Existing law imposes a registration fee to be paid to the Department of Motor Vehicles for the registration of every vehicle or trailer coach of a type subject to registration, except those vehicles that are expressly exempted from the payment of registration fees. Existing law, until January 1, 2016, imposes a $3 increase on that fee, $2 of which is to be deposited into the Alternative and Renewable Fuel and Vehicle Technology Fund and $1 of which is to be deposited into the Enhanced Fleet Modernization Subaccount. Existing law requires designated transportation planning agencies, some of which are metropolitan planning organizations under federal law, to prepare and adopt a regional transportation plan directed at achieving a coordinated and balanced regional transportation system, including, but not limited to, mass transportation and highway, railroad, bicycle, and pedestrian facilities and services. Existing law requires each metropolitan planning organization to include, among other things, a sustainable communities strategy in the regional transportation plan. This bill would, in addition to any other taxes and fees specified in the Vehicle Code and the Revenue and Taxation Code, impose a tax of $6 to be paid at the time of registration or renewal of registration of every vehicle subject to registration under the Vehicle Code in a county that is in a metropolitan planning organization required to prepare a sustainable communities strategy as part of its regional transportation plan, except as specified. This bill would require the Department of Motor Vehicles, after deducting all reasonable administrative costs, to remit the money generated by the tax for deposit in the Sustainable Communities Strategy Subaccount, which the bill would establish in the Motor Vehicle Account. The bill would make funds in the subaccount available, upon appropriation by the Legislature, for specified purposes.
Sponsored bills
Under existing law, the Division of Oil, Gas, and Geothermal Resources in the Department of Conservation regulates the drilling, operation, maintenance, and abandonment of oil and gas wells in the state. The State Oil and Gas Supervisor supervises the drilling, operation, maintenance, and abandonment of wells and the operation, maintenance, and removal or abandonment of tanks and facilities related to oil and gas production within an oil and gas field regarding safety and environmental damage. Existing law requires an operator of a well, before commencing the work of drilling the well, to obtain approval from the supervisor or a district deputy. Under existing law, a person who violates any provision specific to the regulation of oil or gas operations is guilty of a misdemeanor. This bill would define "hydraulic fracturing" and would prohibit hydraulic fracturing in oil and gas operations until the Legislature enacts subsequent legislation that determines whether and under what conditions hydraulic fracturing may be conducted while protecting the public health and safety and the natural resources of the state. Because this bill would create a new 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 no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason.
The California Integrated Waste Management Act of 1989, administered by the Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery, requires every rigid plastic packaging container, as defined, sold or offered for sale in this state to generally meet one of specified criteria. This bill would enact the Plastic and Marine Pollution Reduction, Recycling, and Composting Act and would define terms for the purposes of that act. The bill would define the term "fast food facility" as a facility that is subject to specified federal requirements for the posting of calories and nutrients imposed upon restaurants and other retail food establishments, and that meets other specified requirements with regard to the dispensing and preparation of food. The bill would prohibit a fast food facility, on and after July 1, 2014, from distributing disposable food service packaging or a single-use carryout bag to a consumer, unless the type of disposable food service packaging or single-use carryout bag meets the criteria for either compostable packaging or recyclable packaging specified in the bill. The bill would also prohibit such a facility, on and after July 1, 2016, from distributing disposable food service packaging or a single-use carryout bag to a consumer, unless it is demonstrated to the satisfaction of the department that the type of disposable food service packaging or single-use carryout bag is recovered for composting or recovered for recycling at a rate of 25 percent or more, at a rate of 50 percent on and after July 1, 2018, and at a rate of 75 percent or more on or after July 1, 2020. The bill would specify requirements for the demonstration of that composting or recycling rate. The bill would provide for the imposition of a civil penalty upon a person in violation of the act and would require the department to publish annually a list setting forth any penalties that have been levied against a violator of this act. This bill would require the department to deposit all penalties paid pursuant to the act into the Marine Pollution Reduction Account, which the bill would create in the Integrated Waste Management Fund in the State Treasury. The bill would authorize the department to expend the moneys deposited in the account, upon appropriation by the Legislature, to provide public education and assist local governmental agencies in efforts to reduce plastic waste and marine pollution, and for the department's costs of implementing the act.
The California Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1973 establishes certain safety and other responsibilities of employers and employees. Violations of the act under certain circumstances are a crime. This bill would require an employer engaged in the production of an adult film to adopt prescribed practices and procedures to protect employees from exposure to, and infection by, sexually transmitted diseases, including engineering and work practice controls, an exposure control plan, hepatitis B vaccinations, medical monitoring, and information and training on health and safety. The bill would define terms for those purposes. The bill would require the Occupational Safety and Health Standards Board to adopt regulations to implement these provisions by January 1, 2015. Because a violation of the act would be a crime under certain circumstances, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program by creating a new crime. 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.
Existing law dissolved redevelopment agencies and community development agencies, as of February 1, 2012, and provides for the designation of successor agencies to wind down the affairs of the dissolved redevelopment agencies and to, among other things, make payments due for enforceable obligations and to perform obligations required pursuant to any enforceable obligation. Existing law requires the successor agency to dispose of all remaining assets and terminate its existence within one year of the final debt payment and requires any passthrough payment obligations to cease at that time. On and after May 1, 2012, existing law requires the county auditor-controller to distribute to the taxing entities, including school entities, all property tax revenues that were associated with the payment of a recognized obligation that has been paid off or retired. Existing property tax law requires the county auditor, in each fiscal year, to allocate property tax revenues to local jurisdictions in accordance with specified formulas and procedures, and generally requires that each jurisdiction be allocated an amount equal to the total of the amount of revenue allocated to that jurisdiction in the prior fiscal year, subject to certain modifications, and that jurisdiction's portion of the annual tax increment, as defined. Existing law establishes a public school financing system that requires funding for each county superintendent of schools and school district to be calculated pursuant to a revenue limit, as specified, and requires the revenue limit and general-purpose entitlement for a school entity to be composed of, among other things, certain types of revenues, including ad valorem property tax revenues, and that additional amount of revenues in the form of state aid, that is necessary to fully fund the entity's revenue limit. This bill would provide that a specified amount of ad valorem property tax revenues allocated to a school entity, defined with reference to former passthrough payments made by a redevelopment agency, will not be included as ad valorem property tax revenues counted against the revenue limit for that entity.
