Existing federal law, the federal Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) , enacts various health care coverage market reforms that take effect with respect to plan years on or after January 1, 2014. Among other things, PPACA requires each health insurance issuer that offers health insurance coverage in the individual or group market in a state to accept every employer and individual in the state that applies for that coverage and to renew that coverage at the option of the plan sponsor or the individual. PPACA prohibits a group health plan and a health insurance issuer offering group or individual health insurance coverage from imposing any preexisting condition exclusion with respect to that plan or coverage. PPACA allows the premium rate charged by a health insurance issuer offering small group or individual coverage to vary only by family composition, rating area, age, and tobacco use and prohibits discrimination against individuals based on health status, as specified. PPACA specifies that certain of these provisions do not apply to grandfathered health plans, as defined. Existing law, the Knox-Keene Health Care Service Plan Act of 1975, provides for the regulation of health care service plans by the Department of Managed Health Care and makes a willful violation of the act a crime. Existing law provides for the regulation of health insurers by the Department of Insurance. Existing law provides for the regulation of health care service plans and health insurers that offer health benefit plans to small employers with regard to eligible employees, as defined. Existing law requires a plan or insurer to offer, market, and sell all of its small employer health benefit plans to all small employers in each service area in which the plan provides or arranges for the provisions of health care services and provides certain limits on the rates for these plans. Existing law prohibits a group health benefit plan from excluding coverage for an individual on the basis of a preexisting condition provision for a period greater than 6 months, except as specified. This bill would prohibit a health care service plan contract or health insurance policy, on or after January 1, 2014, from imposing any preexisting condition provision upon any individual, except as specified. The bill would also enact provisions that apply to nongrandfathered and grandfathered plans with respect to plan years on or after January 1, 2014, consistent with PPACA. Among other things, the bill would require a plan or insurer, on and after October 1, 2013, to offer, market, and sell all of the plan's or insurer's nongrandfathered plans that are sold in the small group market to all small employers in each service area in which the plan provides or arranges for the provision of health care services. The bill would require nongrandfathered plans to provide open enrollment periods consistent with federal law and special enrollment periods and coverage effective dates consistent with the individual nongrandfathered market and would authorize plans and insurers to use only age, geographic region, and whether the plan covers an individual or family for purposes of establishing rates for nongrandfathered small employer plans, as specified. The bill would enact other related provisions and make related conforming changes. The bill would authorize the Department of Managed Health Care and the Department of Insurance to adopt emergency regulations implementing the bill's provisions regarding grandfathered plans by August 31, 2013, as specified. The bill would make certain of these provisions inoperative if the corresponding provisions of PPACA are repealed and would make other related conforming changes. The bill would require plans and insurers to report to the departments the number of enrollees and covered lives that receive coverage under specified contracts or policies, and would require the departments to post that information on their Internet Web sites. Because a willful violation of the bill's provisions relative to health care service plans would be 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.
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Existing law, the Knox-Keene Health Care Service Plan Act of 1975, provides for the regulation of health care service plans by the Department of Managed Health Care and makes a willful violation of the act a crime. Existing law provides for the regulation of health insurers by the Department of Insurance. Commonly referred to as utilization review, existing law governs the procedures that apply to every health care service plan and health insurer that prospectively, retrospectively, or concurrently reviews and approves, modifies, delays, or denies, based on medical necessity, requests by providers prior to, retrospectively, or concurrent with, the provision of health care services to enrollees or insureds, as specified. Existing law also imposes various requirements and restrictions on health care service plans and health insurers, including, among other things, requiring a health care service plan that provides prescription drug benefits to maintain an expeditious process by which prescribing providers, as described, may obtain authorization for a medically necessary nonformulary prescription drug, according to certain procedures. Existing law also requires every health care service plan that provides prescription drug benefits that maintains one or more drug formularies to provide to members of the public, upon request, a copy of the most current list of prescription drugs on the formulary. This bill would impose specified requirements on health care service plans or health insurers that restrict medications for the treatment of pain pursuant to step therapy or fail first protocol. The bill would authorize the duration of any step therapy or fail first protocol to be determined by the prescribing participating plan provider or prescribing provider, as respectively defined, and would, except under certain conditions, prohibit a health care service plan or health insurer from requiring that a patient try and fail on more than 2 pain medications before allowing the patient access to other pain medication prescribed by the prescribing participating plan provider or prescribing provider, as specified. Because a willful violation of the bill's provisions relative to health care service plans would be 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.
