This measure would declare April 2010 as Financial Aid and Literacy Month to raise public awareness about the need for increased financial literacy.
Existing federal law provides for tax-qualified retirement plans and individual retirement accounts or individual retirement annuities by which private citizens may save money for retirement. This bill would create the California Employee Savings Program, which would be operative only upon a specified appropriation in the annual Budget Act or if sufficient funds are made available through a nonprofit or private entity or federal funding, as specified. The program would be administered by the Board of Administration of the Public Employees' Retirement System (PERS) , with the intent of promoting greater retirement savings for California private employees in a convenient, low-cost, and portable manner. The bill would require the board, under this program, to offer one or more individual retirement accounts or defined benefit plans, as specified, to eligible employees of participating eligible employers, as defined. The bill would specify that eligible employees of participating employers are not members of PERS. The bill would permit the board, in initiating and administering the program, to, among other things, employ staff and 3rd-party administrators, as necessary, collaborate with various entities in the private sector, recover expenses from contributions or investment returns, as specified, and evaluate and establish the process by which eligible employees who want to contribute a portion of their paycheck to an account offered by the program are able to notify their employers and require the employer to forward the contribution and related information to the program. The bill would require the Employment Development Department to cooperate in this regard. The bill would authorize the Employment Development Department to charge a fee for any administrative costs it incurs by reason of implementing and administering the program. The bill would require the board to make reports to employers on the progress and status of the program. The bill would also require the board to make specified reports to the Legislature, including a report upon determining that all specified conditions necessary to implement the program can be satisfied, a report if it finds that the program is not self-sustaining, and annual reports on the status of the program, as specified. The bill would require PERS, after specified acts have occurred, to request funding through a Budget Act appropriation or from a nonprofit or private entity or from federal funding for the purpose of implementing the program. The bill would require the board to keep program funds and accounts separate from those of PERS and would prohibit the use of funds in PERS, as specified, to initiate, develop, implement, or administer the program. In addition, the bill would require that all expenses and obligations created by the program be funded by its contributions, returns, and assets, except as the Legislature may appropriate funds for this purpose, to be deposited in the California Employee Savings Program Administrative Fund, which this bill would establish as a continuously appropriated fund. The bill would require PERS to obtain the necessary approvals from federal authorities for the program's implementation. The bill would prohibit any claim, tax lien, or other right of setoff from applying to funds or assets of the program, as specified. The bill would indemnify from the General Fund and hold harmless the present, former, and future board members, officers, employees of, and investment managers under contract with, PERS in connection with any decision or action related to the administration of the program. The bill would provide that the program may only be implemented if the board determines that certain conditions are satisfied, and would permit the board to discontinue the program on its determination, as specified. The bill would permit the board to adopt regulations in regard to the program, and would provide that the adoption, amendment, or repeal of a regulation is exempted from the rulemaking provisions of the Administrative Procedure Act. Subject to the availability of funds, as specified, the bill would require the board to report to Legislature regarding the feasibility of creating a defined benefit plan option to be available to employers. The bill would also make a statement of findings.
The Vocational Nursing Practice Act and the Psychiatric Technicians Law provide for the licensure and regulation of licensed vocational nurses and psychiatric technicians by the Board of Vocational Nursing and Psychiatric Technicians of the State of California. Existing law requires the board to set various fees within specified maximum and minimum amounts, including a biennial licensure renewal fee and a delinquency fee for failure to pay that renewal fee. Existing law requires the deposit of those fees in the Vocational Nursing and Psychiatric Technicians Fund. This bill would increase the maximum amount of the biennial licensure renewal fee and the delinquency fee set by the board.
Existing law requires the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation to establish pilot programs to provide intensive training and counseling to male and female parolees to help the parolees reintegrate into society. This bill would require the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation to administer a reentry program in the City of San Bernardino for parolees that would be located at an adult day reporting center, as specified. The bill would require the reentry program to conduct needs-based assessments of male and female parolees, partner with City or County of San Bernardino law enforcement officers, and partner with local community organizations providing support services, as specified. This bill would require the department to maintain information on the effectiveness of the program, as specified, and report to the Legislature on request.
Existing law requires the Superintendent of Public Instruction, with approval of the state board, to develop an Academic Performance Index (API) . The API primarily measures student academic achievement and is used in determining a school's adequate yearly progress under the federal No Child Left Behind Act of 2001. Existing law requires the Superintendent, with approval of the state board, to develop an alternative accountability system for specified schools. Existing law allows these schools to receive an API score, but prohibits them from being included in the API rankings of schools. This bill would provide that, as part of the Public School Performance Accountability Program, the Superintendent and the state board shall allow a dropout recovery high school, as defined, to report, in lieu of other indicators, the results of an individual pupil growth model that is proposed by the school and certified by the Superintendent pursuant to specified criteria.
This measure would commend the Girl Scouts for 98 years of service and for inspiring millions of girls with the highest ideals of confidence, courage, and character.
This measure would recognize the week of April 18, 2010, through April 24, 2010, as Crime Victims' Rights Week.
Existing law provides benefits for state military veterans. This bill would require the Department of Veterans Affairs to consult with the State Department of Mental Health and the State Department of Alcohol and Drug Programs, as provided, to identify federal funds that are available for the purposes of funding community-based organizations, certified by the department, to provide substance abuse and mental health services to veterans, as specified, and to pay reasonable administrative expenses. This bill would also require the department to develop a process by which to certify community-based organizations that receive funding, and require the department to establish criteria of success for the purpose of determining renewal of funding to those community-based organizations. The bill would, in counties in which there are no community-based organizations that serve veterans, permit a county to apply for a grant to be used for purposes related to the funding and provision of substance abuse and mental health services to veterans.
Existing law creates the California Transportation Commission, with various duties and responsibilities relative to the programming and allocation of funds for transportation capital projects. Existing law requires the commission to submit, by December 15 of each year, an annual report to the Legislature summarizing the commission's prior-year decisions in allocating transportation capital funds and identifying timely and relevant transportation issues facing the state. This bill would require the commission, on an every-5-year basis, to develop an assessment of the unfunded costs of programmed state projects and federally earmarked projects in the state, as well as an assessment of available funding for transportation purposes and unmet transportation needs on a statewide basis. The bill would require the Department of Transportation to assist in conducting the assessment. The bill would require the commission to submit the first assessment report to the Legislature by March 1, 2011.
This measure would proclaim the month of May to be Women Veterans Recognition Month.
