Existing law, the California Public Employees' Pension Reform Act of 2013, requires a public employee who is convicted of any state or federal felony for conduct arising out of, or in the performance of, the public employee's official duties in pursuit of the office or appointment, or in connection with obtaining salary, disability retirement, service retirement, or other benefits, to forfeit all accrued rights and benefits in any public retirement system from the earliest date of the commission of the felony to the date of conviction, and prohibits the public employee from accruing further benefits in that public retirement system. Existing law defines "public employee" for purposes of these provisions to mean an officer, including one who is elected or appointed, or an employee of a public employer. Existing law also requires an elected public officer, who takes public office, or is reelected to public office, on or after January 1, 2006, and who is convicted during or after holding office of any felony involving accepting or giving, or offering to give, any bribe, the embezzlement of public money, extortion or theft of public money, perjury, or conspiracy to commit any of those crimes arising directly out of their official duties as an elected public officer, to forfeit all rights and benefits under, and membership in, any public retirement system in which they are a member, effective on the date of final conviction, as provided. This bill would require a public employer that is investigating a public employee for misconduct arising out of or in the performance of, the public employee's official duties in pursuit of the office or appointment, or in connection with obtaining salary, disability retirement, service retirement, or other benefits, to continue the investigation even if the public employee retires while under investigation, if the investigation indicates that the public employee may have committed a crime. The bill would require a public employer, if the investigation indicates that the public employee may have committed a crime, to refer the matter to the appropriate law enforcement agency, and would then authorize the public employer to close the investigation. Under the bill, if the public employee is convicted of a felony for any conduct described above, the public employee would forfeit all accrued rights and benefits in any public retirement system pursuant to the provisions governing forfeiture described above. By imposing new duties on public employers who are local governmental entities, 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 California Public Employees' Pension Reform Act of 2013 (PEPRA) , on and after January 1, 2013, requires a public retirement system, as defined, to modify its plan or plans to comply with PEPRA, as specified. Among other things, PEPRA prohibits a public employer from offering a defined benefit pension plan exceeding specified retirement formulas, requires new members of public retirement systems to contribute at least a specified amount of the normal cost, as defined, for their defined benefit plans, and prohibits an enhancement of a public employee's retirement formula or benefit adopted after January 1, 2013, from applying to service performed prior to the operative date of the enhancement. PEPRA prohibits a public employer from offering a supplemental defined benefit plan if the public employer did not do so before January 1, 2013, or, if it did, from offering that plan to an additional employee group after that date. This bill would authorize a public employer, as defined, to bargain over contributions for supplemental retirement benefits administered by, or on behalf of, an exclusive bargaining representative of one or more of the public employer's bargaining units, subject to the limitations specified above.
(1) Existing law, the California Public Employees' Pension Reform Act of 2013, establishes various limits on retirement benefits generally applicable to a public employee retirement system, as specified. Existing law requires a public employee who is a member of a public retirement system to forfeit accrued rights and benefits in the public retirement system if the individual is convicted of certain felonies, including for conduct arising out of or in the performance of their official duties, relating to salary, disability retirement, service retirement, or other benefits, or that is committed against a child, as specified. Existing law limits this forfeiture to rights and benefits earned or accrued from the earliest date of the commission of the felony. This bill would require a correctional officer or other prison staff member employed by the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation who is a current member of a public retirement system, convicted of sexually assaulting an inmate within the prison system, to forfeit all rights and benefits in the public retirement system, as prescribed. The bill would also require a correctional officer or other prison staff member employed by the department who first becomes a member of a public retirement system on or after January 1, 2026, who is convicted of sexually assaulting an inmate within the state prison system, to forfeit all rights and benefits in the retirement system. The bill would establish procedures governing the forfeiture process, including authorizing a public retirement system to assess a public employer a reasonable amount for reimbursement of specified costs. The bill would require a public retirement system to implement these provisions in a manner that protects an innocent or former spouse and is consistent with existing law governing the division of community property. (2) Existing law provides the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation with jurisdiction over prisons and institutions, including, among others, the California Correctional Institution in the City of Tehachapi and the Central California Women's Facility, and sets forth its powers and duties regarding the administration of correctional facilities and the care and custody of inmates. Existing law also authorizes the secretary of the department to construct and equip suitable buildings, structures, and facilities for, among others, the California Correctional Institution in the City of Tehachapi for the confinement of males under the custody of the secretary. This bill would require the department to construct and establish one new building with 100 additional single-cell housing units at the Central California Women's Facility state prison located in the City of Chowchilla for the confinement of women under the custody of the secretary. The bill would also require the department to install fixed cameras by January 1, 2028, in all designated locations that have been ordered by the court or the Legislature, install thermal sensor cameras that track body movements in inmate bathrooms, and eliminate solo shifts for correctional officers, in women's state prison facilities. The bill would also authorize a correctional lieutenant on the site of a state prison facility to grant permission to an inmate, upon the inmate's request, to be transferred to restrictive housing.
