Existing law generally regulates classes of insurance, including residential property insurance. Under existing law, the California FAIR (fair access to insurance requirements) Plan Association, a joint reinsurance association in which all insurers licensed to write basic property insurance participate, administers a program for the equitable apportionment of basic property insurance for persons who are unable to obtain that coverage through normal channels. Existing law requires the association to establish and maintain an Internet Web site and a toll-free telephone number through which a person may receive assistance in applying for basic property insurance. Existing law requires an insurer member of the plan to provide the Internet Web site address and toll-free telephone number to an applicant who is denied coverage. This bill would require the Department of Insurance to establish the California Home Insurance Finder on its Internet Web site to help homeowners connect with an insurance agent or broker for residential property insurance. The bill would require the department to annually survey agents, brokers, and insurers about inclusion in the finder, and post participants' names, addresses, phone numbers, and Internet Web sites, if available, to the finder on or before July 1, 2020. The bill would require the commissioner to use social media and other tools to promote the finder, and to create materials in the most common languages used in California. The bill would require an insurer to disclose specified information to an applicant who is denied coverage or a policyholder whose policy is canceled or not renewed, including, on or after July 1, 2020, information about the finder. The bill would require specified information, including the Internet Web site address of the department's Homeowners Coverage Comparison Tool, to be disclosed on or after July 1, 2020, upon an offer of a policy of residential property insurance if specified conditions are met. The bill would require a residential property insurer to notify the department on or before February 1 of each year of the amount of extended replacement cost coverage it offers in California, if the amount is different from that of the previous year, and would require the department to use this information to annually update the Homeowners Coverage Comparison Tool.
Sponsored bills
Existing law, until January 1, 2019, defines the offense of aggravated arson, and defines the aggravating factors for the offense as, the person has been previously convicted of arson on one or more occasions within the past 10 years, the fire caused property damage and other losses in excess of $7,000,000, or the fire caused damage to, or the destruction of, 5 or more inhabited structures. Existing law, commencing January 1, 2019, deletes the aggravating factor of property damage and other losses in excess of $7,000,000 from the definition of aggravated arson. This bill would extend the operation of the former aggravated arson offense until January 1, 2024, and would increase the threshold of property damage and other losses constituting an aggravating factor for aggravated arson to $8,300,000. The bill would delay operation of the latter aggravated arson offense that deletes the threshold dollar amount of property damages or losses as an aggravating factor until January 1, 2024. By extending the operation of law defining a crime, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program. The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement. This bill would provide that no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason.
Existing law requires any person, or federal, state, or local agency, district, or authority that owns or manages a reservoir, as defined, where recreational, boating, or fishing activities are permitted, except a privately owned reservoir that is not open to the public, to assess the vulnerability of the reservoir for the introduction of nonnative dreissenid mussel species and to develop and implement a program designed to prevent the introduction of that species, as prescribed. Existing law requires the owner of a vessel, as described, to register the vessel in accordance with prescribed requirements governing the registration and transfer of vessels. Existing law establishes a registration fee for vessels, and imposes an additional fee, known as the quagga and zebra mussel infestation prevention fee, in specified amounts, as determined by the Division of Boating and Waterways in the Department of Parks and Recreation, on a vessel required to pay that fee. Existing law requires that all revenues from the additional prevention fee be deposited into the Harbors and Watercraft Revolving Fund, and, upon appropriation, be expended for certain purposes relating to the prevention, control, and management of dreissenid mussel infestations. Existing law requires that a specified percentage of those revenues deposited into the fund from the prevention fee be made available to entities subject to the above-described requirements for reservoirs to be used for grants for the reasonable regulatory costs incident to the implementation of a dreissenid mussel infestation prevention plan. This bill would additionally make any person or entity that manages any aspect of the water in a reservoir, as defined, where recreational, boating, or fishing activities are permitted, eligible for a grant to be used for the reasonable regulatory costs of implementation of a dreissenid mussel infestation prevention plan.
Existing law, the Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist Act, the Educational Psychologist Practice Act, the Clinical Social Worker Practice Act, and the Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor Act, provides for the licensure and regulation of marriage and family therapists, educational psychologists, clinical social workers, and professional clinical counselors, respectively, by the Board of Behavioral Sciences. Existing law requires a person applying for licensure as a marriage and family therapist, educational psychologist, clinical social worker, or professional clinical counselor to complete specified coursework and training, requires licensees to complete specified continuing education requirements, and requires a licensee on inactive status to complete certain continuing education requirements as a condition of having his or her license reactivated. This bill, on or after January 1, 2021, would require an applicant for licensure as a marriage and family therapist, an educational psychologist, a clinical social worker, or a professional clinical counselor to complete a minimum of 6 hours of coursework or applied experience under supervision in suicide risk assessment and intervention. The bill would require, as a one-time requirement, a licensed marriage and family therapist, educational psychologist, clinical social worker, or professional clinical counselor to have completed this suicide risk assessment and intervention training requirement prior to the time of his or her first renewal after January 1, 2021. The bill would also require an applicant for reactivation or for reinstatement to an active license status on or after January 1, 2021, to have completed this suicide risk assessment and intervention training requirement. The bill would require that proof of compliance with requirements be certified under penalty of perjury and be retained for submission to the board upon request. By expanding the crime of perjury, 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.