Existing law authorizes the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) to impose, in addition to any other tax that it is authorized to impose, a transactions and use tax at a rate of 0.5% for not more than 30 years for the funding of specified transportation-related purposes pursuant to an adopted expenditure plan, subject to voter approval. This bill would authorize the MTA to impose that transactions and use tax beyond its current duration, subject to voter approval. The bill would require the MTA to include, in the proposing ordinance, a new expenditure plan for the tax revenues. The bill would permit the MTA to secure bonded indebtedness payable from the proceeds of the tax imposed and would require that the proceeds from those bonds, and from the tax after repayment of bonded indebtedness, be used to accelerate the completion of specified projects and programs, and to fund specified operations. The bill would require the MTA to use any tax proceeds remaining after completion of designated capital projects and payment of bonded indebtedness for specified long-range transportation projects. The bill would make other related conforming changes.
(1) Existing law prohibits a person from acting as a dealer in vehicles, as specified, without a license issued by the Department of Motor Vehicles. Existing law governs conditional sale contracts, as defined, for the purchase of motor vehicles, including the enforceability of those contracts. Existing law also governs lease contracts, as defined, for the lease of motor vehicles, including the enforceability of those contracts. Existing law, the California Finance Lenders Law, the violation of which is a crime, provides for the licensure and regulation of finance lenders by the Commissioner of Corporations, but exempts from its provisions a bona fide conditional contract of sale involving the disposition of personal property when that form of agreement is not used for the purpose of evading provisions of that law. This bill would enact the Buy-Here-Pay-Here Automobile Dealers Act. The bill would define a "buy-here-pay-here" dealer as a dealer, as defined, who enters into conditional sale contracts, as defined, or lease contracts, as defined, and assigns less than 90% of all unrescinded contracts to an unaffiliated 3rd-party finance or leasing source, within 45 days of the consummation of those contracts. The bill would exclude from this definition automobile sellers who meet specified requirements. This bill would require those dealers to obtain a finance lender license and subject them to specified other provisions of the California Finance Lenders Law. The bill would also define a "buyer-borrower" as a person who enters into a conditional sale contract or lease contract with a buy-here-pay-here automobile dealer. The bill would provide that the Department of Corporations would have regulatory jurisdiction over the lending and repossessing activities of buy-here-pay-here automobile dealers, as specified. This bill would govern the terms and conditions of contracts entered into by a buy-here-pay-here automobile dealer and the rights of the parties, including, but not limited to, requiring a notice to a buyer-borrower of specified rights under the contract. (2) Existing law, the Collateral Recovery Act, provides for the licensure and regulation of repossession agencies, as defined, and their employees by the Bureau of Security and Investigative Services within the Department of Consumer Affairs. This bill would impose additional requirements on a buy-here-pay-here automobile dealer seeking to repossess a vehicle, including, but not limited to, prohibiting a dealer from commencing repossession proceedings due to failure to make a scheduled loan payment prior to the 16th day following the day on which that payment was due, requiring a dealer to hire a licensed repossession agency to repossess the vehicle on the dealer's behalf, and prohibiting the dealer from charging the buyer-borrower a fee exceeding $500 for the dealer's costs in connection with the repossession. The bill would also establish a cap on interest rates that could be charged under a conditional sale or lease contract and require a buy-here-pay-here automobile dealer to allow a buyer-borrower 45 days to repay any penalties, fees, and other charges imposed by the dealer on the buyer-borrower in connection with past due payments that have been brought current. (3) The bill would state findings and declarations of the Legislature with regard to buy-here-pay-here automobile dealers. (4) Because this bill would expand the scope of a crime, the bill would create 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.
