This measure would honor the late civil rights pioneer Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and commemorate Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.
Existing law requires the Public Utilities Commission, in establishing rates for water service, to consider separate charges for costs associated with customer service, facilities, variable operating costs, or other components of the water service provided to water users. Existing law requires the commission to consider, and authorizes the commission to authorize, a water corporation to establish programs, including rate designs, for achieving conservation of water and recovering the cost of these programs through the rates. This bill would, upon application by a water corporation with more than 10,000 service connections, require the commission to consider, and authorize the commission to authorize, the implementation of a mechanism that separates the water corporation's revenues and its water sales, as provided. 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 above provision would be part of the act and a violation of a commission action implementing this 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 local educational agencies to identify, locate, and assess individuals with exceptional needs and to provide those individuals with a free appropriate public education in the least restrictive environment, with special education and related services, as reflected in an individualized education program. This bill would require the State Department of Education to, on or before November 30, 2023, publish data related to federal measures of least restrictive environment for pupils with disabilities, as provided. The bill would make findings and declarations relating to pupils with disabilities.
(1) Existing unemployment compensation disability law requires workers to pay contribution rates based on wages received in employment, for payment into the Unemployment Compensation Disability Fund, a special fund in the State Treasury. Under existing law, those funds are continuously appropriated for the purpose of providing disability benefits and making payment of expenses in administering those provisions. Existing law authorizes the Director of Employment Development to increase or decrease the rate of worker contributions, up to a certain amount, if the director determines the adjustment is necessary to reimburse the Unemployment Compensation Disability Fund for disability benefits paid or estimated to be paid or to prevent the accumulation of funds in excess of those needed to maintain an adequate fund balance. Under existing law, the remuneration of a worker over a specified amount is not subject to the contribution levels described above. Under existing law, specifically, the worker contribution provision does not apply to that part of a worker's remuneration which is paid after remuneration with respect to employment equal to 4 times the maximum weekly benefit for each calendar year specified, multiplied by 13 and divided by 55%, has been paid to an individual by an employer. This bill would remove that limitation on January 1, 2024. (2) Existing unemployment compensation disability law provides a formula for determining benefits available to qualifying disabled individuals. Under existing law, for periods of disability commencing on and after January 1, 2018, but before January 1, 2023, (A) if the amount of wages paid an individual during the quarter of their disability base period in which those wages were highest is less than $929, the weekly benefit amount is $50, (B) if the amount of wages paid to the individual during the quarter of their disability base period in which those wages were highest is $929 or more, and is less than 13 of the amount of the state average quarterly wage, the weekly benefit amount is 70% of those wages divided by 13, and (C) if the amount of wages paid an individual during the quarter of their disability base period in which those wages were highest is 13 of the amount of the state average quarterly wage or more, the weekly benefit amount is the greater of 23.3% of the state average weekly wage or 60% of those wages divided by 13. Under existing law, for periods of disability commencing on and after January 1, 2023, if the amount of wages paid an individual during the quarter of their disability base period in which those wages were highest exceeds $1,749.20, the weekly benefit amount is 55% of those wages divided by 13. Under existing law, a benefit that is not a multiple of $1 shall be computed to the next higher multiple of $1, and the amount of the benefit is prohibited from exceeding the maximum workers' compensation temporary disability indemnity weekly benefit amount. Under existing law, the maximum amount of benefits payable to an individual during any one disability benefit period is 52 times their weekly benefit amount, as specified. This bill would revise the formulas described above by extending the formula applicable for periods of disability commencing on and after January 1, 2018, but before January 1, 2023, through periods of disability commencing before January 1, 2025. The bill would revise the formula for periods of disability commencing after January 1, 2025, by redefining the weekly benefit amount to be equal to (A) $50 if the amount of wages paid an individual during the quarter of their disability base period in which those wages were highest is less than $722.50, (B) the greater of 70% of wages divided by 13, but not exceeding the maximum workers' compensation temporary disability indemnity weekly benefit amount, or 63% of the state average weekly wage, if the amount of wages paid an individual during the quarter of their disability base period in which those wages were highest is more than 70% of the state average quarterly wage, and (C) 90% of wages divided by 13, but not exceeding the maximum workers' compensation temporary disability indemnity weekly benefit amount, if the amount of wages paid an individual during the quarter of their disability base period in which those wages were highest is $722.50 or more, but 70% or less than the state average quarterly wage. (3) Existing law establishes, within the above state disability insurance program, a family temporary disability insurance program, also known as the paid family leave program, for the provision of wage replacement benefits for up to 8 weeks to workers who take time off work to care for a seriously ill family member or to bond with a minor child within one year of birth or placement, as specified. Existing law defines "weekly benefit amount" for purposes of both employee contributions and benefits under this program to mean the amount of weekly benefits available to qualifying disabled individuals pursuant to unemployment compensation disability law, calculated pursuant to specified formulas partly based on the applicable percentage of the wages paid to an individual for employment by employers during the quarter of the individual's disability base period in which these wages were highest, but not to exceed the maximum workers' compensation temporary disability indemnity weekly benefit amount established by the Department of Industrial Relations. This bill would revise the formula for the weekly benefit amount under the family temporary disability insurance program to conform to the changes for periods of disability commencing before January 1, 2025. The bill would also revise the formula for periods of disability commencing on or after January 1, 2025, by redefining the weekly benefit amount to be equal to (A) $50 if the amount of wages paid an individual during the quarter of their disability base period in which those wages were highest is less than $722.50, (B) the greater of 70% of wages divided by 13, but not exceeding the maximum workers' compensation temporary disability indemnity weekly benefit amount, or 63% of the state average weekly wage, if the amount of wages paid an individual during the quarter of their disability base period in which those wages were highest is more than 70% of the state average quarterly wage, and (C) 90% of wages divided by 13, but not exceeding the maximum workers' compensation temporary disability indemnity weekly benefit amount, if the amount of wages paid an individual during the quarter of their disability base period in which those wages were highest is $722.50 or more, but 70% or less than the state average quarterly wage. (4) By providing for the deposit of additional contributions in, and by authorizing an increase in disbursements from, the Unemployment Compensation Disability Fund, this bill would make an appropriation.
