This measure would acknowledge April 2022 as Child Abuse Prevention Month and encourage Californians to work together to support youth-serving child abuse prevention activities in their communities and schools.
This measure would recognize the 30th anniversary of the Los Angeles Riots on April 29, 2022, as a time of building and reflection for the citizens of Los Angeles and the citizens of California.
This measure would declare April 28, 2022, as Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work Day, and would recognize the goals of introducing our daughters and sons to the workplace and commend all participants of Take Our Daughters And Sons To Work Day.
This measure would designate the week of May 1, 2022, through May 7, 2022, as Compost Awareness Week.
This measure would proclaim, in perpetuity, the month of April as California Wines: Down to Earth Month, to celebrate the sustainable leadership of California wineries and winegrape growers throughout the month of April.
Existing law, referred to as the Medical Injury Compensation Reform Act of 1975 (MICRA) , prohibits an attorney from contracting for or collecting a contingency fee for representing any person seeking damages in connection with an action for injury or damage against a health care provider based upon alleged professional negligence in excess of specified limits. This bill would recast those provisions and base the amount of contingency fee that may be contracted for upon whether recovery is pursuant to settlement agreement and release of all claims executed before a civil complaint or demand for arbitration is filed, or pursuant to settlement, arbitration, or judgment after a civil complaint or demand for arbitration is filed, as specified. The bill would add and revise definitions for these purposes. Existing law provides that in any action against a health care provider based upon professional negligence, the injured plaintiff is entitled to recover noneconomic losses to compensate for pain, suffering, inconvenience, physical impairment, disfigurement, and other nonpecuniary damage. Existing law limits the amount of damages for noneconomic losses in an action for injury against a health care provider based on professional negligence to $250,000. This bill would remove the $250,000 limit on noneconomic damages and expand the recast provisions to include an action for injury against a health care institution, as defined. The bill would increase the applicable limitation based upon whether the action for injury involved wrongful death. The bill would specify that these limitations would increase by $40,000 each January 1st for 10 years and beginning on January 1, 2034, the applicable limitations on noneconomic damages for personal injury and for wrongful death would be adjusted for inflation on January 1st of each year by 2%. Existing law specifies that in any action for injury or damages against a provider of health care services, a superior court shall, at the request of either party, enter a judgment ordering that money damages or its equivalent for future damages of the judgment creditor be paid in whole or in part by periodic payments rather than by a lump-sum payment if the award equals or exceeds $50,000. This bill would increase the minimum amount of the judgment required to request periodic payments to $250,000. Existing law makes statements, writings, or benevolent gestures expressing sympathy or a general sense of benevolence relating to the pain, suffering, or death of a person involved in an accident and made to that person, or to the family of that person, inadmissible as evidence of an admission of liability in a civil action. This bill would specify that statements, writings, or benevolent gestures expressing sympathy, regret, a general sense of benevolence, or suggesting, reflecting, or accepting fault relating to the pain, suffering, or death of a person, or to an adverse patient safety event or unexpected health care outcome, as specified, shall be confidential, privileged, protected, not subject to subpoena, discovery, or disclosure, and shall not be used or admitted into evidence in any civil, administrative, regulatory, licensing, or disciplinary board, agency, or body action or proceeding, and shall not be used or admitted in relation to any sanction, penalty, or other liability, as evidence of an admission of liability or for any other purpose.
Existing law establishes the Air Quality Improvement Program that is administered by the State Air Resources Board for the purposes of funding projects related to, among other things, the reduction of criteria air pollutants and improvement of air quality. Pursuant to its existing statutory authority, the state board has established the Clean Vehicle Rebate Project, as a part of the Air Quality Improvement Program, to promote the production and use of zero-emission vehicles by providing rebates for the purchase of new zero-emission vehicles. Existing law specifies the types of projects eligible to receive funding under the program. This bill would specify projects providing incentives for purchasing micromobility devices, as defined, as projects eligible for funding under the program. The bill would require the state board, no later than July 1, 2023, to establish a Micromobility Device Incentives Project to provide incentives, in the form of vouchers, to individuals for the purchase of micromobility devices, as provided.
Under existing law, the Department of Justice is responsible for carrying out several functions related to the sale, delivery, and transfer of firearms, including maintaining a centralized list of all persons licensed to sell firearms and inspecting firearms dealers. Existing law requests the Regents of the University of California to establish the California Firearm Violence Research Center at UC Davis to conduct research with a mission to provide the scientific evidence on which sound firearm violence prevention policies can be based. Existing law requires that various data relating to crimes and firearms be made available to researchers affiliated with the research center, and that, at the Department of Justice's discretion, that information be made available to any other public agency concerned with the study and prevention of violence. This bill would declare that it is established policy of the state that gun violence is required to be recognized and addressed as a public health crisis, as specified. The bill would require all relevant state agencies, including the Department of Justice, to consider this state policy when revising, adopting, or establishing polices, regulations, and grant criteria, or making any expenditures related to the prevention of gun violence and increasing community safety. The bill would also create the Office of Gun Violence Prevention within the Department of Justice with the goal of developing a strategy, through collaboration with the Board of State and Community Corrections and other specified community members, to identify causes of gun violence in communities and to incorporate a public health approach to improve social determinants of health for communities most affected by gun violence. The bill would require the Office of Gun Violence Prevention to create a plan of action for how the Department of Justice and Board of State and Community Corrections will incorporate a public health approach to their gun violence prevention-related programs and services. The bill would require the office to submit the plan to the Legislature no later than July 1, 2023.
Existing law authorizes air pollution control districts and air quality management districts to establish, by regulation, a permit system to require that before any person builds, erects, alters, replaces, operates, or uses any article, machine, equipment, or other contrivance which may cause the issuance of air contaminants, the person obtain a permit from the district. Existing law requires air pollution control and air quality management districts, except county districts with a population of less than 250,000, to establish, by regulation, a program to provide for the expedited review of permits. A person who violates these requirements, or any rules, regulation, permit, or order of a district is guilty of a misdemeanor. This bill would, except as provided, require air pollution control and air quality management districts to establish a mobile fueling on-demand tank vehicle permit program for mobile fueling on-demand tank vehicle operations, as defined. The bill would require that a mobile fueling on-demand tank vehicle permit program provide, among other things, a consistent permitting process for an operation that requires more than one permit and an expedited permit review and fee schedule. By placing additional duties upon air pollution control and air quality management districts, and expanding the scope of existing crimes, 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 no reimbursement is required by this act for specified reasons.
