Existing law requires the State Board of Forestry and Fire Protection, on or before September 1, 2011, to adopt emergency regulations to establish a fire prevention fee in an amount not to exceed $150 to be charged on each structure on a parcel that is within a state responsibility area, as defined, and requires that the fire prevention fee be adjusted annually using prescribed methods. Existing law requires the State Board of Equalization to collect the fire prevention fees, as prescribed, commencing with the 2011–12 fiscal year. Existing law establishes the State Responsibility Area Fire Prevention Fund and prohibits the collection of fire prevention fees if, commencing with the 2012–13 fiscal year, there are sufficient amounts of moneys in the fund to finance specified fire prevention activities for a fiscal year. Existing law requires that the fire prevention fees collected, except as provided, be deposited into the fund and be made available, to the board and the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection for certain specified fire protection activities that benefit the owners of structures in state responsibility areas who are required to pay the fee. Existing law further requires the board, on and after January 1, 2013, to submit an annual written report to the Legislature on specified topics. This bill would repeal the above provisions relating to the fire prevention fees.
Sponsored bills
The Sales and Use Tax Law, and other laws by reference to that law, provide that interest is paid by taxpayers and feepayers with respect to underpayments of various taxes, surcharges, and fees at a modified adjusted rate per annum, as defined by reference to a specified federal statute, and that interest is paid to taxpayers and feepayers with respect to overpayments of various taxes, surcharges, and fees as determined in accordance with a specified federal statute, which requires that the rate paid on overpayments be based on the rate of 13-week treasury bills, as specified. This bill would revise the definition of "modified adjusted rate per annum," which would thereby require that interest on overpayments be determined in the same manner as interest on underpayments is now determined.
Existing law establishes the public elementary and secondary schools and the system of public community colleges in this state, and provides for a system for their funding. Provisions of the California Constitution require that a minimum amount of aggregate funding, calculated as specified, be allocated to school districts and community college districts. Pursuant to existing statutes, school district, community college districts, and other local educational agencies receive a portion of their funding through apportionments of state funds made in accordance with payment schedules. This measure would require that the total amount due for allocation to school districts, county offices of education, charter schools, and community college districts pursuant to the constitutional minimum funding requirement described above for a fiscal year, as estimated at the time of enactment of the annual Budget Act for that fiscal year, be apportioned pursuant to statute during that fiscal year, unless that minimum funding requirement is suspended for that fiscal year pursuant to an existing constitutional provision authorizing that suspension. The measure would require this estimate to be set forth in the Budget Bill passed by the Legislature. By requiring payment of the full amount of this estimate unless the minimum funding obligation is suspended as referenced above, this measure could increase the amount of the constitutional minimum funding obligation in any year that estimate exceeds the otherwise applicable obligation. The measure would require apportionments of state aid to school districts, county offices of education, charter schools, and community college districts to be made no later than the times specified by the statutory payment schedule that was in effect during the 2000–01 fiscal year, except that the Legislature may require by statute that these apportionments be made earlier in the fiscal year.
This measure would designate May 2012 as Foster Care Month in California.
The Political Reform Act of 1974 requires elected officers, candidates, and campaign committees to file periodic campaign statements that include prescribed information, including the name, address, occupation, and employer of each person who made a cumulative amount of contributions of $100 or more to the campaign statement filer. Under the act, campaign statements are public records and are required to be open for public inspection. This bill would prohibit a committee that is not controlled by a candidate from disclosing in a campaign statement the name and address of a person who has made a cumulative amount of contributions to that committee in an amount less than $5,000. The bill would require, upon the request of the Fair Political Practices Commission, that the committee provide the withheld information to the Commission, but that information would not be a public record and would not be open for public inspection. The bill would also make conforming changes. Existing law makes a knowing or willful violation of the act a misdemeanor and subjects offenders to criminal penalties. By creating additional crimes, 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. The Political Reform Act of 1974, an initiative measure, provides that the Legislature may amend the act to further the act's purposes upon a 23 vote of each house and compliance with specified procedural requirements. This bill would declare that it furthers the purposes of the act.
Existing law requires instruction in social sciences to include the early history of California and a study of the role and contributions of specified groups of people to the economic, political, and social development of California and the United States of America, with particular emphasis on portraying the role of these groups in contemporary society. This bill would instead authorize instruction in social sciences to include the early history of California and a study of the role and contributions of specified groups of people to the economic, political, and social development of California and the United States of America, with particular emphasis on portraying the role of these groups in contemporary society.
This measure would proclaim May 6, 2012, to May 12, 2012, inclusive, to be California Charter Schools Week, and would state that the Legislature joins the California Charter Schools Association in congratulating charter schools for the accomplishments and contributions they have made to public education.
(1) Under the California Constitution, a United States citizen 18 years of age and resident in the state has the right to vote. Existing law establishes procedures regarding the registration of voters. A person may not be registered to vote except by affidavit of registration. A person is allowed to prove his or her citizenship by certification under penalty of perjury on the affidavit of registration. This bill would instead require a person to prove citizenship by presenting, or submitting a copy of, the person's birth certificate, United States passport, United States naturalization documents, documents or methods of proof established pursuant to the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986, or Bureau of Indian Affairs card number, tribal treaty card number, or tribal enrollment number. By increasing the duties of local elections officials regarding the registration of voters, the bill would impose 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, 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 measure would designate April 18, 2012, as DMV/Donate Life California Day in the State of California, and April 2012 as DMV/Donate Life California Month in the State of California, and would encourage all Californians to be organ, tissue, and blood donors.
This measure would honor and recognize the service and sacrifice made by members of the Armed Forces and their families on the occasion of Armed Forces Day on May 19, 2012.