Existing law, the Youth Bill of Rights, enumerates various rights for youth confined in a facility of the Division of Juvenile Justice, including, among others, the right to maintain frequent and continuing contact with family members and the right to receive a quality education. This bill would require a minor detained in or committed to a juvenile hall or juvenile ranch, camp, or forestry camp, to be provided with access to computer technology and the Internet for the purposes of education, and would allow him or her to be provided with access to computer technology and the Internet for the purpose of maintaining relationships with family. The bill would specify that these provisions do not limit the authority of the chief probation officer, or his or her designee, to limit or deny access to computer technology or the Internet for safety and security or staffing reasons. By requiring counties to provide minors in their custody access to computer technology and the Internet, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. Under existing law, (1) every child adjudged a dependent child of the juvenile court, and (2) every minor adjudged a ward of the juvenile court who is placed in a specified care setting by a probation agency, is entitled to participate in age-appropriate extracurricular, enrichment, and social activities. This bill would require that these age-appropriate extracurricular, enrichment, and social activities include access to computer technology and the Internet. By requiring counties to provide access to computer technology and Internet to dependent children and wards of the juvenile court, 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 with regard to certain mandates no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason. With regard to any other mandates, this bill would provide that, if the Commission on State Mandates determines that the bill contains costs so mandated by the state, reimbursement for those costs shall be made pursuant to the statutory provisions noted above.
Sponsored bills
Existing law, the Child Abuse and Neglect Reporting Act, makes certain persons, including teachers and social workers, mandated reporters. Under existing law, mandated reporters are required to report whenever the mandated reporter, in his or her professional capacity or within the scope of his or her employment, has knowledge of or observes a child whom the mandated reporter knows or reasonably suspects has been the victim of child abuse or neglect. Failure by a mandated reporter to report an incident of known or reasonably suspected child abuse or neglect is a misdemeanor. Existing law generally requires prosecution of a misdemeanor to commence within one year after commission of the offense. Under existing law, if the mandated reporter intentionally conceals his or her failure to report an incident known by the mandated reporter to be abuse or severe neglect, it is a continuing offense until discovered by the appropriate law enforcement agency. This bill would allow a case involving the failure to report an incident known or reasonably suspected by the mandated reporter to be sexual assault, as defined, to be filed at any time within 5 years from the date of occurrence of the offense.
Under existing law, the Department of Parks and Recreation administers and manages the state park system. Existing law permits visitors to bring animals into units of the state park system when the Director of Parks and Recreation determines that it is in the public interest, subject to certain conditions. This bill would require the department to establish and maintain on its Internet Web site a comprehensive, up-to-date list of each unit with information on whether the unit or a portion of the unit allows dogs and additional specified information.
Existing law establishes the California Work Opportunity and Responsibility to Kids (CalWORKs) program under which, through a combination of federal, state, and county funds, each county provides cash assistance and other benefits to qualified low-income families. The CalWORKs program also provides a nonrecurring special needs benefit for permanent housing assistance to pay for last month's rent and security deposits, up to 2 months of rent arrearages, or standard costs of deposits for utilities, as specified. Existing law requires payments to providers for temporary shelter and permanent housing and utilities to be made on behalf of the families requesting these payments. Existing law prohibits payments from being made to a housing provider unless it is a commercial establishment, shelter, or person in the business of renting properties who has a history of renting properties. This bill, commencing July 1, 2019, would remove the requirement that a person in the business of renting properties have a history of renting properties in order to receive payments and would additionally authorize payments to a housing provider with which the families requesting assistance have executed a valid lease, sublease, or shared housing agreement. Because this bill would increase the administrative duties of counties, it would impose a state-mandated local program. This bill would authorize the State Department of Social Services to implement these provisions through an all-county letter or similar instruction from the Director of Social Services until final regulations are adopted, and would require the department to adopt emergency regulations on or before July 1, 2020. 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 continuously appropriates moneys from the General Fund to defray a portion of county costs under the CalWORKs program. This bill would, instead, provide that the continuous appropriation would not be made for purposes of implementing the bill.
