Asm. Cheryl R. Brown

This measure would designate that January 20, 2014, be observed as the official memorial of the late Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s birth and commemorate Martin Luther King, Jr. Day and 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. This measure would also recognize the anniversaries of the Emancipation Proclamation and the March on Washington in connection with the advancement of civil rights.

Existing law, the California Street Terrorism Enforcement and Prevention Act, makes it unlawful to engage in criminal gang activity, including actively participating in any criminal street gang with knowledge that its members engage in or have engaged in a pattern of criminal gang activity, and willfully promoting, furthering, or assisting in any felonious criminal conduct by members of the gang. This bill would require, prior to a local law enforcement agency designating, or submitting a document to the Attorney General's office for the purpose of designating, a person as a gang member, associate, or affiliate in a shared gang database, as defined, the local law enforcement agency to provide written notice to the person and his or her parent or guardian of the designation and the basis for the designation if the person is under 18 years of age, except as specified. The bill would authorize the person or his or her parent or guardian to submit written documentation contesting the designation and would require the local law enforcement agency to provide written verification of its decision within 60 days.

Existing law establishes the segments of the public postsecondary education system in the state, including the University of California administered by the Regents of the University of California, the California State University administered by the Trustees of the California State University, and the California Community Colleges administered by the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges. Existing law exempts a community college student who was a member of the Armed Forces of the United States stationed in this state on active duty for more than one year immediately prior to being discharged from paying nonresident tuition for up to one year if he or she files an affidavit with the community college stating that he or she intends to establish residency in California as soon as possible, if that student uses this exemption within 2 years of being discharged. Existing law prohibits a former member of the Armed Forces who received a dishonorable or bad conduct discharge from receiving this exemption. Existing law provides that the statutory provisions relating to student residency requirements for public postsecondary education apply to the University of California only to the extent that the regents act, by resolution, to make these provisions applicable. This bill would make this one-year exemption from payment of nonresident tuition applicable to a student enrolled, or intending to enroll, at a campus of the California Community Colleges, or as an undergraduate at a campus of the California State University, who was a member of the Armed Forces of the United States stationed in this state on active duty for more than one year immediately prior to being discharged if he or she files an affidavit with the institution at which he or she is enrolled, or intends to enroll, stating that he or she intends to establish residency in California as soon as possible, and uses this exemption within 2 years of being discharged. The bill would request the regents to enact regulations and procedures that exempt from nonresident tuition students of that university who meet the requirements applicable to students of the California Community Colleges and the California State University for the exemption of the bill.

(1) Existing law, the California Fair Employment and Housing Act, protects and safeguards the right and opportunity of all persons to seek, obtain, and hold employment without discrimination or abridgment on account of race, religious creed, color, national origin, ancestry, physical disability, mental disability, medical condition, genetic information, marital status, sex, gender, gender identity, gender expression, age, or sexual orientation. This bill would add "military and veteran status," as defined, to the list of categories protected from employment discrimination under the act. The bill would also provide an exemption for an inquiry by an employer regarding military or veteran status for the purpose of awarding a veteran's preference as permitted by law. (2) This bill would incorporate additional changes to Section 12940 of the Government Code made by SB 292 that would become operative if both bills are chaptered on or before January 1, 2014, and this bill is chaptered last.

Existing law establishes the State Department of Developmental Services and sets forth its powers and duties relating to the administration of the state developmental centers. Existing law establishes the State Department of State Hospitals and sets forth its powers and duties relating to the administration of state hospitals. This bill would require designated investigators of developmental centers and state hospitals to request a sexual assault forensic medical examination for any resident of a developmental center or any resident of a state hospital, as applicable, who is a victim or is reasonably suspected to be a victim of sexual assault, as defined, performed at an appropriate facility off the grounds of the developmental center or state hospital in accordance with specified provisions. The bill would authorize a sexual assault forensic medical examination to be performed at a developmental center or a state hospital by an independent sexual assault forensic examiner designated to perform examinations of victims of sexual assault in the jurisdiction of the developmental center or state hospital only under specified circumstances. Existing law requires a developmental center to immediately report specified incidents involving a resident to the local law enforcement agency having jurisdiction over the city or county in which the developmental center is located. Existing law provides for the licensure and regulation of health facilities, including long-term health care facilities, as defined, by the State Department of Public Health. Existing law provides for a citation system for the imposition of civil penalties against long-term health care facilities, including penalties specifically applicable to certain skilled nursing facilities and intermediate care facilities, in violation of applicable laws and regulations. This bill would deem a developmental center's failure to report an incident that occurs in a distinct part long-term health care facility to local law enforcement a class B violation subject to certain penalties, as specified. The bill would provide that if the incident occurs in the general acute care hospital or acute psychiatric hospital portion of the developmental center, a failure to immediately report the incident would be subject to a civil penalty of $100 for each day the incident is not reported. The bill would make other related changes. This bill would incorporate additional changes in Section 4427.5 of the Welfare and Institutions Code made by AB 602, to become operative if AB 602 and this bill are both enacted and become effective on or before January 1, 2014, and this bill is enacted last.

