Asm. Devon Mathis

Under existing law, various measures provide funds for water facilities and programs. Existing law authorizes the State Water Resources Control Board to establish the Water and Wastewater Loan and Grant Program, to the extent funding is made available, to provide funding to eligible applicants for specified purposes relating to drinking water and wastewater treatment. This bill would appropriate $20,000,000 from the General Fund to the board for the purpose of improving water treatment. The bill would require the board to grant $20,000,000 to a specified joint powers authority for a water treatment facility to be operated by the joint powers authority.

Existing law requires the Department of Motor Vehicles to issue a driver's license to an applicant when the department determines that the applicant is lawfully entitled to a license. Existing law allows an in-person applicant for a driver's license or identification card to request the word "VETERAN" be printed on the face of the driver's license or identification card, subject to certain requirements, including, among others, verification of veteran status, as specified, and payment of a $5 fee, which the department is authorized to increase by regulation in an amount not to exceed $15, as specified. Existing law prohibits a fee from being charged for that request if made by (1) a person who has been determined to have a current income level that meets the eligibility requirements for specified assistance programs, or (2) a person who can verify their status as a homeless person, in accordance with specified provisions. This bill would direct the department to discontinue the fee for printing the word "VETERAN" on the face of a driver's licence or identification card by July 1, 2022, and would repeal that fee provision on January 1, 2023. The bill would also make technical and conforming changes.

Existing law requires the Department of Housing and Community Development to submit an annual report to the Governor and both houses of the Legislature on the operations and accomplishments during the previous fiscal year of the housing programs administered by the department. Existing law requires that the report include, among other things, the number of units assisted by those programs and the number of individuals and households served and their income level. This bill would require the department, by March 1 of each year, to develop an annual summary report that discloses the amount of state, federal, and private funding spent on the development of affordable housing within the state, each city, and each county in the preceding calendar year. The bill would require the department to post the annual summary report on its internet website and make the report available to the public by March 15 of each year.

Existing law provides for a comprehensive scheme for the regulation of market milk. Those provisions, among other things, authorize the Secretary of Food and Agriculture to formulate, administer, and enforce stabilization and marketing plans for market milk. Existing law requires the secretary, if the secretary finds that a stabilization and marketing plan is necessary, to formulate a stabilization and marketing plan for market milk and conduct a public hearing on the plan. If the secretary determines after the public hearing that the plan will accomplish its purposes, existing law requires the secretary to issue an order declaring the plan in effect within 62 days from the date of the hearing and requires the secretary to announce that order at least 10 calendar days prior to the effective date of the plan. This bill would instead require the secretary to issue an order declaring the plan in effect within 62 business days from the date of the hearing and would require the secretary to announce that order at least 10 business days before the effective date of the plan.

Existing law gives control of the state park system to the Department of Parks and Recreation, and requires the Director of Parks and Recreation to promote and regulate the use of the state park system in a manner that conserves the scenery, natural and historic resources, and wildlife for the enjoyment of future generations. Existing law authorizes the department to collect fees, rents, and other returns for use of any state park system area, as provided. Existing law prohibits the department from collecting from any group of pupils in kindergarten or grades 1 to 12, inclusive, or their escorts, any fee, rental, or other return for use of any unit in the state park system when the group is visiting the area pursuant to a school outing or field trip under the direction of a school personnel, as provided. This bill would require the department to waive the day use entrance fees to a unit of the state park system for any child in the 4th grade, or the 4th grade equivalent, who holds a valid federally issued "Every Kid Outdoors" pass, as provided. The bill would require the department to post on its internet website information on how to obtain the federal "Every Kid Outdoors" pass, including a hyperlink to the federal program establishing the pass.

Existing law provides for unemployment compensation benefits to eligible persons who are unemployed through no fault of their own. These provisions are generally administered by the Employment Development Department. Existing law requires unemployment compensation benefits that are directly deposited to an account of the recipient's choice to be deposited to a qualifying account. Existing law defines "qualifying account" for these purposes to mean a demand deposit or savings account at an insured financial institution in the name of the person entitled to receipt of public assistance payments or a prepaid card account that meets certain requirements, including that the prepaid card account may not be attached to any credit or overdraft feature that is automatically repaid from the account after delivery of the payment. This bill would, by July 1, 2021, provide that the recipient of the unemployment compensation benefits has the right to choose whether the benefits payments are directly deposited into a qualifying account or applied to a prepaid debit card. This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.