Existing law establishes the Investment in Mental Health Wellness Act of 2013. Existing law provides that funds appropriated by the Legislature to the California Health Facilities Financing Authority and the Mental Health Services Oversight and Accountability Commission for the purposes of the act be made available to selected counties or counties acting jointly, except as otherwise provided, and used to provide, among other things, a complete continuum of crisis services for children and youth 21 years of age and under regardless of where they live in the state. The act requires the commission to allocate funds to triage personnel, as specified. This bill would require the commission, when making these funds available on and after July 1, 2021, to allocate at least 12 of those funds to local educational agency and mental health partnerships, as specified. The bill would require this funding to be made available to support prevention, early intervention, and direct services, as determined by the commission. The bill would require the commission, in consultation with the Superintendent of Public Instruction, to consider specified criteria when determining grant recipients. The bill would require the commission to provide a status report to the fiscal and policy committees of the Legislature, as specified, no later than March 1, 2022.
Existing law generally provides for the adoption of a child native to a foreign country by a prospective adoptive parent or parents who are California residents that is either finalized in another country or this state. A licensed adoption agency facilitating an intercountry adoption that will be finalized in a foreign country is required to provide specific services that include certification to the federal government whether this state's intercountry adoption requirements have been met. Existing law requires each resident of the state who adopts a child through an intercountry adoption that is finalized in a foreign country to readopt the child in this state if it is required by the United States Department of Homeland Security, and requires this readoption to include at least one postplacement in-home visit, a home study report, and final adoption order. Existing law also authorizes a resident of the state who adopts a child through an intercountry adoption that is finalized in a foreign country to readopt the child in this state. This bill would repeal these readoption provisions and would instead require an adoptive parent, or if an adoptive parent fails to do so, then the adoption agency that facilitated the adoption, to file a petition to readopt within specified deadlines to establish a record by which an adoptee can prove the facts of the foreign adoption. The bill would require the petition to include, among other things, a report from at least one postplacement home visit by an intercountry adoption agency or a contractor of that agency licensed to provide intercountry adoption services in the state. The bill would require the clerk of the court to submit an order granting the petition to the State Registrar, and would require the State Registrar to issue a delayed registration of birth, as specified. This bill would require a court that finds a child may be the subject of human trafficking or specified types of abuse to notify all appropriate authorities. This bill would, if a licensed adoption agency has a written agreement for which postadoption services have been paid, require the licensed adoption agency to provide those services, and would also make technical, nonsubstantive changes to the other services a licensed adoption agency facilitating an intercountry adoption is required to provide.
Existing law prohibits manufacturers and contract testing facilities from using traditional animal testing methods within this state when an appropriate alternative test method has been scientifically validated and recommended by the Interagency Coordinating Committee on the Validation of Alternative Methods (ICCVAM) or other specified agencies. This bill would make it unlawful for a manufacturer to import for profit, sell, or offer for sale in this state, any cosmetic, as defined, if the cosmetic was developed or manufactured using an animal test that was conducted or contracted by the manufacturer, or any supplier of the manufacturer, on or after January 1, 2020, except as specified. The bill would specify that a violation of its provisions is punishable by an initial fine of $5,000 and an additional fine of $1,000 for each day the violation continues, and may be enforced by the district attorney or city attorney in the county or city in which the violation occurred, as specified. The bill would not apply to a cosmetic in its final form or to an ingredient, if the cosmetic or ingredient was sold in California or tested on animals before January 1, 2020, as specified. The bill would authorize cosmetic inventory in violation of the bill's provisions to be sold for a period of 180 days. The bill would prohibit a county or political subdivision of the state from establishing or continuing any prohibition on or relating to animal tests that is not identical to the prohibitions in the bill and that does not include the exemptions contained in the bill.
