Existing law requires each county to provide cash assistance and other social services to needy families through the California Work Opportunity and Responsibility to Kids (CalWORKs) program using federal Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) block grant program, state, and county funds. Under existing law, the county is required to annually redetermine eligibility for CalWORKs benefits and, at the time of redetermination, require the family to complete a certificate of eligibility. Existing law additionally requires the county to redetermine recipient eligibility and grant amounts on a semiannual basis and requires the recipient to submit a semiannual report form during the first semiannual reporting period following the application or annual redetermination of eligibility. Existing federal law provides for the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, known in California as CalFresh, under which food assistance benefits are distributed to eligible individuals by the counties. Existing law requires, to the extent permitted by federal law, the department to implement the semiannual reporting system, including use of the semiannual report form, in the CalFresh program This bill would require the county to use either a prepopulated renewal form or a blank semiannual report form as the certificate of eligibility for the purposes of CalWORKs and CalFresh.
Sponsored bills
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. These laws provide various exemptions from these taxes, including an exemption for food products, which, pursuant to Proposition 163, approved by the voters on November 3, 1992, are required to include, among other items, candy, confectionery, and snack foods. Assembly Constitutional Amendment 2 of the 2017–18 Regular Session, if approved by the voters, on and after a specified date, would instead require that any sales or use taxes levied by the state or any of its political subdivisions apply to the sale of, or the storage, use, or other consumption in this state of, certain food products for human consumption, which include candy, confectionery, and snack foods. Assembly Constitutional Amendment 2, if approved by the voters, would authorize the Legislature to exempt the sale of, or the storage, use, or other consumption in this state of, any food product from sales and use taxes by a statute that becomes operative on or after November 7, 2018. This bill, on and after July 1, 2019, would exempt from those taxes the gross receipts from the sale of, and the storage, use, or other consumption in this state of those certain, food products for human consumption subject to those taxes pursuant to Assembly Constitutional Amendment 2 of the 2017–18 Regular Session, except for food products that are candy or confectionery, as defined, or processed snacks, as defined. 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 these provisions, 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, but would become operative on November 7, 2018, only if Assembly Constitutional Amendment 2 of the 2017–18 Regular Session is submitted to, and approved by, the voters.
The Personal Income Tax Law authorizes various credits against the taxes imposed by that law, including a credit for qualified renters in the amount of $120 for spouses filing joint returns, heads of household, and surviving spouses if adjusted gross income is $50,000, as adjusted, or less, and in the amount of $60 for other individuals if adjusted gross income is $25,000, as adjusted, or less. Existing law requires the Franchise Tax Board to annually adjust for inflation these adjusted gross income amounts. For 2016, the adjusted gross income limit is $76,518 and $38,259, respectively. This bill would, for each taxable year beginning on and after January 1, 2017, and before January 1, 2022, contingent upon a specified appropriation, increase this credit for a qualified renter to $240 for spouses filing joint returns, heads of household, and surviving spouses if adjusted gross income is $100,000 or less, and to an amount equal to $120 for other individuals if adjusted gross income is $50,000 or less. The bill would require the Franchise Tax Board to annually adjust the increased adjusted gross income amount for inflation. This bill would take effect immediately as a tax levy.
Under existing law, the Public Utilities Commission has broad regulatory authority pursuant to the California Constitution and the Public Utilities Act over public utilities, as defined. Existing law provides compensation for reasonable advocate's fees, reasonable expert witness fees, and other reasonable costs for participation or intervention in any proceeding of the commission. Existing law specifies that no state, federal, or local government agency, publicly owned public utility, or entity that, in the commission's opinion, was established or formed by a local government entity for the purpose of participating in a commission proceeding is eligible to receive that compensation, except as specified. This bill would authorize public school districts, county offices of education, and community college districts, and the authorized representatives of those entities, to receive that compensation.
The Personal Income Tax Law imposes taxes based upon taxable income at specified rates. This bill would, for taxable years beginning on or after January 1, 2019, impose an additional tax of 1% on income that exceeds $1,000,000, as provided. The bill would deposit the revenues derived from this tax into the Higher Education Assistance Fund, a continuously appropriated fund established by this bill, for the purposes of funding student financial assistance for tuition and fees required of specified students enrolled at the University of California, the California State University, and the California Community Colleges. This bill would become operative only if ACA 13 of the 2017–18 Regular Session is approved by the voters and becomes operative.