Existing law, the Veterans' Bond Act of 2008, as approved by the voters, authorizes the issuance of bonds in the amount of $900,000,000, pursuant to the State General Obligation Bond Law, for purposes of financing the Cal-Vet program for farm, home, and mobilehome purchase assistance for veterans. This bill would amend the Veterans' Bond Act of 2008 to reduce the amount of bonds that are authorized to be issued under the act from $900,000,000 to $300,000,000. The bill would enact the Veterans Housing and Homeless Prevention Bond Act of 2014 (the bond act) to authorize 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 multifamily housing to veterans pursuant to the Veterans Housing and Homeless Prevention Act of 2014 (VHHPA) , also enacted by the bill. The bill would authorize the Legislature to amend the provisions of the bond act, by majority vote, for specified purposes. The bill would impose a specified reporting requirement on the Department of Housing and Community Development to evaluate, in collaboration with the Department of Veterans Affairs, any program established by the former pursuant to the VHHPA. The bill would authorize the Department of Housing and Community Development to provide specified assistance to veterans. The bill would provide for submission of a specified section to the voters at the June 3, 2014, statewide primary election, as specified. This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.

The Governor's Office of Business and Economic Development serves as the Governor's lead entity for economic strategy and the marketing of California on issues relating to business development, private sector investment, and economic growth. The office, among others, makes recommendations to the Governor and the Legislature regarding policies, programs, and actions to advance statewide economic goals. This bill would create the California Innovation Hub Program within the Governor's Office of Business and Economic Development. The bill would require the office to designate Innovation Hubs, as specified. The bill would require the office to issue a request for proposals for the California Innovation Hub Program, and would require the proposals to include specified information except as provided. The bill would require each designated iHub partnership to include, among other things, at least one major university or research center or institute. The bill would establish the Innovation Accelerator Account within the California Economic Development Fund and would make a continuous appropriation from that account to the office to be used for California Innovation Initiatives, as specified. The bill would require an iHub to annually post the information from these reports on its Internet Web site and notify the Governor and specified legislative committees that such information is available on its Internet Web site.

(1) Existing federal law provides for allocation of federal funds through the federal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) block grant program to eligible states. Existing law provides for the California Work Opportunity and Responsibility to Kids (CalWORKs) program under which each county provides cash assistance and other benefits to qualified low-income families. Existing law requires a county to redetermine the amount of a CalWORKs grant on a semiannual basis, as specified. Under existing law, certain amounts are exempt from the calculation of income of the family for purposes of determining the amount of a grant under the CalWORKs program, including disability-based unearned income, as specified. Under existing law, disability-based unearned income means state disability insurance benefits, private disability insurance benefits, temporary workers' compensation benefits, and social security disability benefits. This bill would expand the definition of disability-based unearned income to include veteran's disability compensation. To the extent that this bill would increase county administrative duties, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. (2) Existing law continuously appropriates moneys from the General Fund to defray a portion of county costs under the CalWORKs program. This bill would instead provide that the continuous appropriation would not be made for purposes of implementing the bill. (3) 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, if the Commission on State Mandates determines that the bill contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement for those costs shall be made pursuant to these statutory provisions.

The Governor's Office of Business and Economic Development serves as the Governor's lead entity for economic strategy and the marketing of California on issues relating to business development, private sector investment, and economic growth. The office, among others, makes recommendations to the Governor and the Legislature regarding policies, programs, and actions to advance statewide economic goals. This bill would establish the California Foreign Investment Program. The bill would require the Governor's Office of Business and Economic Development to serve as the lead state entity for overseeing the state's participation with the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services' EB-5 Investment Program. The bill would require the director of the office to set the terms and conditions for issuing a state designation letter for targeted employment areas within the structure and scope of the EB-5 Investment Program and to post on the office's Internet Web site a list with the contact information for each regional center, as specified. The bill would require a regional center with one or more offices in the state to provide the office with, among other things, information on the number of clients served, the location of investments, and the number of direct and indirect jobs created. The bill would authorize specified public and private corporations to establish, operate, and maintain a regional center subject to specified conditions and restrictions. The bill would apply only to EB-5 activities of the state relating to the EB-5 Investment Program occurring on or after January 1, 2014.