(1) Existing law, in addition to the other fees imposed for the registration of a vehicle, authorizes a county to impose an additional fee of $1 on all motor vehicles, and an additional service fee of $2 on commercial motor vehicles of 10,001 pounds or more, as specified, and continuously appropriates the money to fund local programs relating to vehicle theft crimes. These provisions are repealed as of January 1, 2018. Existing law requires each participating county to issue a fiscal yearend report to the Controller, summarizing certain matters. This bill would authorize the County of Los Angeles, the County of San Diego, and the County of San Bernardino to increase the motor vehicle fee from $1 to $2, and would provide that the service fee on commercial motor vehicles would increase from $2 to $4, upon adoption of a resolution of its board of supervisors, and would require the resolution to be submitted to the Department of Motor Vehicles at least 6 months prior to the operative date of the fee increase. This bill would add a new source of revenue to be deposited into a continuously appropriated fund, thereby making an appropriation. (2) Existing law also requires the Department of the California Highway Patrol, in consultation with all participating county-designated regional coordinators, to review the effectiveness of reducing vehicle theft crimes that were funded by the fees imposed by the above provisions. Existing law requires the department to provide a report based on that review and to submit that report, on or before January 1, 2009, to the Legislature. This bill would repeal the above obsolete requirements imposed on the Department of the California Highway Patrol and would make other technical, nonsubstantive changes to these provisions. (3) This bill would make legislative findings and declarations concerning the need for special legislation.
The Rees-Levering Motor Vehicle Sales and Finance Act regulates conditional sales contracts for motor vehicles, and, among other things, requires a person selling or leasing a motor vehicle under a conditional sale contract to disclose certain information to the buyer of the vehicle. A willful violation of those provisions is a misdemeanor and may render the contract unenforceable. A seller who violates the provisions of the act may also be liable to the buyer for monetary damages. This bill would require a buy-here-pay-here dealer, as defined, to issue a 30-day or 1,000-mile warranty to the buyer or lessee of a used vehicle bought or leased at retail price, and would require the warranty to cover the engine, transmission, drive axle, front and rear wheel drive components, engine cooling system, brakes, front and rear suspension systems, steering, seatbelts, inflatable restraint systems, catalytic converter or other emissions components, heater, seals and gaskets, electrical, electronic, and computer components, alternator, generator, starter, and ignition system. The bill would require the buy-here-pay-here dealer to either repair those covered parts that fail or, at the buy-here-pay-here dealer's election, to cancel the sale or lease and reimburse the buyer or lessee, as specified. The bill would require the buy-here-pay-here dealer to pay 100% of the cost of labor and parts for any repairs under the warranty. The bill would void an agreement for the purchase or lease of a vehicle that waives, limits, or disclaims these requirements. The bill would provide that a warranty is deemed to have been issued if a buy-here-pay-here dealer fails to issue a warranty pursuant to these provisions. The bill would prohibit a buy-here-pay-here dealer from requiring the buyer to make payments in person, with the exception of the downpayment for the vehicle, would prohibit the buy-here-pay-here dealer from repossessing the vehicle or charging a penalty following timely payment of a deferred downpayment, as specified, would prohibit the buy-here-pay-here dealer from, after the sale of the vehicle, tracking the vehicle using electronic tracking technology and from disabling the vehicle with starter interrupt technology, except as specified, and would make a violation of these prohibitions a misdemeanor punishable by a fine of up to $1,000. By creating a new crime, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program. The bill would also make findings and declarations related to buy-here-pay-here dealers, and would authorize the Department of Motor Vehicles to promulgate any necessary regulations. 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 requires the Instructional Quality Commission to recommend curriculum frameworks for adoption by the State Board of Education in accordance with regulations. Existing law defines "curriculum framework" as an outline of the components of a given course of study designed to provide state direction to school districts in the provision of instructional programs. This bill would require the commission and the state board to ensure that the health and science curriculum frameworks adopted in the course of the next submission cycle, as specified, include the subject of organ procurement and tissue donation, as appropriate.
