Rep. Roger Hernández

This measure would request the federal government to change federal policy in order to allow California to equitably end the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) cash-out policy, administered through the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and the State Supplementary Payment (SSP) programs, in a way that would maximize benefits to, and participation among, newly eligible individuals and mitigate or eliminate harm to low-income families and the approximately 60,000 medically needy children who could be made ineligible for certain benefits under a program without the cash-out policy.

This measure would request that the Congress of the United States pass H.R. 2737 and Sen. 1555.

This measure would declare June 27, 2016, as Robotics Technology Day.

This measure would thank the State Air Resources Board for its exemplary work and tenacity in uncovering the emissions control defeat devices on certain diesel-fueled Volkswagen motor vehicles and would express the Legislature's support for specified future emissions test-related actions by the board.

Existing law establishes the Department of Community Services and Development and requires the department to administer, among other things, the federal Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program. Existing law requires the department to develop and administer the Energy Efficiency Low-Income Weatherization Program and to expend moneys appropriated by the Legislature for the purposes of the program. This bill would require the department to develop and administer the Agricultural Working Poor Energy Efficient Housing Program and to expend moneys appropriated by the Legislature for the purposes of the program to improve energy efficiency in farmworker-owned housing. The bill would require the department to report to the Legislature on the program with respect to balances and expenditures, households reached, demographics of the households reached, measures funded, and energy savings. Existing law requires the Public Utilities Commission (PUC) to supervise certain low-income targeted energy efficiency programs administered by electrical corporations, gas corporations, or 3rd-party administrators, and requires the State Energy Resources Conservation and Development Commission (Energy Commission) to undertake various activities and administer various programs to promote energy efficiency. This bill would require the department, in developing the Agricultural Working Poor Energy Efficient Housing Program, to consult with the PUC and the Energy Commission in order to ensure compatibility with the state's energy policies and goals and to avoid duplication of the energy efficiency programs supervised by those commissions.

Existing law establishes a low-income housing tax credit program pursuant to which the California Tax Credit Allocation Committee provides procedures and requirements for the allocation of state insurance, personal income, and corporation tax credit amounts among qualified low-income housing projects in modified conformity to federal law that have been allocated, or qualify for, a federal low-income housing tax credit, and for farmworker housing. Existing law limits the total annual amount of the state low-income housing credit for which a federal low-income housing credit is required to the sum of $70,000,000, as increased by any percentage increase in the Consumer Price Index for the preceding calendar year, any unused credit for the preceding calendar years, and the amount of housing credit ceiling returned in the calendar year. Existing law additionally allows a state credit, which is not dependent on receiving a federal low-income housing credit, of $500,000 per calendar year for projects to provide farmworker housing. Existing law defines "farmworker housing" to mean housing for agricultural workers that is available to, and occupied by, only farmworkers and their households. This bill, under the insurance taxation law, the Personal Income Tax Law, and the Corporation Tax Law, would modify the definition of applicable percentage relating to qualified low-income buildings that are farmworker housing projects, as provided. The bill would authorize the California Tax Credit Allocation Committee to allocate the farmworker housing credit even if the taxpayer receives federal credits for buildings located in designated difficult development areas or qualified census tracts. The bill would also redefine farmworker housing to mean housing in which at least 50% of the units are available to, and occupied by, farmworkers and their households. This bill would include a change in state statute that would result in a taxpayer paying a higher tax within the meaning of Section 3 of Article XIIIA of the California Constitution, and thus would require for passage the approval of 23 of the membership of each house of the Legislature. This bill would take effect immediately as a tax levy.

Existing law establishes the California Community Colleges under the administration of the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges. Existing law requires the board of governors to appoint a chief executive officer, to be known as the Chancellor of the California Community Colleges. This bill would establish the Veteran Resource Centers Grant Program, which would authorize the governing board of a community college district and a community college campus at which a veterans resource center has been or is intended to be established to jointly apply to the chancellor for a grant for purposes of providing resources to veterans and active duty members of the Armed Forces of the United States enrolled at the campus. The bill would establish the Veteran Resource Centers Grant Fund in the State Treasury. The bill would allocate moneys in the fund, upon appropriation by the Legislature in the annual Budget Act, to the chancellor for, among other things, administration of the program and distribution of awards to recipient community college districts and campuses. The bill would repeal the program on January 1, 2023.

This measure would recognize that the Legislature supports the development of safe and secure data sharing between public education, social service, and research entities through the Silicon Valley Regional Data Trust as it pertains specifically to at-risk, foster, homeless, and justice-involved children and youth and their families, in order to better serve, protect, and improve the futures of these Californians.

Existing law authorizes any person who believes that he or she has been discharged or otherwise discriminated against in violation of any law under the jurisdiction of the Labor Commissioner to file a complaint, as specified, with the Division of Labor Standards Enforcement, which is within the Department of Industrial Relations, and requires the commissioner to establish procedures for the investigation of discrimination complaints. This bill would authorize the division to, with or without receiving a complaint from an employee, commence an investigation of an employer that it suspects to have discharged or otherwise discriminated against an individual in violation of any law under the jurisdiction of the Labor Commissioner.

The Labor Code Private Attorneys General Act of 2004 authorizes an aggrieved employee to bring a civil action to recover specified civil penalties on behalf of the employee and other current or former employees for the violation of certain provisions affecting employees. The act provides procedures pertaining to specified violations that include an aggrieved employee giving written notice by online filing with the Labor and Workforce Development Agency and by certified mail to the employer of the alleged violation and the facts and theories in support thereof, the agency notifying the employer and the aggrieved employee whether it does, or does not, intend to investigate an alleged violation, and, if it does intend to investigate, the agency providing other notices, all within specified time periods. Existing law authorizes a plaintiff as a matter of right to amend an existing complaint to add a cause of action arising under the act at any time within 60 days of the specified time periods. This bill would extend the time to add a cause of action to any time within 90 days of the specified time periods.