Under existing law, the Public Utilities Commission has regulatory authority over public utilities, including electrical corporations and gas corporations, as defined. The Public Utilities Act requires the Public Utilities Commission to review and adopt a procurement plan for each electrical corporation in accordance with specified elements, incentive mechanisms, and objectives. The act requires that an electrical corporation's proposed procurement plan include certain elements, including a showing that the electrical corporation will first meet its unmet needs through all available energy efficiency and demand reduction resources that are cost effective, reliable, and feasible. Existing law requires the Public Utilities Commission, in consultation with the State Energy Resources Conservation and Development Commission, to identify all potentially achievable cost-effective electricity efficiency savings, and to establish efficiency targets for electrical corporations to achieve pursuant to their procurement plan. The act requires the Public Utilities Commission, in consultation with the State Energy Resources Conservation and Development Commission, to identify all potentially achievable cost-effective natural gas efficiency savings and to establish efficiency targets for gas corporations to achieve, and requires that a gas corporation first meet its unmet resource needs through all available gas efficiency and demand reduction resources that are cost effective, reliable, and feasible. This bill would require the Public Utilities Commission, in consultation with the State Energy Resources Conservation and Development Commission and the United States Armed Forces, to authorize a pilot program designed to evaluate the effects of using an alternative baseline energy efficiency methodology at United States Armed Forces bases and facilities. The bill would require electrical and gas corporations, using existing military contracting procedures, to the extent feasible, or new partnership with the federal government, to accomplish the goals of the pilot program. This bill would require the Public Utilities Commission to approve financial incentives for energy efficiency measures implemented at Armed Forces bases and facilities pursuant to the pilot program through existing energy efficiency programs administered by electrical corporations and gas corporations. Because a violation of an order or a direction of the commission is a crime, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program. This bill would repeal the pilot program on January 1, 2020. 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.
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Existing law requires each county to provide cash assistance and other social services to needy families through the California Work Opportunity and Responsibility to Kids (CalWORKs) program using federal Temporary Assistance to Needy Families block grant program, state, and county funds. Existing law requires aid to be granted to a family with a related child under 18 years of age who has been deprived of parental support or care due to the unemployment, continued absence, death, incapacity, or incarceration of a parent. Existing law also provides, however, that a family receiving aid with a child who is considered to be deprived of parental support or care due to unemployment may continue to receive assistance regardless of the number of hours his or her parent works, if the family does not exceed the applicable gross or net income limits and is otherwise eligible for assistance. Existing law requires families to be grouped into assistance units for purposes of determining eligibility and computing the amount of CalWORKs aid to be paid. This bill would, commencing July 1, 2016, instead require that aid be granted to a family with a related child who is under 18 years of age if the family meets applicable eligibility requirements, without regard to the absence or employment status of the parent. The bill would prohibit, however, an absent parent from being included in the family's assistance unit for purposes of determining eligibility or computing the amount of aid to be paid, as specified. To the extent that the bill would expand eligibility for the CalWORKs program, which is administered by counties, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. Under existing law, a recipient of CalWORKs is required to participate in welfare-to-work activities for a specified number of hours each week as a condition of eligibility for aid. Existing law exempts a person with a disability, as specified, from participation in welfare-to-work activities. This bill would, commencing July 1, 2016, recast these provisions and would clarify that an adult in an assistance unit that includes 2 adults, one of whom is disabled, is required to participate in welfare-to-work activities for the same number of hours per week as an adult in an assistance unit that includes only one adult. This bill would require the department to issue an all-county letter or similar instructions and to adopt regulations to implement the provisions of the bill by July 1, 2018. Existing law continuously appropriates moneys from the General Fund to defray a portion of county costs under the CalWORKs program. This bill would instead provide that the continuous appropriation would not be made for purposes of implementing the bill. 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 these statutory provisions.
Existing law authorizes cities and counties, and, if specifically authorized, other local governmental entities, subject to certain limitations and approval requirements, to levy a transactions and use tax for general purposes, in accordance with the procedures and requirements set forth in the Transactions and Use Tax Law, including a requirement that the combined rate of all taxes imposed in accordance with that law in the county not exceed 2%. This bill would increase that maximum combined rate to 3%.
