This measure would declare the week of March 7, 2016, through March 13, 2016, as Multiple Sclerosis Awareness Week.
Existing law creates the California Transportation Commission, with various powers and duties relative to the programming of transportation capital projects and allocation of funds to those projects pursuant to the state transportation improvement program and various other transportation funding programs. Existing law provides that the commission consists of 13 members, including 11 voting members, of which 9 are appointed by the Governor subject to Senate confirmation and 2 are appointed by the Senate Committee on Rules and the Speaker of the Assembly. In addition, 2 members of the Legislature are appointed as nonvoting ex officio members. This bill would expand the membership of the commission to 15 members by providing for the Senate Committee on Rules and the Speaker of the Assembly to each appoint an additional member, who shall be a person who works directly with communities that are most significantly burdened by, and vulnerable to, high levels of pollution, including, but not limited to, communities with diverse racial and ethic populations and communities with low-income populations.
Existing law provides that the Department of Transportation has full possession and control over the highways of the state and is responsible for preparing the state highway operation and protection program for the expenditure of transportation funds for major capital improvements that are necessary to preserve and protect the state highway system. Existing law requires the department to submit a draft 5-year interregional transportation improvement program that consists of, among other things, projects to improve state highways. Existing law also creates the California Transportation Commission, with specified powers and duties relative to the programming of transportation capital improvement projects and the allocation of state transportation funds for state transportation improvement projects. Existing law requires the department, in consultation with the commission, to prepare an asset management plan to guide selection of projects for the state highway operation and protection program consistent with any applicable state and federal requirements. Existing law requires the commission, in connection with the asset management plan, to adopt targets and performance measures reflecting state transportation goals and objectives. This bill would require the department to increase the annual number of complete street projects undertaken by the department by 20% over the 2016 baseline by the year 2020 and increase accessibility for low-income and disadvantaged communities by increasing multimodal transportation proximity to employment, jobs, housing, and recreation areas. The bill would establish department goals to reduce by 10% based on the 2016 baseline the number of transit, pedestrian, and bicyclist fatalities, and reduce by 15% statewide per capita the vehicle miles traveled by the year 2020, and to increase travel by nonautomobile modes of travel, as specified. This bill would require the draft 5-year interregional transportation program to include projects to implement complete streets, as defined, and the state highway operation and protection program to include capital improvements relative to multiuse, including complete streets. The bill would require the department to hold at least one public hearing in each of its districts on state highway operation and protection program projects and would require the hearing to be accessible by public transit, held at times that are convenient for disadvantaged community residents, and upon request, provide translation services. The bill would require the commission, no later than July 1, 2017, in connection with the asset management plan, to also adopt targets and performance measures that reflect state transportation goals and objectives that, among other things, improve mobility, access, and safety for nonmotorized users in disadvantaged communities by requiring not less than 35% of state highway operation and protection program projects be located in urban and rural disadvantaged communities. The bill would also require that funds in the State Highway Account in the State Transportation Fund be programmed for specified safety improvements that would reduce fatalities and the number and severity of injuries to pedestrians.
(1) Existing law makes it unlawful to take any marine mammal, as defined, except as provided under specified federal laws. This bill would make it unlawful to hold in captivity an orca, whether wild-caught or captive-bred, for any purpose, including for display, performance, or entertainment purposes; to breed or impregnate an orca held in captivity; to export, collect, or import the semen, other gametes, or embryos of an orca held in captivity for the purpose of artificial insemination; or to export, transport, move, or sell an orca located in the state to another state or country, except as provided. The bill would provide that a person, corporation, or institution that intentionally or negligently violates these provisions is guilty of a misdemeanor punishable by a fine not to exceed $100,000. By creating a new crime, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. (2) 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 measure would proclaim the month of March 2016 as Grand Jury Awareness Month in California, recognize those who volunteer in a grand jury, and encourage all Californians to learn about its role in the judicial system.
Existing law provides for various programs that prevent disease and promote health. This bill, subject to specified exemptions, would impose a fee on every distributor, as defined, for the privilege of distributing in this state bottled sweetened beverages, at a rate of $0.02 per fluid ounce and for the privilege of distributing concentrate in this state, either as concentrate or as sweetened beverages derived from that concentrate, at the rate of $0.02 per fluid ounce of sweetened beverage to be produced from concentrate. The Board of Equalization would be responsible for administering and collecting the fee and registering the distributors upon whom the fee is imposed. These amounts would be deposited into the Healthy California Fund, created by the bill. The bill would require moneys in the fund, upon appropriation by the Legislature, to be allocated to the State Department of Public Health, the State Department of Health Care Services, the Department of Education, and the Department of Food and Agriculture, as specified, for various purposes related to statewide diabetes and childhood obesity treatment and prevention activities and programs, including awarding competitive grants to local governments, nonprofit organizations, school districts, and other entities for activities in support of the bill's objectives. This bill would also authorize the State Public Health Officer, the Director of Health Care Services, the Superintendent of Public Instruction, and the Secretary of Food and Agriculture to establish regulations and provide procedural measures to bring into effect those purposes. The bill would create the Healthy California Fund Oversight Committee, to advise the affected state departments in implementing the bill's requirements. Among other requirements, the committee would evaluate programs and interventions funded under the bill and report to the Legislature annually regarding programs funded by the Healthy California Fund. The committee would produce a comprehensive master plan for implementing diabetes and obesity prevention programs throughout the state, increase healthy eating and active living, reduce food insecurity, and promote sustainable, healthy, resilient communities. This bill would require the State Department of Public Health, in consultation with the other participating departments, to prepare and adopt an annual program budget, as specified. The bill would establish the Children and Family Health Promotion Administration Account within the fund, to be used, upon appropriation by the Legislature, to reimburse expenditures by the State Department of Public Health in administering and implementing the activities required by the bill, and to repay specified loans from other funds. This bill would make legislative findings and declarations relating to the consumption of sweetened beverages, diabetes, childhood obesity, and dental disease. 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.
Existing law regulates the use of pesticides and authorizes the Director of Pesticide Regulation to adopt regulations to govern the possession, sale, or use of any pesticide, as prescribed. Existing law prohibits, except as specified, the use of any pesticide that contains one or more of specified anticoagulants in wildlife habitat areas, as defined. Existing law requires the director, and each county agricultural commissioner under the direction and supervision of the director, to enforce the provisions regulating the use of pesticides. A violation of these provisions is a misdemeanor. This bill would expand this prohibition to include a pesticide containing additional specified anticoagulants and would also prohibit the use of a pesticide containing one of those anticoagulants in the entire state. To the extent the bill would impose additional duties on county agricultural commissioners, and because the bill would expand the definition of a crime, this bill 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 with regard to certain mandates no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason. With regard to any other mandates, this bill would provide that, if the Commission on State Mandates determines that the bill contains costs so mandated by the state, reimbursement for those costs shall be made pursuant to the statutory provisions noted above.
