(1) Existing law vests with the Department of Parks and Recreation control of the state park system. Existing law requires the department to achieve any required budget reductions, as defined, by closing, partially closing, and reducing services at selected units of the state park system, based on specified factors. This bill would enact the California State Park Stewardship Act of 2012, which would require the department to develop a prioritized action plan to increase revenues and the collection of user fees at state parks. The bill would require the department to report to the Legislature and the Governor on the prioritized action plan by July 1, 2013. (2) Existing law authorizes the department to enter into an operating agreement with a qualified nonprofit organization for the development, improvement, restoration, care, maintenance, administration, or operation of a unit or units, or portion of a unit, of the state park system, as identified by the Director of Parks and Recreation, as provided. Existing property tax law requires that all property subject to tax be assessed at its full value, and includes certain possessory interests among those property interests subject to tax. The California Constitution exempts certain property from property taxation, including property owned by the state. This bill would provide that a qualified nonprofit corporation that has entered into an agreement with the Department of Parks and Recreation is deemed to be an agent of the state for purposes of property taxation, and that any state-owned property, including possessory interests in that property, used or possessed by the qualified nonprofit organization for the development, improvement, restoration, care, maintenance, administration, or operation of a unit or units, or portion of a unit, of the state park system would be exempt from taxation under the exemption for property owned by the state. (3) Provisions relating to the administration of personal income taxes allow individual taxpayers to contribute amounts in excess of their tax liability for the support of specified funds to be used for specified purposes. This bill would, for each taxable year beginning on or after January 1, 2012, require the Franchise Tax Board to revise the individual taxpayer return form, as specified, to allow a taxpayer to designate an otherwise refundable amount in excess of tax liability to be deposited to the State Parks Protection Fund, which the bill would create. This bill would entitle a taxpayer making a contribution to receive a single state parks day use annual pass from the Department of Parks and Recreation if the price of the pass, as determined by the department, is less than or equal to the amount of the taxpayer's contribution. This bill would require moneys transferred to the State Parks Protection Fund, upon appropriation by the Legislature, to be allocated to the Franchise Tax Board and Controller, as provided, and to the Department of Parks and Recreation to cover the costs of the issuance of the passes to taxpayers, and for purposes related to the protection and preservation of state parks. This bill would also allow a deduction under the Personal Income Tax Law for any contribution amount in excess of the price of the pass received, if any. This bill would repeal these voluntary contribution provisions if contributions made on returns would be less than a specified amount, as provided. (4) Existing law provides that it is a misdemeanor for any officer or employee of the state to disclose certain tax information. This bill would require the Franchise Tax Board to provide necessary information, as provided, to the Department of Parks and Recreation so that individuals who deposited amounts equal to or in excess of the price of a state parks day use annual pass can be contacted. By changing the scope of an existing crime, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program. (5) 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.
Sponsored bills
Existing law, the Collateral Recovery Act, provides for the licensure and regulation of repossession agencies by the Bureau of Security and Investigative Services under the supervision and control of the Director of Consumer Affairs. A violation of the act is a misdemeanor. The act provides that a repossession agency does not include the legal owner of collateral that is subject to a security agreement or a bona fide employee of the legal owner of collateral that is subject to a security agreement. This bill would, until January 1, 2018, add that a repossession agency does not include a dealer regularly engaged in the sale of specified collateral that is subject to a specified security agreement, and that dealer's bona fide employees, provided that specified requirements are met. The bill would also prohibit, until January 1, 2018, the dealer, its bona fide employees, and other specified entities from instructing, coercing, or attempting to coerce another person to violate laws, regulations, and rules regarding the recovery of collateral, as specified. Because a violation of this prohibition would be a crime, 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.
Existing law requires specified information to be provided to patients regarding their health care. Existing federal law requires a written report of the results of each mammography examination and requires a summary of that report to be sent to the patient within a specified time period. This bill, from April 1, 2013, until January 1, 2019, would require, under specified circumstances, a health facility at which a mammography examination is performed to include in the summary of the written report that is sent to the patient a prescribed notice on breast density.
The California Building Standards Law provides for the adoption of building standards by state agencies by requiring all state agencies that adopt or propose adoption of any building standard to submit the building standard to the California Building Standards Commission for approval and adoption. This bill would require the commission, as part of the next triennial building code cycle that begins on or after January 1, 2013, to adopt standards for press boxes that require that the press boxes, as defined, are located on a route that is accessible to persons with disabilities. The bill would exempt from this requirement press boxes that are located and structured according to prescribed specifications.
This measure would recognize September 2012 as Recovery Month in California, in order to raise awareness of the importance of substance use disorders treatment and to help people living with substance use disorders and their families to receive treatment.
This measure would recognize the 45th anniversary of Kwanzaa and proclaim December 26 through January 1 each year as Kwanzaa Week.
This measure would recognize the 25th anniversary of the California Vietnam Veterans Memorial on November 23, 2013, and encourage all Californians to take part in ceremonies, organized by the California State Council of Vietnam Veterans of America along with assistance from the Department of Veterans Affairs and other veterans service organizations. This measure would call upon the state archives to display memorabilia in a special display on the Vietnam War, as provided, the California State Military Museum to prepare and display exhibits on the Vietnam War, as provided, and the Department of Veterans Affairs to add names to the memorial, as provided.
This measure encourages the California Community Colleges, the California State University, and the University of California to consider and adopt the American Council on Education credit recommendations to give veterans due credit for their military experience.
Existing law provides for the licensure of weighmasters who weigh, measure, or count any commodity and issue a statement or memorandum that is used as the basis for either the purchase or sale of that commodity. Existing law requires that a weighmaster issue a signed weighmaster certificate whenever payment for the commodity is dependent on a written or printed weight, measure, or count. Under existing law, the Secretary of Food and Agriculture may adopt rules and regulations that are reasonably necessary for the purpose of carrying out provisions of law related to weighmasters. Existing law requires a weighmaster to pay to the Department of Food and Agriculture various license fees, including a $75 fee if the weighmaster is operating at a fixed location and a $200 fee if the weighmaster is operating at other than a fixed location. This bill would authorize any weighmaster weighing any vehicle moving construction materials, including, but not limited to, earth, stone, rock, sand, gravel, limestone, ready mixed concrete, cementitious materials, recycled construction materials, or asphalt paving materials to use an unattended weighing system to weigh the vehicle and to issue a weighmaster certificate to buyers who opt to utilize the unattended system, as provided. The bill would define an unattended weighing system as an automated system not directly under the supervision of a weighmaster that meets the approval, testing, and sealing requirements specified in existing law. The bill would state that it would not impact existing weighing and ticketing systems. The bill would require a weighmaster for an unattended weighing system to pay, only until January 1, 2020, various license fees, including a $200 fee if the weighmaster is operating at a fixed location and a $300 fee if the weighmaster is operating at other than a fixed location, not to exceed the reasonable regulatory costs to the department of enforcing this provision. On and after January 1, 2020, the fees would be the same as the fees described above for other weighmasters, as specified. The bill would, until January 1, 2020, require a weighmaster for an unattended weighing system to keep the same number of deputy weighmaster licensees as were licensed in the average of the last 2 years proceeding the use of an unattended weighing system.
This measure would commemorate the 225th anniversary of the signing of the United States Constitution on September 17, 2012, and the contributions of historical, educational, and patriotic societies, including, but not limited to, the California Society of the Sons of the American Revolution and the California Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution, in promoting the values embodied in the United States Constitution.