Existing law provides for the Medi-Cal program, which is administered by the State Department of Health Care Services, under which qualified low-income individuals receive health care services, including perinatal services for pregnant women. Existing law establishes the Nurse-Family Partnership program, which is administered by the State Department of Public Health, to provide grants for voluntary nurse home visiting programs for expectant first-time mothers, their children, and their families. Under existing law, a county is required to satisfy specified requirements in order to be eligible to receive a grant. This bill would require the State Department of Health Care Services, in consultation with specified stakeholders, to develop a feasibility plan on or before January 1, 2017, that describes the costs, benefits, and any potential barriers related to offering evidence-based home visiting programs to Medi-Cal eligible pregnant and parenting women. The bill would also require the department, in developing the plan, to consider, among other things, establishing Medi-Cal coverage for evidence-based home visiting program services and incentives for Medi-Cal providers to offer those services, and would require the department, in developing the plan, to prioritize the identification of funding sources, other than General Fund moneys, to fund evidence-based home visiting program services.
Existing law provides for several programs supporting small businesses, including the Office of Small Business Advocate, the duties of director of which include, among other things, representing the views and interests of small businesses before other state agencies whose policies and activities may affect small businesses. The Personal Income Tax Law imposes taxes on taxable income at specified rates based upon the amount of taxable income. The Corporation Tax Law imposes taxes upon, according to, or measured by, net income, as specified. The Personal Income Tax Law and the Corporation Tax Law, in modified conformity to a credit allowed under federal law, allow a credit against taxes imposed by those laws for increasing research expenses, as defined. Existing law allows a taxpayer to carryover any excess amounts of that credit to succeeding taxable years, until the credit is exhausted. This bill would, beginning January 1, 2017, and ending January 1, 2024, establish the Research and Development-Small Business Grant Program, which would provide qualified small businesses, as defined, grants in amounts equal to either 10% or 15% of any excess credit amount attributable to the small business for specified years under the credit described above. This bill would continuously appropriate moneys from the General Fund to award these grants, in specified amounts per calendar year, to be allocated by the Franchise Tax Board. This bill would specify that any grant money received by a qualified small business would be excluded from its income and would provide that any excess credit amount attributable to the qualified small business would be reduced by the amount allowed as a grant.
Existing law, the federal National Voter Registration Act of 1993, requires a state to, among other things, establish procedures to register a person to vote by application made simultaneously with an application for a new or renewal of a motor vehicle driver's license. The federal act requires the motor vehicle driver's license application to serve as an application for voter registration with respect to an election for federal office, unless the applicant fails to sign the application, and requires the application to be considered as updating the applicant's previous voter registration, if any. The federal act defines "motor vehicle driver's license" to include any personal identification document issued by a state motor vehicle authority. Under existing state law, a person may not be registered to vote except by affidavit of registration. Existing law requires a properly executed affidavit of registration to be deemed effective upon receipt of the affidavit by the county elections official if the affidavit is submitted to the Department of Motor Vehicles on or before the 15th day before the election. Existing state law requires the Department of Motor Vehicles and the Secretary of State to develop a process and the infrastructure to allow a person who is qualified to register to vote in the state to register to vote online. Existing law requires the Department of Motor Vehicles to issue driver's licenses and state identification cards to applicants who meet specified criteria and provide the department with the required information. Existing law generally requires an applicant for an original driver's license or state identification card to submit satisfactory proof to the department that the applicant's presence in the United States is authorized under federal law. This bill would require the Secretary of State and the Department of Motor Vehicles to establish the California New Motor Voter Program for the purpose of increasing opportunities for voter registration by any person who is qualified to be a voter. Under the program, after the Secretary of State certifies that certain enumerated conditions are satisfied, the Department of Motor Vehicles would be required to electronically provide to the Secretary of State the records of each person who is issued an original or renewal of a driver's license or state identification card or who provides the department with a change of address, as specified. The person's motor vehicle records would then constitute a completed affidavit of registration and the person would be registered to vote, unless the person affirmatively declined to be registered to vote during a transaction with the department, the department did not represent to the Secretary of State that the person attested that he or she meets all voter eligibility requirements, as specified, or the Secretary of State determines that the person is ineligible to vote. The bill would require the Secretary of State to adopt regulations to implement this program, as specified. Under existing law, the willful, unauthorized disclosure of information from a Department of Motor Vehicles record to any person, or the use of any false representation to obtain information from a department record or any use of information obtained from any department record for a purpose other than the one stated in the request or the sale or other distribution of the information to a person or organization for purposes not disclosed in the request is a misdemeanor, punishable by a fine not exceeding $5,000 or by imprisonment in the county jail not exceeding one year, or both fine and imprisonment. This bill would