Existing federal law provides for the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) , known in California as CalFresh, formerly the Food Stamp Program, under which supplemental nutrition assistance benefits allocated to the state by the federal government are distributed to eligible individuals by each county. Existing law requires the State Department of Social Services to establish and maintain a plan, known as the County Administrative Cost Control Plan, whereby costs for county administration of CalFresh are effectively controlled within the amounts annually appropriated for that administration, and whereby standards and performance criteria are established and are required to be adhered to by counties. This bill would require the department, in collaboration with key stakeholders, to establish statewide customer service standards and performance goals with regard to CalFresh, revise the standards and goals to reflect changes in CalFresh performance over time, measure the progress made toward the execution of the standards and goals on an annual basis, and make the standards and goals publicly available for the purpose of informing the Legislature and the public. The bill would also require the department to develop a data management tool that includes specified data, including, but not limited to, data regarding CalFresh applications received through multiple channels. This bill would require data from the data management tool to be made publicly available on an ongoing basis and updated at least on a quarterly basis within 60 days following the end of each quarter, and would require the department to use the data from the tool to measure the progress made towards the standards and goals established pursuant to these provisions. The bill would make related findings and declarations.
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Existing law establishes the Medi-Cal program, administered by the State Department of Health Care Services, under which basic health care services are provided to qualified low-income persons. The Medi-Cal program is, in part, governed and funded by federal Medicaid Program provisions. Existing law requires, except as otherwise provided, Medi-Cal provider payments to be reduced by 1% or 5%, and provider payments for specified non-Medi-Cal programs to be reduced by 1%, for dates of service on and after March 1, 2009, and until June 1, 2011. Existing law requires, except as otherwise provided, Medi-Cal provider payments and payments for specified non-Medi-Cal programs to be reduced by 10% for dates of service on and after June 1, 2011. This bill would, instead, prohibit the application of those reductions for payments to providers for dates of service on or after June 1, 2011. The bill would also require payments for managed care health plans for dates of service following the effective date of the bill to be determined without application of some of those reductions. The bill would require the Director of Health Care Services to implement this provision to the maximum extent permitted by federal law and for the maximum time period for which the director obtains federal approval for federal financial participation for those payments. This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.
Existing law provides for the Medi-Cal program, which is administered by the State Department of Health Care Services, under which qualified low-income individuals receive health care services. The Medi-Cal program is, in part, governed and funded by federal Medicaid Program provisions. Existing law requires, except as otherwise provided, Medi-Cal provider payments to be reduced by 1% or 5%, and provider payments for specified non-Medi-Cal programs to be reduced by 1%, for dates of service on and after March 1, 2009, and until June 1, 2011. Existing law requires, except as otherwise provided, Medi-Cal provider payments and payments for specified non-Medi-Cal programs to be reduced by 10% for dates of service on and after June 1, 2011. This bill would instead require that this payment reduction not apply to skilled nursing facilities that are a distinct part of a general acute care hospital, for dates of service on or after July 1, 2013, subject to necessary federal approvals. This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.
Existing law requires every application for an original or a renewal of a driver's license to contain specified information, including, but not limited to, a brief description of the applicant for the purpose of identification and a legible print of the thumb or finger of the applicant. This bill would additionally require that every application for an original or a renewal of a driver's license also contain a statement requiring the applicant to acknowledge that he or she knows of the dangers of distracted driving, including, but not limited to, manual, visual, and cognitive distractions, as defined. The statement would be required to be incorporated into the application at the first reprinting of the application on or after January 1, 2014, and at each reprinting thereafter.
Existing law defines "bullying" as any severe or pervasive physical or verbal act or conduct, including communications made in writing or by means of an electronic act, as defined, and including one or more acts of sexual harassment, threats, or intimidation, directed against school district personnel or pupils, committed by a pupil or a group of pupils, that would cause a reasonable pupil, as defined, to be in fear of harm to his or her person or property, to experience a substantially detrimental effect on his or her physical or mental health, to experience substantial interference with his or her academic performance, or to experience substantial interference with his or her ability to participate in or benefit from the services, activities, or privileges provided by a school. This bill would enact the Michael Joseph Berry Peer Abuse Prevention and Awareness Act of 2013, pursuant to which the California Bullying Prevention Clearinghouse would be established, to be administered by the State Department of Education. The bill would require the Superintendent of Public Instruction to appoint members to a clearinghouse, California Bullying Prevention Advisory Council which would include individuals who have experience in specified areas, including, among others, hotline telephone services, social media, and behavioral health services. The bill would require the department to maintain the clearinghouse under the guidance of the clearinghouse advisory council, and would, among other things, require that the clearinghouse act as a repository of information on antibullying resources, links, and available services. The bill would require the department to recommend to school districts appropriate guidelines, best practices, and information that school districts may disseminate to pupils and their families about the existence, goals, and objectives of the California Bullying Prevention Clearinghouse, as specified. The bill would provide that its operation in any fiscal year is contingent upon the certification by the Superintendent that sufficient funding is available for the implementation of this bill in that fiscal year, and would prohibit the use of General Fund moneys to implement the bill.
