Asm. Cameron Smyth

Existing law establishes a workers' compensation system, administered by the Administrative Director of the Division of Workers' Compensation, to compensate an employee for injuries sustained in the course of employment. Existing law requires the administrative director to formulate a rating schedule for determining the percentage of an injured employee's permanent disability. This bill would make a technical, nonsubstantive change to those provisions.

Existing law provides for the compensation of local government officers and employees, as specified. This bill would require filers, as defined, to annually file a compensation disclosure form, as specified. This bill would require the Secretary of State to develop the form, which would provide for the disclosure of, among other things, salaries and stipends, automobile and equipment allowances, and incentive and bonus payments. This bill would also require a county, city, city and county, school district, special district, or joint powers agency that maintains an Internet Web site to post the information contained on the filed form on that Internet Web site, as specified. The bill would authorize a district attorney or any interested person to commence an action by mandamus to enforce the provisions of the bill, as specified. The duties imposed on local departmental agencies by the bill would create a state-mandated local program. The bill would express a legislative finding and declaration that, to ensure the statewide integrity of local government, disclosure of compensation paid to filers is an issue of statewide concern and not a municipal affair and that, therefore, all cities, including charter cities, would be subject to the provisions of the bill. 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 these statutory provisions.

Existing law creates the Office of Small Business Advocate in the Office of Planning and Research in the Governor's office, and requires the advocate to, among other things, receive and respond to complaints from small businesses concerning the actions of state agencies and the operative effects of state laws and regulations adversely affecting those businesses. This bill would require the advocate to commission a study of the costs of specific state regulations on small businesses and identify the 10 costliest regulations on California small businesses. The bill would require the advocate to make recommendations on how California's regulatory process can more effectively assess the impact of these regulations on small businesses and methods for developing policy-appropriate alternatives, while avoiding recommendations that could diminish wage and hour, social insurance, or health and safety protections for workers. The bill would require the advocate to convene a small business advisory committee, as specified, to provide advice on the study. The bill would require the advocate, no later than October 1, 2011, to submit the completed study, including recommendations, to the Department of Finance and specified members of the Legislature.

The State Assistance for Fire Equipment Act authorizes the Secretary of Emergency Management to acquire specified firefighting apparatus and equipment for resale to a local agency, as defined, that provides fire suppression services or a fire company. Existing law also establishes the State Assistance for Fire Equipment Account, a continuously appropriated fund, for purposes of the act. Existing law requires the secretary to consult with a specified committee before adopting regulations implementing the act. This bill would annually appropriate $45,600,000 of revenue received by the state from the accessing of oil and gas reserves located beneath state coastal waters, generally known as the "T-Ridge Project," for firefighting purposes, including, but not limited to, the purchase of firefighting and rescue vehicles and equipment, vegetation management and defensible space projects, and specified training courses and materials, thereby making an appropriation. This bill would also require the secretary to consult with additional specified individuals involved in firefighting before adopting certain regulations.

This measure would designate the first week of March of each year as Cuss Free Week.

Existing law requires a state agency, in awarding contracts for construction, to grant a California company, as defined, a reciprocal preference as against a nonresident contractor from any state that gives or requires a preference to be given to contractors from that state on its public entity construction contracts, as specified. This bill would require a state agency, in awarding a contract for good or services, to grant a resident bidder, as defined, a reciprocal preference as against a nonresident bidder from any state that gives or requires a preference to be given to contractors from that state, as specified. This bill would provide that its provisions do not apply if their application might jeopardize the receipt of federal funds or if the nonresident bidder certifies, under penalty of perjury, in its bid that its state of residency does not give a preference for contractors from that state in the award of its contracts. By creating a new 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.

Existing law, the Nursing Practice Act, provides for the licensure and regulation of registered nurses by the Board of Registered Nursing and makes a violation of the act a crime. Existing law requires a licensee renewing his or her license to submit proof to the board that during a specified time the licensee has been informed of developments in the registered nursing field either by pursuing a continuing education course offered by a provider approved by the board or by other means deemed equivalent by the board. Existing law requires the board to establish, by regulation, standards for continuing education. Existing law requires these standards to make a variety of alternative forms of continuing education available to licensees. Existing law requires the content of all courses of continuing education to be relevant to the practice of nursing. This bill would provide that continuing education courses, as specified, that advance or promote labor organizing on behalf of a union, or that advance or promote statutory or regulatory changes, political candidates, political advocacy, or political strategy shall not be considered content relevant to the practice of nursing and shall not be acceptable for meeting requirements for licensure renewal. The bill would also prohibit an approved provider from representing that such a continuing education course is acceptable for meeting requirements for licensure renewal and would require the board, subject to specified procedural requirements, to withdraw its approval of a provider that violates that requirement for no less than 5 years, as specified. Because a violation of these requirements by a provider would constitute 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. This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.

This measure would recognize the Lunar New Year 4708 celebration.

Existing property tax law requires the auditor of each county with qualifying cities, as defined, to make certain property tax revenue allocations to those cities in accordance with an established Tax Equity Allocation (TEA) formula and to make corresponding reductions in the amount of property tax revenue that is allocated to the county, as specified. This bill, commencing with the 2011–12 fiscal year, would prohibit the auditor of those counties from reducing the amount distributed to a qualifying city by reason of that city receiving property taxes previously allocated to a maintenance or improvement district pursuant to specified provisions. By imposing new duties upon county officials in the allocation of ad valorem property tax revenues, 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 these statutory provisions. This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.

This measure would declare February 23, 2010, to be Spay Day USA 2010 in California, and would request that Californians observe that day by having their dogs and cats spayed or neutered and by providing voluntary services or other support to organizations that provide spay and neuter services.