Existing law, the Economic Revitalization Act, establishes the Governor's Office of Business and Economic Development, also known as "GO-Biz," in state government within the Governor's office under the control of a director. The act requires GO-Biz to serve 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. This bill would establish the Regions Rise Grant Program within the Governor's Office of Business and Economic Development for the purpose of supporting inclusive, cross-jurisdictional, and innovative processes that lead to inclusive strategies to address barriers and challenges confronting communities in creating economic prosperity for all. The bill would define "region" as a geographic area comprised of one or more counties and cities that form a functional economy. This bill would require the office to develop and implement a process for the awarding of competitive grants to eligible applicants. This bill would define an eligible applicant as a regional collective comprised of public and private stakeholders who organize themselves around one or more community challenges or priorities impacting a region and meet certain requirements established in the bill. The process for awarding grants would be required to meet certain minimum conditions, including, but not limited to, that the funds awarded be available for a period of 3 years, and that the application contain specified information. The bill would require the office, upon appropriation by the Legislature, to issue grants to qualified regional collectives as specified. The bill would also require the regional collective receiving funding to submit a copy of its annual and final report, as provided, to the office and each city and county within the areas identified in their application as the geographic boundary of their work.
Sponsored bills
Existing law, the Public Employees' Retirement Law (PERL) , creates the Public Employees' Retirement System (PERS) , which provides pension and disability benefits to its members and prescribes their rights and duties. Existing law, the Public Employees' Pension Reform Act of 2013 (PEPRA) , prescribed various limitations on public employees, employers, and retirement systems concerning, among other things, work after retirement. PERL generally prohibits retired PERS members from working for an agency participating in the system without reinstatement in the system, unless that employment is otherwise specifically authorized. PEPRA also prohibits retirees from serving or being employed directly, or through a contract, with a public employer, as defined, in the same retirement system from which they receive their benefits, except as expressly permitted. Both PERL and PEPRA generally prescribe limits on the manner and duration that retired members may be employed without reinstatement. PERL requires a person who is employed in violation of its reinstatement requirements to be reinstated in the member category previously held and on the date on which the unlawful employment occurred. In these circumstances, PERL requires that a retired member reimburse the system for the person's allowance received during the periods of the unlawful employment, to pay to the system employee contributions that otherwise should have been paid, and to contribute for associated administrative expenses, as specified. PERL requires employers in these circumstances to pay to the system the employer contributions that otherwise should have been paid and to contribute for associated administrative expenses, as specified. This bill would eliminate the above-described requirement that a person employed without reinstatement in a manner other than authorized by PERL be reinstated, instead providing that reinstatement permissive. The bill would make conforming changes and make specific reference to the duties of employees and employers regarding reinstatement after retirement in violation of PEPRA.
Existing sales and use tax laws impose a tax on retailers measured by the gross receipts from the sale of tangible personal property sold at retail in this state, or on the storage, use, or other consumption in this state of tangible personal property purchased from a retailer for storage, use, or other consumption in this state. Those laws provide various exemptions from those taxes, including, until July 1, 2023, an exemption for the sale of, or the storage, use, or other consumption of, menstrual hygiene products, defined as tampons, specified sanitary napkins, menstrual sponges, and menstrual cups. Existing law requires the Department of Finance, beginning on May 15, 2020, to estimate the total dollar amount of revenue that would have been credited to the Local Revenue Fund 2011 if not otherwise exempted under the sales and use tax exemption for menstrual hygiene products and requires the Controller to transfer that amount from the General Fund to the Local Revenue Fund 2011, a continuously appropriated fund, no later than June 30 of each fiscal year. This bill would establish a similar exemption for the sale of, or the storage, use, or other consumption of, menstrual hygiene products beginning July 1, 2023, and would define menstrual hygiene products to additionally include menstrual underwear. The bill would provide that the Department of Finance is required to calculate, and the Controller is required to transfer, the total dollar amount of revenue prior to January 1, 2024, that would have been credited to the Local Revenue Fund 2011 if not otherwise exempted under the sales and use tax with respect to menstrual hygiene products, as specified. The Bradley-Burns Uniform Local Sales and Use Tax Law authorizes counties and cities to impose local sales and use taxes in conformity with the Sales and Use Tax Law, and existing laws authorize districts, as specified, to impose transactions and use taxes in accordance with the Transactions and Use Tax Law, which generally conforms to the Sales and Use Tax Law. Amendments to the Sales and Use Tax Law are automatically incorporated into the local tax laws. Existing law requires the state to reimburse counties and cities for revenue losses caused by the enactment of sales and use tax exemptions. This bill would provide that, notwithstanding Section 2230 of the Revenue and Taxation Code, no appropriation is made and the state shall not reimburse any local agencies for sales and use tax revenues lost by them pursuant to this bill. This bill would take effect immediately as a tax levy.
