements relating to assessments on students and student claims against the fund, and continuously appropriates the moneys in the fund to the bureau for specified purposes. This bill would expand the claims under which a student is eligible for payment from the fund and the evidence available to the bureau in making determinations about student eligibility under the fund. The bill would make other conforming, technical, and nonsubstantive changes and would extend the operation of the act by 4 years to January 1, 2031. By expanding the scope and extending the operation of the Student Tuition Recovery Fund, a continuously appropriated fund, this bill would make an appropriation. Under existing law, the act specifies conduct by regulated institutions that, if undertaken, is a crime. Because this bill would extend the application of those criminal provisions, it would impose a state-mandated local program. 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. 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 vests the Public Utilities Commission with regulatory authority over public utilities, including telephone corporations. Existing law requires the commission to develop, implement, and administer a program to advance universal service by providing discounted rates to qualifying schools maintaining kindergarten or any of grades 1 to 12, inclusive, community colleges, libraries, hospitals, health clinics, and community organizations. This bill would require that the discounted rates also be provided to qualifying schools, school districts, and county offices of education serving preschools, transitional kindergarten, kindergarten, or any of grades 1 to 12, inclusive, public libraries and public library systems, rather than libraries, and noninstructional facilities operated or contracted by qualifying schools, school districts, county offices of education, community colleges, community college districts, public libraries, and public library systems, including their associated data centers or administrative offices, as provided. Existing law authorizes all customers eligible to receive discounts for telecommunications services under the federal Universal Service E-rate program to also apply for discounts on telecommunications services provided through the California Teleconnect Fund Administrative Committee Fund program. Existing law requires the commission to first apply an E-rate discount if the customer, in the determination of the commission, meets the requirements for an E-rate discount, as provided. This bill would instead require the service provider to first apply an E-rate discount, as determined by the commission, if the customer, in the determination of the commission, meets the requirements for an E-rate discount, except as provided. 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 part of the act and 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.
(1) Existing law requires a school district, county office of education, and charter school to annually inform parents and guardians of pupils at the beginning of the first semester or quarter of the regular school term of California's child access prevention laws and laws relating to the safe storage of firearms, as specified. Existing law requires the State Department of Education, on or before July 1, 2023, to develop, and subsequently update as provided, in consultation with the Department of Justice, and provide to school districts, county offices of education, and charter schools, and, upon request, to provide to private schools, model language for the notice regarding those child access prevention and safe storage of firearms laws. This bill would revise and recast those requirements by, among other things, (A) instead requiring those local educational agencies to inform parents or guardians of each enrolled pupil of the importance of practicing secure firearm storage for all homes in which firearms are present through a notice entitled "Secure Firearm Storage Notification" that contains, among other things, a description of the risks of children accessing unsecured firearms in the home and California's child access prevention laws and laws relating to the safe storage of firearms, (B) requiring the State Department of Education, commencing July 1, 2027, to post the model language for notice on its internet website, as specified, (C) requiring the department, on or before July 1, 2027, to provide formatting and content options for local educational agencies to post the notice on their respective internet websites and for posting other relevant information and resources about secure firearm storage using other internet-based communication options, and (D) requiring the department to encourage each local educational agency to adopt a policy and practice of providing the notice to parents, guardians, and caregivers when otherwise providing notice to parents, guardians, or caregivers of disciplinary actions or supports given related to threats against other pupils or threats of self-harm. The bill would make conforming changes. By imposing additional duties on local educational agencies, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. (2) Existing law requires the department, on or before June 15, 2025, to curate and post on its internet website best practices pertaining to school shooter or other armed assailant drills for use by school districts, county offices of education, and charter schools, as provided. Existing law encourages a school district, county office of education, or charter school to comply with those best practices. This bill would require those best practices to also include distributing the Secure Firearm Storage Notification published by the department when providing a specified drill-related notice to parents and guardians of pupils and a recommendation to post the notice on the local educational agency's internet website. (3) Existing law requires the Superintendent of Public Instruction to send a notice to each middle school, junior high school, and high school that encourages each school to provide suicide prevention training to each school counselor at least one time while employed as a counselor, provides information on the availability of the suicide prevention training curriculum developed by the department, and informs schools about the suicide prevention training provided by the department and describes how a school might retain those services. This bill would require that notice to also include the Secure Firearm Storage Notification model content published by the department as an example of information about reducing access to lethal means that can be given by a school counselor to a pupil's family, as provided. (4) This bill would incorporate additional changes to Section 48986 of the Education Code proposed by SB 685 to be operative only if this bill and SB 685 are enacted and this bill is enacted last. (5) 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.
