Rep. Das Williams

This measure would declare Friday, October 7, 2016, as California Manufacturing Day.

This measure would urge the Congress of the United States to support President Obama's initiative to normalize diplomatic relations with Cuba and to move forward with legislation to help increase trade with Cuba.

This measure would congratulate the United States Women's National Soccer Team on its impressive and historic World Cup victory on July 5, 2015.

Existing law establishes the California Community Colleges, under the administration of the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges, as one of the segments of public postsecondary education in this state. Existing law authorizes the board of governors to establish auxiliary organizations, as defined, for the purpose of providing supportive services and specialized programs for the general benefit of the mission of the California Community Colleges. This bill would authorize the use of private funds from a community college district, community college campus, or local community college foundation for the provision of emergency student financial assistance, as defined, to eligible students, as defined, to overcome unforeseen financial challenges, as specified, that would directly impact a student's ability to persist in his or her course of study. The bill would authorize a community college district, community college campus, or local community college foundation to solicit and accept private funding, as specified, for the purposes of this bill.

Existing law requires every electric utility, defined to include an electrical corporation, local publicly owned electric utility, or an electrical cooperative, to develop a standard contract or tariff providing for net energy metering, as defined, and to make this contract or tariff available to eligible customer-generators upon request for generation by a renewable electrical generation facility. An electric utility, upon request, is required to make available to eligible customer-generators contracts or tariffs for net energy metering, on a first-come-first-served basis until the time that the total rated generating capacity used by eligible customer-generators exceeds 5% of the electric utility's aggregate customer peak demand. Existing law provides that an electric utility that is not a large electrical corporation is not obligated to provide net energy metering to customers in its service area once the above level is reached. The bill would require the Imperial Irrigation District to provide net metering service to eligible customer-generators that meet certain requirements, as specified. Because this bill would increase the level of service provided by a local publicly owned utility, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program. This bill would make legislative findings and declarations as to the necessity of a special statute for the Imperial Irrigation District. 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 declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.

Existing law establishes the California Coastal Commission in the Natural Resources Agency and designates the commission as the state coastal zone planning and management agency for all purposes. Existing law prohibits a commission member or an interested person, as defined, from conducting an ex parte communication unless the commission member fully discloses and makes public that communication within 7 days after the communication or, if the communication occurs within 7 days of the next commission hearing, to the commission on the record of the proceeding at that hearing. This bill would require a commission member to fully disclose in writing 24 hours before a commission hearing any ex parte communication conducted within 7 days of the commission hearing relating to a matter that will be discussed at the hearing, and would prohibit a commission member or an interested person from conducting such an ex parte communication within 24 hours before the commission hearing. The Political Reform Act of 1974 provides for the regulation of the lobbying industry, including defining the term "lobbyist" and regulating the conduct of lobbyists. Among its provisions, the act prohibits lobbyists from engaging in certain activities, including accepting or agreeing to accept any payment in any way contingent upon the defeat, enactment, or outcome of any proposed legislative or administrative action. Under the act, a lobbyist is, among others, an individual whose principal duties as an employee are to communicate with, among others, any agency official for the purpose of influencing legislative or administrative action. For these purposes, "administrative action" is defined as the proposal, drafting, development, consideration, amendment, enactment, or defeat by a state agency of any rule, regulation, or other action in any ratemaking or quasi-legislative proceeding and "agency official" is defined as any member, officer, employee, or consultant of any state agency who participates in any administrative action in other than a ministerial capacity. This bill would revise the definition of "administrative action" to include, with regard to proceedings before the California Coastal Commission, specified actions relating to the review, approval, and appeal of certain permit actions and coastal plans and programs. The bill would, however, exclude from these provisions relating to lobbyists an employee of a local government agency seeking, within the scope of his or her employment, to influence quasi-judicial decisions of the commission. The bill would also, for purposes of those matters before the California Coastal Commission, limit the definition of "agency official" to a member of the commission. Existing law makes a knowing and willful violation of the Political Reform Act of 1974 a misdemeanor and subjects offenders to criminal penalties. This bill would impose a state-mandated local program by expanding those crimes. The Political Reform Act of 1974, an initiative measure, provides that the Legislature may amend the act to further the act's purposes with a 23 vote of each house and compliance with specified procedural requirements. This bill would declare that it furthers the purposes of the act. 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 Public Safety Communication Act of 2002, among other things, requires the Public Safety Radio Strategic Planning Committee to develop and implement a statewide integrated public safety communication system that facilitates interoperability among state public safety departments and other first response agencies and coordinate other shared uses of the public safety spectrum consistent with decisions and regulations of the Federal Communications Commission. This bill would require that a provider of commercial mobile radio service, as defined, provide access for end users of that service to the local emergency telephone systems described in the Warren-911-Emergency Assistance Act, that "911" be the primary access number for those services, and that user validation not be required. The bill would prohibit a provider of commercial mobile radio service from charging any airtime, access, or similar usage charge for any "911" call placed from a commercial mobile radio service telecommunications device to a local emergency telephone system. The bill would authorize "911" calls from commercial mobile radio service telecommunications devices to be routed to a public safety answering point other than the Department of the California Highway Patrol (CHP) only if the alternate routing meets specified requirements. The bill would repeal similar provisions regarding wireless "911" calls in the Public Utilities Code. This bill would require the Office of Emergency Services to require the Public Safety Communications Division to work with wireless carriers to verify that all cell sector routing decisions for wireless "911" calls, made pursuant to these provisions, have been implemented. The bill would also require the Office of Emergency Services to maximize the efficiency of the wireless "911" emergency telephone system and to require the Public Safety Communications Division to work with the CHP and county coordinators to determine whether the most efficient routing of wireless "911" calls should be to a local public safety answering point or to a CHP center, using specified criteria, with a comprehensive statewide review and routing decisionmaking process to be completed annually. After completion of the comprehensive statewide review and routing decisionmaking process, the bill would authorize specified local entities to submit a written request for a review of a specific cell sector based on specified criteria to the Public Safety Communications Division.

This measure would recognize and commend the Maritime Museum of San Diego for its continuing dedication to preserving, interpreting, and teaching the rich maritime history of California while upholding a worldwide reputation for excellence with regard to the restoration, maintenance, and operation of historic vessels, particularly the San Salvador replica.

This measure would urge the United States Department of Transportation, Department of Energy, and the Office of Management and Budget to expedite the rulemaking and implementation processes for federal safety regulations governing the transport by rail of flammable and combustible liquids, including crude oil, and would also urge the President and the Congress of the United States to pass specified federal legislation mandating public safety measures regulating the transport by rail of those liquids.