Existing law, the California Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act of 2001 (California act) , requires all agencies and museums that receive state funding that have possession or control over collections of California Native American human remains or cultural items, as defined, to inventory those remains and items for the identification and repatriation of the items to the appropriate Indian tribes. The California act states the intent of the Legislature to apply the state's repatriation policy consistent with the federal Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (federal act) and to facilitate the implementation of the provisions of the federal act with respect to publicly funded agencies and museums in California. Existing law establishes the Native American Heritage Commission and vests the commission with specified powers and duties. Existing provisions of the California Constitution establish the University of California as a public trust under the administration of the Regents of the University of California. The California Constitution grants to the regents all the powers necessary or convenient for the effective administration of this public trust, subject to such legislative control as may be necessary to insure the security of its funds, compliance with the terms of the endowments of the university, and certain competitive bidding procedures. This bill would require the regents, or their designee, as a condition for using state funds to handle and maintain Native American human remains and cultural items, to establish and support a systemwide Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act Implementation and Oversight Committee, with specified membership, and, for any campus subject to the federal act, a campus implementation committee, with specified membership. The bill would require the regents, as a condition for using state funds to handle and maintain Native American human remains and cultural items, in consultation with the systemwide committee, to adopt and implement certain policies and procedures to better implement the federal act and to timely submit the policies and procedures to the Native American Heritage Commission for review and comment by July 1, 2019. The bill would make conforming changes to the powers and duties of the Native American Heritage Commission. The bill would require the regents, as a condition for using state funds to handle and maintain Native American human remains and cultural items, to ensure that the campus committees implement the policies and procedures adopted by the regents and reviewed by the Native American Heritage Commission. The bill would provide that, if the regents use state funds to handle and maintain Native American human remains and cultural items, all claims for repatriation or claims of any violation of the policies and procedures shall be submitted to the campus committee for determination and would require the regents to adopt procedures to support appeals and dispute resolution in cases where a tribe disagrees with a campus determination regarding repatriation or disposition of cultural items directly to the systemwide committee. The bill would require the California State Auditor to conduct an audit commencing in the year 2019 and again in 2021 regarding the University of California's compliance with the federal and California acts and to report its findings to the Legislature and to all other appropriate entities.
The Rechargeable Battery Recycling Act of 2006 requires every retailer, as defined, to have in place a system for the acceptance and collection of used rechargeable batteries for reuse, recycling, or proper disposal. Existing law requires the system for the acceptance and collection of used rechargeable batteries to include, at a minimum, specified elements, including, among others, the take-back at no cost to the consumer of a used rechargeable battery of the type or brand that the retailer sold or previously sold. Existing law defines "rechargeable battery" for purposes of these provisions to mean a small, nonvehicular, rechargeable nickel-cadmium, nickel metal hydride, lithium-ion, or sealed lead-acid battery, or a battery pack containing these types of batteries. This bill would require the Secretary for Environmental Protection, on or before April 1, 2019, to convene the Lithium-Ion Car Battery Recycling Advisory Group to review, and advise the Legislature on, policies pertaining to the recovery and recycling of lithium-ion batteries sold with motor vehicles in the state, and would require the secretary to appoint members to the committee from specified departments, vocations, and organizations. The bill would require the advisory group to consult with specified entities and, on or before April 1, 2022, to submit policy recommendations to the Legislature aimed at ensuring that as close to 100% as possible of lithium-ion batteries in the state are reused or recycled at end-of-life in a safe and cost-effective manner. The bill would require the policy recommendations to reflect specified considerations. The bill would repeal these provisions on January 1, 2027.
The California Uniform Controlled Substances Act classifies controlled substances into 5 designated schedules, and places cannabis and cannabis products under Schedule I. The act prohibits prescribing, administering, dispensing, or furnishing a controlled substance to or for any person or animal, unless otherwise specified. The Veterinary Medicine Practice Act provides for the licensure and regulation of veterinarians and the practice of veterinary medicine by the Veterinary Medical Board, which is within the Department of Consumer Affairs. The act authorizes the board to revoke or suspend the license of a person to practice veterinary medicine, or to assess a fine, for specified causes, including violating a statute related to controlled substances. The act also makes a violation of its provisions a misdemeanor. This bill would authorize the board to revoke or suspend a veterinarian license, or to assess a fine, for accepting, soliciting, or offering any form of remuneration from or to a Medicinal and Adult-Use Cannabis Regulation and Safety Act (MAUCRSA) licensee if the veterinarian or his or her immediate family has a financial interest, as defined, with the MAUCRSA licensee. The bill would authorize the board to revoke or suspend a veterinarian license, or to assess a fine, for discussing medicinal cannabis with a client while the veterinarian is employed by, or has an agreement with, a MAUCRSA licensee. The bill would authorize the board to revoke or suspend a license, or to assess a fine, for distributing any form of advertising for cannabis in California. The bill would prohibit a licensed veterinarian from dispensing or administering cannabis or cannabis products to an animal patient. Because a violation of the Veterinary Medicine Practice Act's provisions is a crime, the bill would expand the scope of that crime, thereby imposing a state-mandated local program. The bill would also prohibit the Veterinary Medical Board from disciplining, or denying, revoking, or suspending the license of, a licensed veterinarian solely for discussing the use of cannabis on an animal for medicinal purposes, absent negligence or incompetence. The bill would require the board to adopt guidelines for these discussions on or before January 1, 2020, and would require the board to post the guidelines on its Internet Web site. 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.