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.
Sponsored bills
Existing law, the Knox-Keene Health Care Service Plan Act of 1975, provides for the licensure and regulation of health care service plans by the Department of Managed Health Care, and makes a willful violation of the act a crime. Existing law provides for the regulation of health insurers by the Department of Insurance. Existing law generally authorizes a health care service plan or health insurer to use prior authorization and other utilization review or utilization management functions, under which a licensed physician or a licensed health care professional who is competent to evaluate specific clinical issues may approve, modify, delay, or deny requests for health care services based on medical necessity. Existing law requires a health care service plan or health insurer, including those plans or insurers that delegate utilization review or utilization management functions to medical groups, independent practice associations, or other contracting providers, to comply with specified requirements and limitations on their utilization review or utilization management processes. This bill would require a health care service plan or health insurer that implements an automated prior authorization system to use evidence-based clinical guidelines to program the system and to make the algorithms used for the system available for download on the plan's or insurer's provider internet website. The bill would require a plan or insurer that implements an automated prior authorization system to ensure that a licensed physician or a licensed health care professional makes the decision to deny or modify a request by examining the request specific to the enrollee or insured and does not simply ratify an automated response. This bill would prohibit a health care service plan contract or health insurance policy issued, amended, or renewed on or after January 1, 2022, that provides coverage for a specified service, including chiropractic services, physical or occupational therapy, and acupuncture and traditional medicine, from requiring prior authorization for the initial 12 treatment visits for that service within a new episode of care. Because a willful violation of the bill's requirements relative to health care service plans would be a crime, the 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.
Existing law, the Contractors State License Law, establishes the Contractors State License Board within the Department of Consumer Affairs and sets forth its powers and duties relating to the licensure and regulation of contractors. Existing law authorizes a person who is not licensed as a contractor to advertise for construction work or a work of improvement covered by existing law only if the aggregate contract price for labor, material, and all other items on a project or undertaking is less than $500, and the person states in the advertisement that they are not a licensed contractor. This bill would require the board to annually adjust the $500 amount by regulation to reflect the rate of inflation, as measured by the Consumer Price Index or other method of measuring the rate of inflation that the board determines is reliable and generally accepted.
Existing law provides for the licensure and regulation of various professions and vocations by boards within the Department of Consumer Affairs. Existing law requires a board to expedite the licensure process for an applicant who holds a current license in another jurisdiction in the same profession or vocation and provides evidence that they are married to or in a domestic partnership or other legal union with an active duty member of the Armed Forces of the United States who is assigned to a duty station in this state under official active duty military orders. This bill would prohibit a board from charging an initial application fee or an initial license issuance fee to an applicant who meets these expedited licensing requirements. The bill would also prohibit a board from charging an initial examination fee to an applicant who meets the expedited licensing requirements if the examination is administered by the board.
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.
The California Public Records Act requires state and local agencies to make public records available for inspection by the public, subject to specified criteria and with specified exceptions. Existing law exempts from disclosure any investigatory or security file compiled by any other state or local police agency, or any investigatory or security files compiled by any other state or local agency for correctional, law enforcement, or licensing purposes. Existing law requires, however, that state and local law enforcement agencies make public specified information, including names of victims, relating to the circumstances surrounding all complaints or requests for assistance, among other things, except to the extent that disclosure of a particular item of information would endanger the safety of a person involved in the investigation. Existing law allows victims of specified crimes to request that their names be withheld from any public records request, and upon that request prohibits law enforcement agencies from disclosing those names except under specified circumstances. Existing law additionally prohibits law enforcement agencies from disclosing the addresses of victims of specified crimes. This bill would require law enforcement to inform a victim or witness of certain gang-related offenses that their name will be disclosed unless a law enforcement agency determines disclosure would endanger their safety, and that they may provide evidence to the law enforcement agency that disclosure of the person's name would endanger the person's safety, and would authorize a law enforcement agency to consider that when making the determination. By imposing new duties on law enforcement agencies, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. Existing constitutional provisions require that a statute that limits the right of access to the meetings of public bodies or the writings of public officials and agencies be adopted with findings demonstrating the interest protected by the limitation and the need for protecting that interest. This bill would make legislative findings to that effect. 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 Personal Income Tax Law and Corporation Tax Law, in modified conformity with federal income tax laws, generally allow various deductions in computing the income that is subject to taxes imposed by those laws, including a deduction for a net operating loss as specified. Existing law suspends the deduction for a net operating loss, as specified, for taxable years beginning on or after January 1, 2020, and before January 1, 2023. The Personal Income Tax Law and Corporation Tax Law generally authorize various credits against the taxes imposed by those laws. Existing law provides that, except as specified, the total credits allowable under those laws may not reduce the taxes imposed by those laws by more than $5,000,000, as provided, for taxable years beginning on or after January 1, 2020, and before January 1, 2023. This bill, the Golden State Innovation Act of 2021, would, for taxable years beginning on or after January 1, 2021, and before January 1, 2023, exclude a taxpayer that performs research and development in biotechnology, as described, from the above-described suspension of the deduction for net operating losses and the above-described limitation on the total credits allowable. Existing law requires any bill authorizing a new tax expenditure to contain, among other things, specific goals, purposes, and objectives that the tax expenditure will achieve, detailed performance indicators, and data collection requirements. The bill also would include additional information required for any bill authorizing a new tax expenditure. This bill would take effect immediately as a tax levy.
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.
Existing law authorizes the Employment Development Department (department) to administer the federal-state unemployment insurance program and provides for the payment of unemployment compensation benefits to eligible individuals who are unemployed through no fault of their own. Existing law establishes procedures for the filing, determination, and payment of benefit claims, and those benefits are payable from the Unemployment Fund. Existing law requires the department to promptly pay benefits if it finds the claimant is eligible and to promptly deny benefits if it finds the claimant is ineligible for benefits. Existing law requires the department to consider facts submitted by an employer in making this determination and also provides for the department to audit claims, as specified. This bill would, beginning July 1, 2021, require the department, as part of its process for determining eligibility for unemployment insurance benefits, cross-check all claimant information with state and county correctional facility inmate data in an effort to detect fraudulent applications. This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.
Existing law authorizes the governing board of a school district to provide a comprehensive educational counseling program for all pupils enrolled in the school district. Existing law does not prohibit persons participating in an organized advisory program approved by the governing board of a school district, and supervised by a school district counselor, from advising pupils pursuant to the organized advisory program. This bill would expressly authorize the governing board of a school district, as part of an organized advisory program, to partner with local or community mental health providers or clinics to administer any part of its comprehensive educational counseling program.