Asm. Jim Wood

This measure would request that the Department of Transportation remove the "The Christopher Columbus Transcontinental Highway" designation from the portion of Interstate 10 in the state, as well as any signage and markers memorializing that designation, and advise the Federal Highway Administration of the state's action.

(1) Existing law, the California Uniform Controlled Substances Act (the act) , classifies controlled substances into 5 designated schedules, with the most restrictive limitations generally placed on controlled substances classified in Schedule I, and the least restrictive limitations generally placed on controlled substances classified in Schedule V. This bill would exempt from Schedule III specific compounds, mixtures, or preparations that contain a nonnarcotic controlled substance in combination with a derivative of barbituric acid or any salt thereof that are listed in the federal Table of Exempted Prescription Products and have been exempted pursuant to federal law or regulation. The bill would exempt from Schedule IV specific compounds, mixtures, or preparations that contain a nonnarcotic controlled substance in combination with a chlordiazepoxide or phenobarbital that are listed in the federal Table of Exempted Prescription Products and have been exempted from scheduling under federal law or regulation. Under the act, cannabis is placed in Schedule I. Cannabidiol and other cannabinoids are compounds contained in cannabis. The act restricts the prescription, furnishing, possession, sale, and use of controlled substances, including cannabis and synthetic cannabinoid compounds, and makes a violation of those laws a crime, except as specified. Existing law, if one of specified changes in federal law regarding the controlled substance cannabidiol occurs, deems a physician, pharmacist, or other healing arts licensee who prescribes, furnishes, or dispenses a product composed of cannabidiol, in accordance with federal law, to be in compliance with state law governing those acts and provides that, upon the effective date of one of those changes in federal law, the prescription, furnishing, dispensing, transfer, transportation, possession, or use of that product in accordance with federal law is for a legitimate medical purpose and is authorized pursuant to state law. This bill would expand the provisions authorizing the prescription, furnishing, dispensing, transfer, transportation, possession, or use of cannabidiol products in accordance with federal law, upon the specified changes being made to federal law, to include all products with cannabinoids. (2) Existing law requires the Department of Justice to maintain the Controlled Substances Utilization Review and Evaluation System (CURES) for the electronic monitoring of the prescribing and dispensing of Schedule II, Schedule III, and Schedule IV controlled substances by a health care practitioner authorized to prescribe, order, administer, furnish, or dispense a Schedule II, Schedule III, or Schedule IV controlled substance. Existing law limits the entities to which data may be provided from CURES, as well as the type of data that may be released and the uses to which it may be put. This bill would require the Department of Justice to provide the University of California with access to identifiable data for research purposes.

This measure would, among other things, on the first anniversary of the attack on the United States Capitol on January 6, 2021, urge the Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol to uncover the facts, circumstances, and causes relating to the attack, and honor the individuals who died or were injured as a result of the attack.

This measure would urge the United States Secretary of Education to establish and submit to the United States Congress for approval a monthly student loan payment plan for federal student loans, based on the personal savings rate as published by the federal Bureau of Economic Analysis.

This measure would designate the portion of State Route 5 from El Horno Street, at postmile 10.001, to Crown Valley Parkway, at postmile 13.776, in the County of Orange as the Senior Master Sergeant John James Paoletti Memorial Highway. The measure would request that the Department of Transportation determine the cost of appropriate signs showing this special designation and, upon receiving donations from nonstate sources covering that cost, erect those signs.

This measure would designate a portion of State Route 119, between E Kern Street, postmile 0.34, and Cedar Street, postmile 1.300, in the County of Kern as the Corporal Luis Carlos Ruan Memorial Highway. The measure would request the Department of Transportation to determine the cost of appropriate signs showing this special designation and, upon receiving donations from nonstate sources covering that cost, to erect those signs.

