(1) Existing law permits a citizen or organization to distribute voter registration cards anywhere in the applicable county. Existing law requires a county elections official to provide voter registration cards in sufficient quantities to any citizen or organization that wishes to distribute the cards, except as specified. If, after completing his or her voter registration affidavit, an elector entrusts it to another person, existing law requires the latter person to comply with specified requirements. This bill would require an individual or organization that distributes voter registration cards, a person entrusted with an affidavit of registration from an elector, or an individual or organization that assists with the submission of an affidavit of registration electronically on the Internet Web site of the Secretary of State to comply with specified requirements relating to the voter registration information. This bill would require an individual or organization that distributes voter registration cards to obtain the cards from the county elections official or the Secretary of State. This bill would require an individual or organization to comply with all applicable regulations established by the Secretary of State when distributing the cards. (2) Existing law provides that the driver's license number, identification card number, and social security number contained on an affidavit of registration are confidential and shall not be disclosed by an individual or organization that distributes voter registration cards or by a person entrusted with an affidavit of registration by an elector. This bill would provide that the signature contained on an affidavit is also confidential and shall not be disclosed. (3) The Student Voter Registration Act of 2003 requires the Secretary of State to annually provide every high school, community college, and California State University and University of California campus with voter registration forms. The act requires the number of forms provided to be consistent with the number of students enrolled at each school who are of voting age or will be of voting age by the end of the year. The act also requires every community college and California State University campus that operates an automated class registration system, or within two years of implementing such a system, to permit students, through an automated program in coordination with the Secretary of State, to elect to receive during the class registration process a voter registration form that is preprinted with personal information relevant to voter registration. The act encourages the University of California to comply with that provision. This bill would eliminate the requirement that the number of voter registration forms provided by the Secretary of State be consistent with the number of students enrolled at each school. This bill would require each community college and California State University campus that operates an automated class registration system, as specified, to permit students, during the class registration process, to apply to register to vote online by submitting an affidavit of voter registration electronically on the Internet Web site of the Secretary of State. This bill would encourage the University of California to comply with these provisions. This bill would state that it is the intent of the Legislature that every eligible high school and college student receive a meaningful opportunity to apply to register to vote. (4) Existing law permits a county elections official to provide affidavits of registration and voter registration cards online, as specified. Existing law requires the Secretary of State, in consultation with county elections officials, to design and make available on his or her Internet Web site an affidavit of registration that meets specified requirements. Existing law requires affidavits of registration that are made available on the Internet Web site of a county or of the Secretary of State to be available for individual use only and not for use by organizations seeking to register people to vote. This bill would delete these provisions. This bill instead would prohibit an affidavit of registration from being submitted electronically on a county's Internet Web site, but would permit a county to provide a hyperlink on the county's Internet Web site to the Secretary of State's electronic voter registration system. (5) Existing law requires a person, company, or other organization that agrees to pay money or other valuable consideration to a person who assists another person to register to vote by receiving the completed affidavit of registration to comply with specified conditions, including maintaining a list certain compensation-related information. Existing law makes violation of this provision a misdemeanor. This bill would require a person, company, or other organization that agrees to pay money or other valuable consideration to a person who assists another person to register to vote by assisting with the submission of an affidavit of registration electronically on the Internet Web site of the Secretary of State to comply with those specified conditions. This bill would make a violation of this provision a misdemeanor. By expanding the scope of an existing crime, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program. (6) Existing law makes it a misdemeanor for a person in possession of voter registration information obtained pursuant to specified provisions of law knowingly to use or permit the use of all or any part of that information for any purpose other than as permitted by law. This bill would make this provision applicable to a person in possession of voter registration information identified in a specified provision of law. By expanding the scope of an existing crime, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program. (7) Existing law makes it a misdemeanor for a person knowingly to acquire possession or use of voter registration information obtained pursuant to specified provisions of law without first complying with specified application requirements. This bill would instead make it a misdemeanor for a person knowingly to acquire possession of or use voter registration information obtained from the Secretary of State or a county elections official without first complying with specified application requirements. By expanding the scope of an existing crime, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program. (8) Under existing law, a person may not be registered to vote except by affidavit of registration. Existing law requires the affidavit of registration to show specified information concerning the affiant. Existing law provides for an affidavit of registration to be included on a multipart card, to be known as a voter registration card. Existing law imposes specified requirements on voter registration cards. Existing law, operative when the Secretary of State certifies that the state has a statewide voter registration database that complies with the requirements of the federal Help America Vote Act of 2002 or executes a declaration stating that certain conditions have occurred, authorizes a person to submit an affidavit of voter registration electronically on the Internet Web site of the Secretary of State. This bill would make specified requirements imposed on voter registration cards relating to affidavit of registration information applicable to all affidavits of registration. (9) 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.
