Asm. Brian Nestande

Existing law creates in the State Treasury the Indian Gaming Special Distribution Fund for the receipt and deposit of moneys received by the state from certain Indian tribes pursuant to the terms of gaming compacts entered into with the state. Existing law authorizes moneys in that fund to be used for specified purposes, including grants for the support of state and local government agencies impacted by tribal government gaming. This bill would declare the intent of the Legislature to enact legislation relating to the Indian Gaming Special Distribution Fund.

This resolution would recognize the month of January 2012, and each following January, as National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month, and it would recognize February 1, 2012, and each following February 1, as California's Free From Slavery Day.

Under existing law, the Department of Personnel Administration administers an employee suggestion program and may make specified monetary awards to a current or retired state employee who proposes, among other things, procedures or ideas that will result in eliminating or reducing state expenditures or improving operations, if the proposals are put into effect. Existing law establishes the Bureau of State Audits, which is headed by the State Auditor and has specified statutory duties, including the performance of statutorily mandated audits. Existing law establishes the State Audit Fund, which is continuously appropriated for the expenses of the State Auditor. This bill would require, notwithstanding the continuous appropriation and upon an appropriation by the Legislature, the State Auditor to establish a reward program for state employees who identify innovative solutions for inefficiencies in state government or methods for saving the state money. The program would provide for the review of proposals by the State Auditor and the Legislative Analyst, as prescribed, and would require a state agency or department to implement a proposal that would result in any savings to an implementing agency or department, as specified. The bill would require that the State Auditor provide a reward in the amount of 10% of the savings realized by the agency or department within the first fiscal year of implementation to both the state employee who made the proposal and to the implementing state agency or department, as specified.

The Vehicle License Fee Law, in lieu of any ad valorem property tax upon vehicles, imposes an annual license fee for any vehicle subject to registration in this state in the amount of 1% of the market value of that vehicle, as provided, for a specified amount of time. Existing law also, until July 1, 2011, imposes an additional tax equal to 0.15% of the market value of specified vehicles, as determined by the Department of Motor Vehicles, to the vehicle license fee, to be deposited in the General Fund and transferred to the Local Safety and Protection Account, a continuously appropriated fund. Existing law provides that money in the account shall be allocated for various public safety programs, as provided. This bill would, beginning July 1, 2011, and each July 1 thereafter for a transfer $500,000,000 from the General Fund to the account total of 5 years, as provided. By transferring funds to a continuously appropriated fund, this bill would make an appropriation. This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.

Under existing law, various duties and responsibilities are imposed upon the Governor and the Department of Finance in connection with the preparation and submission of the annual State Budget to the Legislature at each regular session thereof, including, among other things, the requirement to include a complete plan of all proposed expenditures and estimated revenues for the ensuing fiscal year. This bill additionally would require the Governor, or the Department of Finance acting on his or her behalf, at the same time as the Governor's Budget is submitted to the Legislature, to submit a report to the Legislature, setting forth a list of the state's key liabilities, in the nature of debt, deferred payments, and other liabilities that will affect the state's financial health in the future. The bill would direct that the report include a discussion of budget-related, infrastructure-related, and retirement-related liabilities, as well as recommendations for the retirement of those liabilities. The bill also would require the Governor's Budget to include a section that specifies the percentages and amounts of General Fund revenues that must be set aside and applied toward retiring key liabilities in accordance with the recommendations contained in the report. The bill further would restrict the Governor from including in the budget as estimated revenues those revenues estimated to be generated from laws, programs, or executive actions not in effect or effectuated at the time the budget is submitted to the Legislature.

Existing law authorizes various state entities to promulgate and implement regulations, subject to specified criteria. This bill would require, no later than December 31, 2012, each state entity that promulgates regulations to review those regulations, and repeal or report to the Legislature those identified as duplicative, archaic, or inconsistent with statute or other regulations. It would also require these entities to report to the Legislature by that date on regulations deemed to inhibit economic growth in the state.

Existing law authorizes the Department of Fish and Game, with the approval of the Fish and Game Commission, to, among other things, maintain, use, and administer land suitable for the purpose of establishing ecological reserves. Existing law authorizes the Department of Fish and Game to construct facilities and conduct programs in ecological reserves it selects to provide natural history education and recreation if those facilities and programs are compatible with the protection of the biological resources of the reserve. This bill would require the department to open the Mirage Trail within the Magnesia Spring Ecological Reserve to hiking and biking recreational activities.

Existing law establishes the Department of Veterans Affairs, which is responsible for administering various programs and services for the benefit of veterans. This bill would appropriate the sum of $7,300,000 from the General Fund to the Department of Veterans Affairs to provide for specified veterans' services.

Existing law requires that pupil attendance and absence be recorded for certain purposes, including meeting requirements relating to the minimum required school day and calculation of average daily attendance. Existing law requires that records of pupil attendance be kept according to specified provisions of law. This bill would authorize a local educational agency to use electronic attendance accounting systems that meet certain requirements, and that are approved by the State Department of Education, for purposes of demonstrating that pupils have satisfied the minimum instructional time requirements and for purposes of computing average daily attendance. The bill also would authorize pupil attendance records to be combined from more than one system, including manual and electronic attendance accounting systems. The bill would specify that its provisions do not authorize the use of radio frequency identification, global positioning systems, biometric information, or any other technology that allows the electronic tracking of pupils or the collection of pupil data, as well as the collection, dissemination, or release of individual pupil data in a manner that violates state or federal privacy law. The bill would state the Legislature's intent that electronic attendance accounting systems only be used to facilitate the recording and reporting of attendance and absence information by employees of the local educational agency or other individuals lawfully provided access to that information.