provide that disclosure of information contained in the records obtained from the Department of Motor Vehicles pursuant to the California New Motor Voter Program is a misdemeanor, punishable by a fine not exceeding $5,000 or by imprisonment in the county jail not exceeding one year, or both fine and imprisonment. By creating a new crime, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program. Existing law, the Information Practices Act of 1977, authorizes every state agency to maintain in its records only personal information that is relevant and necessary to accomplish a purpose of the agency, or is required or authorized by state or federal law. That act specifies the situations in which disclosure is permissible and also specifies the manner in which agencies must account for disclosures of personal information, including those due to security breaches, among other provisions. This bill would require the Secretary of State to establish procedures to safeguard the confidentiality of information acquired from the Department of Motor Vehicles pursuant to the California New Motor Voter Program and would state that the provisions of the Information Practices Act of 1977 govern disclosures pursuant to the program. Existing law makes it a crime for a person to willfully cause, procure, or allow himself or herself or any other person to be registered as a voter, knowing that he or she or that other person is not entitled to registration. Existing law also makes it a crime to fraudulently vote or attempt to vote. This bill would provide that if a person who is ineligible to vote becomes registered to vote by operation of the California New Motor Voter Program in the absence of a violation by that person of the crime described above, that person's registration shall be presumed to have been effected with official authorization and not the fault of that person. The bill would also provide that if a person who is ineligible to vote becomes registered to vote by operation of this program, and that person votes or attempts to vote in an election held after the effective date of the person's registration, that person shall be presumed to have acted with official authorization and is not guilty of fraudulently voting or attempting to vote, unless that person willfully votes or attempts to vote knowing that he or she is not entitled to vote. This bill would also make conforming changes. This bill would incorporate additional changes to Section 2102 of the Elections Code, proposed by SB 589, that would become operative only if SB 589 and this bill are both chaptered and become effective on or before January 1, 2016, and this bill is chaptered last. 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.
(1) Upon receipt of a vote by mail ballot and to determine if the signatures compare, existing law requires an elections official to compare the signature on the identification envelope with either (A) the signature appearing on the voter's affidavit of registration or a previous affidavit of registration of the voter, or (B) the signature appearing on a form issued by an elections official that contains the voter's signature, that is part of the voter's registration record, and that the elections official has determined compares with the signature on the voter's affidavit of registration or a previous affidavit of registration of the voter. If the signatures do not compare, existing law requires the identification envelope to not be opened, the ballot to not be counted, and the cause of the rejection to be written on the face of the identification envelope. This bill would strike the requirement that an elections official, in comparing the signatures on the identification envelope, as described in (B) above, determine that the signature appearing on a form issued by the elections official that contains the voter's signature compares with the signature on the voter's affidavit of registration or a previous affidavit of registration of the voter. If an elections official determines that a voter has failed to sign the identification envelope, the bill would prohibit the elections official from rejecting the vote by mail ballot if the voter signs the identification envelope at the elections official's office before 5 p.m. on the 8th day after the election, completes and submits an unsigned ballot statement, as specified, before 5 p.m. on the 8th day after the election, or completes and submits an unsigned ballot statement to a polling place within the county or a ballot dropoff box before the close of the polls on election day. The bill would require the elections official to accept any completed unsigned ballot statement. The bill would require the elections official, upon receipt of the unsigned ballot statement, to compare the voter's signature on the statement, as described above, and, if the signatures compare, would require the elections official to attach the statement to the identification envelope and deposit the ballot, still in the identification envelope, in a ballot container in his or her office. The bill would require the identification envelope to not be opened and the ballot to not be counted if the elections official determines that the signatures do not compare. The bill would also require an elections official to include the unsigned ballot statement and instructions, and certain contact information, on his or her Internet Web site. By requiring elections officials to take additional actions related to vote by mail ballots, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. (2) Existing law provides for specific procedures by which the Democratic Party, the Republican Party, the American Independent Party, and the Peace and Freedom Party participate in the presidential primary. This bill would establish the procedures by which the Green Party would participate in the presidential primary. Existing law authorizes the Democratic Party, the Republican Party, the American Independent Party, and the Peace and Freedom Party to each elect county central committees. Existing law establishes state central committees for the Democratic Party, the Republican Party, the American Independent Party, and the Peace and Freedom Party. This bill would authorize the Green Party to establish, by election, county councils. The bill would also establish a state coordinating committee for the Green Party. (3) This bill would incorporate additional changes to Section 3019 of the Elections Code, proposed by AB 1020, that would become operative only if AB 1020 and this bill are both chaptered and become effective on or before January 1, 2016, and this bill is chaptered last. (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 these statutory provisions.
