Asm. Jared William Huffman

Existing law, enacted as part of the Marine Life Management Act of 1998, generally establishes a comprehensive plan for the management of marine life resources. Existing law requires the Department of Fish and Game to develop, and submit to the Fish and Game Commission for its approval, a fishery management master plan, and provides for the preparation and approval of fishery management plans, which form the primary basis for managing California's sport and commercial marine fisheries. This bill would state that it is the policy objective of the state to ensure the conservation, sustainable use, and, where applicable, restoration of California's forage species populations, including their habitats and associated water quality, for the benefit of all citizens of the state, and achieve ecosystem-based management of marine forage species that recognizes, prioritizes, accounts for, and incorporates the ecological services rendered by forage species, including the dependence of predator species on those forage species. The bill would define "forage species" and "ecosystem-based management" for those purposes. The bill would require new fishery management plans and amendments to existing fishery management plans for forage species completed after January 1, 2012, to be consistent with that policy, to the extent that scientific data is readily available for that purpose.

Existing law establishes a matriculation process that brings a college and a student who enrolls for credit into agreement for the purpose of realizing the student's educational objectives. The agreement involves the responsibilities of both parties to attain those objectives through the college's established programs, policies, and requirements. This bill would require, to the extent that federal funding is provided, as specified, that military personnel and veterans be given a prior learning assessment to determine college-level learning gained in other than a college credit setting. The bill would require the assessment to meet the standards of the American Council on Education, the Council for Adult and Experiential Learning, or other equivalent standard for awarding academic credits.

This measure would proclaim May 2011 as Buy California Small Business First Month.

This measure would proclaim July 27, 2011, as Korean War Veterans Armistice Day. It would urge Californians to remember the Korean War and those who fought against communism. It would also urge Governor Jerry Brown to proclaim July 27, 2011, as Korean War Armistice Day and instruct all state departments, agencies, interested groups, organizations, and individuals to fly the United States flag at half-mast on July 27, 2011, in memory of the veterans who died as a result of their service in Korea.

This measure would urge Congress to extend the alternative minimum tax holiday for private activity bonds.

Under existing law, the Public Utilities Commission (PUC) has regulatory authority over public utilities, including electrical corporations, as defined. Existing law requires the PUC, in consultation with the State Energy Resources Conservation and Development Commission (Energy Commission) , to administer, until January 1, 2016, a self-generation incentive program (SGIP) for distributed generation resources and to separately administer solar technologies pursuant to the California Solar Initiative. Existing law limits eligibility for SGIP incentives to distributed energy resources that the PUC, in consultation with the State Air Resources Board (state board) , determines will achieve reductions in emissions of greenhouse gases pursuant to the California Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006. This bill would require that distributed energy resources with a nameplate generating capacity of up to 10 megawatts are eligible for incentives, but would limit the award of incentives to not more than 5 megawatts of that capacity. The bill would limit incentives being made available for distributed energy resources with a nameplate generating capacity above 3 megawatts to those technologies that meet cost-effectiveness rules established by the commission. The bill would require that incentives made available for distributed energy resources with a nameplate generating capacity greater than 3 megawatts be based on a declining schedule determined by the commission. Under existing law, a violation of the Public Utilities Act or any order, decision, rule, direction, demand, or requirement of the commission is a crime. Because the program that is extended under the provisions of this bill are within the act and a decision or order of the commission would be required to implement the program requirements, a violation of these provisions would impose a state-mandated local program by expanding the definition of a crime. 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.

Existing law provides for statewide election of a slate of electors to vote in the electoral college for President and Vice President of the United States. Under existing law, each political party selects its slate of presidential electors in accordance with statutory procedures that differ by party. This bill would ratify a specified interstate compact that requires the chief election official of each signatory state to appoint the slate of presidential electors that was nominated in association with the presidential ticket that received the largest national popular vote total. This compact would only become effective if states cumulatively possessing a majority of the total electoral votes have ratified the compact.

Existing law sets forth various personal rights and provides that all persons within California have the right to be free from violence, or intimidation by the threat of violence, because of, among other characteristics, their race, color, religion, ancestry, national origin, political affiliation, or sex. Existing law further permits an individual whose exercise or enjoyment of specified personal rights has been interfered with to bring a civil action for damages, including actual damages, exemplary damages, attorney's fees, injunctive relief, and other appropriate relief. Existing law requires the Department of Fair Employment and Housing to receive, investigate, and conciliate complaints that an individual's personal rights have been violated. This bill would specify that homeless persons, as defined, are entitled to the personal rights set forth under existing law, and would provide that a homeless person has the right to be free from violence or intimidation by threat of violence directed against that person on the basis of that person's status as a homeless person. The bill would also provide that these provisions shall not be construed to enlarge or diminish an existing duty, if any, by an owner of residential rental or commercial property to protect a homeless person who is present on the property from violence or intimidation by threats of violence. The bill would provide that these provisions are not to be construed to prohibit or restrict a public agency from the lawful enforcement of any law, and a public agency would not be subject to civil liability for that lawful enforcement.

Existing law authorizes the board of supervisors of a county and the governing body of a city to levy, increase, or extend a transactions and use tax at a rate of 0.25%, or a multiple thereof, if approved by the required vote of the board or governing body and the required vote of qualified voters. This bill would instead authorize the levy, increase, or extension of a transactions and use tax at a rate of 0.125% or a multiple thereof.