Existing law establishes as the policy of the state that eligible renewable energy resources and zero-carbon resources supply 100% of all retail sales of electricity to California end-use customers and 100% of electricity procured to serve all state agencies by December 31, 2045. This bill would enact the Clean Economy and Clean Jobs Stimulus Act of 2021 and would require the Department of Water Resources to procure newly developed eligible renewable energy resources or zero-carbon resources, and energy storage associated with those resources, in an amount that satisfies 100 percent of the electricity procured to serve all state agencies by December 31, 2030, as provided. Under the Public Utilities Act, a violation of any order, decision, rule, direction, demand, or requirement of the commission is a crime. Because a violation of an order or decision of the commission implementing requirements of this bill would be a crime, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program by creating a new crime. 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.
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Existing law requires all California state-owned or state-run institutions, except public universities and colleges and school districts, to purchase an agricultural product grown in California when the bid or price of the California-grown agricultural product does not exceed by more than 5% the lowest bid or price for an agricultural product produced outside the state and the quality of the California-grown agricultural product is comparable. Existing law also requires the institutions, when they solicit or intend to accept a bid or price for agricultural products grown outside the state, to accept the bid or price from a vendor that packs or processes these agricultural products in the state before accepting a bid or price from a vendor that packs or processes these agricultural products outside of the state when specified conditions are met, including that the bid or price of the agricultural product grown outside the state and packed or processed in the state does not exceed by more than 5% the lowest bid or price for the agricultural product packed or processed outside the state. Existing law requires a school district that solicits bids for the purchase of an agricultural product to accept a bid or price for that agricultural product when it is grown in California before accepting a bid or price for an agricultural product that is grown outside the state when the bid or price of the California-grown agricultural product does not exceed the lowest bid or price for an agricultural product produced outside the state and the quality of the California-grown agricultural product is comparable. Under existing law, these provisions only apply to a contract to purchase agricultural products for a value that is less than the value of the threshold for supplies and services for which California has obligated itself under the Agreement on Government Procurement of the World Trade Organization. This bill would instead require all California state-owned or state-run institutions, all segments of public postsecondary education, and all local educational agencies that solicit bids for the purchase of an agricultural food product to purchase agricultural food products grown, packed, or processed domestically, unless either the bid or price of the nondomestic agricultural food product is more than 25% lower than the bid or price of the domestic agricultural food product or the quality of the domestic agricultural food product is inferior to the quality of the agricultural food product grown, packed, or produced nondomestically. The bill would provide that the bill's provisions neither limit nor expand California's obligations under the Agreement on Government Procurement of the World Trade Organization. The bill would define "agricultural food product" for these purposes. By creating new duties for school districts and community colleges, 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 federal law regulates immigration. Existing state law establishes the Employment Development Department (department) , which is administered by the Director of Employment Development who is vested with certain duties relating to, among other things, job creation and unemployment compensation. This bill would require the department to determine the extent of labor shortages in the state's essential critical infrastructure workforce sectors and provide that information to specified federal government entities. The bill would require the department to convene a working group to address the issues relating to a work permit program for unauthorized persons who are essential critical infrastructure workforce employees to work and live in the state, and to serve as liaison to the United States Department of Homeland Security and the United States Department of Justice to ensure that state departments are not taking on responsibilities in matters dealing with immigration policy that are the jurisdiction of the federal government. This bill would require the working group to create and submit to the Legislature and the Governor a report expressing its recommendations, which would be required to incorporate specified provisions describing a model statewide program and a model county pilot program. The bill would require the Governor, using the report, to make a formal request to the federal government to implement a statewide program, a county pilot program, or both, to provide unauthorized persons who are essential critical infrastructure workforce employees with a permit to work and live in California. The bill would require the Governor to issue an explanation if the federal government proposes a program and the Governor disapproves of the proposed program. The bill would state the intent of the Legislature to enact necessary implementing legislation in the future if the federal government approves a program requested by the Governor or proposes a program to provide unauthorized persons who are essential critical infrastructure workforce employees with a permit to work and live in California. This bill would require the working group to thereafter address the ongoing policy issues revolving around Congress's work on immigration reform, the federal minimum wage, and the impact those issues will have on the workforce needs of California, and to report on labor shortages, as specified, to the Legislature annually. This bill would make the implementation of these requirements contingent on a determination by the department that nonstate funds are available for the purposes of the bill.
