Existing law establishes various plans and programs intended to preserve, protect, and rehabilitate lands adjacent to rivers in the state. This bill would enact the Greenway Development and Sustainment Act, which is intended to promote the development of greenways along urban rivers in the state, including the development of a greenway along the Los Angeles River and its tributaries. The bill would define the term "greenway" for purposes of the bill as a nonmotorized vehicle transportation and recreational travel corridor that meets specified requirements and would include greenways in the definition of "open-space land" for local planning purposes. Existing law authorizes certain entities and organizations to acquire and hold conservation easements, including a tax exempt nonprofit organization qualified to do business in this state that has as its primary purpose the preservation, protection, or enhancement of land in its natural, scenic, historical, agricultural, forested, or open-space condition or use. This bill would also authorize such a tax exempt nonprofit organization to acquire and hold a conservation easement if the organization has as its primary purpose the development of a greenway.
Sponsored bills
Existing law regulates the collection of player fees in gambling establishments. Existing law prohibits a player fee from being calculated as a fraction or percentage of wagers made or winnings earned. Existing law requires the amount of fees to be charged for all wagers to be determined prior to the start of play of any hand or round, but authorizes a gambling establishment to waive collection of the fee or portion of the fee in any hand or round of play after the hand or round has begun pursuant to the published rules of the game and the notice provided to the public. Existing law also authorizes flat fees on each wager to be assessed at different collection rates, but specifies that no more than 5 collection rates may be established per table. This bill would delete the provisions authorizing a gambling establishment to waive the collection of fees and would also delete the provisions authorizing the assessment of flat fees for each wager. The bill would instead specify that in games that feature a player-dealer position, the player-dealer shall be required to pay a fee to the gambling establishment for each hand or round of play and each player shall be required to pay a fee from his or her own funds to the gambling establishment for each wager made in every hand or round of play. The bill would require all fees to be approved by the department, but would prohibit the department from approving a fee schedule for any player-dealer game unless the fee paid by each player on each wager is not less than 13 of the amount of the fee paid by the player-dealer in each hand or round of play.
Existing law establishes the county-administered In-Home Supportive Services (IHSS) program, under which qualified aged, blind, and disabled persons are provided with services in order to permit them to remain in their own homes and avoid institutionalization. Existing law establishes 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 establishes, as part of the Coordinated Care Initiative, the In-Home Supportive Services Employer-Employee Relations Act, which serves to resolve disputes regarding wages, benefits, and other terms and conditions of employment between the California In-Home Supportive Services Authority (Statewide Authority) and recognized employee organizations providing in-home supportive services. Existing law establishes the Statewide Authority and requires the authority to be the entity authorized to meet and confer in good faith regarding wages, benefits, and other terms and conditions of employment with representatives of recognized employee organizations for any individual provider who is employed by a recipient of supportive services. Existing law provides, as part of the Coordinated Care Initiative, that IHSS is a Medi-Cal benefit available through managed care health care plans in specified counties and requires enrollment of eligible Medi-Cal beneficiaries into managed care pursuant to a specified demonstration project or other provisions, including managed care for long-term services and supports, as one of the conditions that would be required to be completed before the Statewide Authority assumes the specified responsibilities. Existing law provides that no sooner than March 1, 2013, the Statewide Authority shall assume specified responsibilities in a county or city and county upon notification by the Director of Health Care Services that the enrollment of eligible Medi-Cal beneficiaries described in specified provisions of law has been completed in that county or city and county. Under existing law, in counties where IHSS is a Medi-Cal benefit available through managed care health plans, those health plans are required to assume specified duties, including entering into a memorandum of understanding with a county agency to perform specified activities, after the director provides that notification. Under existing law, the assumption of these responsibilities by the Statewide Authority is also known as the county implementation date. This bill would, instead, make the implementation date January 1, 2015, would delete the reference to the "county" implementation date, and would make conforming changes. Existing law conditions implementation of the Coordinated Care Initiative, as defined, on whether the Director of Finance estimates that the Coordinated Care Initiative will generate net General Fund savings, as specified. Existing law, with certain exceptions, specifies those provisions of law that are within the scope of the initiative to become inoperative if this condition is not met. This bill would modify the definition of the Coordinate Care Initiative for the purposes of determining which provisions become inoperative if the condition is not met, and exclude, among others, those provisions that establish the In-Home Supportive Services Employer-Employee Relations Act, establish the Statewide Authority and determine the duties of, and when those duties are assumed by, the authority, establish the IHSS Fund, which is used to fund the Statewide Authority, and require all counties, commencing July 1, 2012, to have a County IHSS Maintenance of Effort (MOE) and to pay the County IHSS MOE instead of paying the nonfederal share of IHSS costs, as specified. The bill would make conforming changes.
