(1) Existing law requires the State Energy Resources Conservation and Development Commission and the State Air Resources Board, on or before December 31 of each year, to jointly review and report on progress toward establishing a hydrogen-fueling network that provides the coverage and capacity to fuel vehicles requiring hydrogen fuel that are being placed into operation in the state. The Personal Income Tax Law and the Corporation Tax Law authorize various credits against the taxes imposed by those laws. Existing law requires any 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 allow a green hydrogen, as defined, production facility and distribution credit against the personal income and corporate income taxes for each taxable year beginning on or after January 1, 2023, and before January 1, 2033, to a qualified taxpayer for qualified building or qualified distribution costs, or both, as defined. The bill would also allow a hydrogen infrastructure credit against those taxes for each taxable year beginning on or after January 1, 2023, and before January 1, 2033, to a qualified taxpayer for qualified building costs, as defined. The bill would decrease the green hydrogen production facility and distribution credit as the amount of green hydrogen produced on average per day in the state increases and would decrease the hydrogen infrastructure credit as the number of public hydrogen fueling stations in operation in the state increases. The bill would limit the total amount of the green hydrogen production facility and distribution credit to $1,000,000,000 over all available taxable years, as specified, and would limit the hydrogen infrastructure credit to $500,000,000 per taxable year. The bill would require each credit to be allocated to qualified taxpayers by the Franchise Tax Board in the order the returns are received by the board. This bill would, except as specified, require the State Air Resources Board, on or before January 1 of each year, to provide certification to the Franchise Tax Board on the average amount of green hydrogen produced in the state and the number of publicly available hydrogen fueling stations in operation in the state for the prior calendar year. The bill would repeal this requirement on December 1, 2033. This bill would also include additional information required for any bill authorizing a new tax expenditure. (2) Existing law generally designates the State Air Resources Board as the state agency with the primary responsibility for the control of vehicular air pollution and requires the state board, in partnership with the State Energy Resources Conservation and Development Commission and in conjunction with other state agencies, to develop and adopt a state plan to increase the use of alternative fuels, as defined. Existing law requires the state board to adopt regulations that will ensure that, in any year immediately following a 12-month period in which the mass of hydrogen fuel dispensed for transportation purposes in California exceeds 3,500 metric tons, no less than 33.3% of the hydrogen produced or dispensed in California for motor vehicles be made from eligible renewable energy resources, as defined. This bill would require those regulations to require that, on a statewide basis, no less than 33.3% of the hydrogen produced or dispensed in California for motor vehicles be green hydrogen. The bill would require that the green percentage be increased to 44% by December 31, 2024, 52% by December 31, 2027, 60% by December 31, 2030, and would require that by December 31, 2045, 100% of the hydrogen produced or dispensed in California for motor vehicles be either green hydrogen or clean hydrogen, as defined.
Sponsored bills
Existing law establishes the State Department of Developmental Services and sets forth its powers and duties, including, but not limited to, the administration of state developmental centers and the administration and oversight of regional centers that provide services to consumers with developmental disabilities and their families. Existing law requires the department, on or before February 1 of each year, to report to the Legislature and post on its internet website supplemental budget information regarding each developmental center and each regional center, as specified. This bill would instead require the department to report and post that supplemental budget information on or before February 5 of each year.
Existing law requires the State Board of Forestry and Fire Protection to make and enforce regulations necessary and proper for the organization, maintenance, government, and direction of the fire protective system for the prevention and suppression of forest fires. Existing law requires the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, in accordance with a plan approved by the board, to, among other things, organize fire crews and patrols. This bill would require the department to develop and implement a program to predict and respond to wildfire ignition events and to provide for the sharing of information regarding wildfire events and coordination of activities among local, state, and federal agencies in response to wildfires.
Existing law regulates a person who performs certain home inspections for a fee in connection with a transfer of real property. Existing law provides that it is the duty of a home inspector who is not licensed as a general contractor, structural pest control operator, or architect, or registered as a professional engineer to conduct a home inspection with the degree of care that a reasonably prudent home inspector would exercise. Under existing law, contractual provisions that purport to waive this duty, or limit the liability of the home inspector to the cost of the home inspection report, are contrary to public policy and invalid. Existing law prohibits commencement of a legal action for breach of duty arising from a home inspection report more than 4 years from the date of the inspection. Under existing law, certain activities by a home inspector or a company that employs a home inspector constitute unfair business practices. This bill, commencing January 1, 2023, would enact the Home Inspectors License Act, which would revise and recast those provisions, and would make various substantive changes. The bill would establish the Bureau of Home Inspectors in the Department of Consumer Affairs. The bill would also establish the position of Chief of the bureau and would require the chief to administer the licensing program for home inspectors, as provided. The bill would delete the provisions concerning a home inspector's duty of care and unlawful business practices. The bill would authorize the chief to investigate the actions of any applicant for a home inspector license or a home inspector within the state and to administer specified disciplinary actions if the applicant or licensee commits an act or omission constituting cause for disciplinary action, including a willful departure in any material respect, except as provided, from accepted standards of practice and codes of ethics. The bill would require a complaint against a licensee alleging commission of any act or omission that may constitute grounds for legal action to be filed in writing with the chief within 4 years of the alleged act or omission. This bill would establish the Home Inspectors License Fund, and would require all fees, fines, and penalties collected pursuant to these provisions to be deposited into the fund, which the bill would make available for administration of these provisions, upon appropriation by the Legislature. The bill would authorize the bureau to set reasonable fees according to a specified fee schedule. This bill would require the chief to adopt regulations governing the process of applying for a license and any conditions on the maintenance of a license once issued, as provided. The bill would prohibit a person from acting or holding oneself out as a home inspector, by advertisement or otherwise, unless that person is licensed in accordance with the act, except as specified. The bill would make a willful violation of this provision a public offense punishable by imprisonment, by a fine not exceeding $10,000, or by both imprisonment and fine. By creating a new crime, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. This bill would make additional conforming changes. 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.
