The Joint Exercise of Powers Act authorizes 2 or more public agencies, as defined, if authorized by their governing bodies, by agreement to jointly exercise any power common to the contracting parties, and specifically authorizes a mutual water company to enter into a joint powers agreement with a public agency for these purposes. Existing law authorizes local public entities, as defined, to enter into a joint powers agreement for the purposes of providing risk-pooling, as specified. This bill would specifically authorize a mutual water company and a public agency to participate in joint powers agreement for the provision of insurance and risk-pooling, technical support, and other similar services for the purpose of reducing risk liability, as specified.
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This measure would recognize the 25th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Existing law provides for 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 requires each county to establish a community child health and disability prevention program to include, among other things, health screening and evaluation services for all children that include immunizations and an assessment of immunization status. This bill would require the State Department of Health Care Services to establish and administer the California Childhood Immunization Quality Improvement Fund (CCIQIF) program to improve childhood immunization rates, and would require the department to submit an application to the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services for a waiver to implement a 5-year demonstration project to implement the program. The bill would require the department to develop a plan for the collection and expenditure of CCIQIF moneys according to specified guidelines, including voluntary contributions from Medi-Cal managed care plans to be used for provider support payments and reward payments to Medi-Cal managed care plans, as specified. The bill would require the department to contract with specified researchers to develop and submit to the Legislature an evaluation of the effectiveness of the demonstration project. This bill would make these provisions inoperative on a specified date.
Existing federal law provides for the allocation of federal funds through the federal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) block grant program to eligible states. Existing law provides for the California Work Opportunity and Responsibility to Kids (CalWORKs) program under which, through a combination of state and county funds and federal funds received through the TANF program, each county provides cash assistance and other benefits to qualified low-income families. Existing law, with certain exceptions, provides eligible families with homeless assistance, including temporary shelter assistance for one period of up to 16 consecutive calendar days. This bill would eliminate the requirement that the temporary assistance be provided during one period of consecutive days, and instead would limit the temporary assistance to a maximum of 16 calendar days. This bill would require the State Department of Social Services to issue an all-county letter or similar instructions by April 1, 2016, and to adopt regulations to implement the provisions of the bill by July 1, 2017. The bill also would make conforming and technical, nonsubstantive changes. Because this bill would create new administrative duties for counties, it would impose a state-mandated local program. Existing law continuously appropriates moneys from the General Fund to defray a portion of county costs under the CalWORKs program. This bill would, instead, provide that the continuous appropriation would not be made for purposes of implementing the bill. 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.
 The Personal Income Tax Law allows various credits against the taxes imposed by that law, including certain credits that are allowed in modified conformity to credits allowed by federal income tax laws. Federal income tax laws allow a refundable earned income tax credit for certain low-income individuals who have earned income and who meet certain other requirements. This bill, for taxable years beginning on or after January 1, 2016, and before January 1, 2021, in modified conformity with federal income tax laws, would provide for an earned income credit to an eligible individual that is equal to unspecified percentages of the earned income tax credit allowed by federal law that would only be allowed in those taxable years in which an appropriation is made by the Legislature. The bill and would provide that in those years in which an appropriation is made by the Legislature, the credit would be refundable, as provided. The bill would also make findings and declarations.
Existing law establishes the California Work Opportunity and Responsibility to Kids (CalWORKs) program, under which each county provides cash assistance and other benefits to qualified low-income families using federal, state, and county funds. Existing law imposes limits on the amount of income and personal and real property an individual or family may possess in order to be eligible for CalWORKs aid. This bill would exempt from consideration as income or property, for purposes of determining eligibility or available income or property, education, training, vocation, or rehabilitation benefits provided through the United States Department of Veterans Affairs for active duty personnel or veterans, and dependents or spouses of those who either died in the line of duty or have a service-connected disability. By expanding eligibility for CalWORKs, which is administered by counties, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program. Existing law requires a recipient of CalWORKs to participate in welfare-to-work activities as a condition of eligibility. Under existing law, a person may meet his or her welfare-to-work requirements by taking part in a self-initiated education or training program. Under that program, if a recipient does not complete a specified number of hours of classroom, laboratory, or internship activities, the county human services agency is required to have the recipient participate in concurrent work activities, as specified. Existing law prohibits a program offered by a private postsecondary training provider from being approved for these purposes unless the program is either approved or exempted by the appropriate state regulatory agency and the program is in compliance with all other laws. This bill would authorize study time to be included in the number of hours a recipient may complete before he or she is required to participate in concurrent work activities. This bill would additionally prohibit a program offered by a private college from being approved if the program is not approved or exempted by the appropriate state regulatory agency or is not in compliance with all other laws. Existing law continuously appropriates moneys from the General Fund to defray a portion of county costs under the CalWORKs program. This bill would instead provide that the continuous appropriation would not be made for purposes of implementing the bill. 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.
The California Constitution requires that a person reside within the legislative district for which he or she seeks election as a Member of the Legislature for one year immediately preceding the election. This bill would permit a candidate for Member of the Legislature to file a statement with the Secretary of State in which the candidate voluntarily agrees that, if elected, he or she will continue to reside within the district from which he or she was elected during his or her term of office. The bill would authorize the Secretary of State to post on his or her Internet Web site voluntary statements of continuing residency filed with the secretary, as described above.
Existing law establishes the Adult Education Block Grant Program under the administration of the Chancellor of the California Community Colleges and the Superintendent of Public Instruction. The program requires the chancellor and the Superintendent, with the advice of the Executive Director of the State Board of Education, to divide the state into adult education regions and approve one adult education consortium in each adult education region, as specified. The program also requires the chancellor and the Superintendent, with the advice of the executive director, to certify, no later than July 31, 2015, the amount of state funds required to be expended for adult education by a school district and county office of education, as specified. The program further requires the chancellor and the Superintendent to apportion funds appropriated for the program in the Budget Act of 2015 to each school district and county office of education by August 30, 2015, in accordance with a specified formula and, by October 30, 2015, to allocate the funds that remain after the apportionment to each consortium, as specified. This bill would also require the chancellor and the Superintendent to certify, upon the request of a joint powers authority consisting of community college districts, school districts, or county offices of education, or a combination of these, the amount of state funds expended for adult career technical education by that joint powers authority in the 2012–13 fiscal year and to apportion an amount equal to the amount certified directly to that joint powers authority. As a condition of receipt of this apportionment, the bill would require the joint powers authority to be a member of an adult education consortium. This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.
Existing law provides for the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) , known in California as CalFresh, under which supplemental nutrition assistance benefits allocated to the state by the federal government are distributed to eligible individuals by each county. Existing federal law requires that a child receiving benefits under SNAP be certified as eligible for free school lunches and breakfasts without further application. Existing law requires a county welfare department to compile a list of emergency food providers and make that list available upon request. This bill would instead require a county human services agency to compile a list of emergency and supplemental food assistance providers, as specified. The bill would also require a county human services agency to inform households applying for CalFresh that if the household is certified for CalFresh, specified children in the household are income-eligible for the WIC Program and all children in the household are directly certified for the National School Lunch Program and School Breakfast Program without further application. The bill would also require the Department of Social Services to inform all CalFresh households annually, prior to the end of the school year, about the summer meal program using information the department receives the State Department of Education and a method deemed appropriate by the department. The bill would require the department to implement these provisions by all-county letters or similar instructions beginning no later than March 1, 2016, until regulations are adopted, and would require the department to adopt regulations on or before October 1, 2017. The bill would also include a statement of legislative findings and declarations. By increasing the duties of county human services agencies, 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, 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.