This bill would urge the United States Patent and Trademark Office to place a satellite office in California.
This measure would designate that January 16, 2012, be observed as the official memorial of the late Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s birth, commemorate Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, the work of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and the Civil Rights Movement in changing public policy in California and in the United States of America.
Existing law requires the Governor to submit to the Legislature, within the first 10 days of each calendar year, a budget for the ensuing fiscal year. Under existing law, the budget is required to contain a complete plan and itemized statements of all proposed expenditures and all estimated revenues of the state for the ensuing fiscal year, together with a comparison with the actual revenues and expenditures for the last completed fiscal year, the estimated revenues and expenditures for the existing fiscal year, and the budgeted revenues and expenditures for the next fiscal year. Existing law further requires the Director of Finance to provide to the Legislature, on or before May 14 of each year, an estimate of General Fund revenues for the current fiscal year and the ensuing fiscal year, any proposals to reduce expenditures to reflect updated revenue estimates, and specified proposed adjustments to the Governor's Budget. This bill would require the Director of Finance to submit, at the time of the submission of the budget by the Governor, or as soon thereafter as feasible, total recommended state General Fund expenditures and estimated state revenues, which include (1) an estimate of total General Fund resources, including any proposed resources, available for state General Fund expenditures for the budget year and the succeeding 3 fiscal years, (2) a 5-year capital infrastructure plan, (3) a projection of anticipated state expenditures for the budget year and the succeeding 3 fiscal years, and (4) to the extent possible, projections applicable to the budget year from the previous 4 enacted Budget Act projections. The bill would require specified parts of this information to be updated, as soon as feasible, within specified times.
Existing law authorizes state agencies to use personal services contracts if specified standards are satisfied, including, among other things, the contract does not cause the displacement of civil service employees and the contract is awarded through a publicized, competitive bidding process. The State Personnel Board is required to review a proposed contract upon the request of an employee organization for compliance with those standards. This bill would require a state agency to immediately discontinue a contract disapproved by action of the board or its delegate unless ordered otherwise by the board or its delegate. The bill would prohibit the state agency from circumventing or disregarding the board's action by entering into another contract for the same or similar services or to continue the services that were the subject of the contract that was disapproved. The bill would require the state agency to serve notice of the discontinuation of the contract to the vendor within 15 days from the board's final action, and to serve a copy of the notice on the board and the employee organization that filed the contract challenge. The bill would provide that failure to serve this notice may be grounds for rejection of future contracts for the same or similar services. The bill would make a related statement of legislative findings.
The Alcoholic Beverage Control Act, administered by the Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control, regulates the sale and distribution of alcoholic beverages and the granting of licenses for the manufacture, distribution, and sale of alcoholic beverages within the state. This bill would prohibit off-sale licensees from selling alcoholic beverages using a customer-operated checkout stand located on the licensee's physical premises. This bill makes findings and declarations regarding the effects of allowing alcoholic beverages to be sold using self-service checkouts. The Alcoholic Beverage Control Act provides that a violation of any of its provisions for which another penalty or punishment is not specifically provided is a misdemeanor. This bill would expand existing crimes by imposing additional duties on a licensee under the act, thus, 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 provides that 2 unmarried, unrelated adults who have chosen to share one another's lives in an intimate and committed relationship of mutual caring may establish a domestic partnership by filing a declaration with the Secretary of State if certain requirements are met, including that both persons have a common residence and that both persons are at least 18 years of age. Existing law authorizes 2 unmarried persons, not minors, who have been living together as husband and wife to obtain a confidential marriage license, as specified. This bill would eliminate the requirement that domestic partners have a common residence. This bill would also permit a person who is under 18 years of age who otherwise meets the requirements for establishing a domestic partnership to do so upon obtaining a court order that provides that authority to the underage person. The bill would also provide for the consent of the underage person's parent or guardian, except as specified, and would require that the court order and the written consent be filed with the court clerk and submitted to the Secretary of State with a Declaration of Domestic Partnership. The bill would also require the Secretary of State to establish a process by which 2 persons could enter into a confidential domestic partnership and maintain each confidential Declaration of Domestic Partnership, as specified, and permit the Secretary of State to charge a reasonable fee in this regard. Existing law prohibits a judgment of dissolution of marriage from being entered unless one of the parties to the marriage has been a resident of this state for 6 months and of the county in which the proceeding is filed for 3 months before the filing of the petition. This bill would authorize a judgment for dissolution, nullity, or legal separation of a marriage between persons of the same sex to be entered if the marriage was entered in California and neither party to the marriage resides in a jurisdiction that will dissolve the marriage.
