Asm. Mia Bonta

Existing law, the Knox-Keene Health Care Service Plan Act of 1975, provides for the licensure and regulation of health care service plans by the Department of Managed Health Care, and makes a willful violation of the act a crime. Existing law provides for the regulation of disability insurers, including health insurers, by the Department of Insurance. Existing law requires a health care service plan contract and disability insurance policy that provides coverage for hospital, medical, or surgical expenses and is issued, amended, delivered, or renewed on and after July 1, 2000, to provide coverage for the testing and treatment of phenylketonuria, including coverage for the formulas and special food products that are part of a prescribed diet, as specified. This bill would require a health care service plan contract and disability insurance policy that provides coverage for hospital, medical, or surgical expenses and is issued, amended, delivered, or renewed on and after July 1, 2024, to provide coverage for formulas, as defined, for the treatment of other chronic digestive diseases and inherited metabolic disorders, as specified. The bill would specify that these provisions do not apply to Medi-Cal managed care plans to the extent that the services are excluded from coverage under the contract between the Medi-Cal managed care plan and the State Department of Health Care Services. Because a violation of the bill's requirements by a health care service plan 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, the Floating Home Residency Law, prescribes various terms and conditions on tenancies in floating home marinas, as defined. Existing law prohibits management of a floating home marina located in the Counties of Alameda, Contra Costa, or Marin from increasing the gross rental rate for a tenancy for a floating home berth in a floating home marina more than 3% plus the percentage change in the cost of living, or 5%, whichever is lower, of the lowest gross rental rate charged for a tenancy at any time during the 12 months prior to the effective date of the increase. This bill would require the management of a floating home marina located in the Counties of Alameda, Contra Costa, or Marin to make publicly available their financial statements, 5-year financial projections, and 10-year financial projections from the prior calendar year by March 31 of each calendar year.

The Control, Regulate and Tax Adult Use of Marijuana Act (AUMA) , an initiative measure, authorizes a person who obtains a state license under AUMA to engage in commercial adult-use cannabis activity pursuant to that license and applicable local ordinances. The Medicinal and Adult-Use Cannabis Regulation and Safety Act (MAUCRSA) , among other things, consolidates the licensure and regulation of commercial medicinal and adult-use cannabis activities, and requires the Department of Cannabis Control to administer its provisions. MAUCRSA requires an applicant for a state license to provide certain information regarding the proposed premises where the license privileges will be exercised, as specified, and prohibits a licensee from materially or substantially altering the premises, or the use of the premises, unless approved by the department, as specified. The California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) requires a lead agency, as defined, to prepare, or cause to be prepared, and certify the completion of, an environmental impact report on a project that it proposes to carry out or approve that may have a significant effect on the environment or to adopt a negative declaration if it finds that the project will not have that effect. CEQA makes various statutory exemptions from its requirements and requires the Office of Planning and Research to prepare and develop, and the Secretary of the Natural Resources Agency to certify and adopt, CEQA implementation guidelines that include, among other things, a list of categorical exemptions. This bill would provide that CEQA does not apply to specified actions taken by the department or a local jurisdiction that authorize commercial cannabis activity consisting of retail, distribution, manufacture, or laboratory testing, if specified conditions related to the premises are met.

