Rep. Eric Linder

This measure would recognize April 17, 2016, as World Hemophilia Day.

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 married couples 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. This bill would, for taxable years beginning on and after January 1, 2016, and before January 1, 2020, increase this credit for a qualified renter to $140 for married couples filing joint returns, heads of household, and surviving spouses and to an amount equal to $70 for other individuals. This bill would take effect immediately as a tax levy.

The California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) requires a lead agency to prepare, or cause to be prepared, and certify the completion of an environmental impact report on a project, as defined, that it proposes to carry out or approve that may have a significant effect on the environment, as defined, or to adopt a negative declaration if it finds that the project will not have that effect, subject to certain exceptions. The bill would create the Advanced Mitigation Program in the Department of Transportation to implement environmental mitigation measures in advance of future transportation projects. The bill, by February 1, 2017, would require the department to establish a steering committee to advise the department in that regard.

Existing property tax law requires the county auditor, in each fiscal year, to allocate property tax revenue to local jurisdictions in accordance with specified formulas and procedures, and generally provides that each jurisdiction shall be allocated an amount equal to the total of the amount of revenue allocated to that jurisdiction in the prior fiscal year, subject to certain modifications, and that jurisdiction's portion of the annual tax increment, as defined. Existing property tax law also requires that, for purposes of determining property tax revenue allocations in each county for the 1992–93 and 1993–94 fiscal years, the amounts of property tax revenue deemed allocated in the prior fiscal year to the county, cities, and special districts be reduced in accordance with certain formulas. It requires that the revenues not allocated to the county, cities, and special districts as a result of these reductions be transferred to the Educational Revenue Augmentation Fund in that county for allocation to school districts, community college districts, and the county office of education. Beginning with the 2004–05 fiscal year and for each fiscal year thereafter, existing law requires that each city, county, and city and county receive additional property tax revenues in the form of a vehicle license fee adjustment amount, as defined, from a Vehicle License Fee Property Tax Compensation Fund that exists in each county treasury. Existing law requires that these additional allocations be funded from ad valorem property tax revenues otherwise required to be allocated to educational entities. This bill would modify these reduction and transfer provisions for a city incorporating after January 1, 2004, and on or before January 1, 2012, for the 2016–17 fiscal year and for each fiscal year thereafter, by providing for a vehicle license fee adjustment amount calculated on the basis of changes in assessed valuation. By imposing additional duties upon local tax officials with respect to the allocation of ad valorem property tax revenues, this 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.

Existing law provides that it is the policy of the state that all minors and nonminors in foster care have specified rights, including, among others, the right to attend school and participate in extracurricular, cultural, and personal enrichment activities, consistent with the child's age and developmental level, with minimal disruptions to school attendance and educational stability. This bill would require the State Department of Social Services, on or before March 1, 2017, to convene a workgroup and would require the workgroup to develop an implementation plan for the California Foster Youth Enrichment Grant Program. The bill would require the department, on or before January 1, 2018, upon appropriation by the Legislature and in consideration of the implementation plan, to establish that program in order to provide grants of $500 or less to qualified foster youth to enable the foster youth to participate in activities that enhance the foster youth's skills, abilities, self-esteem, or overall well-being. The bill would specify eligibility criteria for receipt of a grant and the authorized uses of a grant. The bill would require a recipient, within 6 months after receipt of a grant, to submit documentation that describes how the grant was used and the actual cost, supported by copies of receipts, of the program, product, or service, and directly related costs, purchased with the grant. The bill would require the department, on or before January 1, 2021, to submit a report to the Legislature containing the addresses, among other things, data on the number of applications received and the number of grants awarded. The bill would repeal these provisions on January 1, 2022.

The Personal Income Tax Law allows various credits against the taxes imposed by that law. This bill, for taxable years beginning on or after January 1, 2017, and before January 1, 2019, would allow a credit under the Personal Income Tax Law in an amount equal to 50% of the amounts paid or incurred during the taxable year by a qualified disabled veteran for the ownership and maintenance of a qualified animal, not to exceed $1,500 for a taxable year. The bill would require the amount of the credit to be multiplied by the tax credit adjustment factor, as specified. This bill would take effect immediately as a tax levy.

Existing law establishes the Homeless Youth and Exploitation Program, under which homeless youth emergency service projects are established in the Counties of Los Angeles, Santa Clara, San Diego, and the City and County of San Francisco through a grant program to eligible private, nonprofit agencies with a demonstrated record of success in the delivery of services to homeless youth. Under existing law, this program is administered by the Office of Emergency Services. Existing law requires each project to provide specified services, including food and access to overnight shelter, counseling to address immediate emotional crises and problems, and long-term stabilization planning. This bill would require the Office of Emergency Services to establish additional homeless youth emergency service projects in other counties with a priority given to counties that lack existing services for runaway and homeless youth. The bill would require the Office of Emergency Services to develop, with input from specified stakeholders, criteria for the selection of grantees and the determination of grant amounts under the grant program. The bill would additionally require each project to provide transitional living services for designated homeless youth for a period of up to 36 months, with access to education and employment assistance, independent living skill development, and family engagement and interventions. The bill would appropriate $25,000,000 from the General Fund to the Office of Emergency Services to provide additional funding for these homeless youth emergency service projects.

Existing law authorizes the Governor to make, amend, and rescind orders and regulations to implement the California Emergency Services Act. The act requires the Governor to coordinate the State Emergency Plan and those programs necessary for the mitigation of the effects of an emergency in this state. The act creates within the office of the Governor the Office of Emergency Services, which is responsible for the state's emergency and disaster response services, as specified. By Executive order in 2015, the Governor directed the Office of Emergency Services to establish and lead the California Cybersecurity Integration Center, with its primary mission to reduce the likelihood and severity of cyber incidents that could damage California's economy, its critical infrastructure, or public and private sector computer networks in the state. The Executive order, among other things, required that the California Cybersecurity Integration Center be comprised of representatives from various entities, and that it develop a statewide cybersecurity strategy informed by recommendations from the California Task Force on Cybersecurity and in accordance with state and federal requirements, standards, and best practices. This bill would establish in statute the California Cybersecurity Integration Center (Cal-CSIC) within the Office of Emergency Services to develop a cybersecurity strategy for California in coordination with the Cybersecurity Task Force. The bill would provide that Cal-CSIC would have the same primary mission as Cal-CSIC as created by Executive order. The bill would require Cal-CSIC to include, but not be limited to, representatives from the Office of Emergency Services, the Office of Information Security in the Department of Technology, the State Threat Assessment Center, the Department of the California Highway Patrol, the California Military Department, the Office of the Attorney General, the Health and Human Services Agency, and others. The bill would authorize the Director of Emergency Services, as specified, to administer, authorize, and allocate federal homeland security grant funding and would require the director to prioritize grant funding for prevention measures undertaken by the Office of Information Security in the Department of Technology in furtherance of a specified provision of the Governor's Executive order. The bill also would specify the authority of the Director of Emergency Services to administer the grant programs to respond to statewide emergencies requiring immediate attention.

This measure would declare the month of April 2016 as Financial Aid and Literacy Month, with the theme of "Prosperity Through Education," to raise public awareness about the continuing need for increased financial literacy.