(1) Existing law requires the Secretary of State to adopt regulations relating to the use of voting systems in recounting ballots. This bill would also require the Secretary of State to revise and adopt regulations relating to procedures for recounting ballots, including regulations establishing guidelines for the charges a county elections official may impose when conducting a manual recount. (2) Existing law establishes procedures by which a voter may request a recount of the votes cast in an election following completion of the official canvass. Existing law requires a voter to make this request within 5 days beginning on the 29th day after the election. This bill would instead permit a voter to file a request for a recount within 5 days beginning on the 30th day after the election. (3) Any time during the conduct of a recount and for 24 hours thereafter, existing law permits any other voter to request a recount of any precincts in an election for the same office, slate of presidential electors, or measure not recounted as a result of the original request. Existing law also provides that, where applicable, a voter requesting a recount may select whether the recount shall be conducted manually, or by means of the voting system used originally, or both. This bill would instead require a voter to select, for each type of voting system used, whether the recount is to be conducted manually, or by means of the voting system used originally, but not both. This bill would also specify that if more than one voter requests a recount of the same office or measure, and at least one request is for a manual recount, then the county elections official of any county subject to multiple requests is only obligated to conduct one manual recount of the ballots subject to the request, and that those results will control. (4) Under existing law, a voter seeking a recount is required, before the recount is commenced and at the beginning of each subsequent day, to deposit with the elections official the amount of money required by the elections official to cover the cost of the recount for that day. This bill would permit the Governor or Secretary of State, as specified, to order a state-funded manual recount of all votes cast for a statewide office or a state ballot measure if the difference in the number of votes received is less than or equal to the lesser of 1,000 votes or 0.00015 of the number of all votes cast, as specified. This bill would also require a county elections official to review rejected ballots as part of a state-funded recount. (5) Under existing law, upon completion of a recount showing that a different candidate was nominated or elected, that a different presidential slate of electors received a plurality of the votes, or that a measure was defeated instead of approved or approved instead of defeated, the result of the recount in each affected precinct is entered and is thereafter considered the official return of the affected precincts. Existing law provides that if an office, slates of presidential electors, or measure is voted on statewide, the results of any recount are null and void unless each vote cast for the office, slates, or measure in any county specified in the request for recount is recounted. This bill would instead provide that if an office, slates of presidential electors, or measure is voted on statewide, the results of any recount are null and void unless each vote cast statewide for the office, slates, or measure is recounted. (6) Existing law requires the Secretary of State to certify or conditionally approve a voting system prior to any election at which it is to be used, as specified. Existing law prohibits the Secretary of State from certifying or conditionally approving a voting system or part of a voting system that does not have certain technical capabilities. This bill would also prohibit the Secretary of State from certifying or conditionally approving a voting system that cannot facilitate the conduct of a ballot level comparison risk-limiting audit; however, it would expressly permit the Secretary of State to approve a proposed change or modification to a noncompliant voting system even if the voting system would be unable to facilitate the conduct of a ballot level comparison risk-limiting audit after the change or modification. By imposing new duties on local elections officials, this 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 these statutory provisions.
