The Lanterman Developmental Disabilities Services Act requires the State Department of Developmental Services to contract with regional centers to provide services and supports to individuals with developmental disabilities. Under existing law, regional centers purchase needed services for individuals with developmental disabilities through approved service providers or arrange for those services through other publicly funded agencies. Existing law establishes specified rates and wages to be paid to certain service providers and the rates to be paid for certain developmental services. Existing law requires that rates to be paid to other developmental service providers either be set by the department or negotiated between the regional center and the service provider. Existing law establishes the Medi-Cal program, administered by the State Department of Health Care Services, under which basic health care services are provided to qualified low-income persons. The Medi-Cal program is, in part, governed and funded by federal Medicaid Program provisions. Existing law requires, except as otherwise provided, Medi-Cal provider payments to be reduced, as specified. This bill would appropriate a specified sum to the State Department of Developmental Services to, commencing July 1, 2016, among other things, increase rates and wages for certain developmental services providers and fund incentive payments for competitive integrated employment opportunities and internships for individuals with developmental disabilities. The bill would require the department to submit a rate study to specified committees of the Legislature on or before March 1, 2019, regarding community-based services for individuals with developmental disabilities. The bill would require each regional center to report specified information to the department regarding increased funding for regional center operations. The bill would, for dates of service on or after August 1, 2016, increase the payment rates for intermediate care facilities and skilled nursing facilities that provide services to developmentally disabled individuals under the Medi-Cal program, as specified. The bill would also prohibit the State Department of Health Care Services from seeking to retroactively implement certain Medi-Cal provider payment reductions and limitations with regards to reimbursements for services provided by skilled nursing facilities that are distinct parts of general acute care hospitals for dates of service on or after June 1, 2011, and on or before September 30, 2013, and from seeking to recoup overpayments, as specified. Existing law requires the department and regional centers to annually collaborate to compile specified data relating to purchase of service authorization, utilization, and expenditure by each regional center. Existing law requires each regional center to annually report to the department regarding the regional center's implementation of these requirements, including whether the data indicates a need to reduce disparities in the purchase of services among consumers in the regional center's catchment area and the regional center's recommendations and plan to promote equity, and reduce disparities, in the purchase of services. Existing law requires the department to consult with specified stakeholders to review the data, develop recommendations to help reduce disparities in purchase of service expenditures, and encourage development and expansion of culturally appropriate services, among other things, and to report the status of its efforts during the 2016–17 legislative budget subcommittee hearing process. The bill would also require the department, subject to available funding, to allocate funding to regional centers to assist in implementing specified recommendations and plans, including the recommendations and plans of the regional centers to promote equity, and reduce disparities, in the purchase of services. Existing law requires an entity that receives payments between $250,000 and $500,000 per year from one or more regional centers to obtain either an independent audit or an independent review report of its financial statements, and requires an entity that receives payments that are equal to or more than $500,000 per year to obtain an independent audit. This bill would instead require an entity that receives payments between $500,000 and $2,000,000 from one or more regional centers to obtain an independent review report of its financial statements, and would authorize these entities to apply for, and require the regional center to grant, a 2-year exemption from this requirement if the regional center does not find issues in the independent review report that have an impact on regional center services. The bill would require an entity that receives payments from one or more regional centers that are equal to or more than $2,000,000 to obtain an independent audit and would authorize these entities to apply for, and require the regional center to grant, a 2-year exemption from the audit requirement if the audit resulted in an unmodified opinion, an unmodified opinion with additional communication, or a qualified opinion with issues that are not material. The bill would require a regional center to annually report to the State Department of Developmental Services any exemptions granted pursuant to these provisions.
Sponsored bills
This measure would declare the month of January 2016 as Pet Care Education Month and would request Californians to observe the month by ensuring that their companion animals receive the proper preventative care by establishing a financial plan for pet health emergencies and by contributing to charitable organizations that provide low-cost spay and neuter services and vaccinations or funds to help low-income individuals pay for veterinary care.
Existing law requires a business that owns, licenses, or maintains personal information about a California resident to implement and maintain reasonable security procedures and practices appropriate to the nature of the information to protect the personal information from unauthorized access, destruction, use, modification, or disclosure. Existing law requires a person or business conducting business in California that owns or licenses computerized data that includes personal information, as defined, to disclose, as specified, a breach of the security of the system or data following discovery or notification of the security breach to any California resident whose personal information was, or is reasonably believed to have been, acquired by an unauthorized person, unless the information was encrypted. Existing law also requires a person or business that maintains computerized data that includes personal information that the person or business does not own to notify the owner or licensee of the information of any breach of the security of the data immediately following discovery, as specified. This bill would, until January 1, 2020, provide that there shall be no civil or criminal liability for, and no cause of action shall lie or be maintained against any private entity for the sharing or receiving of cyber security-threat information if the sharing or receiving is conducted, as specified. The immunity from liability would only apply if the communication is made without gross negligence, as specified. The bill would also prohibit a private entity that is engaged in sharing or receiving cyber security-threat information from using that information to gain an unfair competitive advantage and require that it, in good faith, make reasonable efforts to safeguard communications, comply with any lawful restriction placed on the communication, transfer the cyber security-threat information as expediently as possible while upholding reasonable protections, and ensure that appropriate anonymization and minimization of the information contained in the communication, as specified.