Existing law establishes a workers' compensation system, administered by the Administrative Director of the Division of Workers' Compensation, to compensate an employee, as defined, for injuries sustained in the course of employment. Existing law requires an employer to provide medical treatment that is reasonably required to cure or relieve an employee from the effects of the injury. Existing law allows employers to create networks of medical treatment providers to send employees to for treatment. Existing law sets out criteria for these networks and exceptions for when an employee may be treated outside of the network. This bill would require the administrative director to establish a statewide medical provider network database, consisting of physicians who are willing and able to treat injured employees in the San Joaquin Valley region. The bill would require an employee to first seek treatment within their employer's or insurer's network, unless the employer's or insurer's network is unable to treat the employee within 30 days of the request for medical treatment. The bill would require physicians, in order to be included in the network, to, among other things, be in good standing with the Medical Board of California and agree to comply with the official medical fee schedule, as specified. The bill would require the administrative director to implement the network on or before January 1, 2027. The bill would state the Legislature's intent to address the shortage of available medical treatment for workplace injuries in the central valley region. 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.
(1) Existing law provides that a provision of a memorandum of understanding reached between the state employer and a recognized employee organization representing state civil service employees that requires the expenditure of funds does not become effective unless approved by the Legislature in the annual Budget Act. Existing law requires the Department of Human Resources to provide a memorandum of understanding to the Legislative Analyst, who then has 10 calendar days from the date the tentative agreement is received to issue a fiscal analysis to the Legislature. Existing law prohibits the memorandum of understanding from being subject to legislative determination until either the Legislative Analyst has presented a fiscal analysis of the memorandum of understanding or until 10 calendar days have elapsed since the memorandum was received by the Legislative Analyst. This bill, notwithstanding the above-described statutory provisions, would approve provisions of the agreements entered into by the state employer and specified state bargaining units. The bill would provide that the provisions of the agreements that require the expenditure of funds will not take effect unless funds for these provisions are specifically appropriated by the Legislature. The bill would authorize the state employer or the bargaining units to reopen negotiations if funds for these provisions are not specifically appropriated by the Legislature. The bill would require the provisions of the agreement that require the expenditure of funds to become effective even if the provisions are approved by the Legislature in legislation other than the annual Budget Act. By approving provisions of the agreements that require the expenditure of funds, this bill would make an appropriation. (2) Existing law, for the 2026–27 fiscal year, continuously appropriates to the Controller from the General Fund unallocated special funds, including federal funds and unallocated nongovernmental cost funds, and any other fund from which state employees are compensated, the amount necessary for the payment and compensation and employee benefits to state employees covered by specified memoranda of understanding if the Budget Act of 2026 is not enacted by July 1, 2026. This bill would additionally include the memoranda of understanding for State Bargaining Unit 8 (effective July 1, 2024, to June 30, 2027, inclusive) and State Bargaining Unit 18 (effective July 1, 2025, to July 1, 2028, inclusive) . Existing law, for the 2027–28 fiscal year, continuously appropriates to the Controller from the General Fund unallocated special funds, including federal funds and unallocated nongovernmental cost funds, and any other fund from which state employees are compensated, the amount necessary for the payment and compensation and employee benefits to state employees covered by specified memoranda of understanding if the Budget Act of 2027 is not enacted by July 1, 2027. This bill would additionally include the memorandum of understanding for State Bargaining Unit 18 (effective July 1, 2025, to July 1, 2028, inclusive) . Existing law, for the 2028–29 fiscal year, continuously appropriates to the Controller from the General Fund unallocated special funds, including federal funds and unallocated nongovernmental cost funds, and any other fund from which state employees are compensated, the amount necessary for the payment and compensation and employee benefits to state employees covered by the memoranda of understanding for State Bargaining Unit 6 and State Bargaining Unit 16, if the Budget Act of 2028 is not enacted by July 1, 2028. This bill would additionally include the memorandum of understanding for State Bargaining Unit 18 (effective July 1, 2025, to July 1, 2028, inclusive) . (3) Existing law states that it is the policy of the state that the workweek of the state employee shall be 40 hours, and the workday of state employees 8 hours, except that workweeks and workdays of a different number of hours may be established in order to meet the varying needs of the different state agencies. Existing law also requires state employees in specified bargaining units, except as specified, from July 1, 2025, to June 30, 2027, inclusive, to participate in the Personal Leave Program 2025 (PLP 2025) , either as required by an applicable memorandum of understanding reached or by the direction of