Asm. Kevin D Jeffries

Existing law provides that within 5 days of the commencement of any cause of action, including an emergency action, by the Student Aid Commission against a private postsecondary educational institution in connection with the Federal Family Education Loan Program, the director of the commission shall give notice, in writing, of the commencement of the action to the Council for Private Postsecondary and Vocational Education. This bill would require the commission to give that notice within 8, rather than 5, days of the commencement of any cause of action.

Under existing law, the Lanterman Developmental Disabilities Services Act, the State Department of Developmental Services is authorized to contract with regional centers to provide support and services to individuals with developmental disabilities. This bill would state the intent of the Legislature to enact legislation that would divide the Inland Regional Center, which serves Riverside and San Bernardino counties, into 2 separate regional centers that independently serve their respective communities.

(1) The California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) requires a lead agency, as defined, to prepare, or cause to be prepared, and certify the completion of, an environmental impact report (EIR) on a project that it proposes to carry out or approve that may have a significant effect on the environment or to adopt a negative declaration if it finds that the project will not have that effect. CEQA also requires a lead agency to prepare a mitigated negative declaration for a project that may have a significant effect on the environment if revisions in the project would avoid or mitigate that effect and there is no substantial evidence that the project, as revised, would have a significant effect on the environment. CEQA exempts specified pipeline projects from the above requirements. This bill would additionally exempt a project for the installation of a new pipeline, not exceeding a specified length, for the distribution of recycled water within an improved public street, highway, or right-of-way. Because a lead agency, which may include a local agency, is required to determine whether a project qualifies for those exemptions, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program. (2) 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 requires the Department of Motor Vehicles to issue a driver's license, as applied for, to a person the department determines to be lawfully entitled to the license. Existing law prescribes various fee amounts that are to be paid to the department upon application for an original or renewal license or identification card. Existing law also requires an application for an original or renewal driver's license or identification card to contain a space for the applicant to enroll in the Donate Life California Organ and Tissue Donor Registry. This bill would require a person who enrolls in the Donate Life California Organ and Tissue Registry when submitting an application for an original or renewal driver's license or identification card to receive a discount on the application fee in an unspecified amount. The bill would require the department to work with several federal agencies, including the United States Department of Health and Human Services to secure appropriate federal funding to implement the discount requirement. The bill would make the provisions operative when the Director of Motor Vehicles certifies that the department has secured the necessary federal funding to implement the discount requirement.

Existing law, the Knox-Keene Health Care Service Plan Act of 1975 (Knox-Keene Act) , provides for the licensure and regulation of health care service plans by the Department of Managed Health Care and makes a willful violation of the act a crime. Existing law creates the Healthy Families Program, administered by the Managed Risk Medical Insurance Board, to arrange for the provision of health, dental, and vision benefits to eligible children pursuant to a federal program, the State Children's Health Insurance Program. Existing law provides for the Medi-Cal program, which is administered by the State Department of Health Care Services, under which qualified low-income individuals receive health care services. The Medi-Cal program is, in part, governed and funded by federal Medicaid Program provisions. Under existing law, one of the methods by which Medi-Cal is provided is pursuant to contracts with various types of managed care plans. Existing law provides for a schedule of benefits under the Medi-Cal program and provides for various services provided to children, including, among others, early and periodic screening, diagnosis, and treatment for any individual under 21 years of age. This bill would provide that an initial health assessment, as defined, and a forensic medical evaluation, as defined, shall be covered benefits under health care service plans licensed pursuant to the Knox-Keene Act, and would require these health care service plans, plans providing services under the Healthy Families Program, and Medi-Cal managed care plans, as defined, to make payments to providers for these services, as specified. This bill would authorize a county board of supervisors to, upon a motion made at the request of a local child welfare agency, excuse the plans specified above from the obligation to provide coverage of, or payment for, initial health assessments or forensic medical evaluations provided to children who are residents of that county if the county welfare agency has made sufficient alternative arrangements to ensure that the services are provided and that payment is made to providers for these services. Because a willful violation of the bill's provisions relative to health care service plans would be a crime, 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 a specified reason.

The Sales and Use Tax Law imposes a tax on retailers measured by the gross receipts from the sale of tangible personal property sold at retail in this state, or on the storage, use, or other consumption in this state of tangible personal property purchased from a retailer for storage, use, or other consumption in this state. This bill would exempt from those taxes the sale of, or the storage, use, or other consumption of, tangible personal property purchased by a qualified person for use primarily for the production of electrical energy from renewable sources, as specified, and qualified tangible personal property purchased for use by a contractor for specified purposes, as provided. The Bradley-Burns Uniform Local Sales and Use Tax Law authorizes counties and cities to impose local sales and use taxes in conformity with the Sales and Use Tax Law, and existing law authorizes districts, as specified, to impose transactions and use taxes in accordance with the Transactions and Use Tax Law, which conforms to the Sales and Use Tax Law. Exemptions from state sales and use taxes are incorporated into these laws. This bill would specify that this exemption does not apply to local sales and use taxes or to transactions and use taxes. This bill would take effect immediately as a tax levy.

Existing law authorizes an organization to apply to the department for participation in a special interest license program. This bill would make technical, nonsubstantive changes to that law.

Existing law authorizes the Department of Parks and Recreation to enter into an agreement with an agency of the United States, a city, county, district, or other public agency, or any combination thereof, for the care, maintenance, administration, and control of lands of the state park system. This bill would make a statement of legislative findings and declarations, including the intent of the Legislature to encourage the department to actively seek to negotiate operating agreements with local governments, who have the interest and capacity to assist the state in operating a state park, to minimize the number of state parks that could otherwise be subject to closure due to the budget challenges facing the state.

Existing law authorizes certain members of the Public Employees' Retirement System, the State Teachers' Retirement System, and county, city, and district retirement systems that have adopted specified provisions, to make additional contributions to the retirement system and receive up to 5 years of additional retirement service credit for time that does not qualify for public service, as specified. The bill would repeal the provisions that authorize these additional contributions and service credit, and would make related technical changes.

The Public Employees' Medical and Hospital Care Act (PEMHCA) permits a public employer authorized by the Board of Administration of the Public Employees' Retirement System to elect to participate in the prefunding of postemployment health care benefits and other postemployment benefits for annuitants. Under PEMHCA, the governing body of a participating employer is required to contract with the board regarding the terms and conditions of that employer's participation in the prefunding plan. PEMHCA establishes the Annuitants' Health Care Coverage Fund in the State Treasury, as a trust fund and a retirement fund, which is continuously appropriated to the board for expenditure for the prefunding of health care coverage for annuitants. This bill would require the board to determine the actuarially required contributions necessary to ensure that postemployment health care benefits provided under PEMHCA are fully funded. The bill would require an employee first hired on or after January 1, 2012, and his or her employer, to each pay 50% of those actuarially required contributions, to be deposited into the Annuitants' Health Care Coverage Fund. By creating a new source of revenue for deposit into a continuously appropriated fund, the bill would make an appropriation.