Sponsored bills
Existing law provides for the calling of a special election to fill a congressional or legislative vacancy. Under existing law, the governing body of a local agency is authorized to conduct a local, special, or consolidated election wholly by mail under specified conditions. This bill would, until January 1, 2020, authorize San Diego County to conduct, as a pilot program, an all-mailed ballot special election or special consolidated election to fill a congressional or legislative vacancy under specified conditions. The bill would also authorize the county to process vote by mail ballot return envelopes beginning 29 days before the election, and would authorize the county to process vote by mail ballots on the 10th business day before the election, as specified. The bill would express the intent of the Legislature that voter education and outreach efforts be conducted in order to assist voters accustomed to voting at the polls if an all-mailed ballot election is conducted, as specified. The bill would require the county to submit a report to the Legislature and to the Secretary of State that includes specified statistics related to any all-mailed ballot election conducted under the pilot program, as specified. This bill would make legislative findings and declarations as to the necessity of a special statute for the County of San Diego.
Existing law, the federal Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) , enacts various reforms to the health insurance market. Among other things, PPACA requires a nongrandfathered group health plan and a health insurance issuer offering group or individual insurance coverage to provide coverage, without imposing cost-sharing requirements, for certain preventive services, including those preventive care and screenings for women provided in specified guidelines. PPACA requires those plans and issuers to provide coverage without cost sharing for all federal Food and Drug Administration approved contraceptive methods, sterilization procedures, and patient education and counseling for all women with reproductive capacity, as prescribed by a provider, except as specified. Existing law, the Knox-Keene Health Care Service Plan Act of 1975, provides for the licensure and regulation of health care service plans by the Department of Managed Health Care and makes a willful violation of the act a crime. Existing law also provides for the regulation of health insurers by the Department of Insurance. Existing law requires a health care service plan contract or health insurance policy that provides coverage for outpatient prescription drug benefits to provide coverage for a variety of federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved prescription contraceptive methods designated by the plan or insurer, except as specified. Existing law authorizes a religious employer, as defined, to request a contract or policy without coverage of FDA-approved contraceptive methods that are contrary to the employer's religious tenets and, if so requested, requires a contract or policy to be provided without that coverage. Existing law requires an individual or small group health care service plan contract or health insurance policy issued, amended, or renewed on or after January 1, 2014, to cover essential health benefits, which are defined to include the health benefits covered by particular benchmark plans. 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 specified health care services, including family planning services, subject to certain utilization controls. The Medi-Cal program is, in part, governed and funded by federal Medicaid Program provisions. Under existing law, one of the methods by which Medi-Cal services are provided is pursuant to contracts with various types of managed care plans. This bill would require a health care service plan contract or health insurance policy issued, amended, or renewed on or after January 1, 2016, to provide coverage for women for all prescribed and FDA-approved female contraceptive drugs, devices, and products, as well as voluntary sterilization procedures, contraceptive education and counseling, and related followup services. The bill would prohibit a nongrandfathered plan contract or health insurance policy from imposing any cost-sharing requirements or other restrictions or delays with respect to this coverage, as specified. The bill would include Medi-Cal managed plans, as specified, in the definition of a health care service plan for purposes of these provisions. The bill would retain the provision authorizing a religious employer to request a contract or policy without coverage of FDA-approved contraceptive methods that are contrary to the employer's religious tenets. Because a willful violation of the bill's requirements by a health care service plan would be a crime, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. The bill would require utilization controls for family planning services for Medi-Cal managed care plans to be subject to the cost-sharing requirements described above. 