Asm. James Ramos

Existing law, the Veterans Housing and Homeless Prevention Bond Act of 2014 (the 2014 bond act) , authorizes the issuance of bonds in the amount of $600,000,000, as specified, for expenditure by the California Housing Finance Agency, the Department of Housing and Community Development, and the Department of Veterans Affairs to provide housing to veterans and their families pursuant to the Veterans Housing and Homeless Prevention Act of 2014 (VHHPA) . This bill would enact the Veterans Housing and Homeless Prevention Bond Act of 2022 to authorize the issuance of bonds in an amount not to exceed $600,000,000 to provide additional funding for the VHHPA. The bill would provide for the handling and disposition of the funds in the same manner as the 2014 bond act. The bill would provide for the submission of the bond act to the voters at the March 5, 2024, statewide primary election.

Existing law requires the State Department of Public Health, subject to an appropriation in the Budget Act of 2016, to award funding to local health departments, local government agencies, or on a competitive basis to other organizations, as specified, to support or establish programs that provide naloxone to first responders and to at-risk opioid users through programs that serve at-risk drug users. This bill would require the Department of Health Care Services to, upon appropriation by the Legislature and until January 1, 2027, establish a pilot program to provide grants to the Counties of San Bernardino, Riverside, and Orange, for public awareness campaigns to spread awareness of existing programs by the department to distribute opioid antagonists approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration. The bill would require counties participating in the program to perform targeted public awareness campaigns, and would require the pilot program to collect specified information and send yearly reports to the Legislature, as specified.

Existing federal law, the Indian Child Welfare Act of 1978 (ICWA) , governs the proceedings for determining the placement of an Indian child when that child is removed from the custody of the child's parent or guardian. Existing law specifies that the state is committed to protecting the essential tribal relations and best interest of an Indian child by promoting practices in accordance with ICWA. Existing law authorizes a federally recognized tribe to approve a home for the purpose of foster or adoptive placement of an Indian child pursuant to ICWA and authorizes a tribe to designate a tribal organization to do the same. This bill would establish the Tribally Approved Homes Compensation Program to provide funding to eligible tribes and tribal organizations in California to assist in funding the costs associated with recruiting and approving homes for the purpose of foster or adoptive placement of an Indian child pursuant to ICWA, as described above. The bill would, subject to an appropriation for this purpose in the annual Budget Act, require the State Department of Social Services to provide annual allocations of $75,000 to eligible tribes and tribal organizations in each fiscal year and would require a tribe or tribal organization to submit to the department a letter of intent for funding, as specified, in order to be eligible for the funding allocation. The bill would require a tribe or tribal organization that receives funding pursuant to the program to submit a progress report to the department following the close of the fiscal year in which an allocation was received that includes details about how many homes were approved, recruitment efforts, and challenges experienced during the fiscal year that was funded and would require the department to annually compile those progress reports and submit a report to the Legislature, as specified.

This measure would recognize that the Antelope Valley will henceforth be affectionately and acceptably referred to by the State of California as the Aerospace Valley.

This measure would proclaim the week of August 1, 2022, to August 7, 2022, inclusive, as California HPV Vaccine Week in order to increase awareness of the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine as a cancer prevention tool and to promote the vaccination of all adolescents who are 9 to 13 years of age, inclusive, throughout California. The measure would urge all health providers and community members to get California adolescents caught up on all routine vaccinations, especially the cancer-preventing HPV vaccine.

This measure would designate the month of October 2022 as California Hindu American Awareness and Appreciation Month. The measure would also recognize and acknowledge the significant contributions made by Californians of Hindu heritage to the state and seek to increase awareness and understanding of the Hindu American community.

This measure would recognize September 20, 2022, and every year on that date thereafter, as California Surfing Day to celebrate the California surfing lifestyle, would commend all those who honor the history, culture, and future of surfing, as well as the sport of surfing and the protection of our beach and ocean environments, would express support for future surfers and encourage potential surfing Olympians to work diligently, and would encourage all Californians to enjoy California Surfing Day.