An existing provision of the California Constitution establishes the Public School System, which includes all kindergarten schools, elementary schools, secondary schools, technical schools, and state colleges, established in accordance with law and, in addition, the school districts and the other agencies authorized to maintain them. The California Constitution also establishes the office of Superintendent of Public Instruction and requires the Superintendent to be elected by the qualified electors of the State at each gubernatorial election. This measure would amend the California Constitution to require that, in all of the public elementary and secondary schools of the state, the social studies curriculum for grades 3, 4, 8, and 11 include significant material on the history and culture of California Native Americans. The measure would also require the Superintendent of Public Instruction to ensure that appropriate instructional materials, including, but not necessarily limited to, suitable textbooks and electronic media, are available to local educational agencies, and to private schools that wish to obtain these instructional materials, for these purposes. The measure would also authorize the Legislature and the Governor to enact statutes to implement this measure.
Sponsored bills
(1) Existing law, the COVID-19 Tenant Relief Act, until July 1, 2025, establishes procedural requirements and limitations on evictions for nonpayment of rent due to COVID-19 rental debt, as defined. Existing law, among other things, prohibits a tenant that delivers a declaration, under penalty of perjury, of COVID-19-related financial distress from being deemed in default with regard to the COVID-19 rental debt, as specified. Existing law makes an ordinance, resolution, regulation, or administrative action adopted by a city, county, or city and county in response to the COVID-19 pandemic to protect tenants from eviction subject to certain restrictions, including that the specified period of time during which a tenant is permitted to repay COVID-19 rental debt may not extend beyond the period that was in effect on August 19, 2020, and a provision may not permit a tenant a period of time that extends beyond August 31, 2021, to repay COVID-19 rental debt. This bill would instead, among other things, prohibit an ordinance, resolution, regulation, or administrative action adopted by a city, county, or city and county from permitting a tenant a period of time that extends beyond August 31, 2022, to repay COVID-19 rental debt. Existing law requires a plaintiff, in an action seeking recovery of COVID-19 rental debt, to attach to the complaint documentation showing that the plaintiff has made a good faith effort to investigate whether governmental rental assistance is available to the tenant, seek governmental rental assistance for the tenant, or cooperate with the tenant's efforts to obtain rental assistance from any governmental entity or other third party, as specified. Existing law requires an action subject to that provision that was pending as of January 29, 2021, to be stayed until July 1, 2021. This bill would instead, among other things, require those actions to be stayed until August 1, 2021. (2) Existing law provides for the payment of unemployment compensation benefits to eligible persons who are unemployed through no fault of their own through a federal-state unemployment insurance program administered by the Employment Development Department. Under existing law, unemployment compensation benefits are paid from the Unemployment Fund, which is continuously appropriated for this purpose. Existing law provides for the payment of temporary federal-state emergency unemployment compensation benefits authorized under specified federal law to eligible individuals in this state for weeks of unemployment beginning on or after February 1, 2009, and continuing until the week ending 4 weeks prior to the last week for which 100% federal sharing is authorized under the federal American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, except as provided, if specified economic indicators trigger the payment of those benefits. Existing law also provides for the payment of temporary federal-state emergency unemployment compensation benefits to eligible individuals in this state for weeks of unemployment beginning on or after March 18, 2020, and continuing until the week ending 4 weeks prior to the last week for which 100% federal sharing is authorized by the federal Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) or for weeks of unemployment ending 4 weeks prior to the last week for which Congress, pursuant to any future amendment of the Federal-State Extended Unemployment Compensation Act of 1970, has authorized 100% federal sharing, except as provided, if specified economic indicators trigger the payment of those benefits. This bill would provide that with respect to weeks of unemployment beginning on or after March 18, 2020, and continuing until the week ending 4 weeks prior to the last week for which 100% federal sharing is authorized by the FFCRA, this period shall be interpreted to retroactively include any subsequent extension of the last week for which 100% federal sharing is authorized under the FFCRA, and shall take effect as if the amendment extending full federal funding was enacted as part of the FFCRA. This bill would provide that, with respect to whether the state is in an extended benefit period beginning on November 1, 2020, through December 31, 2021, as permitted by specified federal law, the requirement that no extended benefit period may begin prior to the 14th week following the end of a prior extended benefit period which was in effect shall not apply. The bill would also state that, when authorized by federal law to temporarily waive the "off" period, the requirement that no extended benefit period may begin prior to the 14th week following the end of a prior extended benefit period shall not apply. Because the bill would provide for the payment of additional amounts from the Unemployment Fund, a continuously appropriated special fund, it would make an appropriation. (3) Existing federal law provides for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) , known in California as CalFresh program, under which supplemental nutrition assistance benefits allocated to the state by the federal government are distributed to eligible individuals by each county. Existing federal law, the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021, prohibits federal pandemic unemployment compensation