This measure would call upon all Californians to observe César Chávez's birthday, March 31, as a day of public service, to recognize the hard work and self-sacrifice that farmworkers go through to feed all the families in our state, and to learn from César Chávez's life and his mission of nonviolence, social justice, and selfless service to others.
Existing law, the Stop Tobacco Access to Kids Enforcement (STAKE) Act, among other things, prohibits any person from distributing or selling tobacco products via the United States Postal Service, or any other public or private postal or package delivery service, to any purchaser who is a minor. The STAKE Act also requires a specified distributor or seller, among other things, to verify that a purchaser of tobacco products is 18 years of age or older, and to telephone the purchaser after 5 p.m. to confirm the order prior to shipping the tobacco products. Existing law makes it unlawful for a person to sell or otherwise furnish an electronic cigarette, as defined, to a person under 18 years of age and makes a violation punishable as an infraction, as specified. This bill would prohibit a delivery seller, as defined, from selling, delivering, or causing to be delivered an electronic cigarette to a person under 18 years of age. The bill would require the delivery seller to use a method of mailing or shipping that has specified requirements, including the requirement that the person delivering the electronic cigarette not deliver the electronic cigarette without first obtaining the full name, birth date, and residential address of the person signing for the delivery of the electronic cigarette and verifying that information, as specified. The bill would make a violation of these provisions an infraction, punishable as specified. By creating a new 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 Community Redevelopment Law authorizes the establishment of redevelopment agencies in communities to address the effects of blight, as defined. Existing law dissolved redevelopment agencies and community development agencies, as of February 1, 2012, and provides for the designation of successor agencies. Existing law provides for various economic development programs that foster community sustainability and community and economic development initiatives throughout the state. This bill would authorize certain public entities of a community revitalization and investment area, as described, to form a community revitalization plan within a community revitalization and investment authority (authority) to carry out the Community Redevelopment Law in a specified manner. The bill would require the authority to adopt a community revitalization plan for a community revitalization and investment area and authorize the authority to include in that plan a provision for the receipt of tax increment funds.
Under existing law, the State Department of Social Services regulates the licensure and operation of community care facilities, residential care facilities for the elderly, child day care centers, and family day care homes. Existing law requires that these facilities be subject to unannounced visits by the department that occur at least once every 5 years. Existing law requires the department to conduct an annual unannounced visit under specified circumstances, including when a license is on probation, and to conduct annual unannounced visits to no less than 20% of the facilities not subject to an evaluation under those specified circumstances. This bill would instead make every facility of the types described above subject to an annual unannounced visit by the department on and after July 1, 2017. The bill would revise the provisions requiring the department to conduct annual unannounced visits to no less than 20% of the facilities by instead requiring the department to conduct annual unannounced visits to no less than 30% of facilities on or before July 1, 2015, and no less than 20% of those facilities on or before July 1, 2016. The bill would also delete the provisions requiring an unannounced visit at least once every 5 years. Existing law requires the department to immediately request a fire clearance and notify an applicant to arrange a time for the department to conduct a prelicensure survey if an application for initial licensure is complete. This bill would provide that the prelicensure survey is optional at the discretion of the department if the department determines that an application is for licensure of a currently licensed facility for which there will be no material change to the management or operations of the facility.
Existing state and federal law regulates the provision of credit and the use of credit cards. The Song-Beverly Credit Card Act of 1971 generally prohibits a person, firm, partnership, association, or corporation that accepts credit cards for the transaction of business from requesting or requiring the cardholder to provide personal identification information, which is then recorded, as a condition to accepting the credit card as payment in full or in part for goods or services, but provides various exceptions to this prohibition. Under existing law, a person who violates the above provisions is subject to specified civil penalties, an action for injunctive relief, or both. This bill would extend the above restrictions regarding the collection of personal identification information to debit cards. The bill would define "debit card" and related terms for these purposes, and would make conforming changes. The bill would permit the collection of personal identification information if the credit card or debit card is being used as part of a layaway transaction. The bill would permit a person, firm, partnership, association, or corporation, including the operator of a commercial Internet Web site or online service, accepting the credit card or debit card in a business transaction to collect personal identification information, as defined, if used for the detection, investigation, or prevention of fraud, theft, identity theft, criminal activity, or enforcement of terms of sale. The bill would also permit the collection of personal identification information if the cardholder is advised, or if it is apparent, that the provision of personal identification information is not a condition to accepting the credit card or debit card as payment in full or in part for goods or services and the cardholder has consented to the collection of the personal identification information. Existing law prohibits a person, firm, partnership, association, corporation, or limited liability company that accepts credit or debit cards for the transaction of business from printing more than the last 5 digits of an individual's credit card or debit card number, or the expiration date, on a transaction receipt, as specified. This bill would revise the above provisions to remove specific references to printed receipts, and would make other conforming changes.
