Rep. Marc Berman

This measure would recognize and affirm the important role of artists, arts organizations, creative arts therapists, and arts for health initiatives in supporting behavioral health, promoting recovery, strengthening community resilience, and contributing to public safety. The measure would encourage and recognize exploration, support, and integration of arts and behavioral health within California's health care, behavioral health, and community-based systems.

Existing law establishes the Natural Resources Agency, composed of departments, boards, conservancies, and commissions responsible for the restoration, protection, and management of the state's natural and cultural resources. This bill would designate the Santa Cruz Mountains, as defined, as a resource of statewide significance that requires special protection, as defined. The bill would require the Natural Resources Agency and its boards, departments, and conservancies, to the extent that resources are available, and when appropriate, to encourage collaborative stewardship approaches that support the protection, restoration, and preservation of the Santa Cruz Mountains, among other things. This bill would make legislative findings and declarations as to the necessity of a special statute for the Santa Cruz Mountains covering portions of the Counties of San Mateo, Santa Clara, and Santa Cruz.

Existing law prohibits juvenile products, textile articles, and food packaging that contain specified levels of perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) from being distributed, sold, or offered for sale in the state, as provided. Existing law establishes the Toxic Substances Control Account in the General Fund to be administered by the Director of Toxic Substances Control. This bill would require, on or before January 1, 2029, the manufacturer of children's diapers sold, distributed, or manufactured in the state to display on a dedicated web page on the manufacturer's internet website, and would authorize display on the product details page where the children's diapers are sold, a list of all of the children's diaper's intentionally added ingredients, as defined, in order of chemical or raw material weight, including the chemical or raw material name, the Chemical Abstract Service (CAS) number, and all specific functions or purposes for use in the children's diapers. The bill would require, on or before January 1, 2029, all children's diapers distributed or manufactured in the state, and, on or before July 1, 2029, all children's diapers sold in the state, to include on the outermost package an internet website address for a dedicated web page on the manufacturer's internet website that provides all of that information and a list of all of the intentionally added ingredients in order of chemical or raw material weight in the children's diapers. The bill would authorize the Department of Toxic Substances Control to enforce these requirements. The bill would require a person who violates these requirements to be liable for an administrative penalty not to exceed $5,000 for the first violation and not to exceed $10,000 for each subsequent violation, as provided. The bill would authorize the department to adopt regulations to implement, enforce, interpret, or make specific these requirements. The bill would authorize, upon appropriation by the Legislature, funds in the Toxic Substances Control Account to be used by the department to implement these requirements. The bill would require penalties collected to be deposited in the Toxic Substances Control Account. The bill would prohibit the sale, distribution, or manufacture of children's diapers in the state that do not comply with these requirements. The bill would make these provisions severable.

Existing law, the Confidentiality of Medical Information Act (CMIA) , generally prohibits a provider of health care, a health care service plan, or a contractor from disclosing medical information regarding a patient, enrollee, or subscriber without first obtaining an authorization, unless a specified exception applies. Existing law makes a violation of the CMIA that results in economic loss or personal injury to a patient punishable as a misdemeanor. Existing law requires specified businesses that electronically store or maintain medical information on the provision of sensitive services on behalf of a provider of health care, health care service plan, pharmaceutical company, contractor, or employer to develop capabilities, policies, and procedures, on or before July 1, 2024, to enable certain security features, including limiting user access privileges and segregating medical information related to gender affirming care, abortion and abortion-related services, and contraception, as specified. This bill would also require those specified businesses to enable the above-specified capabilities, policies, and procedures for those security features, as specified. Because the bill would expand the scope of an existing crime, it 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.