Existing law requires certain business establishments to post a notice in a conspicuous place, as specified, regarding human trafficking. Existing law prescribes a civil penalty for a failure to comply with these requirements of $500 for a first offense and $1,000 for each subsequent offense. Under existing law, any person who deprives or violates the personal liberty of another with the intent to obtain forced labor or services is guilty of the crime of human trafficking. This bill would require a hotel or motel that provides lodging services in the state to train its employees who are likely to interact or come into contact with victims of human trafficking in recognizing the signs of human trafficking and how to report those signs to the appropriate law enforcement agency, as specified. The bill would prescribe certain characteristics that the training program is required to have and require it to be approved by the Department of Justice. The bill would require the Department of Justice to develop an approved training program for use by hotels and motels and post it on its Internet Web site and would authorize the department to approve a private program, as specified. The bill would require, by January 1, 2019, that the training be incorporated into the initial training process for all new employees and that all employees who did not receive an initial training also receive the training.
Existing law authorizes the Department of Transportation and regional transportation agencies, as defined, to enter into comprehensive development lease agreements with public and private entities, or consortia of those entities, for certain transportation projects that may charge certain users of those projects tolls and user fees, subject to various terms and requirements. Existing law prohibits lease agreements under these provisions on or after January 1, 2017. This bill would state the intent of the Legislature to reestablish the authority under state law to engage in public-private partnerships for projects on the state highway system with appropriate public interest and safety protections.
Existing law, the California Public Records Act, requires a public agency, defined to mean any state or local agency, to make its public records available for public inspection and to make copies available upon request and payment of a fee, unless the public records are exempt from disclosure. Existing law requires an agency to justify withholding a record from disclosure by demonstrating either that the record in question is exempt under express provisions of law or that on the facts of the particular case the public interest served by not disclosing the record clearly outweighs the public interest served by disclosure of the record. Existing law requires specified state and local agencies to establish written guidelines for accessibility of records. Existing law authorizes a person to institute proceedings for injunctive or declarative relief or writ of mandate in any court of competent jurisdiction to enforce his or her right to inspect or to receive a copy of any public record or class of public records under these provisions. This bill, until January 1, 2023, would require public agencies to designate a person or persons, or office or offices to act as the agency's custodian of records who is responsible for responding to any request made pursuant to the California Public Records Act and any inquiry from the public about a decision by the agency to deny a request for records. The bill also would make other conforming changes. Because the bill would require local agencies to perform additional duties, 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. The California Constitution requires local agencies, for the purpose of ensuring public access to the meetings of public bodies and the writings of public officials and agencies, to comply with a statutory enactment that amends or enacts laws relating to public records or open meetings and contains findings demonstrating that the enactment furthers the constitutional requirements relating to this purpose. This bill would make legislative findings to that effect.
Existing law, as part of the hazardous waste control law, requires a facility handling hazardous waste to apply for and obtain a hazardous waste facilities permit from the Department of Toxic Substances Control. Existing law requires that a hazardous waste facilities permit be for a fixed term not to exceed 10 years for certain facilities. Existing law requires the owner or operator of a facility intending to extend the facility's permit to submit a complete Part A application for a permit renewal before the fixed term of the permit expires, and, at any time following the submittal of the Part A application, to submit a complete Part B application, or any portion of that application, and other relevant information, if requested by the department. Existing law provides that when a complete Part A renewal application and any other requested information has been submitted before the end of the permit's fixed term, the permit is deemed extended until the application is approved or denied and the owner has exhausted all applicable rights of appeal. This bill would require, for a hazardous waste facilities permit that will expire on or before July 1, 2020, the owner or operator of a facility intending to extend the term of that permit to submit a Part A and Part B application for a permit renewal at least 6 months before the fixed term of the permit expires. The bill would require, for a hazardous waste facilities permit that will expire after July 1, 2020, the owner or operator to submit a Part A and Part B application for a permit renewal at least 2 years before the fixed term of the permit expires. The bill would provide that if a Part A and Part B renewal application and any other requested information has been submitted at least 6 months or at least 2 years, as applicable, before the end of the permit's fixed term, the permit is deemed extended until the application is approved or denied and the owner has exhausted all applicable rights of appeal. The bill would also require the department, no later than 90 days after receiving an application for a hazardous waste facilities permit, to post on its Internet Web site a timeline with the estimated dates of key milestones in the application review process, to note on its Internet Web site that these dates are estimates, and to update the dates as needed.