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 California Constitution establishes the Public Utilities Commission with regulatory authority over public utilities, authorizes the commission to establish its own procedures, subject to statutory limitations or directions and constitutional requirements of due process, and authorizes the commission to fix rates and establish rules for all public utilities, subject to control by the Legislature. The Natural Gas Pipeline Safety Act of 2011, within the Public Utilities Act, designates the commission as the state authority responsible for regulating and enforcing intrastate gas pipeline transportation and pipeline facilities pursuant to federal law, including the development, submission, and administration of a state pipeline safety program certification for natural gas pipelines. The act requires each gas corporation to develop a plan, as specified, for the safe and reliable operation of its commission-regulated gas pipeline facility, as defined. The act requires the commission to accept, modify, or reject the plan for each gas corporation by December 31, 2012, and to build into an approved plan sufficient flexibility to redirect activities to respond to safety requirements. The act requires that the plan be periodically reviewed and updated. The California Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006 requires the State Air Resources Board to adopt regulations to require the reporting and verification of emissions of greenhouse gases and to monitor and enforce compliance with the reporting and verification program, and requires the state board to adopt a statewide greenhouse gas emissions limit equivalent to the statewide greenhouse gas emissions level in 1990, to be achieved by 2020. This bill would require the commission, giving priority to safety, reliability, and affordability of service, to adopt rules and procedures governing the operation, maintenance, repair, and replacement of those commission-regulated gas pipeline facilities that are intrastate transmission and distribution lines to minimize leaks as a hazard to be mitigated pursuant to the Natural Gas Pipeline Safety Act of 2011, consistent with specified federal regulations, and a specified order of the commission, and to reduce emissions of natural gas from those facilities to the maximum extent feasible in order to advance the state's goals in reducing emissions of greenhouse gases pursuant to the California Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006. The bill would require the commission to require gas corporations to file a report as soon as practicable, that includes a summary of utility leak management practices, a list of new methane leaks in 2013 by grade, a list of open leaks that are being monitored or are scheduled to be repaired, and a best estimate of gas loss due to leaks. The bill would require the commission to commence a proceeding by January 15, 2015, to adopt those rules and procedures, in consultation with the State Air Resources Board. The bill would require that the rules and procedures (1) provide for the maximum technologically feasible and cost-effective avoidance, reduction, and repair of leaks and leaking components in those commission-regulated gas pipeline facilities that are intrastate transmission and distribution lines within a reasonable time after discovery, (2) provide for the repair of leaks as soon as reasonably possible after discovery, consistent with established safety requirements and the goals of reducing air pollution and the climate change impacts of methane emissions, (3) evaluate the operations, maintenance, and repair practices for those facilities to determine whether existing practices are effective at reducing methane leaks and promoting public safety, achieve the goals of the bill, and whether alternative practices may be more effective at achieving the goals of the bill, (4) establish and require the use of best practices for leak surveys, patrols, leak survey technology, leak prevention, and leak reduction, (5) establish protocols and procedures for the development and use of metrics to quantify the volume of emissions from leaking gas pipeline facilities, and for evaluating and tracking leaks geographically and over time that may be incorporated into a gas corporation's plan for the safe and reliable operation of its commission-regulated gas pipeline facility, or into other state emissions tracking systems, or both, including regulations of the State Air Resources Board for the reporting of greenhouse gases, with the requirement that the metrics provide operators, the commission, and the public with accurate information about the number and severity of leaks and about the quantity of gas that is emitted to the atmosphere over time, and (6) to the extent feasible, require the owner of each commission-regulated gas pipeline facility that is an intrastate transmission or distribution line to calculate and report to the commission and the State Air Resources Board a baseline systemwide leak rate, to periodically update that systemwide leak rate calculation, and to annually report measures that will be taken in the following year to reduce the systemwide leak rate to achieve the goals of the bill. In order to achieve transparency and accountability for rate revenues and best value for ratepayers, the bill would require that the commission consider specified topics in a manner consistent with the commission's existing ratemaking procedures and authority to establish just and reasonable rates. 