The Sales and Use Tax Law exempts from the taxes imposed by that law the sales of food products, nonalcoholic beverages, and other tangible personal property made or produced by an organization, as defined, but only if sold on an irregular or intermittent basis and the organization's profits from the sales are used exclusively in furtherance of the purposes of the organization. The Corporation Tax Law, in modified conformity with federal income tax laws, exempts the income of various types of organizations from taxes imposed by that law. This bill would revise the Sales and Use Tax Law exemption for those organizations, as provided. This bill would also provide, for taxable years beginning on or after January 1, 2014, that an organization that is a public charity youth organization that discriminates on the basis of gender identity, race, sexual orientation, nationality, religion, or religious affiliation is not exempt from the taxes imposed by that law. This bill would include a change in state statute that would result in a taxpayer paying a higher tax 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.
Existing law provides that a child may come within the jurisdiction of the juvenile court and become a dependent child of the court in certain cases, including when the child has suffered, or is at substantial risk of suffering, serious physical harm or illness as a result of the willful or negligent failure of the parent or guardian to provide the child with adequate food, clothing, shelter, or medical treatment. Existing law prohibits the court, however, from finding that a child is within the jurisdiction of the juvenile court solely due to the lack of an emergency shelter for the family. This bill would provide that a child residing in a runaway and homeless youth shelter may be found to be within the jurisdiction of the juvenile court, if that finding is supported by other evidence of abuse or neglect. Existing law requires a social worker who has cause to believe that a child has been abused or neglected to immediately conduct an investigation to determine whether child welfare services should be offered to the family and whether proceedings in the juvenile court should be commenced. As part of that investigation, existing law requires the social worker to interview the child if he or she is 4 years of age or older and is in a foster home, juvenile hall, or other custodial facility. This bill would additionally require the social worker to interview a child who is in a runaway and homeless youth shelter or community care facility as part of that investigation. The bill would also require a social worker who employs team decisionmaking or a similar process to determine whether to commence juvenile court proceedings in a case involving a child who is 12 years of age or older, to include the child in the process, as well as individuals the child identifies as important to him or her. Existing law also requires the social worker, if a person has applied to the social worker to commence proceedings in the juvenile court, to either file a petition in the juvenile court or decide not to proceed further, as specified, within 3 weeks after the application is made. Under existing law, if the social worker fails to file a petition within 3 weeks, the person making the application may apply to the juvenile court to review the social worker's decision. This bill would require the juvenile court to either affirm the decision of the social worker or order him or her to commence juvenile court proceedings within 5 judicial days. By imposing these additional duties on county social workers, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program. Existing law provides for a system of child welfare services administered by each county, with oversight by the State Department of Social Services. This bill would require the department, in consultation with various entities, to establish a working group to make policy and practice recommendations to the Legislature to ensure that homeless, unaccompanied minors have timely, reliable access to appropriate placements and services through the state's child welfare system. The bill would require the working group to meet no later than April 1, 2015, and to report its recommendations to the Legislature on or before January 1, 2016. Existing law creates the Aid to Families with Dependent Children-Foster Care program, under which a combination of state, county, and federal funds, including funds provided under Title IV-E of the federal Social Security Act, are used to provide reimbursement to families and facilities providing foster care to eligible children. Existing law establishes the Federal Title IV-E waiver capped allocation demonstration project, which authorizes the State Department of Social Services to conduct a specified foster care demonstration project in up to 20 counties, to allow flexible use of federal and state foster care funds, as specified, based on the terms and conditions of the federal Title IV-E waiver. Existing law establishes homeless youth emergency service pilot projects in the Counties of Los Angeles, Santa Clara, and San Diego, and the City and County of San Francisco. Existing law declares that the purpose of these projects is to examine the condition of homeless youth in major urban areas of this state, and to develop a profile of homeless youth in terms of background and available services, in order to locate these youth, to provide for their emergency survival needs, and to assist them in reunification with their parents or in finding a suitable home. This bill would authorize one or more counties that participate in the Federal Title IV-E waiver capped allocation demonstration project to establish a pilot program, with the approval of the State Department of Social Services, to develop and implement alternative child welfare services to meet the individual needs of homeless youth in order to reduce homelessness among children, and would require each pilot program to conclude no later than July 1, 2019, and would repeal these provisions on January 1, 2020. The bill would authorize each participating county to provide long-term intensive support services to meet the needs of homeless youth, including, among other things, temporary placement in a licensed homeless youth shelter or other age-appropriate placement for 45 days with an extension of 15 days per approval of the county child welfare agency. This bill would require the county child welfare agency, upon temporary placement of a homeless youth into a homeless youth shelter, to provide case management services, to identify appropriate long-term housing placement opportunities and wraparound services for the youth, including placement in a certified transitional housing plus program, and to make a recommendation as to whether the youth should continue to receive long-term intensive support services through the pilot program or whether a petition should be filed to adjudicate the youth to be a dependent child of the court. This bill would require the State Department of Social Services to, among other things, conduct an evaluation of the pilot program to determine the effectiveness of the program, and would require the department to submit to the Legislature, no later than January 1, 2019, the results of its evaluation of the program, together with its recommendation as to whether the program should be continued. 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 request the Congress of the United States to, among other things, act immediately to avert federal spending cuts known as "sequestration" to protect the California and national economies.
The California Constitution authorizes any person who is a United States citizen at least 18 years of age and a resident of the state to vote. This measure, in addition, would authorize a United States citizen who is 17 years of age, is a resident of the state, and will be at least 18 years of age at the time of the next general election to register to vote and to vote in that general election and in any intervening primary or special election that occurs after the person registers to vote.
This measure would designate Monday, May 5, 2014, as California Peace Officers' Memorial Day, urge all Californians to use that day to honor California peace officers, and recognize specified California peace officers who were killed in defense of their communities.