Existing law establishes a workers' compensation system, administered by the Administrative Director of the Division of Workers' Compensation, to compensate an employee for injuries sustained in the course of his or her employment. Existing law, for injuries occurring on or after January 1, 2004, provides supplemental job displacement benefits in the form of a nontransferable voucher for education-related retraining or skill enhancement for an injured employee who does not return to work for the employer within 60 days of the termination of temporary disability, in accordance with a prescribed schedule based on the percentage of an injured employee's disability. Existing law provides an exception for employers who meet specified criteria. This bill would provide that the above provisions shall apply to injuries occurring on or after January 1, 2004, and before January 1, 2011. This bill would provide, for injuries occurring on or after January 1, 2011, for a supplemental job displacement benefit in the form of a voucher for up to $6,000 to cover various reeducation and skill enhancement expenses, as specified, which would expire 2 years after the date the voucher is furnished to the employee or 5 years after the date of injury, whichever is later. The bill would exempt employers who make an offer of reemployment or continued employment, as specified, from providing vouchers. The bill would require the administrative director to adopt regulations implementing the program.
Sponsored bills
The Personal Income Tax Law authorizes various credits against the taxes imposed by that law. Existing law authorizes a credit against those taxes in an amount equal to the lesser of 5% of the purchase price of a qualified principal residence, as defined, purchased on and after March 1, 2009, and before March 1, 2010, or $10,000, allocated by the Franchise Tax Board on a first-come-first-served basis. Existing law requires a taxpayer to provide the Franchise Tax Board with a certification from the seller of the qualified principal residence that the residence has never been previously occupied within one week of the sale of the residence and caps the total amount of the credit at $100,000,000. This bill would allow the tax credit for purchases of a qualified principal residence made before the date that is 12 months after the effective date of this bill, subject to specified restrictions. This bill would revise the certification requirements to provide that the taxpayer receive the certification no later than one week after the close of escrow on the qualified principal residence and that the Franchise Tax Board be provided with the certification upon request by the board. This bill would also remove the cap on the total credit amount allowed and the requirement that the tax credits be allocated on a first-come-first-served basis. This bill would take effect immediately as a tax levy.
Existing law provides that a provision of a memorandum of understanding reached between the state employer and a recognized employee organization representing state civil service employees that requires the expenditure of funds does not become effective unless approved by the Legislature in the annual Budget Act. This bill would approve provisions of a memorandum of understanding entered into between the state employer and the California Correctional Peace Officers Association that require the expenditure of funds, and would provide that these provisions will become effective even if these provisions are approved by the Legislature in legislation other than the annual Budget Act. The bill would provide that provisions of the memorandum of understanding approved by this bill that require the expenditure of funds will not take effect unless funds for those provisions are specifically appropriated by the Legislature, and would require the state employer and the affected employee organization to meet and confer to renegotiate the affected provisions if funds for those provisions are not specifically appropriated by the Legislature. This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.
Existing law, known as the Ortiz-Pacheco-Poochigian-Vasconcellos Cal Grant Program, establishes, among other programs, the Cal Grant A Entitlement Program, the Cal Grant B Entitlement Program, the California Community College Transfer Cal Grant Entitlement Program and the Competitive Cal Grant A and B award program, under the administration of the Student Aid Commission, and establishes eligibility requirements for awards under these programs. This bill would, commencing with the 2010–11 academic year, entitle an otherwise eligible student who is a member or former member of the Armed Forces of the United States, as defined, who meets prescribed requirements, including enrollment in a qualifying undergraduate certificate or degree program, to a Cal Grant A Entitlement Award or a Cal Grant B Entitlement Award. The bill also would require the Student Aid Commission to make preliminary awards to all applicants currently eligible for an award under the program, and would require each person who receives a preliminary award to affirm, in writing, that he or she meets specified requirements for eligibility in the program. The bill would require the commission to randomly select at least 10% of the new and renewal awards made under the program and verify that the student meets specified requirements for eligibility. The bill would require the commission to seek repayment of any funds found to be improperly disbursed under the program, and would require the commission to submit an annual report to the Legislature and the Governor regarding, among other things, the number of awards made under this program.
Existing law generally provides that it is a crime to import for commercial purposes, possess with intent to sell, or sell any part or product of the dead body of a kangaroo, subject to specified misdemeanor penalties for each violation. However, until January 1, 2011, exception is made for kangaroos that may be harvested lawfully under Australian national and state law, the federal Endangered Species Act of 1971, and applicable international conventions, under specified conditions. This bill would make the prohibition against importation for commercial purposes inapplicable to the dead body of any kangaroo. It would delete the exception and the January 1, 2011, termination date.