the department for excluded employees, under which each employee receives a reduction in pay not greater than certain listed amounts in exchange for a specified number of hours per month of PLP 2025 leave credits. This bill would also require state employees in State Bargaining Units 8, 10, and 18 to participate in the PLP 2025, either as required by an applicable memorandum of understanding or by the direction of the department for excluded employees, as prescribed. Under the program, in exchange for a reduction in pay not greater than certain listed amounts, those employees would receive monthly PLP 2025 leave credits, subject to certain exclusions. (4) The Public Employees' Retirement Law (PERL) creates the Public Employees' Retirement System for the purpose of providing public employees pension and other benefits, which are funded by employee and employer contributions and investment returns. Contributions and investment returns are deposited in the Public Employees' Retirement Fund, which is continuously appropriated for the payment of benefits and administration of the system. PERL vests management and control of PERS in its board of administration. PERL and labor agreements prescribe different normal rates of contribution for employees depending on bargaining unit, employer, and inclusion of service in the federal social security system, among other factors. Under PERL, effective July 1, 2021, the normal contribution rates for state miscellaneous or state industrial members who are represented by State Bargaining Unit 18 are adjusted in accordance with specified procedures based on changes in normal cost rates, as determined by the board. This bill would change the above-described effective date to July 1, 2027. The bill would also provide that, effective July 1, 2025, to June 30, 2027, specified employee contributions for state miscellaneous and industrial members represented by State Bargaining Unit 18 shall remain in place. Under PERL, effective July 1, 2021, the normal contribution rates for state safety members who are represented by State Bargaining Unit 18 are adjusted in accordance with specified procedures based on changes in normal cost rates, as determined by the board. This bill would change the above-described effective date to July 1, 2027. The bill would also provide that, effective July 1, 2025, to June 30, 2027, specified employee contributions for state safety members represented by State Bargaining Unit 18 shall remain in place. The bill would make other related and conforming changes to these provisions on normal cost rates. (5) The Public Employees' Medical and Hospital Care Act (PEMHCA) , which is administered by the Board of Administration of the Public Employees' Retirement System, prescribes methods for calculating the state employer contribution for postemployment health care benefits for eligible retired public employees and their families and for the vesting of these benefits. PEMHCA establishes the Annuitants' Health Care Coverage Fund, which is continuously appropriated, for the purpose of prefunding health care coverage for annuitants, including administrative costs. PEMHCA requires employees in State Bargaining Unit 10 to prefund retiree health care and requires the state to make a matching contribution. PEMHCA suspended the employees' monthly contribution for prefunding other postemployment benefits for the 2020–21 fiscal year for State Bargaining Unit 10. This bill would suspend the employee and employer monthly contribution for prefunding other postemployment benefits for State Bargaining Unit 10, effective the first day of the pay period following ratification by both parties, for the 2025–26 and 2026–2027 fiscal years. PEMHCA requires certain state employees in the judicial branch to make contributions to prefund retiree health care based on a specified schedule and requires the state to make a matching contribution. This bill would suspend the employee and employer monthly contribution for prefunding other postemployment benefits for those judicial branch employees, effective July 31, 2025, for the 2025–26 and 2026–2027 fiscal years. PEMHCA requires employees in State Bargaining Unit 18 to prefund retiree health care and requires the state to make a matching contribution. PEMHCA suspends the employee and employer monthly contribution for prefunding other postemployment benefits for the 2025–26 and 2026–27 fiscal years. This bill would provide that, effective July 1, 2027, the amount of the employee and employer contributions required to prefund retiree health care shall be based on a specified schedule, beginning with 1.5% of pensionable compensation on July 1, 2027, and increasing to 4.5 % of pensionable compensation on July 1, 2029. Beginning July 1, 2030, the bill would require both the employer and employee contribution percentages to be increased or decreased to maintain a 50% cost sharing of actuarially determined normal costs, as prescribed. The bill would make various related and conforming changes to those provisions on retiree health care costs. (6) The Budget Act of 2025 makes various appropriations for the purpose of employee compensation. This bill would revise specified Budget Act items, for a total increase of $14,597,000, pursuant to agreements reached between the state employer and State Bargaining Units 1, 3, 4, 5, 8, 10, 11, 14, 15, 17, 18, 20, and 21, in accordance with a specified schedule. (7) This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as a bill providing for appropriations related to the Budget Bill.
Existing law establishes the Department of Industrial Relations, which is responsible for, among other things, fostering, promoting, and developing the welfare of wage earners of California to improve their working conditions and to advance their opportunities for profitable employment. This bill would state the intent of the Legislature to enact legislation to streamline requirements in state labor law and to curb abuses by labor unions.
