Existing property tax law provides, pursuant to the authorization of the California Constitution, a disabled veterans' property tax exemption for the principal place of residence of a veteran or a veteran's spouse, including an unmarried surviving spouse, if the veteran, because of injury incurred in military service, is blind in both eyes, has lost the use of 2 or more limbs, or is totally disabled, as those terms are defined, or if the veteran has, as a result of a service-connected injury or disease, died while on active duty in military service. Existing law exempts that part of the full value of the residence that does not exceed $100,000, or $150,000, if the veteran's household income does not exceed $40,000, adjusted annually for inflation, as specified. This bill, commencing with the lien date for the 2017–18 fiscal year, would instead exempt that portion of the full value of the principal place of residence of a veteran or veteran's spouse that does not exceed $2,100,000, adjusted annually for inflation, as specified. The bill would also define the term "blind in both eyes" to mean that the veteran is a blind person, as defined in a specific statute. The bill would also specify that a "totally disabled" veteran includes a veteran so severely disabled as to be unable to move without the aid of an assistive device. The bill would make other technical and conforming changes to the disabled veterans' property tax exemption. The bill would repeal these provisions on the earlier of January 1, 2020, or the first property tax lien date following a determination by the Commission on State Mandates that these provisions impose reimbursable costs mandated by the state that are payable from the General Fund. By changing the manner in which local tax officials administer the disabled veterans' property tax exemption, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program. Section 2229 of the Revenue and Taxation Code requires the Legislature to reimburse local agencies annually for certain property tax revenues lost as a result of any exemption or classification of property for purposes of ad valorem property taxation. This bill would provide that, notwithstanding Section 2229 of the Revenue and Taxation Code, no appropriation is made and the state shall not reimburse local agencies for property tax revenues lost by them pursuant to the bill. 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 these statutory provisions. This bill would take effect immediately as a tax levy.
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Existing law, the Water Quality, Supply, and Infrastructure Improvement Act of 2014, approved by the voters as Proposition 1 at the November 4, 2014, statewide general election, authorizes the issuance of general obligation bonds in the amount of $7,545,000,000 to finance a water quality, supply, and infrastructure improvement program. The bond act provides that the sum of $900,000,000 is to be available, upon appropriation by the Legislature, for expenditures on, and competitive grants and loans for, projects to prevent or clean up the contamination of groundwater that serves or has served as a source of drinking water. The bond act authorizes the use of $100,000,000 of those funds for competitive grants for projects that develop and implement groundwater planning requirements. This bill, in implementing the competitive grants for those projects that develop and implement groundwater planning requirements, would require special consideration be given to those projects that would create groundwater recharge basins in areas of fallow farmland. This bill would appropriate $50,000,000 from the proceeds of the bond act for the purpose of that competitive grant program.
The Personal Income Tax Law, in modified conformity with federal income tax laws, allows various exclusions from gross income, and allows various deductions in computing the income that is subject to the taxes imposed by that law, including miscellaneous itemized deductions that are allowed only to the extent that the aggregate amount of those deductions exceeds 2% of adjusted gross income. This bill, upon appropriation of specified funds by the Legislature, on and after January 1, 2017, and before January 1, 2019, would allow a deduction, not to exceed specified amounts, of the amount a qualified taxpayer, as defined, contributed in any taxable year to a homeownership savings account and would exclude from gross income any income earned on the moneys contributed to a homeownership savings account. The bill would provide that a qualified taxpayer may withdraw amounts from a homeownership savings account to pay for qualified homeownership savings expenses defined as expenses paid or incurred in connection with the purchase of a principal residence, which is defined by reference to a federal law and includes a mobilehome. The bill would provide that any amount withdrawn from that account that is not used for these expenses would be included as income for that taxpayer. The bill would define various terms for its purposes. This bill would take effect immediately as a tax levy.
