Under existing law, the Public Utilities Commission has regulatory authority over public utilities, including electrical corporations. Existing law requires each load-serving entity, defined as including electrical corporations, electric service providers, and community choice aggregators, to maintain physical generating capacity and electrical demand response adequate to meet its electrical demand requirements. Existing law requires the commission to establish rules for how and when backup generation may be used within a demand response program and to establish reporting and data collection requirements to verify compliance with those rules. Pursuant to existing law, the commission has authorized the state's 3 largest electrical corporations to offer reliability-based demand response programs, including the base interruptible program, which is available to qualifying nonresidential customers of an electrical corporation. This bill would require that the base interruptible program be available to qualifying commercial and industrial customers regardless of the load-serving entity that is that customer's supplier of electricity. The bill would require that the minimum incentive levels for program participation for the 2023 calendar year be those applicable within the service territory of each electrical corporation during 2018, adjusted for inflation using a price index determined by the commission to be appropriate. Beginning January 1, 2024, the bill would authorize the commission to approve increased or decreased incentive levels for program participation if the commission determines that those incentives are reasonably necessary to ensure continued participation by eligible customers, to ensure continued delivery of resource adequacy, and to ensure expected ratepayer benefits. Because the bill would require actions by those load-serving entities that are community choice aggregators, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. The bill would require the commission, except as provided, to implement a pilot economic demand response program, to be administered by the large electrical corporations, in which base interruptible program participants may elect to participate, to operate for a 3-year period, as specified. 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 the provisions of this bill would be a part of the act and because a violation of an order or decision of the commission implementing its requirements 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 specified reasons.
Sponsored bills
The California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) requires a lead agency, as defined, to prepare, or cause to be prepared, and certify the completion of an environmental impact report on a project that it proposes to carry out or approve that may have a significant effect on the environment, or to adopt a negative declaration if it finds that the project will not have that effect. Existing law provides an exemption to the requirements of CEQA for emergency repairs to public service facilities, projects related to a declared state of emergency, as provided, and specific actions necessary to prevent or mitigate an emergency, and defines "emergency" for this purpose. This bill would expand the definition of "emergency" provided in CEQA to include a project jointly identified by a state or local agency and the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection or the State Board of Forestry and Fire Protection, with notice to the Department of Fish and Wildlife, as mitigating a high threat to life and safety by preventing, minimizing, or mitigating damage to life, health, property, natural resources, or essential public services, resulting from a catastrophic fire in areas of the state that a lead agency determines, based on substantial evidence, are at a heightened risk of the occurrence of that event. The bill would also specify that "emergency" includes, but is not limited to, man-made or natural occurrences, as specified, and would make other nonsubstantive changes. Because the bill would expand the definition of "emergency" in certain CEQA exemptions, thereby increasing duties on a lead agency to determine whether a project qualifies for those exemptions, 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.
Existing law generally requires county elections officials to prepare a county voter information guide before each election and to mail the guide to each voter no later than 21 days before the election. For a partisan primary election, existing law requires county elections officials to prepare a county voter information guide for each political party and a nonpartisan county voter information guide and to mail the applicable guide to each voter no later than 10 days before the election. This bill would instead require county elections officials to mail a county voter information guide to each voter no later than 29 days before the election. By increasing the duties of county elections officials, 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 law authorizes the Employment Development Department to administer the state unemployment and disability compensation programs. Existing law requires the department, among other duties, to make unemployment and disability compensation payments, as prescribed. This bill would establish the Unemployment Insurance Oversight Advisory Board (board) in the Labor and Workforce Development Agency as an advisory body to review the operations of the Employment Development Department (department) under the state unemployment and disability compensation programs and make recommendations to the department, the Governor, and the Legislature to, among other things, enhance the efficiency of those operations and ensure equitable access to benefits administered by the department. The bill would require the board to consist of 7 members, as specified, who serve without compensation, but would require members to be reimbursed for their necessary and reasonable expenses incurred in performing their duties and responsibilities, upon appropriation by the Legislature. The bill would require, beginning on and after January 1, 2022, the board to hold at least 2 public meetings a year, during which the board members would be required to accept public comment. The bill would also require, beginning on and after July 1, 2022, the board to issue biannual public reports with its recommendations. The bill would require the department to submit a yearly report to the Assembly Committee on Budget and the Senate Committee on Budget and Fiscal Review regarding the recommendations of the board for state disability insurance and paid family leave benefits, as provided.
