Asm. Cristina Garcia

This measure would, among other things, designate the year of 2016 as "State of California Year of Commemoration of the Anniversary of the Armenian Genocide of 1915–1923," would designate April 24, 2016, as "State of California Day of Commemoration of the 101st Anniversary of the Armenian Genocide of 1915–1923," and would call upon the President of the United States and the United States Congress to formally and consistently reaffirm the historical truth that the atrocities committed against the Armenian people constituted genocide.

The Budget Act of 2015 appropriated specified amounts for support of the Department of Toxic Substances Control. This bill would require the Director of Finance to transfer up to $176,600,000 as a loan from the General Fund to the Toxic Substances Control Account for the Department of Toxic Substances Control to use for activities related to the lead contamination in the communities surrounding the Exide Technologies facility in the City of Vernon. This bill would require the department to repay these funds, as specified, and would authorize the Director of Finance to forgive any unpaid balance of the loan under specified circumstances. This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as a Budget Bill.

Existing law establishes the Toxic Substances Control Account in the General Fund and authorizes moneys in the account, upon appropriation, to be used for, among other purposes, the payment of all costs of removal and remedial action incurred by the state in response to a release or threatened release of a hazardous substance, as specified. This bill would appropriate $176,600,000 from the account to the Department of Toxic Substances Control for activities related to the cleanup and investigation of lead-contaminated properties in the communities surrounding the Exide Technologies facility in the City of Vernon, including job training activities, and actions taken to pursue all available remedies against potentially responsible parties. The bill would require the department to engage the impacted community, as specified; develop a Job and Development Training Program, as specified; and post on its Internet Web site specified information. This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as a bill providing for appropriations related to the Budget Bill.

This measure would declare the month of April 2016 as the Month of the Military Child.

This measure would designate April 3, 2016, to April 9, 2016, inclusive, as Women and Girls in STEM Week and would encourage all citizens and community organizations to support the observance of California Women and Girls in STEM Week by encouraging and celebrating women in the STEM fields.

This measure would declare the week of March 7, 2016, through March 13, 2016, as Multiple Sclerosis Awareness Week.

Existing law establishes the CalConserve Water Use Efficiency Revolving Fund and provides that the moneys in the fund are available to the Department of Water Resources, upon appropriation by the Legislature, for the purpose of water use efficiency projects. Existing law, the Alcoholic Beverage Control Act, establishes the Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control for the regulation and licensure of activities related to alcoholic beverages. This bill would require the Department of Water Resources, in consultation with the California brewing industry, to develop water and energy use efficiency certification guidelines for the production of beer that include, among other things, uniform standards for the industry's use of efficiency certification seals and would require the Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control to consult in label design and approval for the use of a seal on a beer bottle. The bill would require an applicant for water and energy use efficiency certification to submit an application to the Department of Water Resources and, in accordance with the guidelines, would require the department to review the application and approve or disapprove the certification of the brewery within an unspecified time. The bill would require each application for certification to be accompanied by an application fee to recover costs incurred by the Department of Water Resources for the efficiency certification.

This measure would proclaim the month of March 2016 as Grand Jury Awareness Month in California, recognize those who volunteer in a grand jury, and encourage all Californians to learn about its role in the judicial system.