The California Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006 (act) designates the State Air Resources Board as the state agency charged with monitoring and regulating sources of emissions of greenhouse gases. The state board is required to approve a statewide greenhouse gas emissions limit equivalent to the statewide greenhouse gas emissions level in 1990 to be achieved by 2020 and to ensure that statewide greenhouse gas emissions are reduced to at least 40% below the 1990 level by 2030. The act requires the state board to prepare and approve a scoping plan for achieving the maximum technologically feasible and cost-effective reductions in greenhouse gas emissions and to update the scoping plan at least once every 5 years. The act also authorizes the state board to include in its regulation of emissions of greenhouse gases the use of market-based compliance mechanisms. Existing law requires all moneys, except for fines and penalties, collected by the state board from a market-based compliance mechanism to be deposited in the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund (fund) and to be available upon appropriation by the Legislature. Existing law continuously appropriates 35% of the annual proceeds of the fund for transit, affordable housing, and sustainable communities programs and 25% of the annual proceeds of the fund for certain components of a specified high-speed rail project. This bill would require the state board, in each scoping plan update prepared by the state board after January 1, 2022, to include, consistent with the act, recommendations for achieving the maximum technologically feasible and cost-effective reductions of emissions of greenhouse gases and black carbon from wildfires. The bill would also express the intent of the Legislature to appropriate an amount from the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund for wildfire mitigation and prevention.
The State Fireworks Law requires the State Fire Marshal to adopt regulations relating to fireworks as may be necessary for the protection of life and property, and requires the State Fire Marshal to appoint deputies and employees as may be required to carry out the provisions of that law. Existing law requires the State Fire Marshal to classify all fireworks and pyrotechnic devices and prohibits any fireworks or pyrotechnic devices from being imported, sold, or offered for sale before the fireworks or devices have been examined and classified by the State Fire Marshal. Existing law authorizes the State Fire Marshal to issue licenses related to fireworks and pyrotechnic devices, including a wholesaler's license. Existing law makes it unlawful for a person to violate the State Fireworks Law and the regulations issued pursuant thereto, and to possess a specified amount of dangerous fireworks, punishable by a fine or by imprisonment, as specified. This bill would increase the amount of the fine to be imposed for violating the State Fireworks Law or related regulation, would increase the amount of certain fines for possessing a specified amount of dangerous fireworks, and would specify the fine and imprisonment penalties for a 3rd or subsequent conviction. This bill would also make numerous nonsubstantive changes.
Existing law requires the Director of Alcoholic Beverage Control, upon request from the Legislature, to prepare and submit to the Legislature a report on the department's activities and post the report on the department's internet website. Existing law prescribes certain topics that this report is to address with reference to a previous fiscal year. This bill would recast these provisions to require the report to include information on the amount of funds allocated and spent by the department for licensing, enforcement, and administration in the previous 5 years, number of licenses issued, renewed, denied, suspended, and revoked, by license category in the previous 5 years, and the number, type, and amount of penalties, fines, and other disciplinary actions taken by the department in the previous 5 years.
The Horse Racing Law authorizes a thoroughbred racing association or fair to distribute the audiovisual signal and accept wagers on the results of out-of-state thoroughbred races conducted in the United States during the calendar period the association or fair is conducting a race meeting, including days on which there is no live racing being conducted by the association or fair, without the consent of the organization that represents horsemen and horsewomen participating in the race meeting and without regard to the amount of purses. Under that law, the total number of thoroughbred races imported by associations or fairs on a statewide basis under these provisions are required to not exceed 50 per day on days when live thoroughbred or fair racing is being conducted in the state, with the exception of prescribed races. This bill would exempt from the 50 imported race per day limitation races imported that are part of the race card of the Whitney Stakes.
Existing law establishes in state government the Natural Resources Agency, consisting of various departments, including the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. Existing law provides that the department is responsible for the fire protection, fire prevention, maintenance, and enhancement of the state's forest, range, and brushland resources, contract fire protection, associated emergency services, and assistance in civil disasters and other nonfire emergencies. This bill would require the Natural Resources Agency to provide a basic level of technological support to community organizations for wildfire risk reduction and resiliency, including technology for data, geospatial mapping, and data management, as well as software and limited technical support, and would require the Natural Resources Agency to structure this wildfire technology support in the same way that technology support is provided for similar services for wildfire-program building, outreach, and planning. The bill would provide that the sum of $5,000,000 shall be appropriated from the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund in the annual Budget Act each year through the 2023–24 fiscal year to the Natural Resources Agency for purposes of providing the technological support described above.
Existing law vests in the State Department of Developmental Services jurisdiction over various institutions, including developmental centers, for the provision of care to persons with developmental disabilities. Existing law requires the State Department of Developmental Services to send to the Department of Veterans Affairs, whenever requested, a list of all persons who have been patients for 6 months or more in a state institution within the jurisdiction of the State Department of Developmental Services and who are known to have served in the Armed Forces of the United States. This bill would instead require that list to include all persons known to have served in the Armed Forces and who have been patients for 5 months or more in a state institution within the jurisdiction of the State Department of Developmental Services.