Asm. Jim Wood

This measure would urge the President and the Congress of the United States to condemn the government-sanctioned persecution, torture, and murder of gay men in the Chechen Republic, join in solidarity with all lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) Russians in their fight for their lives, dignity, and respect, and take action to encourage the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services, consistent with existing federal protocols, to grant asylum and refugee status for individuals fleeing persecution, including individuals fleeing persecution due to their actual or perceived sexual orientation or gender identity.

This measure would encourage the Chancellor of the California Community Colleges, in consultation with specified affected stakeholders, to develop proposals for legislative consideration to address the longstanding challenges to achieving a specified goal of credit classroom instruction taught by full-time faculty and compensation equity for part-time faculty.

This measure would support the April 22, 2017, March for Science and affirm the importance of basic and applied scientific research, the scientific education of all schoolchildren, and the foundational role of independent, rigorous scientific discovery and inquiry in the policymaking process at all levels. The measure would urge the President and Congress of the United States to work together to support, encourage, and heed the truths established by scientists and scientific research in policymaking to keep the United States of America the world's global leader in scientific research and business innovation.

Existing federal law, the federal Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, creates various premium stabilization programs, such as the transitional reinsurance program and the risk adjustment program, to stabilize premiums in the individual market inside and outside of the Exchanges. Under the transitional reinsurance program, contributions are collected from contributing entities to fund reinsurance payments to issuers of nongrandfathered reinsurance-eligible individual and small group market plans and the administrative costs of operating the reinsurance program for the 2014, 2015, and 2016 benefit years. Existing law establishes the California Health Benefit Exchange within state government for the purpose of facilitating the purchase of qualified health plans through the Exchange by qualified individuals and small employers. Existing law provides for the regulation of health insurers by the Department of Insurance. Existing law requires a health insurer, on and after October 1, 2013, to fairly and affirmatively offer, market, and sell all of the insurer's small employer health insurance policies for plan years on or after January 1, 2014, to all small employers in each service area in which the plan provides or arranges for the provision of health care services. Existing law requires an insurer to consider the claims experience of all insureds in all nongrandfathered small employer health benefit plans offered by that insurer in this state as a single risk pool for rating purposes in the small employer market. Existing law requires an insurer to establish, at least each calendar year, and no more frequently than each calendar quarter, an index rate for the small employer market based on the total combined claims costs for providing essential health benefits, as defined, within the single risk pool and requires the index rate to be adjusted on a marketwide basis based on the total expected marketwide payments and charges under the risk adjustment and reinsurance programs established for the state under the federal provisions described above and the Exchange user fees. Existing law requires the premium rate for all of the nongrandfathered small employer health benefit plans within the single risk pool to use the applicable marketwide adjusted index rate, as specified. This bill would delete the reference to the federal transitional reinsurance program in these provisions.

This measure would proclaim support for the mission of the California World War One Centennial Task Force, by designating the time period between August 5, 2017, and November 11, 2018, inclusive, to be observed as the commemoration period of the 100th anniversary of the United States' involvement in World War I.

This measure would urge the United States Congress to require the United States Postal Service to restore past service standards in effect as of July 1, 2012, oppose certain postal reform legislation, require the United States Postal Service to continue the mandate for 6-day delivery service, require the continued operation of all mail sorting centers in California, and support specific federal legislation. The measure would also urge the Secretary of State to continue working with the United States Postal Service to implement additional programs that would increase absentee ballot voting participation.

This measure would recognize the month of June 2017 as Alzheimer's and Brain Awareness Month, would recognize Wednesday, June 21, 2017, as The Longest Day in California, and would urge all Californians to wear purple on this day to help spread global awareness of the Alzheimer's Association's vision of a world without Alzheimer's disease.

This measure would declare that the Legislature strongly supports, and would respectfully urge the President of the United States and Members of the United States Congress to continue to protect, net neutrality, open Internet access, the federal Lifeline program's discounted telephone service for qualifying low-income consumers, and the E-rate program's discounted telecommunication and Internet access services for schools and libraries. The measure would declare that the Legislature views these as high priorities for California and the country, and opposes any federal efforts to rescind or block them.