Existing law provides for the Food Stamp Program, under which food stamps allocated to the state by the federal government are distributed to eligible individuals by each county. Existing law provides that a person convicted of a drug-related felony, with certain exceptions, is eligible for aid under the Food Stamp Program, if specified drug treatment conditions are met. This bill would remove the limitation that excepts certain drug-related felonies from these provisions. The bill would authorize the State Department of Social Services to implement its provisions through an all-county letter or similar instructions from the director. By changing the eligibility standards under the Food Stamp Program, this bill would increase the responsibilities of counties in the administration of the program, thereby imposing 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, if the Commission on State Mandates determines that the bill contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement for those costs shall be made pursuant to these statutory provisions.
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(1) Existing law gives public school employee organizations the right to represent their members in their employment relations with public school employers, and limits the scope of representation to matters relating to wages, hours of employment, and other terms and conditions of employment, as defined. Existing law provides that subjects other than those specified may not be included as part of collective bargaining. This bill would require public school employers to give reasonable written notice to the exclusive representative of classified personnel of a public school employer's intent to make any change to matters within the scope of representation, including, but not necessarily limited to, start time. The bill would also require public school employers to provide a recognized employee organization with the opportunity to meet and negotiate with the public school employer. The bill would require, in cases of emergency when the public school employer determines that a rule, policy, or procedure must be adopted immediately, that the public school employer give this notice and opportunity to meet and negotiate at the earliest practicable time following the adoption of the rule, policy, or procedure. This bill would also make various nonsubstantive technical and conforming changes. Because the bill would impose new duties on public school employers, it would constitute a state-mandated local program. (2) 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, if the Commission on State Mandates determines that the bill contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement for those costs shall be made pursuant to these statutory provisions.
This measure would proclaim the month of May to be Women Veterans Recognition Month.
Existing law authorizes a school district to receive an emergency apportionment subject to specified conditions, and requires the school district to repay, within 20 years, an emergency apportionment from the General Fund that was designed to provide an advance of apportionments owed to the district from the State School Fund. This bill would change the repayment period for the Oakland Unified School District to 30 years. This bill would make legislative findings and declarations as to the necessity of a special statute for the Oakland Unified School District.
Existing law imposes various taxes, including taxes on the privilege of engaging in certain activities. The Fee Collection Procedures Law, the violation of which is a crime, provides procedures for the collection of certain fees and surcharges. This bill would impose a tax on and after January 1, 2010, upon any producer for the privilege of severing oil from the earth or water in this state for sale, transport, consumption, storage, profit, or use, as provided, at the rate of 10% of the gross value of each barrel of oil severed. The tax would be administered by the State Board of Equalization and would be collected pursuant to the procedures set forth in the Fee Collection Procedures Law. The bill would require the board to deposit all revenues, less refunds, collected pursuant to these provisions into the General Fund. Because this bill would expand the scope of the Fee Collection Procedures Law, the violation of which is a crime, it 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. This bill would result in a change in state taxes for the purpose of increasing state revenues within the meaning of Section 3 of Article XIIIA of the California Constitution, and thus would require for passage the approval of 23 of the membership of each house of the Legislature. This bill would take effect immediately as a tax levy.
(1) Existing law requires the Superintendent of Public Instruction to assume all the rights, duties, and powers of the governing board of the Oakland Unified School District and to appoint an administrator to act on behalf of the Superintendent in exercising the authority of the Superintendent over the school district. The authority of the Superintendent and the administrator over the school district is required to continue until certain enumerated conditions are met, including the completion of an improvement plan for the district. Existing law requires the County Office Fiscal Crisis and Management Assistance Team (FCMAT) to prepare the improvement plan for the school district, as provided, by July 1, 2003, and requires FCMAT to report on the implementation of the plan, as specified. This bill would require the Superintendent to return the authority for each operational area for which the most recent annual progress report prepared and submitted by FCMAT recommends the authority be returned to the governing board by July 1 of each year. The bill would provide that, if FCMAT recommends in its most recent progress report that authority over any operational area or areas be within the authority of the state administrator, the Superintendent would be authorized, in his or her sole discretion, to require that authority for the operational area or areas be returned to, or retained by, the state administrator. (2) Existing law requires the governing board of the Oakland Unified School District to serve without compensation as an advisory body during the period that the Superintendent is exercising authority over the district. This bill would entitle the members of the governing board to receive full compensation for services, once authority for one or more operational areas is returned to the governing board, that they would have received prior to the transfer of authority to operate the district to the Superintendent. (3) This bill would declare that due to the unique circumstances regarding governance of the school district, a general statute cannot be made applicable.