The California Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006 designates the State Air Resources Board as the state agency responsible for monitoring and regulating sources emitting greenhouse gases. The act authorizes the state board to include the use of market-based compliance mechanisms in regulating these sources. 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 and to be available upon appropriation by the Legislature. Existing law requires the moneys from the fund to be used to facilitate the achievement of reductions of greenhouse gas emissions consistent with the act and, where applicable and to the extent feasible, to maximize economic, environmental, and public health benefits to the state, among other goals. This bill, beginning July 1, 2023, would require state agencies administering competitive grant programs that allocate moneys from the fund to give specified communities preferential points during grant application scoring for programs intended to improve air quality, to provide for a specified application timeline, and to allow applicants from the Counties of Imperial and San Diego to include daytime population numbers in grant applications. This bill, for competitive grant programs that involve housing, urban forestry, urban greening, or planning and that allocate moneys from the fund after July 1, 2023, would require state agencies administering those moneys from the fund to develop at least 3 categories for applications based on the population and density of the communities in which the proposed project is to be located and to develop scoring criteria for each category. This bill would additionally require the moneys in the fund to be used to facilitate the achievement of reductions of greenhouse gas emissions consistent with the act and, where applicable and to the extent feasible, to promote climate adaptation, accelerate the development of low-carbon technology and reduce vehicle miles traveled, and promote partnerships between jurisdictions and public agencies, Native American tribes in the state, nonprofits, and other community institutions, among other objectives. This bill also would require the Department of Finance to include in an annual report to the Legislature specified information on the applications received for each grant program allocating moneys from the fund.
Existing law requires the State Department of Public Health to examine the causes of communicable diseases occurring, or likely to occur, in the state and grants the department certain powers to quarantine, isolate, and inspect persons or places, as necessary to protect or preserve the public health. Existing law sets forth the mechanisms for proclaiming a state of emergency by the Governor or declaring a health emergency by the State Public Health Officer. Existing law requires the department and the Office of Emergency Services (OES) , in coordination with other state agencies, to establish a personal protective equipment (PPE) stockpile, upon appropriation and as necessary. Existing law requires the department to establish guidelines for the procurement, management, and distribution of PPE, as specified. Existing law generally requires a health care employer to maintain an inventory of new, unexpired PPE for use in the event of a declared state of emergency or a local emergency for a pandemic or other health emergency. This bill would make findings and declarations relating to California's response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The bill would, during a state of emergency or health emergency in response to a viral pandemic or any other health crisis, as specified, require the department to include federally qualified health centers in the organizational response structure established by OES. The bill would require the department and the California Health and Human Services Agency to, among other things, coordinate in maintaining an annual inventory of the PPE and all other related medical supplies that the state maintains in its stockpiles. The bill would require the department to ensure that all elements in the stockpiles are viable and can be activated and distributed within a reasonable timeframe to address the level of need established by any public health crisis, as specified. No later than December 1, 2023, and every 2 years thereafter, the bill would require the department and the agency to submit a report on the utilization of the equipment and supplies in the state stockpiles to the health and budget legislative committees. The bill would, subject to an appropriation in the annual Budget Act, require the department to develop a statewide, comprehensive plan to conduct an outreach and education campaign relating to COVID-19. The bill would require the campaign to include components on preventing infections, encouraging vaccination, correcting false information efforts, and addressing health disparities among certain communities. Under the bill, the campaign would commence on November 1, 2023, and operate for at least 3 years.
Existing law requires a general acute care hospital to take a variety of actions relating to the provision of language assistance services to patients with language or communication barriers, including, among others, preparing and maintaining a list of interpreters who have been identified as proficient in sign language who have the ability to translate the names of body parts, injuries, and symptoms. This bill would prohibit a general acute care hospital from including a sign language interpreter or cued language transliterator on that list unless the interpreter or transliterator meets certain certification or testing requirements. This bill would require the Department of Public Health, on or before January 1, 2024, to conduct a study to establish the guidelines for selecting testing organizations, agencies, or educational institutions to administer tests for certification of interpreters, including, but not limited to, American Sign Language interpreters, in medical settings for individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing. The bill would require the department, on or before January 1, 2025, to approve one or more entities to administer testing for American Sign Language interpreters for individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing pursuant to guidelines established by the department.
Existing law requires the State Air Resources Board to complete, approve, and implement a comprehensive strategy to reduce emissions of short-lived climate pollutants in the state to achieve, among other things, a reduction in the statewide emissions of methane by 40% below 2013 levels by 2030. Existing law requires the methane emissions reduction goals to include specified targets to reduce the landfill disposal of organics. Existing law requires the Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery, in consultation with the state board, to adopt regulations to achieve those targets for reducing organic waste in landfills, and requires the regulations to include, among other things, requirements intended to meet the goal that not less than 20% of edible food that is currently disposed of is recovered for human consumption by 2025. This bill would revise that goal by authorizing recovery for animal or livestock consumption, in addition to recovery for human consumption, in order to recover, by 2025, not less than 20% of edible food that is disposed of as of January 1, 2022.
