Asm. Catharine B. Baker

This measure would proclaim June 21, 2017, as Asking Saves Kids Day.

This measure would recognize the month of August 2017 as Opportunity Youth Reengagement Month, and state the intent of the Legislature to encourage the expansion of schools authorized to specifically reengage "opportunity youth" 16 to 24 years of age by developing recommendations for a statewide student reengagement strategy and identifying the cost of the strategy compared to the cost of inaction; authorizing systems for accountability to students, parents, and families through transparency, active engagement, and outreach strategies; and highlighting, promoting, and uplifting evidence-based practices for successful student reengagement efforts that maintain multiple measures for evaluation of student success.

This measure would urge the Congress of the United States to support S. 349, the Access to Counsel Act, which would ensure that those persons held or detained while attempting to enter the United States, whether at a border crossing or a port of entry, would be guaranteed access to legal counsel.

This measure would urge the President and the Congress of the United States to continue to place an emphasis on increasing funding to NASA's budget and encouraging the expansive use of public-private partnerships to propel the industry forward into the next generation of advancement.

This measure would recognize adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) , also known as post-traumatic "street" disorder in communities of color, as having lasting negative outcomes to both physical and mental health with growing implications for our state.

Existing law tasks the State Department of Public Health with certain specified duties related to health information and strategic planning, including opioid misuse and overdose prevention. Among other duties, existing law directs the department, upon appropriation by the Legislature, to award naloxone grant funding to local health departments, local government agencies, or other entities, as specified, in order to reduce the rate of fatal overdose from opioid drugs including heroin and prescription opioids. This bill would require the department, in consultation with stakeholders, to develop, coordinate, implement, and oversee a comprehensive multicultural public awareness campaign, to be known as "Heroin and Opioid Public Education (HOPE) ," upon appropriation by the Legislature or receipt of state or federal grant funding, until January 1, 2023. The bill would require the HOPE program to provide for the coordinated and widespread public dissemination of individual case stories and other generalized information that focuses on, among other things, describing the effects and warning signs of heroin use and opioid medication and identifying available pathways for individuals seeking help. The bill would require the HOPE program to effectuate the dissemination of information by using appropriate types of media, as specified, employing a variety of complementary educational themes and messages that are tailored to appeal to different target audiences, and using culturally and linguistically appropriate means. The bill would require the department to submit a report to the Governor and Legislature on at least an annual basis, that summarizes the actions that have been undertaken by the department to implement the bill and includes an assessment of the effectiveness of the HOPE program, as specified.

Existing law establishes the Office of Emergency Services, which is required to, among other things, allocate and award funds to communities developing and providing ongoing citizen involvement and crime resistance programs. This bill would require the office, to the extent funds are available for this purpose and until January 1, 2022, to allocate and award funds to up to 11 district attorney offices that employ a vertical prosecution methodology for the prosecution of human trafficking crimes and that meet other specified criteria, including minimum staffing levels for the program. The bill would require the office, on or before January 1, 2020, to submit to the Legislature and the Governor's office a report that describes the counties that received funding pursuant to this program, the number of prosecutions for human trafficking cases filed by the counties receiving funding, the number of human trafficking convictions obtained by those counties, and the sentences imposed for human trafficking crimes in those counties. The bill would also appropriate $2,600,000 from the General Fund to the office for this program.

Existing law establishes the Labor and Workforce Development Agency and provides that the agency consists of, among other entities, the California Workforce Development Board, the Employment Development Department, and the Employment Training Panel. Existing law establishes within state government a Department of Veterans Affairs and a Department of Food and Agriculture. Existing law provides for a variety of state benefits to veterans, including those relating to educational assistance and farm and home purchases, as specified. This bill would, by July 1, 2018, require the California Labor and Workforce Development Agency, the California Department of Veterans Affairs, and the California Department of Food and Agriculture, in consultation with the United States Department of Agriculture and the United States Farm Service Agency, and other federal agencies as needed, to identify and post specified information to assist veterans in entering farming or ranching careers.

Existing law requires, in all cases in which a criminal defendant has been convicted of a crime involving domestic violence, as defined, or one of specified sex offenses, the court to consider issuing an order, valid for up to 10 years, restraining the defendant from any contact with the victim. Existing law states the intent of the Legislature in enacting that provision that the duration of any restraining order issued by the court be based upon the seriousness of the facts before the court, the probability of future violations, and the safety of the victim and his or her immediate family. Under existing law, a willful and knowing violation of a protective order or stay-away court order, issued under specified conditions, including the above-described provision, constitutes contempt of court, a misdemeanor, punishable by imprisonment in a county jail not exceeding one year, by a fine not exceeding $1,000, or by both the imprisonment and the fine, except as specified. This bill would require the court to consider issuing an order restraining a criminal defendant who has been convicted of a crime involving domestic violence from any contact with a minor who was not a victim of, but who was physically present at the time of, an act of domestic violence. The bill would provide that the minor, under those circumstances, is a witness. The bill would make conforming changes relating to the stated intent of the Legislature. The bill would authorize a no-contact order issued for purposes of a minor witness to include, either at the time of sentencing or on subsequent application upon a showing of good cause at a noticed hearing, as specified, an order authorizing a family or juvenile court to make a subsequent order for safe and appropriate visitation with the defendant's child who is a minor witness. By expanding the scope of a crime, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program. This bill would require an order restraining the defendant from any contact with the victim or a minor witness under the above-described provisions to have precedence in enforcement over a civil court order against the defendant, except for an emergency protective order, as specified. 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.