Existing law establishes the California Community Colleges under the administration of the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges, and establishes community college districts throughout the state that operate community colleges and provide instruction to students. Existing law requires community college districts to charge each student a fee of $46 per unit per semester. Existing law requires the waiver of this fee for students meeting prescribed requirements. This bill would reduce the fee to $44 per unit per semester, effective with spring term of the 2015 calendar year. Because this bill would impose new duties on community college districts by changing the amount of this fee, the bill would constitute 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, 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.
Existing law provides for the Medi-Cal program, which is administered by the State Department of Health Care Services and under which qualified low-income persons receive health care benefits. The Medi-Cal program is, in part, governed and funded by federal Medicaid provisions. Existing law provides that optional podiatric services are excluded from coverage under the Medi-Cal program. This bill would cover medical and surgical services provided by a doctor of podiatric medicine within his or her scope of practice that, if provided by a physician, would be considered physician services, and which services may be provided by either a physician or a podiatrist in the state.
The Child Abuse and Neglect Reporting Act requires a mandated reporter, as defined, to make a report to a specified agency whenever the mandated reporter, in his or her professional capacity or within the scope of his or her employment, has knowledge of or observes a child whom the mandated reporter knows or reasonably suspects has been the victim of child abuse or neglect. Existing law further requires the mandated reporter to make an initial report by telephone to the agency immediately or as soon as is practicably possible, and to prepare and send, fax, or electronically transmit a written followup report within 36 hours of receiving the information concerning the incident. Existing law additionally provides that, when 2 or more mandated reporters have joint knowledge of suspected child abuse or neglect, they may select a member of the team by mutual agreement to make and sign a single report. Any member who has knowledge that the member designated to report has failed to do so is required to thereafter make the report. This bill would limit these latter provisions to mandated reporters who are health care providers, thereby requiring every mandated reporter who is not a health care provider and who has knowledge of suspected child abuse or neglect to make an individual report. The bill would require the person who files a single report on behalf of multiple health care providers who are mandated reporters to include the names of the other members of the reporting team, as specified. The bill would provide that a person making the report would not be subject to criminal penalties or other sanctions for failing to include one or more names of those persons if his or her failure to include those names is accidental or inadvertent. Because this bill would expand the definition of a crime, it would impose a state-mandated 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 State Civil Service Act authorizes state agencies to use personal services contracts if prescribed conditions are met. This bill would establish, as a condition for a state agency to use personal services contracts, a requirement that the contractor's wages be the higher of the industry's level or the prevailing wage, if applicable.
