The Personal Income Tax Law, in modified conformity with federal income tax law, allows an earned income tax credit against the taxes imposed under that law to an eligible individual that is equal to that portion of the earned income tax credit allowed by federal law as determined by the earned income tax credit adjustment factor, as specified, and allows a payment from the Tax Relief and Refund Account for an allowable credit in excess of tax liability. The Personal Income Tax Law also allows a young child tax credit against the taxes imposed under that law to a qualified taxpayer in a specified amount multiplied by the earned income tax credit adjustment factor, and allows a payment from the Tax Relief and Refund Account for an amount in excess of tax liability. Existing law defines "qualified taxpayer" for this purpose to include an eligible individual, as defined, who has a qualifying child, defined to be a child younger than 6 years of age as of the last day of the taxable year, and who meets other specified criteria. This bill would remove the requirement that a qualifying child has to be younger than 6 years of age as of the last day of the taxable year. By increasing the payments from the Tax Relief and Refund Account, a continuously appropriated fund, the bill would make an appropriation.
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Existing law defines "hate crime" as a criminal act committed, in whole or in part, because of actual or perceived characteristics of the victim, including, among other things, race, religion, disability, and sexual orientation. This bill would, instead, define a hate crime as a criminal act that is motivated in whole or in part by a bias against one or more of the protected characteristics. The bill would define "bias against" and would specify that evidence of bias motivation may include, among other things, instances when the person has selectively targeted the victim based on the actual or perceived characteristic of the victim. By changing the definition of a 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.
The California Oil Refinery Cost Disclosure Act 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 containing certain information regarding its refining activities related to the production of gasoline that month. Existing law requires the commission to post the reported data, in aggregate, on its internet website within 45 calendar days of the end of each calendar month. This bill would 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, the identification of California-specific taxes, fees, regulations, and policies and their individual contribution to gasoline prices in the state, and any substantiated evidence of price gouging or other anticompetitive behavior within the petroleum industry and its contribution to the price differential.
Existing federal law establishes the federal Old-Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance (OASDI) program to provide monthly benefits to qualified retired and disabled workers and their spouses, dependents, and survivors. Existing federal law provides various benefits to veterans, their dependents, and their survivors administered by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs (USDVA) . This bill would require the Department of Child Support Services to issue guidance to local child support agencies directing them to, and would require local child support agencies to, inform a custodial parent or guardian of benefits under the federal OASDI program and benefits provided to survivors of veterans by the USDVA when the local child support agency becomes aware that a child's noncustodial parent has died and the local child support agency has information that suggests that the child may be eligible for either of those programs. The bill would similarly require the State Department of Social Services and the State Department of Health Care Services to jointly issue guidance to county human services agencies directing them to, and would require county human services agencies to, inform a parent or guardian of benefits under the federal OASDI program and benefits provided to survivors of veterans by the USDVA when the county becomes aware that a child's parent has died and the county has information that suggests that the child may be eligible for either of those programs. By imposing new duties on local agencies, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. The bill would require the State Department of Social Services to submit a report to the Legislature that includes information on the requirements and cost to establish a state-funded program to provide cash assistance to a child with a deceased parent who is not eligible for survivor benefits under the federal OASDI program and how many children in California would be eligible for that state-funded program. This bill would, subject to an appropriation by the Legislature or a provision of federal or private funds for these purposes, require the State Department of Social Services to establish and oversee the California Survivor Benefit (CalSurvivor) Program, a county- or county consortia-administered program to provide cash assistance for a minor who is a California resident with a deceased parent, who was also a California resident upon their death, when the minor is not eligible for federal OASDI survivor benefits, as specified. The bill would authorize the department to authorize counties to establish an advocacy program to assist specified applicants and recipients of CalSurvivor benefits in the application process for federal OASDI survivor benefits if they do not meet certain verification requirements of the program. The bill would require participating counties, as part of the advocacy program, to inform the applicant of the potential impact of receiving benefits under the CalSurvivor Program on their eligibility for other assistance programs. The bill would require the department to report to the Legislature, by July 1, 2027, on the outcomes of the CalSurvivor Program and the advocacy programs. The bill would authorize the department to implement these provisions though all-county letters or similar instructions or emergency regulations. By requiring counties to administer the CalSurvivor Program, 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, 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, the Mental Health Services Act (MHSA) , an initiative measure enacted by the voters as Proposition 63 at the November 2, 2004, statewide general election, establishes the continuously appropriated Mental Health Services Fund to fund various county mental health programs, including the Adult and Older Adult Mental Health System of Care Act. Existing law authorizes the MHSA to be amended by a 23 vote of the Legislature if the amendments are consistent with and further the intent of the MHSA. This bill would establish within the State Department of Health Care Services an Older Adult Behavioral Health Services Administrator to oversee behavioral health services for older adults. The bill would require that position to be funded with administrative funds from the Mental Health Services Fund. The bill would prescribe the functions of the administrator and their responsibilities, including, but not limited to, developing outcome and related indicators for older adults for the purpose of assessing the status of behavioral health services for older adults, monitoring the quality of programs for those adults, and guiding decisionmaking on how to improve those services. The bill would require the administrator to receive data from other state agencies and departments to implement these provisions, subject to existing state or federal confidentiality requirements. The bill would require the administrator to report to the entities that administer the MHSA on those outcome and related indicators by July 1, 2024, and would require the report to be posted on the department's internet website. The bill would also require the administrator to develop a strategy and standardized training for all county behavioral health personnel in order for the counties to assist the administrator in obtaining the data necessary to develop the outcome and related indicators. By expanding the purposes for which funds from a continuously appropriated fund may be spent, this bill would make an appropriation. This bill would declare that it is consistent with and furthers the intent of the MHSA.