Under existing law, most felonies are punishable by a triad of terms of incarceration in the state prison, comprised of low, middle, and upper lengths of terms. Until January 1, 2022, the choice of the appropriate term that is to best serve the interests of justice rests within the sound discretion of the court. Existing law, effective January 1, 2015, requires the court, if it concludes that a defendant convicted of a felony offense is, or was, a member of the United States military who may be suffering from sexual trauma, traumatic brain injury, post-traumatic stress disorder, substance abuse, or mental health problems as a result of his or her military service, to consider that circumstance as a factor in mitigation when imposing a term pursuant to the sentencing provisions above. Under existing law, this consideration does not preclude the court from considering similar trauma, injury, substance abuse, or mental health due to other causes, as evidence or factors in mitigation. This bill would authorize any person who was sentenced for a felony conviction prior to January 1, 2015, and who is, or was, a member of the United States military and who may be suffering from any of the above-described conditions as a result of his or her military service to petition for a recall of sentence under specified conditions. The bill would require the court, upon receiving a petition, to determine, at a public hearing held after not less than 15 days' notice to the prosecution, the defense, and any victim of the offense, as specified, whether the person satisfies the specified criteria and, if so, would authorize the court, in its discretion, to resentence the person following a resentencing hearing. This bill would prohibit resentencing under these provisions from resulting in the imposition of a term longer than the original sentence. The bill would also require a person who is resentenced pursuant to these provisions to be given credit for time served.
Existing law establishes the California State University, under the administration of the Trustees of the California State University, the California Community Colleges, under the administration of the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges, and the University of California, as the 3 segments of public postsecondary education in this state. Existing law authorizes any student enrolled in any campus of any of these 3 respective segments who meets prescribed requirements to enroll, without formal admission or payment of additional fees, except as provided, in a maximum of one course per academic term at a campus of either of the other segments on a space-available basis at the discretion of the appropriate campus authorities on both campuses. Existing law authorizes any student enrolled at a CSU campus who meets specified requirements by the beginning of the 2015–16 academic year, to enroll, without formal admission, and without payment of additional tuition or fees, except as provided, in a course provided entirely online, as defined, by another CSU campus on a space-available basis. Existing law requires the trustees to establish a series of uniform definitions for online education for CSU on or before January 1, 2015, as specified. Existing law also requires the trustees to report performance data, as specified, about online education to the Legislature on or before January 1, 2017, and every 2 years after until 2021. This bill would remove the January 1, 2015, deadline for authorizing a CSU student to enroll in an online course at another CSU campus, for the trustees to establish an online database of courses, and for the trustees to establish a series of uniform definitions, as specified. This bill would also add to the performance data to be reported to the Legislature on state-supported online courses, as defined, and require this report be submitted to the Legislature on or before January 15, 2019, and on or before January 15, 2 years later.
Existing law requires the Director of the Department of Parks and Recreation to keep up to date a comprehensive plan for the development of the outdoor recreation resources of the state for purposes of the federal Land and Water Conservation Fund Act of 1965. Existing law establishes in the Natural Resources Agency the Blue Ribbon Committee for the Rehabilitation of Clear Lake, for the purposes of discussion, reviewing research, planning, and providing oversight regarding the health of Clear Lake. This bill would establish in the agency the Office of Sustainable Outdoor Recreation. The bill would require the office to undertake certain activities, including supporting the outdoor recreation economy of the state by engaging in specified activities. The bill would also require the office to create an advisory committee to provide advice, expertise, support, and service to the office. The bill would authorize the office to receive assistance and funds from public and private sources, and would require that the moneys received by the office pursuant to this provision or appropriated by the Legislature for purposes of the bill be deposited in the California Sustainable Outdoor Recreation Account, which the bill would create within the Office of the Secretary of Natural Resources. The bill would require, before the office could commence any program development activities pursuant to the bill, that an amount sufficient to administer at least 50% of the first fiscal year of the office's activities be deposited in the California Sustainable Outdoor Recreation Account.
The State Housing Law authorizes cities and counties to prescribe fees for permits required or authorized pursuant to the State Housing Law. This bill would authorize these entities to waive or reduce all building permit fees for improvements to the home of a person at least 60 years of age with a qualifying disability that are made to accommodate that disability.
This measure would urge the Congress and the President of the United States to support the retention of, and investment in, the Amtrak National Network of passenger trains, specifically the California Zephyr, the Coast Starlight, the Southwest Chief, and the Sunset Limited, as vital components of the state's rail program and would also urge Congress to reject President Trump's proposed Fiscal Year 2019 federal budget cuts to Amtrak and restore full funding for the Amtrak National Network through the appropriations process.
This measure would urge the federal government and the United States Section of the International Boundary and Water Commission to take immediate action to adequately address cross-border pollution in the Tijuana River Valley.