Existing law requires the court to impose as a condition of probation for a conviction for a first violation of driving under the influence, in a county where the board of supervisors has approved, and the State Department of Health Care Services has licensed, a driving-under-the-influence program, that the driver successfully complete the program in the driver's county of residence or employment, as designated by the court. Existing law provides that enrollment and participation in, and completion of, an approved program shall be subsequent to the date of the current violation. Existing law requires a county alcohol program administrator to coordinate court-established reporting requirements with the Department of Motor Vehicles and the State Department of Health Care Services. This bill would require that enrollment in an approved program take place within 30 days of conviction, unless an extension of no longer than 30 days is granted by the court, as specified. The bill would also require the court, for first time offenders, to consider a blood-alcohol concentration of 0.08% or more, by weight, in combination with the presence of a Schedule I or II controlled substance, as defined, except for marijuana or a controlled substance prescribed by a licensed physician or dentist, as an aggravating factor that may justify enhancing the terms and conditions of probation, as specified. The bill would require the county alcohol program administrator to additionally coordinate court referral and tracking documents with the Department of Motor Vehicles and the State Department of Health Care Services. By imposing new duties on a county employee, this bill would create a state-mandated local program. Existing law authorizes a court, as a condition of probation, to refer a person convicted for driving under the influence to a licensed program, as specified, even though the person's privilege to operate a motor vehicle is restricted, suspended, or revoked. Existing law requires a clerk of the court to indicate the duration of the treatment program the judge has ordered a person to participate in the abstract of the court record that is forwarded to the State Department of Health Care Services. This bill would instead require a court to refer a person with a 2nd or subsequent driving-under-the-influence conviction to a licensed program as a condition of probation even if the person's privilege to operate a motor vehicle is restricted, suspended, or revoked. The bill would require the clerk of the court to also indicate the duration of the treatment program ordered on court referral and tracking documents. 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 these statutory provisions.
(1) Existing law, known as the Donahoe Higher Education Act, sets forth the missions and functions of the segments of postsecondary education in this state. The California State University, under the administration of the Trustees of the California State University, the California Community Colleges, under the administration of the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges, and the University of California, under the administration of the Regents of the University of California, constitute the 3 segments of public postsecondary education in this state. Provisions of the Donahoe Higher Education Act apply to the University of California only to the extent that the regents act, by appropriate resolution, to make those provisions applicable. An existing chapter of the Donahoe Higher Education Act relates to the use of academic materials, and provides that a court of competent jurisdiction is authorized to grant relief that is necessary to enforce the provisions of this chapter, including through the issuance of an injunction. This chapter also includes the College Textbook Transparency Act which, among other things, provides that certain faculty members, defined as adopters, are authorized to receive royalties or other compensation from sales of course materials that include the instructor's writing or other work, subject to the employer's standing policies or collective bargaining agreements relating to employee conflicts of interest. This bill would add to this chapter a provision that requires the trustees and the governing board of each community college district, and requests the regents, to require their faculty members to annually disclose, on or before April 15, 2017, and on or before April 15 of each year thereafter, on a form and in a manner to be determined by the trustees, the governing board, or the regents, as appropriate, all of the income he or she received in the immediately preceding calendar year from a publisher, periodical, or provider of online content for royalties, advances, consulting services, or for any other purpose. The bill would require faculty members to whom the bill is applicable to file a form even if they have no disclosable income in the calendar year. The bill would require that these forms be filed under penalty of perjury, thereby imposing a state-mandated local program by expanding the scope of the crime of perjury. The bill would require that the information provided by the faculty members under this bill be available to the public on the Internet Web site of the institution at which the faculty members teach, as specified. The bill would authorize the trustees, community college governing boards, or regents to require a faculty member who does not file the information required under this bill in a timely manner to pay an administrative fine of up to $50, as specified. The bill would authorize the trustees and the community college district governing boards to expend the proceeds of these fines for general educational purposes at the campuses at which the faculty members who were assessed the fines were employed. With respect to the California State University, the bill would establish the California State University Faculty Royalty Disclosure Fund as a continuously appropriated fund for the deposit of fine proceeds and their allocation to the appropriate campuses. The bill would request the regents to allocate the proceeds of any administrative fines they collect pursuant to the bill in a manner similar to that described for the California State University. To the extent that this provision would impose new duties on community college districts, this bill would constitute a state-mandated local program. (2) 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 with regard to certain mandates no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason. With regard to any other mandates, this bill would provide that, if the Commission on State Mandates determines that the bill contains costs so mandated by the state, reimbursement for those costs shall be made pursuant to the statutory provisions noted above.
Existing law generally sets out the requirements for the submission of written reports by public agencies to the Legislature, the Governor, the Controller, and state legislative and other executive entities. This bill would require a written report, as defined, submitted by any state agency or department to the Legislature, a Member of the Legislature, or any state legislative or executive body to include a signed statement by the head of the agency or department declaring that the factual contents of the written report are true, accurate, and complete to the best of his or her knowledge. This bill would also make any person who declares as true any material matter pursuant to these provisions that he or she knows to be false liable for a civil penalty not to exceed $20,000.
This measure would declare the month of April 2016 as Financial Aid and Literacy Month, with the theme of "Prosperity Through Education," to raise public awareness about the continuing need for increased financial literacy.
This measure would recognize May 2016 as National Mental Health Awareness Month in California to enhance public awareness of mental illness.
This measure would recognize Nowrūz, the Persian New Year celebration.