Asm. Paul J Cook

Under existing law, the Corrections Standards Authority is responsible for developing, approving, and monitoring standards for the selection and training of state correctional peace officers and apprentices.This bill would create the Commission on Correctional Peace Officer Standards and Training, which would succeed to those functions.

Existing law requires the Department of Motor Vehicles, upon proper application, to issue driver's licenses and identification cards. Existing law requires a person convicted of certain sex offenses to register with the chief of police or sheriff of the city or county in which the person is residing or located, and with the chief of police of a campus of the University of California, the California State University, or community college if he or she is residing or located upon the campus or in any of its facilities, within 5 working days of coming into, or changing his or her residence or location. This requirement applies for the rest of the person's life while residing or present in this state. This bill would require the Department of Motor Vehicles to issue a distinctive original driver's license, identification card, or a renewal of that driver's license or identification card that displays a distinctive color, as specified, to a person required to be registered as a sex offender. In addition to any other requirement, the bill would require the applicant to provide a current photograph and address verification to the department for the original license, identification card, and for each renewal.

This measure would congratulate and commend the Boy Scouts of America on their 100th anniversary and centennial celebration, and recognize the achievements and impacts the scouting program has had on youth.

This measure would recognize the week of April 18, 2010, through April 24, 2010, as Crime Victims' Rights Week.

This measure would proclaim the month of May to be Women Veterans Recognition Month.

Existing law provides various punishments for voluntary manslaughter, involuntary manslaughter, and vehicular manslaughter. This bill would make technical, nonsubstantive changes to those provisions.

Existing law prohibits a person from driving a motor vehicle with any object or material placed, displayed, installed, affixed, or applied upon the windshield or side or rear windows, with limited exceptions, including for window tinting or glazing that meets specified requirements. Federal law establishes motor vehicle safety standards for glazing material for use in motor vehicles and motor vehicle equipment. This bill would exempt a vehicle operated and owned or leased by a federal, state, or local agency, department, or district, that employs peace officers, for use by those peace officers in the performance of their duties, from California law prohibiting or limiting materials that may be placed, displayed, installed, affixed, or applied to the windshield or side or rear windows, commonly referred to as window tinting or glazing.

(1) Existing law provides that a person may pass real property to a beneficiary at death by various methods including by will, intestate succession, trust, and titling the property in joint tenancy, among others. This bill would, until January 1, 2015, create the revocable transfer on death deed (revocable TOD deed) , as defined, which would transfer real property on the death of its owner without a probate proceeding. The bill would require that a person have testamentary capacity to make or revoke the deed and would require that the deed be in a statutory form provided for this purpose. The revocable TOD deed must be signed, dated, acknowledged, and recorded, as specified, to be effective. The bill would provide, among other things, that the deed, during the owner's life, does not affect his or her ownership rights and, specifically, is part of the owner's estate for the purpose of Medi-Cal eligibility and reimbursement. The bill would void a revocable TOD deed if, at the time of the owner's death, the property is titled in joint tenancy or as community property with right of survivorship. The bill would establish priorities for creditor claims against the owner and the beneficiary of the deed in connection with the property transferred and limits on the liability of the beneficiary. The bill would establish a process for contesting the transfer of real property by a revocable TOD deed. The bill would also make conforming and technical changes. The bill would require the California Law Revision Commission to study and make recommendations regarding the revocable TOD deed to the Legislature by January 1, 2014. (2) Existing law provides that a person who feloniously and intentionally kills a decedent is not entitled to specified property, interests, or benefits, including any gifts of personal property made in view of impending death. This bill would specify that a person who feloniously and intentionally kills a decedent is not entitled generally to property and interests that are transferred outside of probate, including real property transferred by a revocable TOD deed. (3) Existing law establishes simplified procedures for dealing with a decedent's estate valued under $100,000, including authorizing the successor of the decedent to collect and distribute property due the decedent without letters of administration or awaiting probate of a will. Existing law provides that a beneficiary who receives real or personal property under these circumstances, as specified, may be liable to the estate if probate proceedings are subsequently commenced. Existing law provides, in this context, that a spouse has liability for the debts of a deceased spouse if the decedent's property is in the control of the surviving spouse. Existing law permits a court judgment to enforce liability in these instances only to the extent necessary to protect the heirs, devisees, and creditors of the decedent. This bill would delete the reference to court judgment and provide instead that the personal representative of the estate is permitted to enforce liability only to the extent necessary to protect the heirs, devisees, and creditors of the decedent.

The Vehicle License Fee Law establishes, in lieu of any ad valorem property tax upon vehicles, an annual license fee for any vehicle subject to registration in this state. Under existing law, the Controller is required to allocate vehicle license fee revenues in the Motor Vehicle License Fee Account in a specified order, as provided. Existing law further requires that the amount appropriated by the Legislature for the use of the Department of Motor Vehicles and the Franchise Tax Board for the enforcement of that law shall be transferred from the Motor Vehicle License Fee Account in the Transportation Tax Fund to the Motor Vehicle Account in the State Transportation Fund, and requires that amount be determined so that the appropriate costs for registration and motor vehicle license fee activities are apportioned between the recipients of revenues in proportion to the revenues that would have been received by those recipients if the total fee imposed under this part was 2% of the market value of a vehicle. This bill would, on and after January 1, 2011, limit any increase in the payment of administrative costs to the Department of Motor Vehicles to 2% per year. Existing law provides that a statute that imposes a requirement that a state agency submit a periodic report to the Legislature is inoperative on a date four years after the date the first report is due. This bill would, notwithstanding that requirement, also require the Department of Motor Vehicles to annually report to the Legislature regarding the administrative costs paid under those provisions.

The State Assistance for Fire Equipment Act authorizes the Secretary of Emergency Management to acquire specified firefighting apparatus and equipment for resale to a local agency, as defined, that provides fire suppression services or a fire company. Existing law also establishes the State Assistance for Fire Equipment Account, a continuously appropriated fund, for purposes of the act. Existing law requires the secretary to consult with a specified committee before adopting regulations implementing the act. This bill would annually appropriate $45,600,000 of revenue received by the state from the accessing of oil and gas reserves located beneath state coastal waters, generally known as the "T-Ridge Project," for firefighting purposes, including, but not limited to, the purchase of firefighting and rescue vehicles and equipment, vegetation management and defensible space projects, and specified training courses and materials, thereby making an appropriation. This bill would also require the secretary to consult with additional specified individuals involved in firefighting before adopting certain regulations.