Asm. James Gallagher

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 health care services. The Medi-Cal program is, in part, governed and funded by federal Medicaid program provisions. Existing law provides for a schedule of benefits provided under the Medi-Cal program, which includes certain dental services that are referred to as Denti-Cal. This bill would require the State Department of Health Care Services to increase Denti-Cal provider reimbursement rates for the 15 most common prevention, treatment, and oral evaluation services to the regional average commercial rates, effective January 1, 2017.

Under existing law, a hunting license grants the privilege to take birds and mammals. Existing law requires the Department of Fish and Wildlife to issue a hunting license for specified periods of time, including for a term of one year, as provided, upon payment of a fee, to eligible residents and nonresidents. Existing law requires the department to issue a lifetime hunting license, upon payment of a fee, to eligible California residents that authorizes a person to take birds and mammals for the life of the person, as prescribed. Under existing law, a sport fishing license grants the privilege to take fish, reptiles, and amphibians. Existing law requires the department to issue a sport fishing license for specified periods of time, including for the period of a calendar year, as provided, upon payment of a fee, to eligible residents and nonresidents. Existing law requires the department to issue a lifetime sport fishing license, upon payment of a fee, to eligible California residents that authorizes a person to take fish, reptiles, and amphibians for the life of the person, as prescribed. Existing law requires the department to issue lifetime sportsman's licenses, upon payment of a fee, to eligible California residents that authorizes a person to take birds, mammals, fish, reptiles, and amphibians for the life of the person, as prescribed. This bill would require the department to reduce the fee required to obtain the lifetime licenses by 25% for a person who is a veteran of the Armed Forces of the United States, was honorably discharged, and is a resident of California.

Existing law establishes the Fair and Exposition Fund to, among other things, allocate moneys for the support of the network of California fairs. The balance of moneys in that fund, after appropriation by the Legislature for specified oversight and auditing costs, are continuously appropriated for capital outlay for specified fair projects. Existing sales and use laws impose taxes on retailers measured by the gross receipts from the sale of tangible personal property sold at retail in this state, or on the storage, use, or other consumption in this state of tangible personal property purchased from a retailer for storage, use, or other consumption in this state measured by sales price, and requires that revenues, less refunds, derived from a specified rate of that tax be transferred to specified funds and then the balance to the General Fund. This bill would require a tax return filed for the purposes of the Sales and Use Tax Law to segregate the gross receipts of the seller and the sales price of the property on a form prescribed by the State Board of Equalization when the place of sale or use in this state is on or within the real property of a state-designated fair, as defined, which excludes any fair located in the County of Los Angeles, or any real property of a state-designated fair that is leased to another party. The bill would require, except as specified, that 30% of all revenues, less refunds and costs of administration, derived from those segregated sales and use tax amounts that would have been deposited into the General Fund instead be deposited into the Fair and Exposition Fund and continuously appropriated for allocation by the Secretary of Food and Agriculture for specified fair projects and subject to certain conditions. The bill would repeal these provisions on January 1, 2022.

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 health care service plan contracts and health insurance policies to provide coverage for specified benefits. This bill, until January 1, 2019, would require a health care service plan contract or a health insurance policy issued, amended, or renewed on or after January 1, 2017, to include coverage for hearing aids for an enrollee or insured under 18 years of age, as specified. These provisions would become inoperative if the Department of Managed Health Care and the Department of Insurance receive a notification from the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services or any other applicable federal agency that these provisions constitute a discriminatory age limitation under federal law and the state is required to defray the costs of requiring a plan contract or policy to include coverage for hearing aids on behalf of enrollees or insureds who are 18 years of age or older pursuant to a specified federal law. Because a willful violation of these requirements by a health care service plan would be a crime, 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.

(1) The existing Safe Neighborhoods and Schools Act, enacted as an initiative statute by Proposition 47, as approved by the electors at the November 4, 2014, statewide general election, makes the theft of property that does not exceed $950 in value petty theft, and makes that crime punishable as a misdemeanor, with certain exceptions. The California Constitution authorizes the Legislature to amend an initiative statute by another statute that becomes effective only when approved by the electors. This bill would amend that initiative statute by making the theft of a firearm grand theft in all cases and punishable by imprisonment in the state prison for 16 months, or 2 or 3 years. (2) Under existing law, a person who buys or receives property that has been stolen, knowing the property to be stolen, or who conceals, sells, withholds, or aids in concealing, selling, or withholding property from the owner, knowing the property to be stolen, is guilty of a misdemeanor or a felony, except that if the value of the property does not exceed $950. Proposition 47 makes the offense punishable as a misdemeanor if the defendant has not previously been convicted of one or more specified serious or violent felonies or of an offense requiring registration as a sex offender. This bill would amend that initiative statute by making the buying or receiving of a stolen firearm, with knowledge that the property was stolen, or the concealing, selling, withholding, or aiding in concealing, selling, or withholding of a firearm, with knowledge that the property was stolen, a misdemeanor or a felony. (3) This bill would call a special election to be consolidated with the November 8, 2016, statewide general election. This bill would require the Secretary of State to submit the provisions of the bill that amend the initiative statute to the electors for their approval at the November 8, 2016, consolidated election. This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an act calling an election.

Existing law requires the State Board of Forestry and Fire Protection to adopt emergency regulations to establish a fire prevention fee in an amount not to exceed $150 to be charged on each habitable structure, as defined, on a parcel that is within a state responsibility area, as defined. Existing law requires the state board to adjust the fire prevention fee annually using prescribed methods, and requires the state board, until January 31, 2017, to submit a report to the Legislature every January 31 on the status and uses of the fund, containing specified information and recommendations. This bill would instead require the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection to submit that report to the Legislature and the board, and would extend to January 31, 2021, the time until which the report is required to be submitted. The bill would additionally require that the report include specified information on each program, subprogram, and element for which the department uses money generated from that fire prevention fee, and other information regarding fund expenditures, as provided.

This measure would encourage the Department of Consumer Affairs and its boards, bureaus, and committees to create policies that promote fairness and equity to guarantee that each licensee pays a fair amount, especially in regard to initial and ongoing license fees.

This measure would recognize 2016 as the 150-year anniversary of public service and protection of state parks by state park rangers and would encourage the Department of Parks and Recreation, the California State Park Rangers Association, and the California State Parks Anniversary Committee to take all appropriate action to celebrate that anniversary.

This measure would urge the United States Congress to require the development of a proper conceptual foundation and framework for the Central Valley Project Improvement Act (CVPIA) , to require a full accounting of all CVPIA expenditures, and to require a full audit of the CVPIA Restoration Fund.