Existing law, the Public Employees' Retirement Law (PERL) , creates the Public Employees' Retirement System (PERS) , which provides defined benefits to its members based on age at retirement, service credit, and final compensation. PERL vests the Board of Administration of PERS with management and control of the system. Existing law, the Public Employees' Medical and Hospital Care Act (PEMHCA) , which is administered by the Board of Administration of PERS, governs the funding and provision of postemployment health care benefits for eligible retired public employees and their families. PEMHCA authorizes an employee or annuitant, as those terms are defined, of the state to enroll in a health benefit plan approved or maintained by the Board of Administration of PERS. The act generally requires the state and each employee or annuitant to contribute a portion of the cost of providing the benefit coverage afforded under the approved health benefit plan in which the employee or annuitant is enrolled. PEMHCA also prohibits, among other things, employees, annuitants, and family members who become eligible to enroll on or after January 1, 1985, in Part A and Part B of Medicare from being enrolled in a basic health benefit plan. PEMHCA, however, permits the employee, annuitant, or family member to enroll in a Medicare health benefit plan if they are enrolled in Part A and Part B of Medicare. PEMHCA establishes the Public Employees' Contingency Reserve Fund for the purpose of funding health benefits and funding administrative expenses. This fund is continuously appropriated, except with respect to administrative purposes, as specified. PEMHCA also establishes the Annuitants' Health Care Coverage Fund, which is continuously appropriated, for the purpose of prefunding health care coverage for annuitants, including administrative costs. This bill would preclude a person who has retired under PERS and who obtains work with a subsequent employer from receiving any health benefits offered under PEMHCA if the person's subsequent employer offers health care coverage that provides reasonably comparable benefits. The bill would grant the person reinstatement rights upon termination of employment with the subsequent employer. The bill would authorize the board to request information regarding employment and health care coverage offered by a person's subsequent employer. The bill would also prohibit, except as provided and by January 1, 2023, persons who have retired under a public retirement system, as defined, annuitants of a public retirement system, and their beneficiaries who become eligible to enroll on or after January 1, 1985, in Part A and Part B of Medicare from being enrolled in a basic health benefit plan, as defined, offered by the public retirement system.
(1) The Personal Income Tax Law allows, by way of conformity with deductions allowed under federal income tax law, various deductions in computing the income that is subject to the taxes imposed by the Personal Income Tax Law, including a deduction against gross income for interest paid on qualified education loans not to exceed a specified limit. This bill, for taxable years beginning on or after January 1, 2023, and before January 1, 2028, would remove the limit on the deduction described above, as specified. (2) Existing law requires that any bill introduced on or after January 1, 2020, that would authorize certain tax expenditures, as defined, or tax exemptions contain, among other things, specific goals, purposes, and objectives that the tax expenditure or exemption will achieve, detailed performance indicators, and data collection requirements. This bill would express findings and declarations of the Legislature concerning the additional information required for any bill authorizing a new tax expenditure. The bill would require the Franchise Tax Board to review on an annual basis, beginning on January 1, 2024, the effectiveness of the deduction and to provide an annual written report of its findings to specified legislative committees. (3) This bill would take effect immediately as a tax levy.
Existing law makes legislative findings and declarations on health information technology, including that there is a need to promote secure electronic health data exchange among specified individuals, such as health care providers and consumers of health care, and that specified federal law provides unprecedented opportunity for California to develop a statewide health information technology infrastructure to improve the state's health care system. Existing law, the Knox-Keene Health Care Service Plan Act of 1975, provides for the licensure and regulation of health care service plans by the Department of Managed Health Care. Existing law provides for the regulation of health insurers by the Department of Insurance. Existing law provides for the Medi-Cal program, which is administered by the State Department of Health Care Services, under which qualified low-income individuals receive health care services. The Medi-Cal program is, in part, governed and funded by federal Medicaid program provisions. This bill would establish the statewide health information network (statewide HIN) governing board, an independent public entity not affiliated with an agency or department with specified membership, to provide the data infrastructure needed to meet California's health care access, equity, affordability, public health, and quality goals, as specified. The bill would require the governing board to issue a request for proposals to select an operating entity with specified minimum capabilities to support the electronic exchange of health information between, and aggregate and integrate data from multiple sources within, the State of California, among other responsibilities. The bill would require the statewide HIN to take specified actions with respect to reporting on, and auditing the security and finances of, the health information network. The bill would require the statewide HIN to convene a health technology advisory committee with specified membership to advise the statewide HIN and set agendas, hold public meetings with stakeholders, and solicit external input on behalf of the statewide HIN. The bill would also require a health care entity, including a hospital, health system, skilled nursing facility, laboratory, physician practice, health care service plan, health insurer, and the State Department of Health Care Services, to submit specified data to the operating entity. The bill would authorize the statewide HIN to add additional health care entities or data to the list of entities required to submit data to the statewide HIN by adopting a subsequent regulation. The bill would also require a health care service plan, health insurer, and a health care provider to collect and submit health equity data to the operating entity.