(1) Existing law requires that a person be registered as a voter by affidavit of registration and provides that a properly executed registration is deemed effective if it is received on or before the 15th day before an election to be held in the registrant's precinct. Existing law requires the affidavit of registration to show certain information of the affiant and requires the affiant to certify the content of the affidavit as to its truth and correctness, under penalty of perjury, with the signature of the affiant's name and the date of signing, except that if the affiant is unable to write, a mark or cross must be used to sign the affidavit. This bill would authorize an individual with a disability who is otherwise qualified to vote to complete an affidavit of registration with reasonable accommodations as needed. The bill would also authorize an individual with a disability who is under a conservatorship to be registered to vote if he or she has not been disqualified from voting. The bill would authorize an affiant who is an individual with a disability to complete the affidavit of registration with reasonable accommodations as needed. The bill would find and declare that by explicitly adding the concept of reasonable accommodation to state laws on voter qualification, the bill brings the state into compliance with federal standards. (2) Existing law deems a person mentally incompetent, and therefore disqualified from voting if, during certain proceedings including conservatorship proceedings, the court finds that the person is incapable of completing an affidavit of voter registration. Existing law, in certain conservatorship proceedings heard by a jury, requires the jury to unanimously find that the person is incapable of completing an affidavit of registration before the person is disqualified from voting. If an order establishing a conservatorship is made and in connection with the order it is found that the person is incapable of completing an affidavit of voter registration, existing law requires the court to forward the order and determination to the county elections official of the person's county of residence. Existing law, during the yearly or biennial review of certain conservatorships, requires the court investigator to review the person's capability of completing an affidavit of voter registration and, if the conservatee's capability of completing the affidavit of voter registration changes, requires the court investigator to inform the court and the court to hold a hearing regarding that capability. This bill would instead require that a person be presumed competent to vote, regardless of his or her conservatorship status, and would require that a person be deemed mentally incompetent, and therefore disqualified from voting if, during certain proceedings including conservatorship proceedings, the court finds by clear and convincing evidence that the person cannot communicate, with or without reasonable accommodations, a desire to participate in the voting process. In certain conservatorship proceedings heard by a jury, the bill would require the jury to instead unanimously find by clear and convincing evidence that the person cannot communicate, with or without reasonable accommodations, a desire to participate in the voting process before the person is disqualified from voting. The bill would also require an order establishing a conservatorship to instead find by clear and convincing evidence that the person cannot communicate, with or without reasonable accommodations, a desire to participate in the voting process before the court is required to forward the order and determination to the county elections official of the person's county of residence. The bill, during the yearly or biennial review of certain conservatorships, would instead require the court investigator to review the person's capability of communicating, with or without reasonable accommodations, a desire to participate in the voting process, and if the conservatee's capability of communicating that desire has changed, would require the court investigator to inform the court and the court to hold a hearing regarding that capability. (3) Existing law regulates the terms and conditions of conservatorships and requires a court clerk, if a conservatorship petition is filed by a person other than the proposed conservatee, to issue a citation to the proposed conservatee that includes, among other things, a statement that the proposed conservatee may be disqualified from voting if he or she is incapable of completing an affidavit of voter registration, and a statement that the proposed conservatee will not be disqualified from voting if he or she would need to complete the affidavit by signing it with a mark, cross, or signature stamp, or with the assistance of another person. Existing law requires a court hearing on a petition for the appointment of a conservator and requires a court investigator, before the court hearing and as part of periodic review after the appointment of the conservator to, among other things, determine if the proposed conservatee is incapable of completing an affidavit of voter registration, as specified, and may be disqualified from voting. Existing law provides that a conservatee is not disqualified from voting on the basis that he or she would need to complete the affidavit by signing it with a mark, cross, or signature stamp, or with the assistance of another person. This bill would require the court clerk's citation to the proposed conservatee, as described above, to instead include a statement that the proposed conservatee may be disqualified from voting if he or she is incapable of communicating, with or without reasonable accommodations, a desire to participate in the voting process, and a statement that the proposed conservatee will not be disqualified from voting if he or she would also need to complete the affidavit with reasonable accommodations. The bill would require the court investigator, before the court hearing and as part of periodic reviews after the appointment of a conservator to, among other things, instead determine whether the proposed conservatee is incapable of communicating, with or without reasonable accommodations, a desire to participate in the voting process, and may be disqualified from voting. The bill would also provide that a conservatee is not disqualified from voting on the basis that he or she would need to complete the affidavit with reasonable accommodations. By requiring local officials to perform additional duties, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. (4) This bill would also make technical, nonsubstantive changes to these provisions. (5) This bill would incorporate additional changes to Section 2102 of the Elections Code, proposed by AB 1461, that would become operative only if AB 1461 and this bill are both chaptered and become effective on or before January 1, 2016, and this bill is chaptered last. The bill would also incorporate additional changes to Sections 2150, 2208, and 2209 of the Elections Code, proposed by AB 1020, that would become operative only if AB 1020 and this bill are both chaptered and become effective on or before January 1, 2016, and this bill is chaptered last. (6) 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 with regard to certain mandates no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason. With regard to any other mandates, this bill would provide that, if the Commission on State Mandates determines that the bill contains costs so mandated by the state, reimbursement for those costs shall be made pursuant to the statutory provisions noted above.