The federal Telecommunications Act of 1996 establishes a program for the regulation of telecommunications to attain the goal of local competition, while implementing specific, predictable, and sufficient federal and state mechanisms to preserve and advance universal service, consistent with certain universal service principles. The universal service principles include the principle that consumers in all regions of the nation, including low-income consumers and those in rural, insular, and high-cost areas, should have access to telecommunications and information services, including interexchange services and advanced telecommunications and information services, that are reasonably comparable to those services provided in urban areas and that are available at rates that are reasonably comparable to rates charged for similar services in urban areas. Under existing law, the Public Utilities Commission has regulatory authority over public utilities, including telephone corporations. Existing law, the Moore Universal Telephone Service Act, established the Universal Lifeline Telephone Service (ULTS) program to ensure lifeline telephone service is available to the people of the state. In carrying out the ULTS program, existing law requires the commission to designate annually a class of lifeline service necessary to meet minimum residential communications needs, to set the rates and charges for that service, to develop eligibility criteria for that service, and to assess the degree of achievement of universal service. Existing law requires the commission to develop, implement, and administer the California Advanced Services Fund (CASF) program to encourage deployment of high-quality advanced communications services to all Californians. Existing law provides that the goal of the CASF program is to, no later than December 31, 2022, approve funding for infrastructure projects that will provide broadband access to no less than 98% of California households, as provided. Existing law establishes, among other funds related to telecommunications, the Universal Lifeline Telephone Service Trust Administrative Committee Fund and the CASF in the State Treasury, and requires that moneys in the funds are held in trust and may be expended only to accomplish specified universal service programs, upon appropriation in the annual Budget Act or upon supplemental appropriation. This bill would establish the California Connect Fund in the State Treasury, subject to the conditions and restrictions applicable to the existing universal service funds described above. The bill would, until January 1, 2031, require the commission to develop, implement, and administer the California Connect Program to ensure that high-speed broadband service is available to every household in the state at affordable rates. The bill would require the commission, on or before January 1, 2023, to adopt rules to implement the program, including rules that establish eligibility criteria for the program and the amount of, and requirements for, subsidies under the program. The bill would require the commission to perform outreach to increase program participation, to coordinate with relevant state agencies and departments to increase program participation and increase the efficacy of enrollment, and to collect data on existing affordable internet service plans that may meet program criteria. The bill would require the commission to annually report to the Legislature on the status of the program, including its success and any recommendations for modifications to the program, as provided. Existing law, the Emergency Telephone Users Surcharge Act, imposes a surcharge on each telecommunications access line for each month or part thereof for which a service user subscribes with a service supplier in an amount determined by the Office of Emergency Services, as specified. This bill would require the commission to ensure that each service supplier remits to the commission revenues from a monthly surcharge not to exceed $0.23 per month per access line for deposit into the California Connect Fund. This bill would include a change in state statute that would result in a taxpayer paying a higher tax within the meaning of Section 3 of Article XIIIA of the California Constitution, and thus would require for passage the approval of 23 of the membership of each house of the Legislature. Under existing law, a violation of the Public Utilities Act or any order, decision, rule, direction, demand, or requirement of the commission is a crime. Because a violation of a commission action implementing this bill's requirements 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.
The Personal Income Tax Law and the Corporation Tax Law, in conformity with federal income tax law, generally defines "gross income" as income from whatever source derived, except as specifically excluded, and provide various exclusions from gross income. Existing law, in conformity with the federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act) , and its subsequent amendments in the Paycheck Protection Program and Health Care Enhancement Act and the Paycheck Protection Program Flexibility Act of 2020, among other things, excludes any amounts of covered loans forgiven under the CARES Act from gross income for purposes of the Personal Income Tax Law and the Corporation Tax Law. Existing law reduces the amount of any credit or deduction otherwise allowed under the Personal Income Tax and the Corporation Tax Law for any amount paid or incurred by the taxpayer upon which this exclusion is based by the amount of the exclusion allowed. Existing law requires any 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. Existing federal law, the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021, prohibits reductions in tax deductions, denials of basis adjustments, and reductions in tax attributes for federal income tax purposes based on the exclusion from gross income provided in the federal CARES Act and its subsequent amendments. This bill would adopt the provisions of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021, prohibiting any reduction in tax deductions, denials of basis adjustments, and reductions in tax attributes based on the exclusion from gross income provided for any loan amount forgiven in conformity with the federal CARES Act and its subsequent amendments. The bill would provide findings to comply with the additional information requirement for any bill authorizing a new tax expenditure. This bill would also make findings and declarations related to a gift of public funds. This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.
Existing law requires the driver of a vehicle involved in an accident resulting in injury to a person, other than that driver, or in the death of a person to immediately stop the vehicle at the scene of the accident and provide specified personal information to the injured person or the occupants of the other vehicle and to any traffic or police officer at the scene of the accident. Under existing law, if a vehicle accident results in permanent, serious injury or death, a person who violates the requirement to stop is subject to punishment by imprisonment in the state prison for 2, 3, or 4 years, or in a county jail for not less than 90 days nor more than one year, or by a specified fine, or both the imprisonment and fine. Existing law authorizes the court, in the interests of justice and for other reasons stated in the record, to reduce or eliminate the minimum imprisonment or fine requirements. This bill would instead make a person who fails to immediately stop, as required, at the scene of an accident that resulted in a permanent, serious injury subject to punishment by imprisonment in the state prison for 2, 3, or 4 years, or in a county jail for not less than 90 days nor more than one year, and a specified fine, and if the accident resulted in death, the violation of those requirements would be punishable by imprisonment in the state prison for 3, 4, or 6 years, or in a county jail for not less than 90 days nor more than one year, and a specified fine.