payment, as described, from being regarded as a resource, as specified, for the purpose of determining eligibility for prescribed programs, including SNAP. Existing federal law provides for allocation of federal funds through the federal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) block grant program to eligible states. Existing law provides for the California Work Opportunity and Responsibility to Kids (CalWORKs) program, under which, through a combination of state and county funds and federal funds received through the TANF program, each county provides cash assistance and other benefits to qualified low-income families. Existing law exempts certain types of payments, including specified amounts of disability-based unearned and earned income, received by recipients of aid under the CalWORKs program from consideration as income for purposes of determining eligibility and aid amount. This bill would additionally exempt any federal pandemic unemployment compensation from consideration as income and resources for purposes of determining initial and continued eligibility and grant amount for the CalWORKs program, and would require this exemption to remain in effect so long as that compensation is exempt as income for purposes of establishing eligibility for the CalFresh program pursuant to the federal Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021 or other law. By expanding the scope of eligibility for the CalWORKs program, and thereby increasing the duties of counties administering that program, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. (4) 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 the statutory provisions noted above. (5) Existing law continuously appropriates moneys from the General Fund to defray a portion of county costs under the CalWORKs program. This bill would provide that the continuous appropriation would not be made for purposes of implementing the bill. (6) This bill would appropriate $5,000,000 from the General Fund to the Franchise Tax Board to be allocated to existing California Earned Income Tax Credit for outreach contracts to provide increased awareness of the Golden State Stimulus, as provided. (7) This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as a bill providing for appropriations related to the Budget Bill.
(1) The Child Care and Development Services Act establishes a system of childcare and development services for children up to 13 years of age. Commencing July 1, 2021, existing law transfers specified childcare programs, responsibilities, services, and systems from the State Department of Education and the Superintendent of Public Instruction to the State Department of Social Services. Existing law provides that the Legislature finds and declares that the federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act (Public Law 116-136) Child Care and Development Block Grant supplemental payment awarded funds to California to address the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on childcare providers and the families they serve, including to prevent, prepare for, and respond to the pandemic emergency, to provide assistance to childcare providers in the case of decreased enrollment or closures, and to provide childcare assistance to essential workers during the response to the pandemic. Existing law provides that it is the intent of the Legislature to allocate funds to restore amounts either directly or through reimbursement for obligations incurred relating to childcare and the pandemic. Existing law requires the Controller to transfer, on July 1, 2020, $152,314,000 from the Federal Trust Fund, and consistent with the federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act Child Care and Development Block Grant supplemental payment requirements, to the General Fund to offset the state costs incurred in the 2019–20 fiscal year. For the 2020–2021 fiscal year, existing law appropriates $198,000,000 from the Federal Trust Fund to the Superintendent of Public Instruction for COVID-19 pandemic-related relief and assistance for childcare providers, the families those childcare providers serve, and essential workers, as prescribed. This bill would instead require $42,014,000 to be transferred on July 1, 2020, and would instead appropriate $308,000,000 for the 2020–2021 fiscal year thereby making an appropriation. Of the funds appropriated for the 2020–2021 fiscal year, the bill would allocate $30,000,000 to the State Department of Education to reimburse contractors for the cost of waived family fees for families not receiving in-person services from September 1, 2020, to June 30, 2021, inclusive, and would allocate $80,000,000 to the State Department of Education to reimburse contractors pursuant to prioritized factors, including to support costs associated with increased childcare service hours for ongoing enrollments due to school closures. (2) Existing law expresses the intent of the Legislature to prepare for the effective use of childcare funds available from the federal government during the COVID-19 pandemic and recovery period in order to support the essential workforce through necessary, high-quality childcare, support healthy child development during this historic time, and ensure the stability of California's childcare system. Contingent on the receipt of federal funds that may be used for these purposes during the 2020–21 fiscal year, existing law requires the State Department of Education to prioritize childcare-related funding, as prescribed, including up to $35,000,000 to support alternative payment programs, including migrant alternative payment programs, to reimburse providers for providing short-term childcare to eligible children when a provider is closed. Existing law authorizes the State Department of Education to transfer specified program expenditure authority between schedules to accurately reflect expenditures in the program schedules, upon the approval of the Department of Finance, and authorizes the Department of Finance, at its discretion, to approve a transfer of program expenditure authority to the extent total allocations do not exceed a specified total amount. Upon approval from the Department of Finance, existing law requires the Superintendent of Public Instruction to notify the chairs of the relevant policy committees and budget subcommittees of the Legislature of the Superintendent of Public Instruction's intent to transfer program expenditure authority between programs. This bill would repeal these provisions, would instead appropriate the sum of $402,000,000 in