Existing law establishes the State Department of Public Health and sets forth its powers and duties, including, but not limited to, the licensure and regulation of health facilities, including, but not limited to, long-term health care facilities, as defined. Existing law requires inspection of a long-term health care facility at least once every 2 years. This bill instead would require inspection at least once every year and would delete obsolete references to a health facility inspection pilot program. Existing law authorizes the appointment of a temporary manager or receiver to operate a long-term health facility if certain conditions exist. This bill would authorize the inspector to refer the matter for appointment of a temporary manager or receiver under those provisions if he or she finds that conditions at the facility indicate the need for the appointment.
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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 prohibits a requirement of in-person contact between a health care provider and patient under the Medi-Cal program for any service otherwise covered by the Medi-Cal program when the service is appropriately provided by telehealth, as defined. Existing law, for purposes of payment of covered treatment or services provided through telehealth, prohibits the department from limiting the type of setting where services are provided for the patient or by the health care provider. This bill would require, effective July 1, 2015, in order for a health care provider that is not located in California to be enrolled in Medi-Cal for the purpose of providing health care services by way of telehealth for beneficiaries receiving care in California, the provider to meet specified conditions and criteria, including that the provider be enrolled and in good standing in the Medicaid program for the state where the provider is located, be enrolled in good standing in Medicare, or be enrolled in good standing in both programs, and that the provider not be located outside the United States of America.
This measure would call upon all Californians to observe César Chávez's birthday, March 31, as a day of public service, to recognize the hard work and self-sacrifice that farmworkers go through to feed all the families in our state, and to learn from César Chávez's life and his mission of nonviolence, social justice, and selfless service to others.
Existing law requires the Instructional Quality Commission to recommend, and the State Board of Education to adopt, curriculum frameworks, as provided. 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. Existing law prohibits the state board from adopting instructional materials until the 2015–16 school year, except as provided. This bill would require the commission to consider incorporating computer science curriculum content into the mathematics, science, history-social science, and English language arts/English language development curriculum frameworks, as it deems appropriate, when those frameworks are next revised. The bill would require computer science curriculum to focus on foundational concepts in computer science by integrating basic skills in technology with simple ideas about computational thinking, communication, and collaboration, and being responsible citizens in a changing digital world, as specified. The bill would require the commission to consult with classroom teachers and school administrators to ensure the age-appropriateness of the computer science curriculum. If computer science curriculum content is incorporated into the curriculum frameworks at their next revision, the bill would require the Superintendent of Public Instruction to identify and post on the State Department of Education's Internet Web site professional development resources for teaching computer science curriculum content. The bill would require its provisions to be implemented in a manner that does not result in new duties or programs being imposed on local educational agencies, as specified.
The Community Redevelopment Law authorizes the establishment of redevelopment agencies in communities to address the effects of blight, as defined. Existing law dissolved redevelopment agencies and community development agencies, as of February 1, 2012, and provides for the designation of successor agencies. Existing law provides for various economic development programs that foster community sustainability and community and economic development initiatives throughout the state. This bill would authorize certain public entities of a community revitalization and investment area, as described, to form a community revitalization plan within a community revitalization and investment authority (authority) to carry out the Community Redevelopment Law in a specified manner. The bill would require the authority to adopt a community revitalization plan for a community revitalization and investment area and authorize the authority to include in that plan a provision for the receipt of tax increment funds.
Under existing law, the State Department of Social Services regulates the licensure and operation of community care facilities, residential care facilities for the elderly, child day care centers, and family day care homes. Existing law requires that these facilities be subject to unannounced visits by the department that occur at least once every 5 years. Existing law requires the department to conduct an annual unannounced visit under specified circumstances, including when a license is on probation, and to conduct annual unannounced visits to no less than 20% of the facilities not subject to an evaluation under those specified circumstances. This bill would instead make every facility of the types described above subject to an annual unannounced visit by the department on and after July 1, 2017. The bill would revise the provisions requiring the department to conduct annual unannounced visits to no less than 20% of the facilities by instead requiring the department to conduct annual unannounced visits to no less than 30% of facilities on or before July 1, 2015, and no less than 20% of those facilities on or before July 1, 2016. The bill would also delete the provisions requiring an unannounced visit at least once every 5 years. Existing law requires the department to immediately request a fire clearance and notify an applicant to arrange a time for the department to conduct a prelicensure survey if an application for initial licensure is complete. This bill would provide that the prelicensure survey is optional at the discretion of the department if the department determines that an application is for licensure of a currently licensed facility for which there will be no material change to the management or operations of the facility.