Existing law, the Ralph C. Dills Act (Dills Act) , governs collective bargaining between the state and recognized state public employee organizations. Existing law excludes certain employees from coverage under the Dills Act, including, among others, managerial employees, supervisory employees, and confidential employees, as defined. Existing law creates the Public Employment Relations Board and authorizes it, among other things, to determine appropriate state employee bargaining units, as specified. This bill would enact the Legislature Employer-Employee Relations Act, to provide employees of the Legislature the right to form, join, and participate in the activities of employee organizations of their own choosing for the purpose of representation on all matters of employer-employee relations. The bill would prescribe rights, duties, and prohibitions in this context that parallel those in the Dills Act. The bill would prohibit the Public Employment Relations Board from including employees of the Legislature in a bargaining unit that includes employees other than those of the Legislature. The bill would make it a misdemeanor for any person to willfully resist, prevent, impede, or interfere with any member of the board, or any of its agents, in the performance of duties pursuant to its provisions. By expanding the definition of a crime, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program. The bill would provide that the provisions of the Legislature Employer-Employee Relations Act are severable. The bill would become operative on July 1, 2024. 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 establishes the Department of Health Care Access and Information in the California Health and Human Services Agency. Existing law requires an organization that operates, conducts, owns, or maintains a health facility, each hospital, and each general acute care hospital and freestanding ambulatory surgery clinic to make and file with the office certain information regarding patients that is recorded on a Hospital Discharge Abstract Data Record, an Emergency Care Data Record, and an Ambulatory Surgery Data Record, respectively, as described. The information includes, among other things, the date of birth, race, date of services, and principal diagnosis of the patient. Existing law requires the department to disclose this information to certain entities, including, among others, any California hospital and tribal epidemiology centers, except as specified. Existing law prohibits those entities from disclosing that information except in response to a court order, search warrant, or subpoena, or as otherwise required or permitted by specified federal law. Existing law also requires the State Department of Public Health to establish a list of reportable communicable and noncommunicable diseases and conditions and specify the timeliness requirements related to the reporting of each disease and condition. Existing law also requires the State Department of Public Health to collect data on coccidioidomycosis cases from the California Reportable Disease Information Exchange (CalREDIE) system and any other electronic data system used by a local health department. This bill would require the State Department of Public Health to enter into a data sharing agreement with the California Tribal Epidemiology Center (CTEC) with access to the CalREDIE and the California Immunization Registry systems no later than January 1, 2023, and would prohibit the CTEC from disclosing the information, as described above.

Existing law establishes the Medi-Cal program, which is administered by the State Department of Health Care Services and 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. Under existing law, beginning no earlier than January 1, 2025, a child under 5 years of age is continuously eligible for Medi-Cal, including without regard to income, until the child reaches 5 years of age, subject to specified circumstances. Existing law makes this provision contingent on obtaining all necessary federal approvals, an appropriation, and a determination by the department that systems have been programmed to implement certain provisions. Existing law establishes the County Health Initiative Matching Fund, administered by the department, through which an applicant county, county agency, a local initiative, or a county organized health system that provides an intergovernmental transfer, as specified, is authorized to submit a proposal to the department for funding for the purpose of providing comprehensive health insurance coverage to certain children. For purposes of eligibility, existing law requires the child to meet specified citizenship and immigration status requirements, that their family income be at or below 317% of the federal poverty level or, at the option of the applicant, at or below 411% of the federal poverty level, and that the child not qualify for Medi-Cal with no share of cost or for other certain Medi-Cal programs. This bill would require, beginning no earlier than January 1, 2025, that the application also specify that the applicant will provide continuous eligibility for a child under the program until the child is 5 years of age if the child is not determined to be eligible for Medi-Cal during that time, except as specified. The bill would condition implementation of this provision on receipt of any necessary federal approvals, an appropriation, and a determination by the department, as described above. The bill would also remove the above-described reference to citizenship and immigration status requirements. Because counties are required to make Medi-Cal eligibility determinations, and to the extent that this bill would expand Medi-Cal eligibility, 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, 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.

Existing law, the California Disaster Assistance Act, requires the Director of Emergency Services to provide financial assistance to local agencies for their personnel costs, equipment costs, and the cost of supplies and materials used during disaster response activities, incurred as a result of a state of emergency proclaimed by the Governor, subject to specified criteria. The act requires the director to authorize the replacement of a damaged or destroyed facility, whenever a local agency and the director determine that the general public and state interest will be better served by replacing a damaged or destroyed facility with a facility that will more adequately serve the present and future public needs than would be accomplished merely by repairing or restoring the damaged or destroyed facility. Existing law also authorizes the director to implement mitigation measures when the director determines that the measures are cost effective and substantially reduce the risk of future damage, hardship, loss, or suffering in any area where a state of emergency has been proclaimed by the Governor. This bill would specify that mitigation measures for climate change and disasters related to climate, may include, but are not limited to, measures that reduce emissions of greenhouse gases and investments in natural infrastructure, as defined, including, but not limited to, the preservation of natural and working lands, as described, improved forest management, and wildfire risk reduction measures. The act defines the term "disaster" to mean a fire, flood, storm, tidal wave, earthquake, terrorism, epidemic, or other similar public calamity that the Governor determines presents a threat to public safety. This bill would include climate change within the definition of disaster.