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 provisions of this bill would be a part of the act and because a violation of an order or decision of the commission implementing its requirements would be a crime, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program by creating a new crime. 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 makes it a crime to operate a vehicle while under the influence of alcohol or drugs, and sets forth the penalties for a violation of these provisions. Existing law provides that a person who is guilty of driving under the influence or driving under the influence causing injury, is subject to enhanced penalties if the current offense occurred within 10 years of a prior conviction that was punished as a felony for driving under the influence, driving under the influence causing injury, or vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence. This bill would instead authorize those enhanced penalties for a current conviction for driving under the influence or driving under the influence causing injury that occurs within 10 years of a separate conviction that was punished as a felony for driving under the influence, driving under the influence causing injury, or vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence. By changing the scope of penalties for existing crimes, 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 no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason.
Existing law provides for the licensing and regulation of community care facilities, including residential facilities, adult day programs, foster family homes, community treatment facilities, and others, and for the licensing and regulation of residential care facilities for the elderly and residential care facilities for persons with chronic, life-threatening illness, by the State Department of Social Services. Violation of the provisions relating to residential care facilities for the elderly and residential care facilities for persons with chronic, life-threatening illness is a misdemeanor. Existing law also provides for the licensing and regulation of day care centers and family day care homes by the department. Existing law requires day care centers and family day care homes to have specified fire prevention devices. This bill would require community care facilities, residential care facilities for the elderly, residential care facilities for persons with chronic, life-threatening illness, and day care centers and family day care homes to have one or more functioning carbon monoxide detectors that meet specified statutory requirements in the facility and would require the department to account for the presence of the detectors during inspections. By creating a new crime, with respect to residential care facilities for the elderly and residential care facilities for persons with chronic, life-threatening illness, 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 no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason.
Existing law authorizes the compensation of victims and derivative victims of specified types of crimes by the California Victim Compensation and Government Claims Board from the Restitution Fund, a continuously appropriated fund, for specified losses suffered as a result of those crimes. Existing law sets forth eligibility requirements and specified limits on the amount of compensation the board may award. Existing law requires the board to deny an application if the board finds that the victim or derivative victim failed to cooperate reasonably with a law enforcement agency in the apprehension and conviction of a criminal committing the crime. However, existing law specifies that an application for compensation cannot be denied pursuant to that provision solely on the basis of specified behavior by the victim, such as failure to make a police report. This bill would prohibit denial of an application for compensation under the above circumstances with respect to a claim based on sexual assault, as defined, committed by military personnel against military personnel, solely because the sexual assault was not reported to a superior officer or law enforcement at the time of the crime. The bill would set forth types of evidence of sexual assault the board would be required to consider in these cases, for purposes of determining if a claim qualifies for compensation. The bill would require both the perpetrator, as defined, and the victim to be active duty military personnel at the time the sexual assault occurred for these provisions to apply. By expanding the authorization for the use of moneys in the continuously appropriated Restitution Fund, this bill would make an appropriation.
