The California Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006 designates the State Air Resources Board as the state agency charged with monitoring and regulating sources of emissions of greenhouse gases. The state board is required to adopt rules and regulations to achieve the maximum technologically feasible and cost-effective greenhouse gas emissions reductions to ensure that the statewide greenhouse gas emissions are reduced to at least 40% below the statewide greenhouse gas emissions limit, as defined, no later than December 31, 2030. The act requires the state board to prepare and approve a scoping plan for achieving the maximum technologically feasible and cost-effective reductions in greenhouse gas emissions and to update the scoping plan at least once every 5 years. This bill would require the state board to include greenhouse gas emissions from wildlands and forest fires in the scoping plan.
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Maddy summaryThis bill is a House Resolution that formally recognizes the work of school board members across California by designating January 2025 as School Board Recognition Month. It directly affects local school districts and county offices of education by honoring the nearly 5,000 elected school board members who serve in these roles. The resolution expresses appreciation for their dedication to public education and encourages community members to support these local officials in their efforts to serve students. This is a commemorative measure rather than a policy change, as it does not alter laws or regulations but instead highlights the importance of school governance.
The California Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006 establishes the State Air Resources Board as the state agency responsible for monitoring and regulating sources emitting greenhouse gases. The act requires the state board to approve a statewide greenhouse gas emissions limit equivalent to the statewide greenhouse gas emissions level in 1990 and to ensure the statewide greenhouse gas emissions are reduced to at least 40% below the statewide greenhouse gas emissions limit by 2030. The act authorizes the state board to include the use of market-based compliance mechanisms in its regulation of greenhouse gas emissions. This bill would specify that transportation fuels are not subject to regulations implementing a market-based compliance mechanism for greenhouse gas emissions. Existing law authorizes the state board to adopt and implement motor vehicle fuel specifications for the control of air contaminants and sources of air pollution. Existing law authorizes the state board to grant variances from the gasoline specifications, as provided. This bill would require the state board to grant variances from gasoline specifications, including for gasoline imported from outside the state, whenever a refinery outage or other supply interruption would result in substantial short-term price increases, as specified. Existing law requires the state board to establish, by regulation, maximum standards for volatility of gasoline, as provided. Pursuant to these authorities, the state board has adopted the California Reformulated Gasoline regulations, which include regulations establishing the maximum Reid vapor pressure of gasoline for various regions of the state at specified time periods. This bill would require the state board to waive the Reid vapor pressure requirement on summer-blend gasoline under the California Reformulated Gasoline regulations and to allow for the early transition to winter-blend gasoline if the state board determines that the gasoline market is experiencing a sudden and unusual increase in gasoline prices.
The California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) requires a lead agency, as defined, to prepare, or cause to be prepared, and certify the completion of an environmental impact report (EIR) on a project that it proposes to carry out or approve that may have a significant effect on the environment or to adopt a negative declaration if it finds that the project will not have that effect. CEQA also requires a lead agency to prepare a mitigated negative declaration for a project that may have a significant effect on the environment if revisions in the project would avoid or mitigate that effect and there is no substantial evidence that the project, as revised, would have a significant effect on the environment. CEQA authorizes the Governor to certify certain projects, including energy infrastructure projects, as defined, that meet specified requirements, including a requirement that the applicant agrees to pay the costs of preparing the record of proceedings for the project concurrent with review and consideration of the project, as specified, for streamlining benefits related to CEQA, such as the requirement that judicial actions challenging the certification of an EIR and the granting of approval by a lead agency for certified projects, including any potential appeals to the court of appeal or the Supreme Court, be resolved, to the extent feasible, within 270 days after the filing of the certified record of proceedings with the court. CEQA provides that the certification is no longer valid if the lead agency fails to approve the certified project before January 1, 2033. This bill would revise the definition of "energy infrastructure projects" to include projects that increase the storage of petroleum products at a refinery meeting certain requirements. Because the bill would impose additional duties on lead agencies in conducting the environmental review of petroleum storage projects that are certified by the Governor, including the concurrent preparation of the record of proceedings, 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 California Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006 designates the State Air Resources Board as the state agency charged with monitoring and regulating sources of emissions of greenhouse gases. The act authorizes the state board to include in its regulation of those emissions the use of market-based compliance mechanisms. Existing law requires all moneys, except for fines and penalties, collected by the state board from the auction or sale of allowances as part of a market-based compliance mechanism to be deposited in the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund. Existing law continuously appropriates 25% of the annual proceeds of the fund to the High-Speed Rail Authority for certain purposes. This bill would require the Controller to transfer the sum of $3,000,000,000, from the unencumbered moneys appropriated to the authority before January 1, 2025, from the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund to the General Fund. The bill would specify that the transferred moneys, upon appropriation, are available to provide the owner of every gasoline-powered passenger vehicle, as defined, registered in the state with a $100 rebate to offset California's high gasoline prices.