Existing law, the Personal Income Tax Law and Corporation Tax Law, in modified conformity with federal income tax laws, generally allow various deductions in computing the income that is subject to taxes imposed by those laws, including a deduction for a net operating loss as specified. Existing law suspends the deduction for a net operating loss, as specified, for taxable years beginning on or after January 1, 2020, and before January 1, 2023. The Personal Income Tax Law and Corporation Tax Law generally authorize various credits against the taxes imposed by those laws. Existing law provides that, except as specified, the total credits allowable under those laws may not reduce the taxes imposed by those laws by more than $5,000,000, as provided, for taxable years beginning on or after January 1, 2020, and before January 1, 2023. This bill, the Golden State Innovation Act of 2021, would, for taxable years beginning on or after January 1, 2021, and before January 1, 2023, exclude a taxpayer that performs research and development in biotechnology, as described, from the above-described suspension of the deduction for net operating losses and the above-described limitation on the total credits allowable. Existing law requires any bill authorizing a new tax expenditure to contain, among other things, specific goals, purposes, and objectives that the tax expenditure will achieve, detailed performance indicators, and data collection requirements. The bill also would include additional information required for any bill authorizing a new tax expenditure. This bill would take effect immediately as a tax levy.
Existing law authorizes any person who owns, controls, operates, or maintains any electrical transmission or distribution line to traverse land as necessary, regardless of land ownership or express permission to traverse land from the landowner, after providing notice and an opportunity to be heard to the landowner, to prune trees to maintain clearances, as provided, and to abate, by pruning or removal, any hazardous, dead, rotten, diseased, or structurally defective live trees. Existing law authorizes this abatement at the full discretion of the person that owns, controls, operates, or maintains the electrical transmission or distribution lines, except for certain applicable minimum clearance requirements for those lines. Under existing law, the Public Utilities Commission, which has regulatory authority over public utilities, including electrical corporations, has established additional vegetation management requirements. Existing law provides that a violation of a rule or order of the commission is a crime and provides that the willful or negligent commission of any acts prohibited or the omission of any acts required by specified laws relating to fire safety is a misdemeanor. This bill would revise and recast those provisions related to electrical lines and abatement activities for a person who owns, controls, operates, or maintains an electrical transmission or distribution line, specifying that abatement activities covered by this law include felling, cutting, or trimming trees. The bill would explicitly require all these line clearance and tree pruning and abatement activities to comply with the commission's vegetation management rules. By expanding the scope of a crime, the bill would create a state-mandated local program. The bill would repeal an explicit statement that this electrical line access authorization provides no relief from liability for the removal of vegetation, unless that removal is covered by an applicable easement. The bill would require the identification of hazardous, dead, rotten, diseased, leaning, or structurally defective live trees that are to be felled, cut, or trimmed to be accomplished by using a tree evaluation tool or method, as provided. The bill would make any trees that are felled, cut, or trimmed, if valuable timber or wood, the property of the landowner, unless the landowner requests removal of the wood. The California Energy Infrastructure Safety Act establishes the Office of Energy Infrastructure Safety within the Natural Resources Agency and provides that, on and after July 1, 2021, the office is the successor to, and is vested with, all of the duties, powers, and responsibilities of the Wildfire Safety Division of the Public Utilities Commission. The bill would require the Office of Energy Infrastructure Safety, on or before April 1, 2022, to develop standardized content to be used to satisfy the landowner notice requirement for vegetation abatement and trimming activities, and standardized content to be used by a landowner to request the removal of wood, as specified. The bill would also require the office, on or before April 1, 2022, to develop a process for a landowner to exercise the opportunity to be heard, as specified, when challenging the proposed traversal of land and any felling, cutting, or trimming of trees. 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.
(1) Existing law authorizes any public agency providing water for fire protection purposes to, by ordinance or resolution, fix and collect a charge to pay the costs of operation, installation, capital, maintenance, repair, alteration, or replacement of facilities and equipment related to supplying water for fire protection purposes. Existing law authorizes specified local jurisdictions and fire protection districts to make changes or modifications that are more stringent than specified state standards, as provided. Existing law neither authorizes nor prohibits a local jurisdiction or a fire protection district from mandating the installation of residential fire sprinkler systems within newly constructed or existing dwelling units. This bill, among other things, would, as provided, prohibit water-related fees imposed on the owner of residential property from being affected by the installation of a residential fire sprinkler system on that residential property, including those residential fire sprinkler systems mandated by a local jurisdiction or a fire protection district. The bill would provide that homes with residential fire sprinklers installed before January 1, 2022, may have their water meter rates reassessed to comply with this prohibition. For purposes of the rate reassessment, the bill would require the local agency that establishes water meter size to reassess the property owner's water meter size. The bill would authorize the local agency to impose a reasonable fee on the property owner to recover the cost of the reassessment. The bill would require the local agency to develop a reassessment application and provide this application and other information to the local public agency that provides water service to residential property. By requiring a local agency to perform new duties, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. (2) 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.