This measure would recognize August 15, 2022, as India's Independence Day and urge all Californians to join in celebrating India's independence.
This measure would declare August 2022 as Valley Fever Awareness Month.
This measure would declare the month of September 2022 as California Emergency Preparedness Month.
Existing federal law provides for the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) , known in California as CalFresh, under which supplemental nutrition assistance benefits allocated to the state by the federal government are distributed to eligible individuals by each county. Existing federal law establishes eligibility requirements, including specified income eligibility standards, for receipt of CalFresh benefits. This bill would require the State Department of Social Services, on or before July 1, 2023, and annually thereafter, to submit a request for a federal waiver to exclude the basic allowance for housing provided to specified uniformed service members from countable income in the determination of eligibility and benefit level for purposes of receiving CalFresh benefits. The bill would, upon federal approval of the waiver, require the department, in consultation with the County Welfare Directors Association of California, advocates for CalFresh recipients, and the Military Department, to issue an all-county letter instructing counties on updated eligibility requirements and benefit calculations for uniformed service members receiving a basic allowance for housing. To the extent the bill would expand the duties of counties, 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, if the Commission on State Mandates determines that the bill contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement for those costs shall be made pursuant to the statutory provisions noted above.
Existing law establishes the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection in the Natural Resources Agency to provide fire protection and prevention services, as specified. This bill would require the department to maintain a standard minimum level of staffing for each of its engines, as specified, without the regular practice of forcing overtime on its personnel. The bill would require the department to increase its existing firefighter fuel crews, as specified. The bill would require the department, on or before January 1, 2024, to provide to the Legislature a long-term staffing plan to meet the new era of wildfire firefighting.
Existing law requires the Department of Motor Vehicles to require an examination for issuance of a driver's license. The examination is required to be appropriate to the type of motor vehicle or combination of vehicles the applicant desires a license to drive or tow, in accordance with certain license classifications, and includes a driving demonstration. Existing law authorizes the department to grant a license to operate a motorcycle or motor-driven cycle, as defined, to applicants who are already licensed to drive other specified vehicles and pass an examination. Existing law establishes a motorcycle safety program administered by the Department of the California Highway Patrol to enhance motorcycle operation and safety and authorizes the Commissioner of the California Highway Patrol to adopt standards for course content and instructional quality control for a novice rider training course, among other things. Existing law prohibits the commissioner from directly managing or providing program services and requires that services are provided under contractual arrangements or grant funding. This bill would require the Department of Motor Vehicles to establish a pilot program in order to evaluate the use of motorcycle safety program service providers and grant recipients to administer the driving demonstration portion of an exam to receive a license to drive a motorcycle, as specified. The bill would require a minimum of 25% of motorcycle safety program service providers and grant recipient sites to participate in the program. The bill would require the department, if it determined that participating instructors were passing applicants without administering the examination, to revoke the instructors' participation in the pilot program, among other consequences. These provisions would be repealed on January 1, 2025. The bill would require the department, in conjunction with the Department of the California Highway Patrol, to report specified information to the Legislature, including the number of participants, a comparison of the pass and failure rates, and a recommendation as to whether the program should be extended, among other things. These provisions would be repealed on January 1, 2028.
Existing law creates the Governor's Office of Business and Economic Development, known as "GO-Biz," and requires GO-Biz to serve the Governor as the lead entity for economic strategy and the marketing of California on issues relating to business development, private sector investment, and economic growth. Under existing law, GO-Biz is under the direct control of the Director of the Governor's Office of Business and Economic Development, who is responsible to the Governor and who is required to, among other things, provide to the Legislature a strategy for international trade and investment, as provided. Existing law requires the Transportation Agency to prepare a state freight plan on or before December 31, 2014, and every 5 years thereafter, with specified elements to govern the immediate and long-range planning activities and capital investments of the state with respect to the movement of freight. This bill would establish the Office of Freight within GO-Biz. The bill would require the office to serve as the coordinating entity to steer the growth, competitiveness, and sustainability for freight and ports across the state and to promote and assess the continued economic vitality and sustainability of the freight sector. The bill would require the Governor to appoint a director to (1) oversee the Office of Freight, (2) facilitate collaboration along the supply chain, and (3) advocate for the interests of business and industry in the freight sector. The bill would require the Office of Freight to meet with specified state agencies as necessary to address and discuss ongoing freight and supply chain issues and would authorize the Office of Freight to establish and convene stakeholder advisory groups, as provided. The bill would require the Office of Freight in consultation with specified state agencies, to prepare an assessment of statewide economic growth, competitiveness, prosperity, resiliency, and sustainability for the state's freight sector. The bill would require GO-Biz to submit the assessment to the Legislature on or before December 31, 2024, and an updated assessment at least once every 5 years thereafter, and would also require GO-Biz to use the assessment to inform the development of, and recommended actions included within, the strategy for international trade and investment, as provided. The bill would require the Transportation Agency to incorporate the findings of the assessment into the state freight plan, as specified.
Existing law establishes 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 requires the department to establish a list of covered services and maximum allowable reimbursement rates for prosthetic and orthotic appliances and requires that the list be published in provider manuals. Existing law prohibits reimbursement for prosthetic and orthotic appliances from exceeding 80% of the lowest maximum allowance for California established by the federal Medicare Program for the same or similar services. This bill would instead require reimbursement for these appliances to be set at least at 80% of the lowest maximum allowance for California established by the federal Medicare Program, and would require that reimbursement to be adjusted annually, as specified.
