Asm. Mark Stone

Existing law provides for financial and food assistance benefits to needy Californians, including, among other programs, the California Work Opportunity and Responsibility to Kids (CalWORKs) program and CalFresh, under which each county provides for financial and food assistance benefits to qualified individuals who meet specified eligibility criteria. Existing law, administered by the State Department of Social Services, provides for the establishment of a statewide electronic benefits transfer (EBT) system for the purpose of providing those financial and food assistance benefits. Existing law authorizes a county to deliver CalFresh benefits and, upon election by the county, CalWORKs benefits through the use of an EBT system. This bill would require the State Department of Social Services to, on or before February 1, 2017, convene a workgroup to develop recommendations for delivering a water benefit to supplement the purchase of drinking water for low-income households with inadequate access to safe drinking water, as specified. The bill would require the workgroup to consist of representatives from specified entities, including the Department of Water Resources, the Office of Emergency Services, and applicable community advocates, and would require the workgroup to develop recommendations that include, among other things, an implementation plan for identification of eligible households and delivery of the benefit to those households. The bill would require the State Department of Social Services to, on or before July 1, 2017, submit a report with the recommendations to the Legislature and the California Health and Human Services Agency. The bill would also make relating findings and declarations.

Existing law provides for the designation and disposition of certain categories of dogs as potentially dangerous or vicious dogs pursuant to a specified judicial process, and requires that designation to be included in the registration records of the dog. Existing law defines the term "vicious dog" to include, among others, dogs seized pursuant to specified animal cruelty laws. This bill would delete this category of dog from the above-specified definition of "vicious dog."

Existing law requires the county counsel or district attorney of a county in which an election on a county measure is to be held to prepare an impartial analysis of the measure showing the effect of the measure on the existing law and the operation of the measure. Existing law requires the analysis to include a statement indicating whether the measure was placed on the ballot by a petition signed by the requisite number of voters or by the board of supervisors. This bill would authorize the county counsel to prepare a summary of the impartial analysis in a format that answers the questions "What does a yes vote mean?" and "What does a no vote mean?" for the measure. The bill would prohibit the summary from exceeding 75 words for each question and would authorize the summary information to be included in the voter information portion of the sample ballot.

Existing law authorizes a victim of human trafficking, as defined, to bring a civil action for actual damages, compensatory damages, punitive damages, injunctive relief, any combination of those, or any other appropriate relief, as specified. Existing law authorizes the Department of Fair Employment and Housing to receive, investigate, conciliate, mediate, and prosecute complaints alleging certain unlawful practices, as specified. This bill would further authorize the department to receive, investigate, conciliate, mediate, and prosecute complaints alleging, and bring civil actions for, a victim of human trafficking, as described above. The bill would require any damages awarded in a civil action brought by the department to be awarded to the victim of human trafficking.

This measure would proclaim May 19, 2016, as Viral Hepatitis Awareness Day in California.

This measure would proclaim the week of May 15, 2016, to May 21, 2016, as Emergency Medical Services Week in California.

This measure would declare the month of May 2016 as Foster Care Month.

This measure would recognize June 12, 2016, as the 118th Anniversary of Philippine Independence and would call upon the people of the state to observe the month of June with appropriate ceremonies, programs, and activities.