Existing law requires the Department of Forestry and Fire Prevention to implement various fire prevention programs intended to protect forest resources and prevent uncontrollable wildfires. The California Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006 requires that all moneys, except for fines and penalties, collected by the State Air Resources Board from the auction or sale of allowances as part of a market-based compliance mechanism to be deposited in the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund and to be available, upon appropriation by the Legislature, for greenhouse gas emissions reduction activities. This bill would provide that an amount not to exceed $200,000,000 from the fund shall be made available to the department, upon appropriation, for specified activities that reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the state caused by uncontrolled forest fires. The bill would authorize the department to use these funds to provide (1) payments to local governmental entities that carry out fire prevention activities; (2) incentives for actions by private parties to reduce the risk or intensity of wildfires or improve the resiliency of lands prone to wildfires; and (3) funding for the creation and implementation of partnerships between the department and the federal government to reduce the risk or intensity of wildfires or improve the resiliency of federal lands prone to wildfires. The bill would require the department to develop an accounting system to demonstrate that each project awarded funding will provide a long-term reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and to prioritize and fund projects based on the extent to which a project will maximize certain cobenefits, as prescribed.
Sponsored bills
The Personal Income Tax Law, in modified conformity with federal income tax laws, allows various exclusions from gross income, and allows various deductions in computing the income that is subject to the taxes imposed by that law, including miscellaneous itemized deductions that are allowed only to the extent that the aggregate amount of those deductions exceeds 2% of adjusted gross income. This bill, upon appropriation of specified funds by the Legislature, on and after January 1, 2017, and before January 1, 2019, would allow a deduction, not to exceed specified amounts, of the amount a qualified taxpayer, as defined, contributed in any taxable year to a homeownership savings account and would exclude from gross income any income earned on the moneys contributed to a homeownership savings account. The bill would provide that a qualified taxpayer may withdraw amounts from a homeownership savings account to pay for qualified homeownership savings expenses defined as expenses paid or incurred in connection with the purchase of a principal residence, which is defined by reference to a federal law and includes a mobilehome. The bill would provide that any amount withdrawn from that account that is not used for these expenses would be included as income for that taxpayer. The bill would define various terms for its purposes. This bill would take effect immediately as a tax levy.
Under existing law, a state agency is authorized to apply to the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) to sponsor a specialized license plate program, and the DMV is required to issue those license plates if the agency meets certain requirements. Existing law also requires the DMV to charge specified fees for certain services related to the issuance of those plates. This bill would require the State Department of Health Care Services to apply to the DMV to sponsor a mental health awareness license plate program, and would require the DMV to issue the license plates if the department meets certain requirements. The bill would also establish the Mental Health Awareness Fund in the State Treasury and would require the revenue generated from the license plates, as specified, to be deposited in the fund for use, upon appropriation by the Legislature to the department, for mental health awareness and education.
Existing law establishes the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund as a special fund in the State Treasury, and requires all moneys, except for fines and penalties, collected by the State Air Resources Board as part of a market-based compliance mechanism to be deposited in the fund and available upon appropriation for purposes relating to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. This bill would provide that up to $20,000,000 shall be available, upon appropriation by the Legislature, from the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund to the Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery for market development payments to glass container manufacturers in an amount of $50 per ton of state-generated cullet, as defined, utilized for manufacturing in the state to achieve greenhouse gas emissions reductions not otherwise required by statute or regulation.
This measure would recognize May 2016 as National Mental Health Awareness Month in California to enhance public awareness of mental illness.
This measure would recognize Nowrūz, the Persian New Year celebration.
This measure would recognize the month of April 2016 as Citrus Strong Month for the purpose of celebrating California's vibrant citrus industry and the benefits it provides to the state's environment, economy, and people, and to affirm that California is citrus strong.
This measure would designate the month of April 2016 as Sexual Assault Awareness Month, and would recognize April 27, 2016, as Denim Day California.