Existing law, with certain exceptions, makes it a misdemeanor for a person to deliver, furnish, or transfer, or possess with intent to deliver, furnish, or transfer drug paraphernalia, knowing, or under circumstances where one reasonably should know, that it will be used to introduce into the human body a controlled substance. Existing law provides an exception to this general rule by authorizing a city, county, or city and county to conduct a clean needle and syringe exchange project authorized by the public entity to combat the spread of HIV and bloodborne hepatitis. Existing law exempts providers participating in an exchange project from criminal prosecution for possession of needles or syringes during participation in the project. Existing law also provides a specified annual comment and reporting process relating to the needle and syringe exchange projects. This bill would, until January 1, 2019, authorize the State Department of Public Health to authorize, as specified, certain entities to provide hypodermic needle and syringe exchange services in any location where the department determines that the conditions exist for the rapid spread of HIV, viral hepatitis, or any other potentially deadly or disabling infections that are spread through the sharing of used hypodermic needles and syringes. The bill would, until January 1, 2019, require the department to establish and maintain on its Internet Web site the address and contact information of these programs. This bill would, until January 1, 2019, exempt staff and volunteers participating in an authorized exchange project from criminal prosecution for violation of any law related to the possession, furnishing, or transfer of hypodermic needles or syringes during participation in an exchange project and would exempt program participants from criminal prosecution for possession of needles and syringes acquired from an authorized exchange project entity. The bill would also, until January 1, 2019, make the comment and reporting process for the projects biennial. This bill would make additional technical and nonsubstantive changes.
Existing law contains provisions governing the operation and financing of community mental health services for the mentally disordered in every county through locally administered and locally controlled community mental health programs. Existing law, the Mental Health Services Act, an initiative measure enacted by the voters as Proposition 63 at the November 2, 2004, statewide general election, establishes the Mental Health Services Fund to fund various county mental health programs. The act provides that it may be amended by the Legislature by a 23 vote of each house as long as the amendment is consistent with and furthers the intent of the act, and that the Legislature may also clarify procedures and terms of the act by majority vote. Existing law requires each county mental health program to prepare and submit a 3-year plan that includes information on specified programs, including, but not limited to, programs for services to children and adults, and requires these programs to provide services to address the needs of transition age youth 16 to 25 years of age. This bill would require county mental health programs, in providing for services for transition age youth, to consider the needs of transition age foster youth. This bill would declare that it clarifies procedures and terms of the act. Because this bill would require counties to consider the needs of transition age foster youth in connection with programs for children and adults, it 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.
The existing Long-Term Care, Health, Safety, and Security Act of 1973 establishes an inspection and reporting system and a provisional licensing mechanism, administered by the State Department of Public Health, to ensure that long-term health care facilities, as defined, are in compliance with state statutes, regulations, and federal standards pertaining to patient care. The act requires the department, if it determines that a violation of any state or federal law or regulation relating to the operation or maintenance of the facility warrants the issuance of a citation, to take specified actions regarding federal enforcement remedies and citations. The act prohibits the issuance of both a citation pursuant to state laws and the recommendation that a federal civil monetary penalty be imposed. This bill would delete this prohibition. The act establishes a citation and appeals process, that includes a citation review conference. This bill would repeal the citation review conference process and make conforming changes. 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. Existing law requires the State Department of Health Care Services to consider whether an undue hardship, as described, exists prior to finding that an applicant or recipient is subject to a period of ineligibility for medical assistance for home and facility care. This bill would require the State Department of Health Care Services to also consider whether an undue hardship exists for an applicant for, or recipient of, home and facility care under additional circumstances relating to the transfer of assets.
(1) Under existing law, the State Water Resources Control Board (state board) and the California regional water quality control boards prescribe waste discharge requirements for the discharge of stormwater in accordance with the national pollutant discharge elimination system (NPDES) permit program and the Porter-Cologne Water Quality Control Act. Existing law authorizes a city, county, or special district to develop, jointly or individually, stormwater resource plans that meet certain standards. This bill would enact the Rainwater Capture Act of 2011, which would authorize residential, commercial, and governmental landowners to install, maintain, and operate rain barrel systems, as defined, and rainwater capture systems, as defined, for specified purposes, provided that the systems comply with specified requirements. The bill would require a local agency to provide notification to the operator of a public water system, as defined, if the local agency chooses to adopt a permitting program for rainwater capture systems and approves a permit for a rainwater capture system connected to the public water system. (2) Existing law, the Contractors' State License Law, creates the Contractors' State License Board within the Department of Consumer Affairs and provides for the licensing and regulation of contractors. Existing law authorizes a landscape contractor working within the classification of his or her license to enter into a prime contract for the construction of a swimming pool, spa, or hot tub, an outdoor cooking center, or an outdoor fireplace, if certain conditions are met. Under existing law, a violation of these provisions and related provisions of existing law is grounds for disciplinary action. This bill would additionally authorize a landscape contractor working within the classification of his or her license to enter into a prime contract for the construction of a rainwater capture system, as defined, if the system is used exclusively for landscape irrigation. The bill would authorize a landscape contractor holding a specified classification to design and install all exterior components of a rainwater capture system that are not a part of, or attached to, a structure.