Existing law establishes within state government the Transportation Agency, which consists of the Department of the California Highway Patrol, the California Transportation Commission, the Department of Motor Vehicles, the Department of Transportation, the High-Speed Rail Authority, and the Board of Pilot Commissioners for the Bays of San Francisco, San Pablo, and Suisun. The agency is under the supervision of the Secretary of Transportation, who has the power of general supervision over each department within the agency. The secretary, among other duties, is charged with developing and reporting to the Governor on legislative, budgetary, and administrative programs to accomplish coordinated planning and policy formulation in matters of public interest, including transportation projects. This bill would require the agency, the Department of Transportation, and the California Transportation Commission, on or before July 1, 2025, to jointly develop and adopt criteria and an evaluation process for purposes of jointly evaluating each agency, Department of Transportation, or California Transportation Commission project, as defined, to, among other things, determine if the project would be located in a priority population, address an important need of a priority population, and provide a direct, meaningful, and assured benefit to a priority population, as specified. The bill would require the agency, the Department of Transportation, and the California Transportation Commission, on and after July 1, 2025, to jointly evaluate all new proposed projects by the criteria, and, on or before July 1, 2026, and annually thereafter, to jointly submit a report to the Legislature that evaluates how projects funded during the prior year impacted priority populations, as specified. The bill would require the agency, the California Transportation Commission, and the Department of Transportation, on or before July 1, 2026, and triennially thereafter, to jointly establish a percentage, of at least 60%, of moneys allocated for agency, Department of Transportation, or California Transportation Commission projects, excluding administrative costs, to be allocated for projects that are located in priority populations, address an important need of priority populations, and provide at least 5 direct, meaningful, and assured benefits, or additional cobenefits, to priority populations, and would require those entities to allocate moneys consistent with that established percentage.

Existing law generally authorizes the general manager of a park or open-space district, with district board approval, to bind the district, in accordance with board policy, and without advertising, for the payment for supplies, materials, labor, or other valuable consideration for any purpose in amounts not exceeding $50,000. Existing law authorizes the district, by action of the board in an open meeting, to increase the amount by which the general manager of the district may bind the district above that limit. This bill would increase the amount by which the general manager of a district with a population of 200,000 or more may bind the district to not exceeding $200,000, as provided. The bill would authorize a park or open-space district with a population of 200,000 or more, by action of the board in an open meeting, to increase the amount by which the general manager of the district may bind the district above that limit, as specified.

Existing law vests the Public Utilities Commission with regulatory authority over public utilities, including electrical corporations and gas corporations. Existing law requires the commission to require every residential unit in an apartment house or similar multiunit residential structure, condominium, or mobilehome park issued a building permit on or after July 1, 1982, with certain exceptions, to be individually metered for electrical and gas service. This bill would additionally except from that requirement an accessory dwelling unit, as defined, if the owner of the property on which the accessory dwelling unit is located elects to have the accessory dwelling unit's electrical and gas services metered through existing or upgraded utility meters located on that property. The bill would require an electrical corporation and gas corporation, if an owner of such a property elects to have the accessory dwelling unit's electrical and gas services metered through utility meters located on that property, to allow the property owner to do so. Under existing law, a violation of the Public Utilities Act or any order, decision, rule, direction, demand, or requirement of the commission is a crime. Because the above provisions would be part of the act and a violation of a commission action implementing this bill's requirements 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 regulates the provision of programs and services relating to mental health and requires the creation of community programs to increase access to, and quality of, community-based mental health services. Existing law requires any program permitting mental health professions to respond to emergency mental health crisis calls in collaboration with law enforcement to ensure the program is supervised by a licensed mental health professional, including, among others, a licensed clinical social worker, except as specified. This bill would require the Department of Health Care Access and Information to establish a mentorship program that will connect students enrolled in behavioral health programs with community-based organizations, as specified. The bill would require the department to coordinate a cost-of-living stipend that a student mentee may use for specific expenses. The bill would authorize a community-based organization to apply for the stipend and would require the community-based organization to distribute the stipend to its student mentees distinct from wages earned for work performed. This bill would require the department to offer an increased stipend to encourage bilingual students to participate in the program. This bill would require an eligible student to enter into an agreement with a community-based organization to complete the mentorship program concurrent with their education and to work for the community-based organization after graduation, as specified. The bill would require a community-based organization to, among other things, formally mentor each student mentee and offer each student mentee permanent employment upon successful completion of their educational program.

Existing law requires the court to exercise reasonable control over the mode of interrogation of a witness for purposes of efficiency and effectiveness, and to protect a witness from undue harassment or embarrassment. Existing law requires the court to take special care, as specified, with a witness under 14 years of age or a dependent person with a substantial cognitive impairment. This bill would make a technical, nonsubstantive change to that provision.