This measure would declare the 3rd week of September 2014, and the 3rd week of September in each subsequent year, as Mitochondrial Disease Awareness Week.
Under existing law, the Department of Food and Agriculture is designated as the lead department in noxious weed management, and requires the department, in cooperation with the Secretary of the Natural Resources Agency, to implement provisions relating to noxious weed management. Existing law creates the Noxious Weed Management Account in the Department of Food and Agriculture Fund, and provides for the allocation of those funds, by percentage, for specified purposes, including control and abatement, research, and to the department for purposes of carrying out those provisions relating to noxious weed management. This bill would revise the percentages of those allocations, and would also revise the purposes for which the percentage of funds allocated for research may be used to include mapping, risk assessment, and prioritization of weeds. The bill would specify that the funds made available for the control and abatement of noxious and invasive weeds shall be made available through a grant program administered by the department, as specified. Existing law, to be eligible for funds from the Noxious Weed Management Account, requires a county agricultural commissioner to submit a cost-sharing integrated weed management plan to implement a control program for noxious weeds, and identifies specified goals that are required to be included in that program, including, among others, protecting the biodiversity of native ecosystems. This bill would also include increasing water supply and flow among the goals that are required to be included in the program. The bill would revise the legislative findings and declarations relating to noxious weed management, and would make other clarifying and nonsubstantive changes.
Under the Personal Income Tax Law, taxpayers are allowed to contribute amounts in excess of their tax liability for the support of the California Fund for Senior Citizens until the year in which the minimum contribution is not received, or January 1, 2020, whichever occurs first. This bill would repeal these provisions and would instead allow a taxpayer, for taxable years beginning on or after January 1, 2014, to designate an amount in excess of tax liability to be deposited to the California Senior Legislature Fund, which the bill would create. This bill would require moneys transferred to the California Senior Legislature Fund, upon appropriation by the Legislature, to be allocated to the Franchise Tax Board and Controller, as provided, and to the California Senior Legislature for the purpose of funding the activities of the California Senior Legislature, as provided. This bill would repeal these voluntary contribution provisions by a specified date or, if contributions made on returns would be less than a specified amount, by an earlier date as provided.
Existing law establishes the Pierce's Disease Control Program in the Department of Food and Agriculture, and the Pierce's Disease Management Account in the Food and Agriculture Fund. Existing law allows money in this account to be expended as specified to combat Pierce's disease and its vectors, including the glassy-winged sharpshooter, and for purposes relating to other designated pests and diseases, as provided. Existing law makes these provisions inoperative on March 1, 2016, and repeals them on January 1, 2017. This bill would extend to March 1, 2021, the date on which the above provisions become inoperative, and would repeal those provisions on January 1, 2022. Existing law creates in the department the Pierce's Disease and Glassy-winged Sharpshooter Board, which consists of specified members, and prescribes the functions and duties of the board with respect to implementation of the Pierce's disease program. Existing law provides for an annual assessment to be paid by grape processors, as defined, into the Food and Agriculture Fund for the purposes of, among other things, research and other activities related to the Pierce's disease program. Existing law repeals these provisions on March 1, 2016. This bill would extend the repeal date of these provisions to March 1, 2021, and would make related conforming changes. Because assessments collected pursuant to these provisions are deposited into the Food and Agriculture Fund, a continuously appropriated fund, by extending the date until which the assessments are collected, the bill would make an appropriation.
This measure would declare August 2014 as Valley Fever Awareness Month.
This measure would state the Legislature's support for the memorandum of understanding for establishing strategic partnerships between California and Israel.
This measure would urge the United States Department of Transportation and other relevant federal entities to (1) safeguard communities and environmentally sensitive areas from rail accidents involving transportation of crude oil by expediting rail safety reforms, (2) prioritize safety considerations over cost-effectiveness in deliberations about improving the transport of crude oil by rail, (3) mandate, at a minimum, the best practices explained in a 2014 safety initiative, as specified and (4) partner with the Canadian Transportation Agency to improve safety of the North American railroad tank car fleet by swiftly adopting a stricter design standard, and by retrofitting or phasing out tank cars that do not meet that standard.
This measure would commend the government of El Salvador on its handling of the recent election and would recognize the efforts of the United Nations, the Organization of American States, and other institutions in assisting with the election in the spirit of the Chapultepec Peace Accords.
This measure would proclaim June 11, 2014, and June 11 of each subsequent year, California LGBT Veterans Day, to be celebrated statewide.
