Existing law gives control of the state park system to the Department of Parks and Recreation. Existing law authorizes the department to enter into agreements with an agency of the United States, a city, county, district, or other public agency or any combination thereof, for the care, maintenance, administration, and control by a party to the agreement of lands under the jurisdiction of a party to the agreement, for the purpose of the state park system. This bill would authorize the department to enter into an operating agreement for the development, improvement, restoration, care, maintenance, administration, or operation of a unit or units, or portion of a unit, of the state park system, as identified by the director, with a qualified nonprofit organization, as provided. This bill would require the operating agreement to include, among other things, a requirement that the nonprofit organization annually submit a report to the department, to be available on the Internet Web site of both the department and the nonprofit organization. The bill would require the nonprofit organization and the district superintendent for the department to hold a joint public meeting for discussion of the report. The bill would require the department to notify a Member of the Legislature of an intention to enter into an operating agreement relating to a park in the member's district, as well as notify specified committees of the Legislature. The bill would also require the department to report to the Legislature, on a biennial basis, the status of any operating agreement. The bill would repeal these provisions on January 1, 2019.
Sponsored bills
The California Disaster Assistance Act generally provides that the state share for disaster project allocations to local agencies is no more than 75% of total state eligible costs, except for specified events for which the state share is up to 100% of state eligible costs. This bill would add the effects of the tsunami that occurred in Del Norte County in March 2011, to the list of events for which the state share of state eligible cost is up to 100% and exempt the county from a specified planning requirement as a condition of receiving this level of assistance. This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.
Existing laws governing the taxation of insurers, the Personal Income Tax Law, and the Corporation Tax Law, authorize, until January 1, 2012, a credit in an amount equal to 20% of a qualified investment, as defined, made into a community development financial institution, as defined, but not to exceed, in the aggregate amount under all those laws, $10,000,000 per year. The bill would extend the operation of the credits until January 1, 2017, would eliminate specified limitations on the aggregate certified investments, and would eliminate certain requirements regarding certificates issued to taxpayers. The bill would, until December 1, 2015, authorize the Insurance Commissioner to establish a California Organized Investment Network Advisory Board, as specified, to advise the California Organized Investment Network on the best methods of increasing insurance investments while providing fair returns to investors and social benefits to underserved communities, increase the level and number of contacts among executives in the insurance industry, and recommend programmatic guidelines to the California Organized Investment Network program. The bill would also authorize the California Organized Investment Network, in allocating qualified investment credits, when certain conditions are met, to prioritize applications for those credits, as specified.
Under existing law, the Public Utilities Commission has regulatory authority over public utilities, including telephone corporations. Existing law requires the commission to oversee administration of the state's universal service programs, including the deaf and disabled programs. The existing deaf and disabled universal service program, among other things, requires the commission to design and implement a program to provide a telecommunications device capable of serving the needs of individuals who are deaf or hearing impaired, together with a single party line, at no charge additional to the basic exchange rate, to any subscriber who is certified as an individual who is deaf or hearing impaired. This bill would require the commission to expand the program to include assistance to individuals with speech disabilities, including assistance to purchase speech-generating devices, accessories, and mounting systems, and specialized telecommunications equipment. The bill would require the commission to design and implement a program to provide access to a speech-generating device to any subscriber who is certified as having a speech disability at no charge additional to the basic exchange rate. The bill would require the commission to adopt rules to implement the program by January 1, 2014. The bill would require the commission to evaluate options for controlling the program costs of providing speech-generating devices, and include information on any barriers to participation in the program by eligible subscribers, as part of an existing report to the Legislature. 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 bill would require the commission to adopt rules, the violation of which 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.
The Veterans' Farm and Home Purchase Act of 1974 authorizes the Department of Veterans Affairs to assist veterans in acquiring homes and farms by generally providing that the department may purchase a farm or home which the department then sells to a purchaser, as defined. Existing law prohibits the department, except in limited circumstances, from acquiring a home in which the veteran has an interest of record. This bill would authorize the department to acquire a home for the purpose of refinancing an existing mortgage loan that is not an existing loan acquired under the Veterans' Farm and Home Purchase Act of 1974. This bill would require the department to adopt and publish rules and regulations, as specified.
Existing law establishes the federal Medicaid Program, administered by each state, California's version of which is the Medi-Cal program. The Medi-Cal program, which is administered by the State Department of Health Care Services under the direction of the Director of Health Care Services, provides qualified low-income persons with health care services. Existing federal law establishes the Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE) , which provides specified services for older individuals so that they may continue living in the community. Federal law authorizes states to implement the PACE program as a Medicaid state option. Existing state law authorizes the director to establish the California Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly and contract with up to 10 demonstration projects to develop risk-based, long-term care pilot programs. Existing law also establishes PACE program services as a covered benefit of the Medi-Cal program. Existing law authorizes the department to enter into specified contracts for implementation of the PACE program, and also enter into separate contracts with certain PACE organizations, to fully implement the single state agency responsibilities assumed by the department, as specified. Existing law authorizes the department to enter into separate contracts with up to 10 PACE organizations, but prohibits certain contracts unless a Medicaid state plan amendment, electing PACE as a state Medicaid option, has been approved by the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. This bill would, instead, require the department to establish the California Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly and would delete the pilot program and demonstration project requirements in these provisions. This bill would also provide that the department may enter into contracts with public or private nonprofit organizations for implementation of the PACE program and increase to 15 the number of separate contracts the department may enter into with PACE organizations, as defined. This bill would make other conforming changes.
This measure would recognize October 2011 as Domestic Violence Awareness Month and urge all Californians to take a stand against domestic violence.
This measure would urge the United States government to consider the California jobs and economic stimulus provided by the California floriculture industry when advancing free trade agreements, specifically with Colombia.
This measure would designate a portion of State Highway Route 101 in the County of Mendocino as the CHP Officer Thomas R. Adams Memorial Highway. The measure would also designate a specified portion of State Highway Route 101 in the County of Mendocino as the CHP Officer Paul C. Jarske Memorial Highway. The measure would also request the Department of Transportation to determine the cost of each of the appropriate signs showing these special designations and, upon receiving donations from nonstate sources covering the cost of a sign designation, to erect a sign.
This measure would proclaim February 28, 2011, as Rare Disease Day.