(1) Existing law, until January 1, 2027, provides a comprehensive scheme for the certification and regulation of interior designers. Existing law establishes the California Council for Interior Design Certification (council) , which is a nonprofit organization consisting of certified interior designers, as defined. Under existing law, the council carries out the responsibilities and duties set forth in the aforementioned scheme, including by issuing certifications and stamps certifying specified interior designer standards to qualified individuals. Under existing law, the procedure for stamp issuance is subject to occupational analyses and examination validation every 5 to 7 years. Under existing law, the policy for the validation is developed by the Department of Consumer Affairs. This bill would extend the operation of these provisions until January 1, 2031. The bill would provide that protection of the public shall be the highest priority for the council in exercising its certification and disciplinary authority, and any other functions. The bill would also provide that when the protection of the public is inconsistent with other interests, the protection of the public is paramount. The bill would state that it is the intent of the Legislature in extending the council's powers and duties through the sunset review process that the council continue to serve as an entity entrusted with administering a state function in its certification of interior design professionals. Existing law authorizes the council to issue an interior design certification to any applicant who provides satisfactory evidence that they meet all of specified requirements and who complies with the bylaws, rules, and procedures established by the council, as provided. This bill would require a certified interior designer to report to the council within 30 days of the date the certified interior designer has knowledge of a certain judgment, settlement, or arbitration award of $5,000 or greater against the certified interior designer in an action alleging fraud, deceit, negligence, incompetence, or recklessness by the certified interior designer in the practice of interior design, as specified. The bill would require the certified interior designer to promptly respond to oral or written inquiries from the council concerning the reportable event, as specified, and would make failure of a certified interior designer to comply with these requirements, among other things, grounds for disciplinary action. The bill would also require an insurer providing professional liability insurance to a certified interior designer or a state or local governmental agency that self-insures a certified interior designer to report to the council certain information relating to a payment of a judgment, settlement, or arbitration award described above within 30 days of the payment. The bill would impose the above-described reporting requirements if certain criteria are met, including that a certified interior designer was in responsible control of the portion of the project that was the subject of the civil judgment, settlement, arbitration award, or administrative action. The bill would specify that a certified interior designer is not considered to have violated a confidential settlement agreement or other confidential agreement by providing a report described above. The bill would authorize the council to adopt bylaws, rules, and procedures to further define the reporting requirements. Existing law authorizes the council to take reasonable actions to carry out its responsibilities and duties, as specified. This bill would prohibit the total annual salary for any individual employed or contracted by the council from exceeding the annual salary provided to certain state officers during that fiscal year. Existing law, the Bagley-Keene Open Meeting Act, requires, with specified exceptions, that all meetings of a state body be open and public and all persons be permitted to attend any meeting of a state body. The act imposes various requirements on a state body holding a meeting subject to the act, including, among other things, requiring the state body to provide notice of its meeting to any person who requests that notice in writing. Existing law requires meetings of the council issuing stamps to be subject to the rules of the Bagley-Keene Open Meeting Act. This bill would, except as otherwise provided in the provision providing a comprehensive scheme for the certification and regulation of interior designers, require meetings of the council to be governed by either Rosenberg's Rules of Order or Robert's Rules of Order, Newly Revised. The bill would require the council to provide a meaningful opportunity for public participation in the adoption, amendment, or repeal of any policies, procedures, rules, or bylaws that substantially impact the rights, benefits, privileges, duties, obligations, or responsibilities of individuals or entities subject to certification or approval by the council, including, among other things, actions by the council to increase fees. In this regard, the bill would require the council, at a minimum, to publish the complete text of any policies, procedures, rules, or bylaws proposed for adoption, amendment, or repeal along with a summary of the changes being considered for a period of at least 45 calendar days before the adoption, amendment, or repeal, and to accept written public comments during the 45-day period and allow further public comment during a meeting held for these purposes. Existing law, the California Public Records Act, requires state and local agencies to make their records available for public inspection, unless an exemption from disclosure applies. This bill would require the council, beginning July 1, 2028, and to the extent practicable, to make the records of the council available for public inspection in a manner consistent with the California Public Records Act, as specified, and would authorize the council to charge for the direct costs of responding to requests for records, as specified. (2) Existing law governs works of improvement, including design professionals liens. Existing law defines "design professional" for that purpose to include, among other things, a person licensed as an architect, as specified. This bill would also include a person certified as an interior designer pursuant to the provisions described above as a "design professional."

Existing law governs the procurement process for contracts of specified public entities. Existing law requires a local agency that requires that contracts be awarded to the lowest responsible bidder meeting, or making a good faith effort to meet, participation goals for minority, women, or disabled veteran business enterprises to provide in the general conditions under which bids will be received that any person making a bid or offer to perform a contract shall include specified information in that bid or offer. This bill would require a contractor, as a condition of submitting a bid to a local agency for a public works contract, to fully disclose any history of wage and hour violations, as specified, and provide supporting documentation, as described. The bill would authorize a contractor that fails to provide the required disclosures and supporting materials to be disqualified from the bid. The bill would require a local agency to establish a process for a contractor to appeal their bid disqualification, as specified. By requiring local agencies to establish a bid disqualification appeal process, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program. The bill would exempt public works contracts covered by a project labor agreement, and projects where local agencies require contractors to prequalify as a condition of bidding. 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.

