Asm. Bill Berryhill

This measure would proclaim the month of May to be Women Veterans Recognition Month.

Existing law authorizes the State Air Resources Board to regulate pollution from primarily vehicular sources, and designates the state board as the state agency charged with monitoring and regulating sources of emissions of greenhouse gases. This bill would require the state board to adopt a process, as an alternative to existing dispute resolution processes, to resolve disputes regarding penalties proposed to be assessed for one or more violations of specified air pollution requirements. It would make this alternative process available only if certain requirements are met.

The State Assistance for Fire Equipment Act authorizes the Secretary of Emergency Management to acquire specified firefighting apparatus and equipment for resale to a local agency, as defined, that provides fire suppression services or a fire company. Existing law also establishes the State Assistance for Fire Equipment Account, a continuously appropriated fund, for purposes of the act. Existing law requires the secretary to consult with a specified committee before adopting regulations implementing the act. This bill would annually appropriate $45,600,000 of revenue received by the state from the accessing of oil and gas reserves located beneath state coastal waters, generally known as the "T-Ridge Project," for firefighting purposes, including, but not limited to, the purchase of firefighting and rescue vehicles and equipment, vegetation management and defensible space projects, and specified training courses and materials, thereby making an appropriation. This bill would also require the secretary to consult with additional specified individuals involved in firefighting before adopting certain regulations.

Existing law authorizes the State Lands Commission to enter into a lease for the extraction of oil or gas from state-owned tide and submerged lands in the California Coastal Sanctuary if the commission determines that those oil and gas deposits are being drained by means of producing wells upon adjacent federal lands and if the lease is in the best interests of the state. This bill would create, until July 1, 2011, the Interim Resources Management Board, consisting of the Secretary of the Natural Resources Agency, the Secretary for Environmental Protection, and the Controller. The bill would authorize the board to consider a lease application for the extraction of oil or gas offshore in state waters. The bill would authorize the board to approve that lease if specified terms and conditions are met. The bill would set forth related declarations and findings.

Existing law, the Nursing Practice Act, provides for the licensure and regulation of registered nurses by the Board of Registered Nursing and makes a violation of the act a crime. Existing law requires a licensee renewing his or her license to submit proof to the board that during a specified time the licensee has been informed of developments in the registered nursing field either by pursuing a continuing education course offered by a provider approved by the board or by other means deemed equivalent by the board. Existing law requires the board to establish, by regulation, standards for continuing education. Existing law requires these standards to make a variety of alternative forms of continuing education available to licensees. Existing law requires the content of all courses of continuing education to be relevant to the practice of nursing. This bill would provide that continuing education courses, as specified, that advance or promote labor organizing on behalf of a union, or that advance or promote statutory or regulatory changes, political candidates, political advocacy, or political strategy shall not be considered content relevant to the practice of nursing and shall not be acceptable for meeting requirements for licensure renewal. The bill would also prohibit an approved provider from representing that such a continuing education course is acceptable for meeting requirements for licensure renewal and would require the board, subject to specified procedural requirements, to withdraw its approval of a provider that violates that requirement for no less than 5 years, as specified. Because a violation of these requirements by a provider would constitute 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. This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.

This measure would recognize the Lunar New Year 4708 celebration.

This measure would declare February 23, 2010, to be Spay Day USA 2010 in California, and would request that Californians observe that day by having their dogs and cats spayed or neutered and by providing voluntary services or other support to organizations that provide spay and neuter services.

This resolution would respectfully request that the International Maritime Organization, a specialized agency of the United Nations, adopt the North American Emission Control Area, as proposed by the United States, Canada, and France at the 60th session of the Marine Environment Protection Committee, scheduled for March 2010.

The Small Business Procurement and Contract Act (hereafter the Act) requires the directors of the Department of General Services and other state agencies entering into contracts for the provision of goods, information technology, and services to the state, and in the construction of state facilities, to provide for a preference, as specified, for any bid to small businesses and microbusinesses, under specified circumstances. This bill would prohibit the Director of General Services and the directors of other state departments or offices that enter into contracts from engaging in bundling of contracts. This bill would also require the director or any agency, department, board, or commission to provide for the participation of subcontractors that are small businesses and microbusinesses in awarding contracts for goods and services by directly contracting with a small business or microbusiness. The bill would specify that the Act is not implemented by awarding a contract for goods to a prime contractor that engages a small business or microbusiness as a subcontractor.

The California Constitution establishes the Fish and Game Commission and provides for the delegation to the commission of powers relating to the protection and propagation of fish and game. Existing statutory law delegates to the commission the power to regulate the taking or possession of birds, mammals, fish, amphibians, and reptiles in accordance with prescribed laws. Existing law excepts from that statutory delegation the power to regulate the taking, possessing, processing, or use of fish, amphibia, kelp, or other aquatic plants for commercial purposes. This bill would also except from that statutory delegation the power to impose an absolute prohibition on hunting or taking game. The bill would not prohibit the commission, in accordance with the California Constitution, from imposing conditions necessary for the protection and propagation of game. Existing law establishes the Department of Fish and Game in the Natural Resources Agency, and generally charges the department with the administration and enforcement of the Fish and Game Code. Existing law requires the commission to formulate general policies for the conduct of the department. Existing law requires the Director of Fish and Game to be guided by those policies and requires the director to be responsible to the commission for the administration of the department in accordance with those policies. This bill would prohibit the policies of the department from including an absolute prohibition on hunting or taking game.