Existing law requires the Public Utilities Commission to establish a program of assistance to low-income electric and gas customers, which is referred to as the California Alternate Rates for Energy (CARE) program. Existing law establishes the Low-Income Oversight Board, composed of 11 members, for the purpose of advising the commission on low-income electric, gas, and water customer issues and serving as a liaison for the commission to low-income ratepayers and representatives. The board is required, to the extent possible, to monitor and evaluate all proceedings before the commission that impact low-income electricity, gas, and water customers. Existing law requires the commission, with the assistance of the board, to conduct periodically an assessment of the needs of low-income electricity and gas ratepayers. The board is authorized to establish a technical advisory committee and to request utility representatives and the staff of the commission to assist the technical advisory committee. This bill would require the president of the commission to appear annually before the appropriate policy committees of the Senate and Assembly to report on the status of low-income programs, and to the extent possible, the results of each assessment. The board would be required to review and make recommendations to the commission regarding the proposed budgets for programs provided to low-income electricity, gas, and water customers. The bill would delete that requirement that the board monitor and evaluate certain proceedings. The bill would delete the authority of the board to establish a technical advisory committee but would require the board to establish an advisory committee to assist the board. The bill would also expand the membership of the board to include a member selected by the State Air Resources Board.
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This measure would commend the Girl Scouts for 98 years of service and for inspiring millions of girls with the highest ideals of confidence, courage, and character.
(1) The Planning and Zoning Law establishes the Planning Advisory and Assistance Council in the Office of Planning and Research, and prescribes the membership and duties of the council. This bill would modify the membership of the council, establish new processes for selecting specified members of the council, and prescribe new duties of the council relating to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. (2) The Planning and Zoning Law also requires certain transportation planning activities by regional transportation planning agencies designated by the Director of Transportation, including the development of a regional transportation plan. That law requires the regional transportation plan to include, among other items, a sustainable communities strategy, to be prepared as specified. This bill would authorize a metropolitan planning organization, a council of governments, or a county transportation commission, and a subregional council of governments jointly preparing a subregional sustainable communities strategy, singularly titled an "authority" and collectively titled the "authorities," to levy a mitigation fee of up to $4 upon the registration or renewal of registration of any motor vehicle registered in a county or city and county within the jurisdiction of the authority, upon receiving voter approval to implement and impose the fee from a majority of the aggregate voters in all counties and cities and counties within the jurisdiction of the authority. Notwithstanding this authorization, the bill would prohibit a council of governments within the Association of Bay Area Governments that only represents a portion of the region from levying the fee. The bill would require an authority seeking to implement and impose the fee to adopt a measure containing specified findings of fact, and, upon the authority's adoption of the measure and its written request to the counties and cities and counties within its jurisdiction, the board of supervisors of each of those counties and cities and counties to submit to the voters, at a local election consolidated with a statewide primary or general election specified by the authority, the measure adopted by the authority. The bill would authorize the authority, upon the approval of the measure by an aggregate majority of the voters of all counties and cities and counties within its jurisdiction, to implement and impose the fee. The bill would also authorize the authority, if the measure is not approved, to reuse this procedure to seek voter approval of the fee. The bill would require the authority to reimburse each county and city and county within its jurisdiction for the cost of submitting the measure to the voters, from the fee revenues it receives if the measure is approved, and from funds available through the Mills-Alquist-Deddeh Act if the measure is not approved. The bill would require, if the authority's measure is adopted by a majority of the aggregate voters in all counties and cities and counties within the authority's jurisdiction, the Department of Motor Vehicles to collect and administer the fee, as specified, and the authority to deposit all fee revenues it receives from the department in the Regional Blueprint Plan Implementation Fund, to be created and administered by the authority. The bill would require the net revenues of the fee received by the authority to be used to identify land use strategies, reduce the use of motor vehicles within its jurisdiction, and to carry out specified transportation-related activities, for the purpose of achieving a specified greenhouse gas emission reduction target. The bill would require, if the fee exceeds $2, all revenue derived from the amount of the fee in excess of $2 to be made available by the authority in the form of grants to specified entities within its jurisdiction, as specified. The bill would require the grants to only be made after a finding by the authority that the funds will be used exclusively for planning and projects relating to the implementation of a sustainable communities strategy or a regional blueprint plan. The bill would authorize the authority to divide the fee revenues it receives with the local air quality management district that has responsibility over all or part of the same geographic area, pursuant to an agreement with that district, and would require the district to use all fee revenues it receives to assist local and regional governments in reducing greenhouse gas emissions. (3) Existing law requires the Department of Motor Vehicles, if requested by a county air pollution control district, air quality management district, or unified or regional air pollution control district, to collect specified fees upon the registration or renewal of registration of any motor vehicle in the district, except those vehicles which are expressly exempt from the payment of registration fees. Existing law requires the department, after deducting its costs, to distribute the revenues of the fees to the appropriate district. This bill would additionally require the department, if requested by an authority, to collect the authority's mitigation fee upon the registration or renewal of registration of any motor vehicle registered within the jurisdiction of the authority, and, after deducting its costs as specified, to distribute the revenues of the mitigation fee to the appropriate authority. Upon the adoption of the fee in counties of which the aggregate population constitutes at least 50% of the population of the state, the department would be required to deposit 1% of the net fee revenues into the Planning Advisory and Assistance Council Fund, which this bill would create within the State Treasury. After making that deposit, the bill would require the department to distribute the remaining fee revenue to the appropriate authority. The bill would require the Controller, upon appropriation by the Legislature, to make the moneys within the fund available to the Planning Advisory and Assistance Council for the performance of specified functions. (4) This bill would incorporate additional changes in Section 65040.6 of the Government Code made by AB 2754 that would become operative if both bills are enacted and this bill becomes enacted after AB 2754.