Existing law dissolved redevelopment agencies and community development agencies, as of February 1, 2012, and provides for the designation of successor agencies to wind down the affairs of the dissolved redevelopment agencies and to, among other things, make payments due for enforceable obligations and to perform obligations required pursuant to any enforceable obligation. Existing law provides for the transfer of housing assets and functions previously performed by the dissolved redevelopment agency to one of several specified public entities. Existing law authorizes that entity to designate the use of, and commit, indebtedness obligation proceeds that were issued for affordable housing purposes prior to January 1, 2011, and were backed by the Low and Moderate Income Housing Fund. This bill would instead authorize that entity to designate the use of, and commit, indebtedness obligation proceeds that were issued prior to June 28, 2011. Existing law authorizes the Department of Finance to issue a finding of completion to a successor agency that completes a due diligence review and meets other requirements. Upon receiving a finding of completion, a successor agency is authorized to expend excess bond proceeds derived from bonds issued on or before December 31, 2010, in a manner consistent with the original bond covenants. The bill would modify this authorization to include the expenditure of excess bond proceeds derived from bonds issued on or before June 28, 2011.
(1) Existing law authorizes the Commissioner of the California Highway Patrol to adopt and enforce regulations and standards with respect to fuel containers and fuel systems on vehicles using, among other fuels, compressed natural gas and the operation of vehicles using compressed natural gas to ensure the safety of the equipment and vehicles and of persons and property using the highways. Existing law requires all motor vehicles with compressed natural gas fuel systems used for propulsion to comply either with specified regulations or with certain federal standards. This bill would, notwithstanding any other law, require that a cylinder and tank bracket inspection be conducted on all motor vehicles with a compressed natural gas fuel system every 3 years by an independent qualified compressed natural gas cylinder inspector, except as provided, and that the cylinder be replaced on these vehicles before the manufacturer expiration date marked on the cylinder. The bill would require a qualified compressed natural gas cylinder inspector to report his or her findings to the Department of Motor Vehicles, as specified. The bill would prohibit any person from conducting the inspections or performing the reporting requirements described above unless the person is a qualified compressed natural gas inspector. The bill would establish requirements for the qualification and registration of qualified natural gas cylinder inspectors. (2) Existing law establishes a motor vehicle inspection and maintenance program, commonly known as the smog check program, enforced by the Bureau of Automotive Repair in the Department of Consumer Affairs which provides for the inspection of all motor vehicles, except those specifically exempted from the program, upon registration, biennially upon renewal of registration, upon transfer of ownership, and in certain other circumstances. Under existing law, this program includes the establishment and operation of smog check stations, and the department is required to establish training requirements for smog check technicians. Existing law requires the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) to require, upon initial registration, and, except as specified, upon transfer of ownership and registration, of a motor vehicle, and upon registration of a motor vehicle previously registered outside this state that is subject to those provisions, a valid certificate of compliance or a certificate of noncompliance, as appropriate, with respect to smog certification. This bill would require a smog check technician, when inspecting a motor vehicle with a compressed natural gas fuel system, to locate and report the manufacturer expiration date marked on the vehicle's cylinder to the Department of Motor Vehicles in a manner to be determined by the department. The bill would also require the department to refuse to renew the registration of a motor vehicle with a compressed natural gas fuel system if the department has not received an inspection report confirming that the vehicle has received a cylinder and tank bracket inspection in the last 3 years or if the cylinder attributed to the vehicle is past the expiration date on record with the department. (3) Existing law, the Biennial Inspection of Terminals (BIT) Program, generally requires the Department of the California Highway Patrol to periodically inspect every terminal of a motor carrier, as defined, that operates certain vehicles. The program requires the motor carrier to provide the department with all maintenance records, as defined, during the inspection. This bill would require a motor carrier subject to the cylinder and tank bracket inspections and cylinder replacement requirements described above to include all records pertaining to the inspections and replacements with the maintenance records provided to the department in compliance with the BIT Program. This bill would also make conforming changes.
Existing law, the Knox-Keene Health Care Service Plan Act of 1975, provides for the licensure and regulation of health care service plans by the Department of Managed Health Care and makes a willful violation of that act a crime. Existing law also provides for the regulation of health insurers by the Department of Insurance. Existing law requires every health care service plan that provides prescription drug benefits that maintains one or more drug formularies to provide to members of the public, upon request, a copy of the most current list of prescription drugs on the formulary. This bill would prohibit a health care service plan or health insurer that provides prescription drug benefits from requiring an enrollee or insured to use mail order pharmacy services for covered prescription drugs that are available at an in-network retail pharmacy, and would prohibit the enrollee's or insured's exercise of choice with regard to obtaining those drugs from an in-network mail order pharmacy or an in-network retail pharmacy from requiring any authorization by the plan or insurer or the prescriber. The bill would specify that these requirements would not apply to drugs that are not available in retail pharmacies due to a manufacturer's instructions or restrictions. Because a willful violation of these requirements by a health care service plan would be a crime, the 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 no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason.
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.