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. Existing law requires the department to exercise its option under federal law to implement a program for aged and disabled persons, as described. Existing law provides that an individual under these provisions shall satisfy certain financial eligibility requirements, including, among other things, that his or her countable income does not exceed an income standard equal to 100% of the applicable federal poverty level, plus an income disregard of $230 for an individual, or $310 in the case of a couple, except that the income standard determined may not be less than SSI/SSP payment level for a disabled individual or couple, as applicable. This bill would increase those income disregard amounts to $369 for an individual, or $498 in the case of a couple, and require that the income disregards be adjusted annually. The bill would provide, however, that the income standard determined may not be less than the SSI/SSP payment level the individual or couple, as applicable, receives or would receive as a disabled or blind individual or couple. Because counties are required to make Medi-Cal eligibility determinations and this bill would expand Medi-Cal eligibility, 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, 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.
The Personal Income Tax Law, in modified conformity with federal income tax laws, allows various deductions in computing the income that is subject to the taxes imposed by that law, including miscellaneous itemized deductions that are allowed only to the extent that the aggregate amount of those deductions exceed 2% of adjusted gross income. This bill, for taxable years beginning on or after January 1, 2015, and before January 1, 2020, would allow a deduction, not to exceed $100, under that law for the qualified costs paid or incurred by a taxpayer for the adoption of a pet from a qualified animal rescue organization. This bill would take effect immediately as a tax levy.
Existing federal law provides for allocation of federal funds through the federal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) block grant program to eligible states. Existing law provides for the California Work Opportunity and Responsibility to Kids (CalWORKs) program for the allocation of federal funds received through the TANF program, under which each county provides cash assistance and other benefits to qualified low-income families. Under existing law, for purposes of determining a family's maximum aid payment under the CalWORKs program, the number of needy persons in the same family is not increased for any child born into a family that has received aid under the CalWORKs program continuously for the 10 months prior to the birth of the child, with specified exceptions. This bill would repeal that exclusion for purposes of determining the family's maximum aid payment and would expressly prohibit the denial of aid or denial of an increase in the maximum aid payment if a child on whose behalf aid, or an increase in aid, is being requested was born into an applicant's or recipient's family while the applicant's or recipient's family was receiving aid under the CalWORKs program. The bill would specify that an applicant or recipient is not entitled to an increased benefit payment for months prior to January 1, 2014, as a result of the repeal of that exclusion or the enactment of that express prohibition. The bill would also prohibit the department from conditioning an applicant or recipient's eligibility for aid on the applicant or recipient's disclosure of specified information regarding rape, incest, or contraception, as specified. The bill would make related findings and declarations. Existing law continuously appropriates moneys from the General Fund to defray a portion of county aid grant costs under the CalWORKs program. This bill would declare that no appropriation would be made for purposes of the bill. To the extent that this bill affects eligibility under the CalWORKs program, the bill would create 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.
(1) Existing law, the Local Health Care District Law, requires a health care district that leases or transfers its assets to a corporation in accordance with specified provisions to act as an advocate for the community to the operating corporation and to annually report to the community on the progress made in meeting the community's health needs. This bill would, in addition, require that the health care district conduct an assessment, every 5 years, of the community's health needs and provide opportunities for public input. Commencing January 1, 2019, the bill would require the annual reports to address the progress made in meeting the community's health needs in the context of the assessment. (2) Existing law, the Cortese-Knox-Hertzberg Local Government Reorganization Act of 2000, sets forth the powers and duties of a local agency formation commission, including, among others, the power to initiate proposals by resolution of application for the consolidation of a district, the dissolution of a district, a merger, the establishment of a subsidiary district, the formation of a new district or districts, and a specified reorganization. Existing law requires the commission, in order to prepare and to update spheres of influence, to conduct a service review of the municipal services provided in the county or other appropriate area designated by the commission. The law requires the commission, among other things, to prepare a written statement of its determinations with respect to specified items, including, but not limited to, growth and population projections for the area and present and planned capacity of public facilities. This bill would require that, in the case of a health care district established pursuant to the Local Health Care District Law, the written statement also address any community health needs assessment developed pursuant to the provisions described in (1) above. (3) By requiring that local agencies comply with these requirements, 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 requires the Department of Water Resources to update, every 5 years, the plan for the orderly and coordinated control, protection, conservation, development, and use of the water resources of the state, which is known as The California Water Plan. Existing law requires the department to include a discussion of various strategies in the plan, including, but not limited to, strategies relating to the development of new water storage facilities, water conservation, water recycling, desalination, conjunctive use, water transfers, and alternative pricing policies that may be pursued in order to meet the future needs of the state. This bill would require the department to partner with the Regional Water Authority, water suppliers in El Dorado, Placer, Sacramento, and Placer counties, and other interested agencies to develop a plan for investing in water supplies and other facilities in order to contribute to the reliability of water supplies for the Sacramento region's communities and environmental resources while also generating statewide benefits. The bill would require the plan to address certain matters, and would require the department to submit the plan to the Legislature on or before January 1, 2017. To the extent this bill would impose new duties on local officials, it 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.