This measure would recognize the week of April 18, 2010, through April 24, 2010, as Crime Victims' Rights Week.
Existing law provides for the Medi-Cal program, administered by the State Department of Health Care Services, under which health care services are provided to qualified low-income recipients. Existing law also creates the Healthy Families Program, administered by the Managed Risk Medical Insurance Board (MRMIB) , to arrange for the provision of health care services to children less than 19 years of age who meet certain eligibility requirements. Existing law, the County Health Initiative Matching Fund, establishes a fund that is administered by MRMIB in collaboration with the department to accept intergovernmental transfers to be used to increase the state's ability to use federal funds for programs to improve and expand access to health care. Under existing law, a county, a county agency, a local initiative, or a county organized health system that will provide an intergovernmental transfer may apply to MRMIB for funding to provide health care coverage to eligible children whose family income is at or below 300% of the federal poverty level or eligible adults whose family income does not exceed 200% of the federal poverty level. Existing law requires that persons receiving this coverage be ineligible for the Healthy Families Program and no share of cost Medi-Cal coverage. This bill would allow persons who are eligible for but unable to enroll in the Healthy Families Program as a result of enrollment policies initiated by MRMIB due to insufficient funding to receive this coverage and would also allow a county, a county agency, a local initiative, or a county organized health system that will provide an intergovernmental transfer to apply to MRMIB for funding to provide health care coverage to eligible children whose family income is at or below 400% of the federal poverty level. The bill would specify that implementation of these provisions is conditioned on MRMIB obtaining necessary federal approval thereof.
Existing law establishes the California Community Colleges under the administration of the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges. Existing law authorizes the establishment of community college districts under the administration of community college governing boards, and authorizes these districts to provide instruction at community college campuses throughout the state. Existing law requires that a person employed to teach adult or community college classes for not more than 67% of the hours per week considered a full-time assignment for regular employees having comparable duties, excluding substitute service, be classified as a temporary employee. This bill would require a community college district to place the name of a temporary employee employed under those provisions, who meets specified requirements, on a reemployment preference list and determine designated areas of faculty assignments, or other locally bargained determinations of service or discipline areas associated with faculty assignments. The bill would provide a temporary employee on that list with specified rights of first refusal to a teaching assignment in his or her designated area of faculty assignment, or another locally bargained determination of service or discipline area.
Existing law requires that the determination of the employer-employee relationship be made pursuant to common-law principles, with specified exceptions. Existing law provides that when an individual or entity contracts to supply an employee to perform services for a customer or client and is a leasing employer or a temporary services employer, as defined, the individual or entity is the employer of the employee who performs the services. This bill would, on and after January 1, 2012, for purposes of all unemployment insurance laws of this state, provide that a professional employer organization, as defined, shall be deemed to be an employing unit for covered employees under a professional employer agreement, as defined. This bill would require the Employment Development Department to administer the provisions of the bill, as specified. This bill would impose various requirements on professional services organizations and clients, and would also provide for an assessment, fines, and disciplinary actions.
This measure would proclaim the month of May to be Women Veterans Recognition Month.
Existing law requires the State Department of Public Health to provide breast cancer and cervical cancer screening services to eligible low-income individuals under a federal grant made under the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention breast and cervical cancer early detection program. Funding for these services is provided by a combination of federal and state moneys. Existing law requires these services to be provided at the level of funding budgeted from state and other resources during the fiscal year in which the Legislature has appropriated funds to the department for this purpose. This bill would, insofar as consistent with federal law and without jeopardizing federal funding, require the department to provide breast cancer screening and diagnostic services to individuals of any age who are exhibiting symptoms, with a physician's recommendation, and individuals 40 years of age or older, provided the individual otherwise meets the state eligibility requirements. This bill would appropriate an unspecified amount to the department for the breast and cervical cancer early detection program.
Existing law provides for the licensure and regulation of accountants by the California Board of Accountancy, which is established in the Department of Consumer Affairs. Existing law authorizes the board to take disciplinary action against certified public accountants and public accountants, accountancy partnerships, and accountancy corporations on specified grounds. This bill would require the board to post on its Internet Web site, for at least 10 years, the text of decisions issued by the board imposing discipline on those accountants, partnerships, and corporations.