The Personal Income Tax Law and the Corporation Tax Law allow various credits against the taxes imposed by those laws, including a credit against those taxes for taxable years beginning on or after January 1, 2011, in an amount equal to an applicable percentage of either 20% or 25%, respectively, of the qualified expenditures, as defined, attributable to the production of a qualified motion picture in California, or, where the qualified motion picture is a television series that relocated to California or is an independent film, as provided. Existing law imposes specified duties on the California Film Commission related to the administration of the credits, including a requirement to allocate the tax credits until July 1, 2017, and limits the aggregate amount of credits that may be allocated to qualified motion pictures in any fiscal year to $100,000,000 through the 2016–17 fiscal year. Existing law, for taxable years beginning on or after January 1, 2011, in lieu of the credits authorized under the Personal Income Tax Law and the Corporation Tax Law for qualified motion pictures described above, also allows a credit against qualified state sales and use taxes, as provided. Existing law provides for a tentative minimum tax and further provides that, except for specified credits, no other credit shall reduce the tax imposed below the tentative minimum tax. This bill would establish similar credits under the Personal Income Tax Law and the Corporation Tax Law for taxable years beginning on or after January 1, 2016, to be allocated by the California Film Commission on or after July 1, 2015, and before July 1, 2020. This bill would, as compared to the existing tax credits, extend the scope of the credits for a qualified motion picture to the applicable percentage of qualified expenditures up to $100,000,000, would extend the credit to qualified expenditures for television pilot episodes, and would determine an applicable percentage of 25% or 20% for qualified expenditures, with an additional credit amount available, as specified. This bill would limit the aggregate amount of these new credits to be allocated in each fiscal year to up to $330 million, and would, subject to a computation and ranking of applicants based on the jobs ratio, as defined, require the California Film Commission to allocate credit amounts subject to specified categories of qualified motion pictures. This bill would, for taxable years beginning on or after January 1, 2016, in lieu of the credits authorized under the Personal Income Tax Law and the Corporation Tax Law for qualified motion pictures described above, allow a credit against qualified state sales and use taxes, as provided. This bill would also require the Legislative Analyst's Office to prepare reports related to the effectiveness and administration of the qualified motion picture credit under the Sales and Use Tax Law, the Personal Income Tax Law, and the Corporation Tax Law. This bill would, for taxable years, beginning on or after January 1, 2016, additionally allow the credit under the Corporation Tax Law for qualified expenditures for the production of qualified motion pictures to reduce the tentative minimum tax. This bill would also make findings and declarations related to the entertainment industry, and would urge the United States Department of Commerce and the International Trade Commission to investigate and impose sanctions on specified motion picture productions and elements of production to combat unfair and illegal competition. Existing constitutional provisions require that a statute that limits the right of access to the meetings of public bodies or the writings of public officials and agencies be adopted with findings demonstrating the interest protected by the limitation and the need for protecting that interest. This bill would make legislative findings to that effect. The bill would state that its provisions are severable. This bill would incorporate additional changes in Section 23036 of the Revenue and Taxation Code, proposed by AB 2754, to be operative only if AB 2754 and this bill are both chaptered and become effective on or before January 1, 2015, and this bill is chaptered last. This bill would take effect immediately as a tax levy.
Existing law provides that the California Workforce Investment Board is responsible for assisting the Governor in the development, oversight, and continuous improvement of California's workforce investment system. Existing law requires the board to assist the Governor in targeting resources to specified industry sectors and providing guidance to ensure that services reflect the needs of those sectors. This bill would additionally require the board to assist the Governor in the development of an annual workforce metrics dashboard that measures the state's human capital investments in workforce development and that provides, among other things, a status report on credential attainment, training completion, degree attainment, and participant earnings from workforce education and training programs. The bill would also authorize the State Department of Education to collect the social security numbers of adults participating in adult education programs for these purposes, as specified. This bill would also require the Employment Development Department, among other things, to aggregate data, which the bill would require to be provided by participating workforce program partners, and to report this data to the board to assist the board in producing the annual workforce metrics dashboard, as specified.
Existing law provides that 2 or more public agencies, by agreement, may form a joint powers authority to exercise any power common to the contracting parties, as specified. This bill would provide that the parties to the agreement may exercise any power common to the contracting parties, including, but not limited to, the authority to levy a fee, assessment, or tax, as specified.