Existing law establishes the state flag and the state's emblems, including, among other things, the poppy as the official state flower and the California redwood as the official state tree. This bill would establish the California Vietnam Veterans Memorial as the official state Vietnam veterans war memorial.
Existing law provides for the licensure, registration, and regulation of clinical laboratories and various clinical laboratory personnel by the State Department of Public Health. Existing law prohibits the performance of a clinical laboratory test or examination classified as waived under the federal Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments of 1988 (CLIA) unless the test or examination is performed under the overall operation and administration of a laboratory director. Existing law defines "laboratory director," for purposes of a clinical laboratory test or examination classified as waived, as an individual who, among others, is a duly licensed naturopathic doctor. Existing law defines "laboratory scientist" and authorizes a person licensed as a clinical laboratory scientist and qualified under CLIA to perform the duties and responsibilities of a technical consultant, clinical consultant, technical supervisor, and general supervisor, as specified under CLIA, in certain specialties. This bill would expand the definition of "laboratory director" for purposes of a clinical laboratory test or examination classified as waived to include a duly licensed clinical laboratory scientist and a duly licensed limited clinical laboratory scientist. The bill would authorize a person licensed as a clinical laboratory scientist and qualified under CLIA to additionally perform the duties and responsibilities of a waived laboratory director, as specified under CLIA.
Existing law requires the State Board of Education and the governing board of each school district maintaining one or more high schools to adopt instructional materials for use in kindergarten and grades 1 to 8, inclusive, and high schools, respectively. Existing law authorizes a local educational agency to use instructional materials that are aligned with the adopted academic content standards, as specified, including basic instructional materials that have not been adopted by the state board. Existing law places specified requirements on a publisher or manufacturer of instructional materials offered for adoption. Existing law, until July 1, 2015, exempts school districts from requirements to provide pupils with instructional materials by a specified time period following adoption of those materials by the state board. This bill would require a publisher or manufacturer that submits a printed instructional material for adoption by the state board, or for adoption or use by the governing board of a school district, on or after January 1, 2014, to ensure that the printed instructional material is also available in an equivalent digital format during the entire term of the adoption. The bill would require the equivalent digital format of a printed instructional material to conform to certain standards and guidelines, as specified.
This measure would declare the week of August 4, 2013, to August 10, 2013, inclusive, to be Dropout Recovery Week, and would state the Legislature's intent to encourage the support of dropout recovery high schools with creative teaching strategies, alternative assessments, and adequate resources.
This measure would proclaim July 27, 2013, as Korean War Armistice Day. It would urge Californians to observe the anniversary and call upon them to honor and give thanks to Korean War veterans. It would also urge Governor Jerry Brown to proclaim July 27, 2013, as Korean War Armistice Day and instruct all state departments, agencies, interest groups, organizations, and individuals to fly the United States flag at half-mast on July 27, 2013, in memory of veterans from this state who died as a result of their service in Korea.
The Contractors' State License Law provides for the licensure and regulation of contractors by the Contractors' State License Board. Existing law authorizes the Contractors' State License Board to issue a contractor's license to a limited liability company, but requires, as a condition precedent to the issuance, reissuance, reinstatement, reactivation, renewal, or continued valid use of a limited liability company contractor's license, that the applicant or licensee file or have on file a surety bond for damages arising out of specified claims of employees. Existing law also requires the limited liability company to maintain a policy or policies of insurance against liability imposed on or against it for damages arising out of claims, as specified, as a condition of licensure. Under existing law, the policy or policies of insurance secured to satisfy these provisions are required to be written by an insurer or insurers duly licensed by this state. This bill would additionally permit those policies to be written by an eligible surplus line insurer, as specified.
This measure would urge the California State Legislature and the Governor to restore budget funding to early care and education programs and to support efforts to fund and implement the Quality Rating and Improvement System and other programs that support early care and education. The measure would also urge the California State Legislature to commit to improving the public's understanding of the role that early care and education plays in securing an educated, nimble, and stable workforce to help keep California's economy vibrant and strong for years to come.
This measure would declare the Legislature's recognition of the importance of access to local parks, trails, open space, and facilities for the health and development of all Californians. This measure would also declare the month of July 2013 as "Parks Make Life Better!" Month.
The California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) requires a lead agency, as defined, to prepare, or cause to be prepared, and certify the completion of, an environmental impact report (EIR) on a project that it proposes to carry out or approve that may have a significant effect on the environment or to adopt a negative declaration if it finds that the project will not have that effect. CEQA also requires a lead agency to prepare a mitigated negative declaration for a project that may have a significant effect on the environment if revisions in the project would avoid or mitigate that effect and there is no substantial evidence that the project, as revised, would have a significant effect on the environment. Existing law establishes regulations related to numerous environmental issues. This bill would enact the Sustainable Environmental Protection Act and would specify the environmental review required pursuant to CEQA for projects related to specified environmental topical areas. For a judicial action or proceeding filed challenging an action taken by a lead agency on the ground of noncompliance with CEQA, the bill would prohibit a cause of action that (1) alleges noncompliance with CEQA based on any topical area or criteria for which compliance obligations are identified or (2) challenges the environmental document based on noncompliance with CEQA if: (A) the environmental document discloses compliance with applicable environmental law, (B) the project conforms with the use designation, density, or building intensity in an applicable plan, as defined, and (C) the project approval is conditioned on compliance with applicable mitigation requirements in the environmental document. The bill would provide that the Sustainable Environmental Protection Act only applies if the lead agency or project applicant has agreed to provide to the public in a readily accessible electronic format an annual compliance report prepared pursuant to the mitigation monitoring and reporting program. Because this bill would impose additional duties on local agencies, it 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.