The Personal Income Tax Law and the Corporation Tax Law authorize various credits against the taxes imposed by those laws, including a hiring credit for qualified taxpayers who hire qualified employees, as defined, within enterprise zones and local agency military base recovery areas, subject to specified criteria and requirements. Those laws require that a taxpayer obtain a certification from the Employment Development Department, as permitted by federal law, the local county or city Job Training Partnership Act administrative entity, the local county GAIN office or social services agency, or the local government administering a specified area or zone that provides that a qualified employee meets the specified eligibility requirements. Existing law authorizes any local entity formerly authorized to issue a certification that provides that a qualified employee, qualified disadvantaged individual, or qualified displaced employee meets specified eligibility requirements, to continue to accept applications for certification and to issue the certifications up to but no later than January 1, 2015. This bill would instead authorize those local entities to continue to accept applications for the certification up to but no later than January 1, 2015, and would provide that a local entity has until January 1, 2016, to issue the certifications. This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.
The California Constitution authorizes the Legislature to classify personal property for differential taxation or for exemption by means of a statute approved by a 23 vote of the membership of each house. Under the Private Railroad Car Tax Law, the State Board of Equalization assesses and taxes private railroad cars operated upon railroads in this state by class based on the owner's acquisition cost, less depreciation, as provided. In making an assessment, the board is required to determine the average number of each class of private railroad cars physically present in the state in the calendar year immediately preceding the fiscal year in which the tax is imposed upon the basis of car days. This bill would instead require the board, in making the assessment, to determine the physical presence of private railroad cars in the state in the calendar year immediately preceding the fiscal year in which the tax is imposed upon the basis of mileage. Existing law also requires the board, in making the above assessment, to value the cars by class based on the owner's acquisition cost, less depreciation, and sets forth the manner in which depreciation is calculated for each class of cars, as specified. This bill would instead require the board, in making the assessment, to value the cars based on the owner's acquisition cost, including additions and betterments, less depreciation, and would revise the manner in which the depreciation is calculated, as specified. Existing law requires the board to exclude from the California factor car mileage, car days, or other data that occurs while cars are not qualified for revenue service and are in a repair facility in the state, as specified. Existing law defines the term "class of private railroad cars" for these purposes. This bill would delete the definition of the term "class of private railroad cars" and would eliminate the requirement that the board exclude from the California factor car mileage, car days, or other data that occurs while cars are not qualified for revenue service and are in a repair facility in the state.
The California Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006 designates the State Air Resources Board as the state agency charged with monitoring and regulating sources of emissions of greenhouse gases. The state board is required to adopt a statewide greenhouse gas emissions limit equivalent to the statewide greenhouse gas emissions level in 1990 to be achieved by 2020, and to adopt rules and regulations in an open public process to achieve the maximum, technologically feasible, and cost-effective greenhouse gas emissions reductions. The act authorizes the state board to include the use of market-based compliance mechanisms. Existing state board regulations require specified entities to comply with a market-based compliance mechanism beginning January 1, 2013, and require additional specified entities to comply with that market-based compliance mechanism beginning January 1, 2015. This bill instead would exempt categories of persons or entities that did not have a compliance obligation, as defined, under a market-based compliance mechanism beginning January 1, 2013, from being subject to that market-based compliance mechanism beginning January 1, 2015, and until December 31, 2017. The bill would require all participating categories of persons or entities to have a compliance obligation beginning January 1, 2018. This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.
Existing law establishes a workers' compensation system, administered by the Administrative Director of the Division of Workers' Compensation, to compensate an employee for injuries arising out of and in the course of his or her employment. Existing law requires that certain proceedings, including for the recovery of compensation, or concerning any right or liability arising out of or incidental thereto, be instituted before the Workers' Compensation Appeals Board. The appeals board may fix and determine, in its award, the total amount of compensation to be paid and specify the manner of payment, or may fix and determine the weekly disability payment to be made and order payment during the continuance of disability. Existing law requires that when payment of compensation has been unreasonably delayed or refused, either prior to or subsequent to the issuance of an award, the amount of the unreasonably delayed or refused payment be increased up to 25% or up to $10,000, whichever is less, and the appeals board is required to use its discretion to accomplish a fair balance and substantial justice between the parties. This bill would instead require that when payment of compensation has been unreasonably delayed or refused, either prior to or subsequent to the issuance of an award, the amount of the unreasonably delayed or refused payment be increased up to 25% or up to $10,000, whichever is more. In using its discretion to accomplish a fair balance and substantial justice between the parties, the appeals board would be required to consider the amount of the original award, the reason for and length of the delay, and whether there were prior violations.