Existing law, the Motor Vehicle Fuel Tax Law, imposes a tax upon each gallon of motor vehicle fuel removed from a refinery or terminal rack in this state, entered into this state, or sold in this state, at a specified rate per gallon. Existing unfair competition laws establish a statutory cause of action for unfair competition, including any unlawful, unfair, or fraudulent business act or practice and unfair, deceptive, untrue, or misleading advertising and acts prohibited by false advertisement laws. This bill would suspend the imposition of the tax on motor vehicle fuels for one year. The bill would require that all savings realized based on the suspension of the motor vehicle fuels tax by a person other than an end consumer, as defined, be passed on to the end consumer, and would make the violation of this requirement an unfair business practice, in violation of unfair competition laws, as provided. The bill would require a seller of motor vehicle fuels to provide a receipt to a purchaser that indicates the amount of tax that would have otherwise applied to the transaction. This bill would also direct the Controller to transfer a specified amount from the General Fund to the Motor Vehicle Fuel Account in the Transportation Tax Fund. By transferring General Fund moneys to a continuously appropriated account, this bill would make an appropriation. This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.
The Petroleum Industry Information Reporting Act of 1980 requires operators of refineries in the state that produce gasoline meeting California specifications, within 30 days of the end of each calendar month, to submit a report to the State Energy Resources Conservation and Development Commission that contains certain information regarding its refining activities related to the production of gasoline that month. Existing law requires the commission to post, among other things, the reported data, in aggregate, on its internet website within 45 calendar days of the end of each calendar month. This bill would additionally require the commission to post, and regularly update, a dashboard on its internet website that includes the difference in average gasoline prices in California compared to national average gasoline prices, California-specific taxes, fees, regulations, and policies that directly or indirectly contribute to higher gasoline prices within the state and their individual contribution to the difference in average gasoline prices, and any substantiated evidence of price gouging or other anticompetitive behavior within the petroleum industry and its contribution to the difference in average gasoline prices, as specified.
The California Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006 establishes the State Air Resources Board as the state agency responsible for monitoring and regulating sources emitting greenhouse gases. The act requires the state board to adopt rules and regulations to achieve the maximum technologically feasible and cost-effective greenhouse gas emissions reductions to ensure that the statewide greenhouse gas emissions are reduced to at least 40% below the statewide greenhouse gas emissions limit, as defined, no later than December 31, 2030. Pursuant to the act, the state board has adopted the Low-Carbon Low Carbon Fuel Standard regulations. This bill would prohibit the state board from amending the Low-Carbon Low Carbon Fuel Standard regulations prior to January 1, 2026.
Existing law requires the State Registrar to create a document, no later than March 1, 2020, with annual updates, containing information received by a local registrar concerning marriage certificates in which one or both of the parties were minors at the time of solemnization of the marriage. Existing law requires the local registrar, at least annually, to submit information, as specified, to the State Registrar for those purposes. Under existing law, a local registrar is not required to submit this information to the State Registrar if the local registrar did not receive a copy of the court order, as specified. This bill would remove that exception and require a local registrar to submit information to the State Registrar, as specified. By increasing the reporting requirements for local registrars, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program. The bill would require the State Registrar to create a report containing the number of marriage certificates that were submitted by a local registrar, as specified. This bill would require the State Registrar, on or before September 1, 2027, to publish the report on its internet website and submit the report to the Legislature. The bill would repeal this provision on January 1, 2028. This bill would also require the State Registrar, subject to an appropriation, to establish a grant program to study extralegal marriages, as defined. The bill would require a report completed through the grant program to address the prevalence of, conditions of, and circumstances surrounding extralegal marriages in the state, as specified. 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 prohibits the production, development, duplication, distribution, or possession, as specified, of matter, in specified formats, that depicts a person under 18 years of age engaging in or simulating sexual conduct, as defined. Existing law separately prohibits this conduct where it is done for consideration or where such matter is shared with a minor. Existing law provides an enhanced punishment when these offenses are committed using government property. This bill would expand the scope of certain of these provisions to include matter that is digitally altered or generated by the use of artificial intelligence, as such matter is defined. By expanding the scope of an existing crime, 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. This bill would become operative only if SB 1381 of the 2023–24 Regular Session is enacted and takes effect on or before January 1, 2025.