Existing law requires that a court report of adoption be filed with the original record of birth and that these records remain a part of the records of the State Registrar. Existing law provides that vital records related to adoptions, other than a newly issued birth certificate, shall be available only upon the order of the superior court of the county of residence of the adopted child or of the county granting the order of adoption. Existing law prohibits the order from being granted unless a verified petition setting forth facts showing the necessity of the order has been presented to the court and good and compelling cause is shown for granting the order. This bill would, beginning January 1, 2025, require a superior court to grant a petition and require the State Registrar to provide a copy of the original unredacted birth certificate of an adopted person upon receipt of a verified petition filed by that adopted person who is 18 years of age or older and was the subject of an adoption occurring before January 1, 2025. The bill would require, for an adoption occurring before January 1, 2025, the State Registrar to provide notice to each birth parent on the original birth certificate, as specified, informing them that the original and unredacted birth certificate of the adopted child has been requested by the adopted person. The bill would require the notice to include a form on which each birth parent may indicate that they authorize a copy of the original and unredacted birth certificate to be provided to the adopted person. The bill would prohibit the State Registrar from providing the original and unredacted birth certificate if either birth parent did not receive the notice, as specified, but would permit the State Registrar to provide the birth certificate with information identifying and pertaining to the birth parent that did not receive or did not respond to the notice redacted. This bill would require the State Registrar, for adoptions occurring on or after January 1, 2025, upon receiving notice that adoption proceedings have been completed, to provide notice to each birth parent named on the original birth certificate of an adopted person who is the subject of adoption proceedings informing each birth parent that the adopted person may request a copy of the original and unredacted birth certificate. The bill would require a superior court to grant a petition and require the State Registrar to provide a copy of the original unredacted birth certificate of an adopted person upon receipt of a verified petition filed by that adopted person who is 18 years of age or older and was the subject of an adoption occurring on or after January 1, 2025. The bill would require the State Registrar to provide notice to each birth parent on the original birth certificate, as specified, informing them that the original and unredacted birth certificate will be provided to the adopted person absent the parent's refusal, as specified. The bill would prohibit the State Registrar from providing the original and unredacted birth certificate if either birth parent did not receive the notice, as specified, but would permit the State Registrar to provide the birth certificate with information identifying and pertaining to the birth parent that did not receive or did not respond to the notice redacted. This bill would also require a superior court to grant a petition and direct the State Registrar to provide a copy of the adopted person's original and unredacted birth certificate if a verified petition is filed by an adopted person who is 18 years of age or older and both parents listed on a birth certificate of the adopted person are deceased, as verified by the Office of Vital Records.
Existing law requires the Secretary of State to test and examine remote accessible vote by mail systems that are proposed for use or sale in the state in order to determine their accuracy and efficiency and grant them certification or conditional approval. Existing law requires the Secretary of State to make a report stating whether a system has been certified, conditionally approved, or denied certification publicly available within 60 days after the completion of an examination. This bill would additionally require the Secretary of State to publish that report on the Secretary of State's internet website.
Existing law declares that the protection of the public interest in the development of the water resources of the state is of vital concern to the people of the state and that the state shall determine in what way the water of the state, both surface and underground, should be developed for the greatest public benefit. Existing law establishes within the Natural Resources Agency the State Water Resources Control Board and the California regional water quality control boards. Existing law requires the work of the state board to be divided into at least 2 divisions, known as the Division of Water Rights and the Division of Water Quality. This bill would establish a statewide goal to increase above- and below-ground water storage capacity by a total of 3,700,000 acre-feet by the year 2030 and a total of 4,000,000 acre-feet by the year 2040. The bill would require the Department of Water Resources, in consultation with the state board, to take reasonable actions to promote or assist efforts to achieve the statewide goal, as provided. The bill would require the department, beginning July 1, 2027, and on or before July 1 every 2 years thereafter until January 1, 2043, in consultation with the state board, to prepare and submit a report to the Legislature on the progress made to achieve the statewide goal.
The Personal Income Tax Law and the Corporation Tax Law allow various credits against the taxes imposed by those laws. This bill would, for taxable years beginning on or after January 1, 2023, and before January 1, 2028, allow a credit of $5,000 against the taxes imposed by those laws to a qualified taxpayer. The bill would define a qualified taxpayer for this purpose to mean a taxpayer that owns and leases qualified rental property, as defined, to a qualified nonprofit, as defined, pursuant to a qualified lease. The bill would require the qualified taxpayer to obtain certification, under penalty of perjury, from the qualified nonprofit that the qualified rental property will be used to provide housing to survivors of domestic violence, as provided. By expanding the crime of perjury, this bill would establish a state-mandated local program. Existing law requires a bill authorizing a new tax expenditure to contain, among other things, specific goals, purposes, and objectives the tax expenditure will achieve, detailed performance indicators, and data collection requirements. This bill would include additional information required for any bill authorizing a new tax expenditure. 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 take effect immediately as a tax levy.
Existing law establishes the Natural Resources Agency, composed of departments, boards, conservancies, and commissions responsible for the restoration, protection, and management of the state's natural and cultural resources. Existing law establishes in the agency the Department of Water Resources, which manages and undertakes planning with regard to water resources in the state. This bill would require the agency, and each department, board, conservancy, and commission within the agency, to take all reasonable steps to approve the necessary permits for specified projects that meet certain employment conditions within 180 days from receiving a complete permit application. The bill would require the department, board, conservancy, or commission responsible for issuing a permit to post updates on its internet website for each permit application explaining how the permit approval process is progressing and the estimated time until the permit is approved.