Asm. Devon Mathis

The Personal Income Tax Law and the Corporation Tax Law allow various credits against the taxes imposed by those laws. This bill, for each taxable year beginning on or after January 1, 2019, would allow a credit in an amount equal to the total contributions made to a scholarship granting organization that provides scholarships to eligible students to cover all or part of the tuition and fees at a qualified school, as defined, during the taxable year, not to exceed a specified amount. The bill would impose specified duties on the Franchise Tax Board, the State Department of Education, and the Employment Development Department in administering the credits. This bill would take effect immediately as a tax levy.

Existing provisions of federal law regulate immigration. This bill would require the Employment Development Department and the Department of Food and Agriculture to determine the extent of labor shortages in the state agricultural and service industries and provide that information to specified federal government entities. The bill would require those departments to convene a working group to address the issues relating to a work permit program for undocumented persons who are agricultural or service industry employees to work and live in the state, and to serve as liaison to the United States Department of Homeland Security and the United States Department of Justice to ensure that state departments are not taking on responsibilities in matters dealing with immigration policy that are the jurisdiction of the federal government. The bill would require the working group to create and submit to the Legislature and the Governor a report expressing its recommendations, which would be required to incorporate specified provisions describing a model program. The bill would require the Governor, using the report, to make a formal request to the federal government to implement a program to provide undocumented persons who are agricultural or service industry employees with a permit to work and live in California. The bill would require the Governor to issue an explanation if the federal government proposes a program and the Governor disapproves of the proposed program. The bill would make the implementation of these requirements contingent on a determination by the Employment Development Department and the Department of Food and Agriculture that nonstate funds are available for the purposes of the bill. The bill would state the intent of the Legislature to enact necessary implementing legislation if the federal government approves or adopts a program to provide undocumented persons who are agricultural or service industry employees with a permit to work and live in California.

This measure would proclaim the week of March 4, 2018, through March 10, 2018, inclusive, as Women in Construction Week.

Existing law requires the use of nonlead centerfire rifle and pistol ammunition, as determined by the Fish and Game Commission, when taking big game with a rifle or pistol, and when taking coyote, within the California condor range. Existing law further requires, as soon as is practicable, but by no later than July 1, 2019, the use of nonlead ammunition for the taking of all wildlife, including game mammals, game birds, nongame birds, and nongame mammals, with any firearm, and requires the commission to promulgate regulations by July 1, 2015, that phase in the requirements of these provisions. Existing law requires the latter prohibition to be suspended for a specific hunting season and caliber if the Director of Fish and Wildlife finds that nonlead ammunition of that specific caliber is not commercially available from any manufacturer because of federal prohibitions relating to armor-piercing ammunition. This bill would instead require the commission to temporarily suspend the latter prohibition for a specific hunting season and caliber if the commission finds that nonlead ammunition of the specific caliber is not available for any reason. The bill would require the commission, on or before July 1, 2020, to adopt criteria to determine when nonlead ammunition is not available for purposes of this provision and would require those criteria to include the regional availability and cost of nonlead ammunition. The bill would require the commission's wildlife resources committee to provide recommendations to the commission on the criteria used to determine when nonlead ammunition is not available and which calibers should be considered for temporary suspension. The bill would prohibit a suspension from remaining in effect for longer than 3 years. The bill would require the commission to make any finding that nonlead ammunition is not available publicly available on its Internet Web site.

This measure would recognize the contributions of purebred dogs to the State of California, and would designate May 1, 2018, as California Purebred Dog Day.

Existing law makes it unlawful for any person other than a licensee of the Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control to sell, manufacture, or import alcoholic beverages in this state. This bill would provide that a license or permit is not needed for an art gallery, as defined, to provide wine and beer to patrons, for consumption on the gallery premises, subject to specified conditions, including that the price of the wine and beer is not included in the sales price of any piece of art or merchandise sold by the gallery.