(1) Existing law requires that, upon a breach of the obligation of a mortgage or transfer of an interest in property, the mortgagee, trustee, or beneficiary record a notice of default in the office of the county recorder where the mortgaged or trust property is situated and mail the notice of default to the mortgagor or trustor. Existing law specifies other requirements and procedures for completion of a foreclosure sale, including recording a notice of sale prior to exercising a power of sale. Existing law requires, under specified circumstances, that a summary of mortgage terms be provided to the borrower in one of 5 specified languages. This bill, with respect to residential real property containing no more than 4 dwelling units, would require a mortgagee, trustee, beneficiary, or authorized agent to provide to the mortgagor or trustor attached to a copy of the recorded notice of default and a copy of the notice of sale a summary of the information required to be contained in those notices in English and 5 specified languages. The bill would also require the notice of default and notice of sale to include a statement, in English and 5 specified languages, that a summary of the key provisions of the respective notice in English and 5 specified languages is attached. The bill would provide that the attached summaries are not required to be recorded or published. Those provisions would become operative on April 1, 2013, or 90 days following the issuance of summary translations by the Department of Corporations, whichever occurs later. The bill would also require the Department of Corporations to provide a standard translation of the statement and summaries described above for a notice of default and a notice of sale, respectively, in those languages, and to make those documents available without charge on its Internet Web site. The bill would specify that any mortgagee, trustee, beneficiary, or authorized agent who provides the department's translations, in the manner prescribed, shall be in compliance with that provision. (2) This bill would incorporate additional changes to Section 2924 of the Civil Code proposed by AB 278, to be operative only if AB 278 and this bill are both enacted, both bills amend Section 2924 of the Civil Code and are effective on or before January 1, 2013, and this bill is enacted last. (3) The bill would repeal duplicate provisions of law.
Existing law establishes procedures regarding the registration of voters. Under existing law, a person may not be registered to vote except by affidavit of registration, and a voter may not vote in an election unless his or her affidavit of registration is executed and received by the county elections official on or before the 15th day prior to the election. Existing law permits any registered voter to vote by a vote by mail ballot, and further permits any voter using a vote by mail ballot to vote the ballot at the office of the elections official beginning 29 days before the election. Existing law requires that the affidavit of registration show facts necessary to establish the affiant as an elector, as specified, and provides that if the affiant has not been issued a current and valid driver's license or social security number, he or she shall be provided a unique identification number for voter registration purposes. This bill would establish conditional voter registration, using an affidavit of registration, whereby a person would be permitted to register to vote after the 15th day prior to an election or on election day, and cast a provisional ballot to be counted if the conditional voter registration is deemed effective. This bill would provide that a conditional voter registration shall be deemed effective if the county elections official is able to determine before or during the canvass period for the election that the registrant is eligible to register to vote and that the registrant has provided information that matches specified state or federal databases. The bill would provide that if the information provided by the registrant cannot be verified by matching the information to those specified state or federal databases and the registrant is otherwise eligible to vote, the registrant shall be issued a unique identification number pursuant to the above-referenced provisions and the conditional voter registration shall be deemed effective. The bill would establish specific criminal and civil penalties for the commission of fraud in the execution of a conditional voter registration pursuant to these provisions. The bill would require the county elections official to offer conditional voter registration and provisional voting at its permanent offices, and would permit the official to offer this registration and voting at satellite offices on election day, in accordance with specified procedures. The bill would also require the county elections official to cancel, as specified, duplicate voter registrations that may arise due to conditional voter registration. The above provisions of the bill would become operative on January 1 of the year following the year in which the Secretary of State certifies that the state has a statewide voter registration database that complies with the requirements of the federal Help America Vote Act of 2002. Existing law provides that upon conviction for a crime pertaining to an election for which no fine is prescribed, the court may impose, in addition to any prescribed imprisonment, a fine on the offender of not more than $1,000 for a misdemeanor or $10,000 for a felony. This bill would increase the amount of that fine for a felony to $25,000. By creating a new crime and new duties for local elections officials, 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 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.
Existing law, the Child Abuse and Neglect Reporting Act, requires a mandated reporter, as defined, to report whenever he or she, in his or her professional capacity or within the scope of his or her employment, has knowledge of or observed a child whom the mandated reporter knows or reasonably suspects has been the victim of child abuse or neglect. Failure to report an incident is a crime punishable by imprisonment in a county jail for a period of 6 months, a fine of up to $1,000, or by both that imprisonment and fine. This bill would add employees and administrators of a public or private postsecondary institution, whose duties bring the administrator or employee into contact with children on a regular basis or who supervises those whose duties bring the administrator or employee into contact with children on a regular basis, as to child abuse or neglect occurring on that institution's premises or at an official activity of, or program conducted by, the institution, to the list of individuals who are mandated reporters. By imposing the reporting requirements on a new class of persons, for whom failure to report specified conduct is a crime, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program. This bill would incorporate additional changes in Section 11165.7 of the Penal Code, proposed by AB 1435, AB 1713, AB 1817, and SB 1264, to be operative only if AB 1435, AB 1713, AB 1817, or SB 1264 and this bill are chaptered and become effective on or before January 1, 2013, and this bill is chaptered last. 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.