This measure would proclaim March 2, 2020, to March 6, 2020, inclusive, as School Breakfast Week.
Existing law establishes the University of California, the California State University, the California Community Colleges, independent institutions of higher education, and private postsecondary educational institutions as the segments of postsecondary education in this state. Existing law requests the Trustees of the California State University, the Regents of the University of California, and the governing board of each community college district to adopt and publish policies on harassment, intimidation, and bullying to be included within the rules and regulations governing student behavior and, if the institution expends funds to support activities related to campus climate, as defined, to adopt and publish the above-described policies. This bill would establish the Campus-Affiliated Sorority and Fraternity Transparency Act, which would require each institution of higher education to include in the institution's requirements for campus recognition of a campus-affiliated sorority or fraternity, as defined, a requirement that the sorority or fraternity report on or before July 1, 2022, and annually thereafter, specified information to the institution and a requirement that the institution suspend the campus recognition of any sorority or fraternity that does not comply with these reporting requirements. The bill would encourage a sorority or fraternity not affiliated with the institution that has more than 50% of members enrolled at that institution to comply with these reporting requirements. The bill would require each institution with sororities or fraternities to compile the collected information into a publicly accessible report posted, and archived, on each respective campus' internet website on or before August 1, 2022, and annually thereafter. The bill would require the annual report to include outcomes of allegations of misconduct, as defined, by sororities or fraternities or members of the sororities or fraternities and the number of citations, or disciplinary actions taken, relating to sexual assault by members of the sororities or fraternities. To the extent this would impose new duties on community college districts, 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, 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 the statutory provisions noted above.
This measure would declare the week of February 17 to February 21, 2020, inclusive, as California Fitness Week, and would encourage Californians to enrich their lives through proper nutrition and exercise.
This measure would proclaim February 20, 2020, as Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day.
This measure would recognize February 2020 as Black History Month, urge all citizens to join in celebrating the accomplishments of African Americans during Black History Month, encourage the people of California to recognize the many talents of African Americans and the achievements and contributions they make to their communities to create equity and equality for education, economics, and social justice, and recognize the significance in protecting citizens' right to vote and remedying racial discrimination in voting.
The California Constitution requires the Legislature to convene in regular session on specified dates and provides that a majority of the membership constitutes a quorum, although a lesser number may recess from day to day and compel the attendance of absent members. The California Constitution requires the proceedings of each house of the Legislature to be open and public and recognizes the right of the public to attend, record, and broadcast those proceedings. The California Constitution authorizes the Legislature to provide for the convening of the Legislature to meet the needs resulting from a war-caused or enemy-caused disaster in the state. This measure would permit Members to remotely attend and vote in a legislative proceeding, or to vote by proxy in a legislative proceeding if permitted by their house, during the pendency of a state of emergency declared by the Governor or the President of the United States, under specified conditions. The measure would provide, among other conditions, that a Member may remotely attend and vote, or vote by proxy as authorized, in a proceeding only if the state of emergency prevents the Member from safely attending the proceeding in person. The measure would also provide that a Member attending remotely would be included in the determination of a quorum. The measure would provide that if 15 or more of the Members of a house cannot attend a proceeding during a state of emergency because they are deceased, disabled, or missing, a quorum may be established by a majority of those Members able to attend. The measure would specify that the Legislature may provide by statute for temporarily filling the vacant offices of Members with pro tempore members in the event that 15 or more of the Members of a house are deceased, disabled, or missing during a state of emergency. The measure would require the Legislature by concurrent resolution, or each house by separate resolutions, 23 of the membership concurring, to adopt rules to implement this provision no later than the end of the biennial legislative session in which this measure takes effect, except as specified.