Existing law provides for the Medi-Cal program, which is administered by the State Department of Health Care Services, and under which qualified low-income persons receive health care benefits. The Medi-Cal program is governed, in part, by federal Medicaid provisions. This bill would, until January 1, 2020, require the State Department of Health Care Services to annually inform the Employment Development Department of the names and social security numbers of all recipients of the Medi-Cal program. The bill would require the State Department of Health Care Services to determine the average per individual cost of state and federally funded benefits provided by the Medi-Cal program and inform the Employment Development Department of these costs. The bill would require the Employment Development Department to collaborate with the State Department of Health Care Services and the State Department of Social Services to determine the total average cost of state and federally funded benefits provided to each identified employer's employees, as specified. The bill would define an employer as an individual or organization that employs 100 or more beneficiaries of the Medi-Cal program. The bill would also require the Department of Finance to, after obtaining specified information from the Employment Development Department, annually transmit to the Legislature and post on the department's Internet Web site a report no later than the 3rd week of January of each year beginning in 2016 until January 1, 2020, that, among other things, identifies employers that employ 100 or more beneficiaries in the state, as specified. Under existing law, federal nutrition assistance benefits are administered through CalFresh, as specified. The bill would, until January 1, 2020, additionally require the State Department of Social Services to annually determine and provide to the Employment Development Department, the percentage of individuals who are recipients of the Medi-Cal program who are also recipients of the CalFresh program, and the average individual CalFresh benefit for individuals who are members of households in which at least one member is employed. Under existing law, the information obtained in the administration of the Unemployment Insurance Code is for the exclusive use and information of the Director of Employment Development in the discharge of his or her duties and is not open to the public. However, existing law permits the use of the information for specified purposes, and allows the director to require reimbursement for direct costs incurred. Existing law provides that a person who knowingly accesses, uses, or discloses this confidential information without authorization is guilty of a misdemeanor. This bill would, until January 1, 2020, require the Director of Employment Development to permit the use of specified information in his or her possession by the Department of Finance to prepare and submit the above-described report. By requiring this information to be provided to the Department of Finance for these purposes, this bill would expand the crime of unauthorized access, use, or disclosure of this information, and would impose a state-mandated local program. This bill would prohibit an employer from discharging or in any manner discriminating or retaliating against an employee who enrolls in the Medi-Cal program and from refusing to hire a beneficiary for reason of being enrolled in the Medi-Cal program. This bill would prohibit an employer from disclosing to any person or entity that an employee receives or is applying for public benefits, unless authorized by state or federal law. This bill would incorporate additional changes to Section 1095 of the Unemployment Insurance Code proposed by SB 1028 and SB 1141, to be operative if this bill and one or both of the other bills are enacted and become effective on or before January 1, 2015, and this bill is enacted last. 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 Public Records Act requires state and local agencies to make public records available for inspection by the public, subject to specified criteria and with specified exceptions. The act prohibits a person, business, or association from publicly posting or displaying on the Internet the home address or telephone number of any elected or appointed official, defined to include a public safety official, if that official has made a written demand to not have that information disclosed. Existing law permits an elected or appointed official to designate the official's employer, a related governmental entity, or a voluntary professional association of similar officials to act as that official's agent with regard to making that written demand. Existing law requires a written demand made by an official's agent to describe a threat or fear for safety of the official or any person residing at the official's home address. This bill would additionally permit the recognized collective bargaining representative of an appointed official who is a peace officer, as defined, a District Attorney, or a Deputy District Attorney, to make a written demand for nondisclosure under this law on behalf of that appointed official.
(1) The California Constitution provides that a person unable to understand English who is charged with a crime has the right to an interpreter throughout the proceedings. Existing statutory law requires, in any civil or criminal action, as specified, a sign language interpreter to be appointed for a party or witness who is deaf or hearing-impaired and generally requires the payment of these court interpreters' fees to be a charge against the court. Existing law generally requires court interpreters' fees to be paid by the litigants in civil cases, as directed by the court, but further requires the fees of an interpreter to be waived for a party who needs an interpreter and appears in forma pauperis. This bill would expressly authorize the court to provide a court interpreter in any civil action or proceeding at no cost to the parties, regardless of the income of the parties. The bill would require interpreters to be provided in accordance with a specified order of priority, until sufficient funds are appropriated to provide an interpreter to every party who needs one. (2) Existing law requires, in any action or proceeding under specified provisions of the Family Code relating to domestic violence, an interpreter to be provided by the court for a party who does not proficiently speak or understand the English language to interpret the proceedings in a language that the party understands and to assist communication between the party and his or her attorney, except that a court is authorized to issue prescribed orders ex parte without an interpreter. Existing law requires the fees of these interpreters to be paid by the parties, except that these fees shall be waived for parties who need an interpreter and appear in forma pauperis. This bill would repeal those provisions.