Asm. Jasmeet Bains

This measure would encourage each individual in the United States to become better informed and aware of kidney disease and APOL1-mediated kidney disease (AMKD) . The measure would encourage people from or with ancestry from Western and Central Africa to consider genetic testing for apolipoprotein L1 (APOL1) gene mutations. The measure would designate the last Tuesday of every April as APOL1-Mediated Kidney Disease (AMKD) Awareness Day.

Maddy summaryThis legislative resolution officially designates the month of May as Necrotizing Fasciitis Awareness Month in California. The measure aims to increase public understanding of the condition, often known as flesh-eating bacteria, which is a rare but serious infection of the tissue under the skin. By recognizing this month, the state intends to encourage awareness and education about the disease's symptoms and causes without changing any laws or funding.

Maddy summaryThis bill formally recognizes April 2024 as Child Abuse Prevention Month in California. It encourages communities, schools, and organizations to focus on youth-serving prevention activities during this time and throughout the year. The measure does not create new laws or funding but serves to raise public awareness about the issue.

This measure would designate the month of May 2024 as Missing and Murdered Indigenous People Awareness Month in California and urge the Governor to declare a state of emergency due to the crisis of missing and murdered indigenous people.

Maddy summaryThis bill is a House Resolution that formally recognizes National Maritime Day on May 22, 2024, and expresses the California Assembly's support for the state's maritime industry. The resolution highlights the economic importance of California's ports and the domestic shipping sector, noting that it supports over 51,000 jobs and contributes billions to the state economy. It also acknowledges the critical role of maritime workers in transporting goods and developing renewable energy, while citing recent maritime incidents to underscore the value of professional crews and well-maintained vessels. Ultimately, the bill serves as a commemorative statement rather than creating new laws or changing existing policies.

Maddy summaryThis bill is a House Resolution that formally recognizes May 27, 2024, as Memorial Day in California. It serves as a commemorative measure to honor the men and women who have died while serving in the U.S. Armed Forces. The resolution does not alter laws or create new programs but instead expresses the state's gratitude for the sacrifices made by military personnel.

Maddy summaryThis bill designates May 17, 2024, as Bike to School Day in California to encourage students to ride bicycles or electric bikes to their schools. The resolution highlights the environmental, health, and recreational benefits of cycling while acknowledging the state's existing bike-friendly infrastructure and recent cycling events. It serves as a commemorative measure rather than a law that changes regulations or funding, and it directs the Assembly's Chief Clerk to distribute copies of the text for public awareness.

Maddy summaryThis bill establishes April 27 as Harvey Milk Day to honor the first openly gay man elected to public office in a major U.S. city. The resolution recognizes Milk's legacy as a civil rights leader who fought against discrimination and advocated for LGBTQ+ visibility and unity among minority communities. It recounts key events in his life, including his assassination in 1978 and the subsequent legal proceedings against his killer. The measure serves as a commemorative acknowledgment of Milk's impact on California and national history rather than creating new laws or policies.

Existing law requires the State Department of Health Care Services to license and regulate adult alcoholism or drug abuse recovery or treatment facilities. Existing law also requires, with certain exceptions, an individual providing counseling services within a program to be registered with or certified by a certifying organization approved by the department. This bill would create, upon appropriation by the Legislature, the Licensed Alcohol Drug Counselor Board within the Department of Consumer Affairs. The bill would require the board to establish regulations and standards for the licensure of alcohol drug counselors, as specified. The bill would authorize the board to collaborate with the Department of Health Care Access and Information regarding behavioral health professions, review sunrise review applications for emerging behavioral health license and certification programs, and refer complaints regarding behavioral health workers to appropriate agencies, as specified. The bill would require an applicant to satisfy certain requirements, including, among other things, passing a certification examination, as specified. The bill would, commencing no later than 5 years after the board commences approving licenses, impose additional requirements on an applicant, including possessing a doctoral or master's degree in alcohol drug counseling that meets specified requirements, completion of a supervised practicum from an approved educational institution, and documentation that either the applicant is certified by a certifying organization or the applicant has completed 2,000 hours of postgraduate supervised work experience. The bill would impose requirements related to continuing education and discipline of licensees. The bill would prohibit a person from using the title of "Licensed Alcohol Drug Counselor" unless the person has applied for and obtained a license from the board, and would make a violation of that provision punishable by an administrative penalty not to exceed $10,000. The bill would specify that it does not require a person employed or volunteering at an outpatient treatment program or residential treatment facility certified or licensed by the State Department of Health Care Services to be licensed by the board. The bill would require the board to establish fees for licensure, as specified.

Existing law establishes the Geologic Energy Management Division in the Department of Conservation, under the direction of the State Oil and Gas Supervisor, who is required to supervise the drilling, operation, maintenance, and abandonment of oil and gas wells, as provided. Existing law requires the operator of any idle well to either (1) no later than May 1 of each year, for each idle well that was an idle well at any time in the last calendar year, file with the supervisor an annual fee according to a specified schedule of fees based on the length of time a well has been idle, or (2) file a plan with the supervisor to provide for the management and elimination of all long-term idle wells. Existing law also establishes the Hazardous and Idle-Deserted Well Abatement Fund in the State Treasury for the deposit of those idle well fees, and continuously appropriates moneys in the fund to the department for expenditure to mitigate a hazardous or potentially hazardous condition, by well plugging and abandonment, decommissioning the production facilities, or both, at a well of an operator, as provided. Existing law establishes requirements that apply when a public entity is required by statute or regulation to obtain an enforceable commitment that a bidder, contractor, or other entity will use a skilled and trained workforce to complete a contract or project, as provided. This bill would require the department to make available at least 25% of the funds to be expended each year from the Hazardous and Idle-Deserted Well Abatement Fund to a county in which there are at least 100 orphaned or deserted oil and gas wells and that attests to the department that it can plug and abandon those wells more quickly than the department can, as provided. The bill would also require the department, upon becoming aware of liquid or gas leaking from an orphaned or deserted oil and gas well, to immediately make available at least 10% of the funds to be expended each year from the fund to the county in which the well is located, if the county attests to the department that it can plug and abandon the well more quickly than the department can, as provided. The bill would require the department to distribute funds amongst eligible counties based on the number of wells that would be plugged and abandoned by the county and the cost estimate to plug and abandon the wells. The bill would require the expenditure of all money from the fund to comply with those skilled and trained workforce requirements, as provided.