specified federal funding to provide subsidized childcare and preschool providers with COVID-19 pandemic-related assistance, and would allocate the money, as specified, including allocating $244,000,000 to provide a flat-rate one-time stipend amount of $525 per child enrolled in a subsidized childcare or a state preschool program, as prescribed. Among other allocations, the bill would allocate $80,000,000 to provide additional emergency vouchers for specified children, including the children of essential workers, through June 30, 2022. The bill would make a state-subsidized childcare provider operating or serving alternative payment programs eligible for an additional 16 paid nonoperational days when the provider is closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic emergency. The bill would require specified entities, including alternative payments programs, to track the usage of paid nonoperational days and associated costs due to the COVID-19 pandemic emergency and short-term childcare to eligible children, and to report monthly on usage to the State Department of Education and the State Department of Social Services. The bill would require the State Department of Education to issue guidance related to the additional 16 nonoperational days for COVID-19-related closures to family childcare home education network programs. The bill would make related findings and declarations. (3) Existing law requires the Department of Human Resources to provide to the Joint Legislative Budget Committee any side letter, appendix, or other addendum to a properly ratified memorandum of understanding that requires the expenditure of $250,000 or more related to salary and benefits and that is not already contained in the original memorandum of understanding or the Budget Act. Existing law requires the Joint Legislative Budget Committee, within 30 days after receiving the side letter, appendix, or other addendum, to determine if the addendum presents substantial additions that are not reasonably within the parameters of the original memorandum of understanding and thereby requires legislative action to ratify the addendum. Existing law provisions of the Budget Act of 2020 provide an exception to the above-described provisions and, instead, makes implementation of an addendum that results in any expenditure of funds contingent upon legislative action to ratify the addendum if the agreement results in total net costs greater than $1,000,000 during the 2020–21 fiscal year. Existing law provisions of the Budget Act of 2020 relating to augmentation for employee compensation from the General Fund, unallocated special funds, or unallocated nongovernmental cost funds also make implementation of an addendum that requires those funds contingent upon legislative approval. This bill would approve the addendum to the memorandum of understanding entered into between the state employer and State Bargaining Unit 1, Professional, Administrative, Financial, and Staff Services, State Bargaining Unit 3, Professional Educators and Librarians, State Bargaining Unit 4, Office and Allied, State Bargaining Unit 11, Engineering and Scientific Technicians, State Bargaining Unit 14, Printing and Allied Trades, State Bargaining Unit 15, Allied Services, State Bargaining Unit 17, Registered Nurses, State Bargaining Unit 20, Medical and Social Services, and State Bargaining Unit 21, Educational Consultants and Library, regarding employees that have been assigned to assist with COVID-19 contact tracing, and would appropriate for this purpose $1,793,000 previously appropriated in the Budget Act of 2020 for other purposes related to state employee compensation, as specified. (4) This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as a bill providing for appropriations related to the Budget Bill.
(1) Existing law establishes the Office of Small Business Advocate (CalOSBA) within the Governor's Office of Business and Economic Development, also known as GO-Biz, to advocate for causes of small business and to provide small businesses with the information they need to survive in the marketplace. Existing law prescribes the duties and functions of the Small Business Advocate, who is also the Director of the Office of Small Business Advocate. This bill would establish the California Small Business COVID-19 Relief Grant Program within CalOSBA to assist qualified small businesses affected by COVID-19 through administration of grants. The bill would require CalOSBA to provide grants to qualified small businesses, as defined, in accordance with specified criteria, including geographic distribution based on COVID-19 restrictions, industry sectors most impacted by the pandemic, and underserved small businesses. The bill would repeal these provisions on January 1, 2024. This bill would appropriate $2,075,000,000 from the General Fund to the Golden State Stimulus Emergency Fund to be transferred to the Office of Small Business Advocate for purposes of the program, and would allocate $50,000,000 of those funds for eligible nonprofit cultural institutions, as defined. (2) The Personal Income Tax Law and the Corporation Tax Law, in conformity with federal income tax law, generally define "gross income" as income from whatever source derived, except as specifically excluded, and provide various exclusions from gross income. This bill would exclude, for taxable years beginning on or after January 1, 2020, and before January 1, 2030, from gross income specified grant allocations, including grant allocations received by a taxpayer pursuant to a grant program funded by Executive Order No. 20/21-182 and pursuant to the California Small Business COVID-19 Relief Grant Program. The bill would authorize the Franchise Tax Board to adopt regulations that are necessary and appropriate to implement the exclusions, and would provide the Administrative Procedure Act does not apply to any regulation, standard, criterion, procedure, determination, rule, notice, guideline, or any other guidance established or issued by the board pursuant to the exclusions. The bill would also authorize the board to include in audits the grants that are excluded from gross income by the bill's provisions. The bill would set forth procedures for recapturing grant amounts if CalOSBA determines that the grantee has failed to meet the criteria for a qualified small business. (3) This bill would also make findings and declarations related to a gift of public funds. (4) This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as a bill providing for appropriations related to the Budget Bill.