Existing law requires an employer to provide its employees with a meal period of not less than 30 minutes after working more than 5 hours per day and a 2nd meal period of the same duration after working more than 10 hours per day. Under existing law, these meal periods may be waived under certain conditions by mutual consent of the employer and employee. Existing law makes a violation of these provisions a misdemeanor. This bill would allow an employer of a registered security officer to provide on-duty meal periods instead if the officer is covered by a valid collective bargaining agreement containing specified terms or has a written on-duty meal period agreement with his or her employer containing specified terms. Because the bill would make these on-duty meal provisions subject to specified terms, the violation of which would be a crime, 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.
Existing law requires the Department of Transportation to enter into an agreement prior to any closure of a city street or county highway due to construction of a freeway with a city council or board of supervisors having jurisdiction. Existing law provides an exception to those provisions for a freeway segment within the jurisdiction of the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority, if specified requirements have been met, including that an agreement with one or more counties and cities is not possible because an impasse has existed for 10 or more years after an initial route was adopted. This bill would limit this exception to construction of a segment of a freeway that consists solely of a subsurface transportation facility, as specified. The bill would also require, as a condition for the exception to apply, that an agreement with one or more counties and cities is not possible because an impasse has existed for 20 or more years after an initial route was adopted. Existing law establishes State Highway Route 710 from State Highway Route 1 to State Highway Route 210 in Pasadena. This bill would provide that State Highway Route 710 between Valley Boulevard in the City of Los Angeles and Del Mar Boulevard in the City of Pasadena may not be a surface or above-grade highway.
Existing law establishes the Nurse-Family Partnership program to provide grants for voluntary nurse home visiting programs for expectant first-time mothers, their children, and their families, as specified. Existing law prohibits the use of grant moneys to match other grants administered by the State Department of Public Health. This bill would allow the use of Nurse-Family Partnership program grant moneys as a match for other grants administered by the department. Existing law establishes the California Families and Children Account in the State Treasury to accept private donations to pay for the program. The account is continuously appropriated to the department for this purpose. Existing law only allows grants to be distributed if the Director of Finance determines that there are sufficient funds from private donations available in the account. Additionally, under existing law, if there are not sufficient funds on deposit in the account by January 1, 2009, the account shall cease to exist. This bill would delete the continuous appropriation and would, instead, make those funds available for the program upon appropriation by the Legislature, and would permit the department to accept federal grants for purposes of the program. This bill would revise existing law to require the program to be implemented if the Director of the Department of Finance determines that at least $500,000 is available in the account. If this determination is not made by a specified date, it would require that the account cease to exist and funds in the account immediately be distributed to each contributor. This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.
(1) Under existing law, various measures have been approved by the voters to provide funds for water supply and protection facilities and programs. This bill would enact the Safe, Clean, and Reliable Drinking Water Supply Act of 2010, which, if approved by the voters, would authorize the issuance of bonds in the amount of $11,140,000,000 pursuant to the State General Obligation Bond Law to finance a safe drinking water and water supply reliability program. The bill would provide for the submission of the bond act to the voters at the November 2, 2010, statewide general election. (2) This bill would take effect only if SB 1 of the 2009–10 7th Extraordinary Session is enacted and becomes effective. (3) This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.
Existing law generally restricts certain alcoholic beverage licensees, including manufacturers and winegrowers, from paying, crediting, or compensating a retailer for advertising in connection with the advertising and sale of alcoholic beverages. This bill would expressly authorize a beer manufacturer, holder of a winegrower's license, California winegrower's agent, distilled spirits manufacturer, holder of a distilled spirits rectifiers general license, or a distilled spirits manufacturer's agent to purchase advertising space or time from specified fully enclosed venues located in Los Angeles County, as described, under specified conditions. This bill would require a venue owner that enters into a written agreement pursuant to this authorization to obtain an annual certificate from the Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control. This bill would additionally require the department to, in its annual report to the Legislature, include specified information with regard to this authorization. This bill would also make a beer manufacturer, holder of a winegrower's license, winegrower's agent, distilled spirits manufacturer, holder of a distilled spirits rectifiers general license, or a distilled spirits manufacturer's agent who, through coercion or other means, induces the holder of a wholesaler's license to fulfill those contractual obligations guilty of a misdemeanor. This bill would additionally make an on-sale retail licensee, as described, who solicits or coerces a holder of a wholesaler's license to solicit a beer manufacturer, holder of a winegrower's license, winegrower's agent, distilled spirits manufacturer, holder of a distilled spirits rectifiers general license, or a distilled spirits manufacturer's agent to purchase advertising time or space guilty of a misdemeanor. The bill thus imposes a state-mandated local program by creating new crimes. This bill would make findings regarding the need for special legislation. 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. This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.