This measure would proclaim January 26, 2016, as India Republic Day, and would urge all Californians to join in celebrating India Republic Day.
Existing law provides that a person under 18 years of age who engages in certain noncriminal behavior, including, among other things, persistent or habitual truancy or failure to obey the reasonable and proper orders or directions of school authorities is within the jurisdiction of the juvenile court. Existing law authorizes the juvenile court to adjudge that minor to be a ward of the court. This bill would make technical, nonsubstantive changes to that provision.
(1) Existing law establishes various agencies within the executive branch of state government, including the Business, Consumer Services, and Housing Agency. Under existing law, the Business, Consumer Services, and Housing Agency is comprised of the Department of Consumer Affairs, the Department of Housing and Community Development, the Department of Fair Employment and Housing, the Department of Business Oversight, the Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control, the Alcoholic Beverage Control Appeals Board, the California Horse Racing Board, and the Alfred E. Alquist Seismic Safety Commission. Existing law establishes, within the Department of Housing and Community Development, the California Housing Finance Agency which is administered by a board of 13 voting members, including the Secretary of Business, Consumer Services, and Housing. Under existing law, the Department of Consumer Affairs includes, among other entities, the Contractors' State License Board, the Bureau of Real Estate, and the Structural Pest Control Board. This bill would establish in state government the Housing Agency, comprised of the Department of Housing and Community Development; the Bureau of Real Estate, which this bill would redesignate as the Department of Real Estate; the Contractors' State License Board; the Structural Pest Control Board; and the Department of Real Estate Finance, which this bill would also establish. The bill would redesignate the Business, Consumer Services, and Housing Agency as the Business and Consumer Services Agency, transfer certain duties of that agency to the Housing Agency, and make other conforming changes. (2) Existing law establishes in state government the Bureau of Real Estate, headed by a Real Estate Commissioner appointed by the Governor. Existing law requires the Real Estate Commissioner to enforce, among other laws, the Real Estate Law, which provides for the licensure of real estate brokers and salespersons. This bill would establish the Department of Real Estate Finance, headed by a Director of Real Estate Finance appointed by the Governor. The bill would require the director to execute the Real Estate Appraiser's Licensing and Certification Law, the Escrow Law, provisions of the California Finance Lenders Law as they pertain to mortgage loan origination services and housing purchase and refinance lending activities, the California Residential Mortgage Lending Act, specified provisions pertaining to title and mortgage insurance, and laws regulating business activities as those laws pertain to the activities of home warranty companies. The bill would make various conforming changes to these laws. (3) This bill would provide that its provisions shall be known, and may be cited, as the State of California Housing Agency Act. The bill would make various findings and declarations.
Existing law establishes the Department of Veterans Affairs and designates the Secretary of Veterans Affairs as the chief administrative officer of the department. Existing law also establishes the California Veterans Board, and requires the board to advise the department and secretary on policies for operations of the department. Existing law provides for veterans programs, including the veterans farm and home purchase programs, and provides for veterans homes. This bill would create the office of Internal Audits for Veterans Affairs, the chief auditor of which would be subject to the direction of the secretary within the department. The bill would require the chief auditor to be appointed by the Governor, subject to Senate confirmation. The chief auditor would be responsible for reviewing and investigating, at the request of the secretary or other members of senior management of the department, the operations and financial condition of each California veterans home, each veterans farm and home purchase program, and other department programs and functions. Beginning January 1, 2017, and each year thereafter, the bill would require the chief auditor to submit a summary report to the board and the appropriate committees of the Legislature providing information about the office's activities and recommendations that lead to departmental efficiencies and improvements. The bill would authorize the chief auditor to receive communications from any individual who believes he or she may have information that warrants a review or investigation of a veterans program. The bill would require the chief auditor to establish a toll-free telephone number to report alleged wrongdoing regarding veterans programs. The bill would repeal the provisions described above on January 1, 2020. Existing constitutional provisions require that a statute that limits the right of access to the meetings of public bodies or the writings of public officials and agencies be adopted with findings demonstrating the interest protected by the limitation and the need for protecting that interest. This bill would make legislative findings to that effect.
This measure would proclaim the month of January 2016 as Human Trafficking Awareness Month, encourage all Californians to become educated about human trafficking and work to eradicate these criminal practices within and beyond our borders, and encourage Members of the Legislature, as well as organizations, businesses, and individuals, to host or sponsor and attend community events in order to bring visibility and support to efforts made by nongovernmental organizations to recognize and combat human trafficking.