The Personal Income Tax Law and the Corporation Tax Law authorize various credits against the taxes imposed by those laws, including a credit for taxable years beginning on or after January 1, 2009, in the amount of $3,000 for each full-time employee hired by a qualified employer. Those laws define "qualified employer" as a taxpayer that employed 20 or fewer employees as of the last day of the preceding taxable year. This bill would, under both laws, for taxable years beginning on or after January 1, 2011, authorize a credit in the amount of $5,000 for each full-time employee who is either an ex-offender, or a person who has been unemployed for 12 or more consecutive months, as specified. This bill would take effect immediately as a tax levy.
Existing law does not provide a system of universal health care coverage for California residents. Existing law provides for the creation of various programs to provide health care services to persons who have limited incomes and meet various eligibility requirements. These programs include the Healthy Families Program administered by the Managed Risk Medical Insurance Board, and the Medi‑Cal program administered by the State Department of Health Care Services. Existing law provides for the regulation of health care service plans by the Department of Managed Health Care and health insurers by the Department of Insurance. This bill would establish the California Healthcare System to be administered by the newly created California Healthcare Agency under the control of a Healthcare Commissioner appointed by the Governor and subject to confirmation by the Senate. The bill would make all California residents eligible for specified health care benefits under the California Healthcare System, which would, on a single-payer basis, negotiate for or set fees for health care services provided through the system and pay claims for those services. The bill would provide that a resident of the state with a household income, as specified, at or below 200% of the federal poverty level would be eligible for the type of benefits provided under the Medi-Cal program. The bill would require the commissioner to seek all necessary waivers, exemptions, agreements, or legislation to allow various existing federal, state, and local health care payments to be paid to the California Healthcare System, which would then assume responsibility for all benefits and services previously paid for with those funds. The bill would create the Healthcare Policy Board to establish policy on medical issues and various other matters relating to the system. The bill would create the Office of Patient Advocacy within the agency to represent the interests of health care consumers relative to the system. The bill would create within the agency the Office of Health Planning to plan for the health care needs of the population, and the Office of Health Care Quality, headed by a chief medical officer, to support the delivery of high quality care and promote provider and patient satisfaction. The bill would create the Office of Inspector General for the California Healthcare System within the Attorney General's office, which would have various oversight powers. The bill would prohibit health care service plan contracts or health insurance policies from being issued for services covered by the California Healthcare System. The bill would create the Healthcare Fund and the Payments Board to administer the finances of the California Healthcare System. The bill would create the California Healthcare Premium Commission (Premium Commission) to determine the cost of the California Healthcare System and to develop a premium structure for the system that complies with specified standards. The bill would require the Premium Commission to recommend a premium structure to the Governor and the Legislature on or before January 1, 2013, and to make a draft recommendation to the Governor, the Legislature, and the public 90 days before submitting its final premium structure recommendation. The bill would specify that only its provisions relating to the Premium Commission would become operative on January 1, 2011, with its remaining provisions becoming operative on the date the Secretary of California Health and Human Services notifies the Legislature, as specified, that sufficient funding exists to implement the California Healthcare System. The bill would require that system to be operative within 2 years of that date and would provide for various transition processes for that period. The bill would extend the application of certain insurance fraud laws to providers of services and products under the system, thereby imposing a state-mandated local program by revising the definition of a crime. The bill would enact other related provisions relative to budgeting, regional entities, federal preemption, subrogation, collective bargaining agreements, compensation of health care providers, conflict of interest, patient grievances, independent medical review, and associated matters. 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 sets forth the powers and duties of the Division of Juvenile Facilities in the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation with respect to wards in its custody, including, but not limited to, the return of persons to the court of commitment for redisposition by the court, determination of offense category, and setting of parole consideration dates. Existing law requires the department to promulgate policies and regulations implementing a departmentwide system of graduated sanctions for addressing ward disciplinary matters, including extending a ward's parole consideration date, subject to appeal, from one to not more than 12 months, for a sustained serious misconduct violation, as specified. The department is also authorized to promulgate regulations to establish a process for granting wards who have successfully responded to disciplinary sanctions a reduction of up to 50% of any time acquired for disciplinary matters. This bill would prohibit the department from extending a ward's parole consideration date, and would require the department to promulgate regulations to establish a process for granting a ward whose parole consideration hearing date was delayed due to disciplinary sanctions prior to January 1, 2011, a reduction of up to 100% of any time acquired for disciplinary matters.
This measure would memorialize the Legislature's support of legislation currently pending in the United States Congress that would protect the Pacific Coast from new offshore oil drilling. This measure would also memorialize the Legislature's opposition to the proposed expansion of oil and gas drilling off the Pacific Coast and any federal energy policies and legislation that would weaken California's role in energy siting decisions due to those policies.