This measure would proclaim the month of October 2026 as California Firefighter Appreciation Month and October 3, 2026, as California Firefighters Memorial Day.

Existing law vests the Public Utilities Commission with regulatory authority over public utilities, including electrical corporations, gas corporations, water corporations, and sewer system corporations. Existing law authorizes the commission to fix the rates and charges for every public utility and requires that those rates and charges be just and reasonable. Existing law prohibits a utility from recording to an above-the-line account, as defined, or otherwise recovering from ratepayers specified costs. This bill would require the commission to find that an electrical corporation, gas corporation, water corporation, or sewer system corporation has engaged in prohibited cost recovery if the corporation records a cost to a regulator-approved financial account and the cost is categorically excluded from ratepayer recovery by statute, commission decision, or commission rule or has already been authorized for recovery through another ratemaking mechanism. The bill would require the commission, upon making a determination that such a corporation has recorded prohibited costs to a ratepayer-funded account in violation of commission rule, tariff, or statute, to disallow recovery of the cost from ratepayers and to impose a financial penalty for prohibited cost recovery equal to the amount of the prohibited cost recovery or 3 times that amount, except as specified. The bill would require each such corporation to submit an annual report to the commission identifying all instances in the prior year in which prohibited cost recovery was identified, the actions that were taken in response to the identification, and any actions that were taken by the corporation to prevent future occurrences. 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 a commission action implementing the bill's requirements 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.

Existing law requires the governing board of each school district to have general control of, and be responsible for, all aspects of the interscholastic athletic policies, programs, and activities in its school district, as provided, and requires the governing board of a school district to ensure that all interscholastic policies, programs, and activities in the school district are in compliance with state and federal law. Existing law authorizes the governing board of a school district to enter into associations or consortia with other governing boards for purposes of governing regional or statewide interscholastic athletics, as provided. Existing law describes the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) as a voluntary organization that consists of school and school-related personnel with responsibility for administering interscholastic athletic activities in secondary schools and states the intent of the Legislature that the CIF, in consultation with the State Department of Education, implement specified policies relating to interscholastic athletics. Existing law, the 1998 California High School Coaching Education and Training Program, declares the intent of the Legislature to establish a California High School Coaching Education and Training Program, to be administered by school districts with an emphasis on specific components, including, among other components, sports psychology. Existing law requires every high school sports coach to complete, at their own expense, a coaching education program that meets the guidelines established by the California High School Coaching Education and Training Program. This bill would require specified trainings for coaches described in AB 1665 of the 2025–26 Regular Session to cover specified mental-health related topics, including, among other topics, trauma-informed care, as provided, and strategies of creating a positive team culture, as provided. The bill would require the department, on or before September 1, 2027, to identify existing training or develop a model youth athletics behavioral and mental health training, as specified, for persons who serve as coaches in youth sports organizations, both for recreational leagues and competitive or club leagues. The bill would require the department to post the training on its internet website and work with local partners to disseminate the training to appropriate youth athletic leagues, youth coaching entities, and relevant statewide organizations and associations. This bill would incorporate additional changes to Section 35179.1 of the Education Code proposed by AB 1665 to be operative only if this bill and AB 1665 are enacted and this bill is enacted last. This bill would make the operation of its provisions contingent upon the enactment of AB 1665 of the 2025–26 Regular Session.

Existing law generally regulates the business of renting passenger vehicles to the public. The law prohibits a rental company from taking various actions, including requiring the purchase of a damage waiver, optional insurance, or another optional good or service, and using electronic surveillance technology to track a renter in order to impose fines or surcharges relating to the renter's use of a rental vehicle. This bill would require any privately owned vehicle rented by, or furnished to, any federal, state, or local law enforcement agency for the use of detaining, arresting, or transporting persons who have violated, or are suspected of having violated, any law, to display a temporary decal displaying the agency name and logo, as specified. The bill would authorize certain attorneys, including the Attorney General, to pursue a civil action against the entity renting the vehicle from the private owner for failure to comply with these provisions. The bill would require the rental car contract to include a term that compliance with state law is mandatory. The bill would exempt privately owned vehicles rented or otherwise furnished or loaned to a law enforcement agency for specified purposes and rental car contracts entered into prior to January 1, 2027, from these provisions. The bill would make related findings and declarations.