Existing law, the California Suicide Prevention Act of 2000, allows the State Department of Health Care Services, contingent upon appropriation, to establish and implement a suicide prevention, education, and gatekeeper training program to reduce the severity, duration, and incidence of suicidal behaviors. Existing law authorizes the State Department of Public Health to establish the Office of Suicide Prevention to, among other things, convene experts and stakeholders, including, but not limited to, stakeholders representing populations with high rates of suicide, to encourage collaboration and coordination of resources for suicide prevention. This bill would require the department to establish an Ending Military Suicide Task Force to systematically reduce military suicides and to develop a plan to eliminate all military suicides in the state, as specified. Commencing June 1, 2023, the bill would require the task force to submit a specified report to the Governor and the Legislature on the state of veteran suicide prevention, as specified, including, among other things, an analysis of the plans, activities, strategies, and programs undertaken pursuant to the task force's recommendations and their effects on reducing military suicides in the state.

The Personal Income Tax Law allows various credits against the taxes imposed by that law. Existing law requires any bill authorizing a new tax credit to contain, among other things, specific goals, purposes, and objectives that the tax credit will achieve, detailed performance indicators, and data collection requirements. This bill would allow a credit against those taxes for each taxable year beginning on or after January 1, 2022, and before January 1, 2027, in an amount equal to the amount of sales tax collected from a qualified taxpayer during the first week of August of the taxable year for purchases of back-to-school items, as defined, not to exceed $2,500 per taxable year per household. The bill would define qualified taxpayer as a parent with a schoolchild, a student attending a postsecondary institution, or an educator. The bill would require a qualified taxpayer to have a household income at the time of filing that is at or below the federal poverty threshold, except as otherwise specified. The bill would require the Franchise Tax Board to submit a report by January 1, 2026, to the Legislature on the amount of credits used by qualified taxpayers, and would provide findings and declarations relating to the goals of this credit. Existing law establishes the continuously appropriated Tax Relief and Refund Account and provides that payments required to be made to taxpayers or other persons from the Personal Income Tax Fund are to be paid from that account, including any amount to be paid as an earned income tax credit in excess of any tax liabilities. This bill would require the amount of the credit exceeding the taxpayer's liability to be credited against other amounts due, if any, and would require the balance to be paid from the Tax Relief and Refund Account and refunded to the taxpayer. By authorizing new payments from that account for additional amounts in excess of personal income tax liabilities, this bill would make an appropriation.

Existing law imposes limits on the size, weight, and load of vehicles that may be operated on the highway and authorizes the Department of Transportation and local authorities, with respect to highways under their respective jurisdictions, to issue permits to operate the vehicles exceeding the specified size, weight, and load limits. This bill would, no later than July 1, 2022, require the department to develop a pilot program for the purpose of issuing a special permit to the operator of a vehicle, combination of vehicles, or mobile equipment permitting the hauling of raw milk in excess of 80,000 pounds if the vehicle, combination, or equipment meets specified criteria. The bill would require an application for the permit to contain specified information, including a description of the vehicles to be operated under the permit. The bill would state that a permit is valid for one year and may be canceled by the department for specified reasons including the failure of the applicant to maintain any of the conditions required for the application. The bill would state that the holder of a permit is not authorized to operate outside of designated corridors identified by the department. The bill would require the department to submit a report to the Legislature, as specified. The bill would require the department to conduct a study focused on specific issues, including air pollution emission reductions and fuel consumption, and provide results to the appropriate legislative policy committees. The bill would authorize the department to charge a fee, as specified. The bill would repeal these provisions on January 1, 2030.

The California Constitution provides that the state is divided into counties, which are legal subdivisions, and requires, among other things, that the Legislature provide for an elected governing body in each county. Existing law implementing this requirement requires that each county have a board of supervisors consisting of 5 members. Existing law requires the board of supervisors to, within 10 days after each session, publish a fair statement of all its proceedings, except as provided. This bill would, instead, require the board of supervisors to, within 7 days after each session, publish a fair statement of all its proceedings, except as provided.