Existing law requires that child care be provided in 3 stages to recipients of benefits under the California Work Opportunity and Responsibility to Kids (CalWORKs) program. The first stage of child care begins upon the entry of a person into the CalWORKs program. The 2nd stage of child care begins when a county determines that the work or approved work activity of the recipient is stable or when a recipient is making the transition off of aid and child care is available through a local stage 2 program. The 3rd stage of child care, which is administered by programs contracting with the State Department of Education, begins when a funded child care space becomes available for the child or children of the eligible CalWORKs recipient. This bill would reappropriate $60,000,000 in unobligated balances appropriated in the Budget Act of 2009 to the State Department of Education for CalWORKs Stage 3 child care services. The bill would also require the State Department of Education to use those funds for families that were receiving, or would have been eligible to receive, CalWORKs Stage 3 child care services, before, on, or after October 31, 2010. The bill would declare that it makes appropriations for the usual and current expenses of the state, thereby taking immediate effect.
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Existing law requires a health care service plan, that is not a health maintenance organization or is not a plan that enters exclusively into specialized health care service plan contracts, and a health insurer issuing policies on a groupwide basis, to offer acupuncture coverage under those terms and conditions as may be agreed upon by the parties. Existing law provides that a plan or insurer is not required to offer "that Coverage as" part of a contract or policy covering public employees. A willful violation of the laws regulating health care service plans is a crime. This bill would instead require every health care service plan, except a plan that enters exclusively into contracts that are accident-only, specified disease, hospital indemnity, Medicare supplement, or specialized health care service plan contracts, and every health insurer issuing policies on a groupwide basis, except for policies that are accident-only, specified disease, hospital indemnity, Medicare supplement, or specialized health insurance policies, to provide acupuncture coverage under those terms and conditions as may be agreed upon by the parties. Because a violation of this bill's requirements with respect to a health care service plan would be a crime, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program by creating a new crime. Existing law authorizing a disability insurance policy to provide payment for acupuncture services requires that the disability insurance policy or contract expressly include acupuncture as a benefit in order for a licensed or certified acupuncturist to be paid or reimbursed under the policy for his or her services. This bill would delete the requirement conditioning the payment and reimbursement of a certified or licensed acupuncturist, for his or her services, on the express inclusion of acupuncture as a benefit in a disability insurance policy or contract. This bill would also make technical and conforming changes. 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.
This bill would urge the United States Patent and Trademark Office to place a satellite office in California.
Existing law prohibits a state agency, political subdivision, municipal corporation, or district from drafting specifications for bids, in connection with the construction, alteration, or repair of public works, calling for a designated material, product, thing, or service by specific brand or trade name unless the specification is followed by the words "or equal" so that bidders may furnish any equal material, product, thing, or service. Existing law provides that, for a project for the repair or replacement of a roof of a public school or community college, a material, product, thing, or service shall be considered equal if it meets certain requirements, and requires specifications for any roof project to be designed to promote competition. This bill would extend those requirements imposed on public schools and community colleges for roof projects to state universities and facilities owned or operated by the state and would define "district or governmental body" for purposes of its provisions, to mean a school district, community college district, state university, or state agency. The bill would require, if a substitution is offered in a bid for a roof project, the district or governmental body to require a decision on whether the proposed substitution is "equal" to be made by an independent architect, engineer, or roofing consultant, who would be subject to specified disclosure requirements and civil penalties for failure to disclose, and these same requirements would be imposed on the materials manufacturer, contractor, or vendor, as specified. The bill would also require specifications for such a roof project to contain certain information regarding manufacturers, and would prohibit specifications for proprietary installation, products, or warranty from being included, unless specified conditions are met. The bill would authorize the State Allocation Board, the Office of Public School Construction, and the Department of General Services to provide educational programs, information, or online material on California bidding statutes to state government administrators. The bill would additionally require a district or governmental body to publish on its Internet Web site the specifications for a roof project, in accordance with certain criteria. By imposing new duties on local government agencies with respect to the publication of this material, 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.
This measure would designate that January 16, 2012, be observed as the official memorial of the late Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s birth, commemorate Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, the work of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and the Civil Rights Movement in changing public policy in California and in the United States of America.
Under existing law, no person is permitted to be present during the criminal sessions of the grand jury except the members and witnesses actually under examination, and certain other specified persons, including, among others, the district attorney, an interpreter, and the officer having custody of a prisoner witness while the prisoner is testifying. This bill would, until January 1, 2017, authorize any witness who is called to give testimony under oath before a civil grand jury to have counsel present on his or her behalf while he or she is testifying. The bill would impose restrictions on counsel in connection with the grand jury proceedings. The bill would provide that a violation of these provisions by counsel is a violation of the Rules of Professional Conduct.
Existing law provides for the licensure and regulation of health care service plans by the Department of Managed Health Care. A willful violation of these provisions is a crime. Existing law provides for the regulation of health insurers by the Department of Insurance. Existing law requires health care service plan contracts and health insurance policies to provide benefits for specified conditions, including certain mental health conditions. This bill, effective July 1, 2012, would require those health care service plan contracts and health insurance policies, except as specified, to provide coverage for behavioral health treatment, as defined, for pervasive developmental disorder or autism. The bill would provide, however, that no benefits are required to be provided that exceed the essential health benefits that will be required under specified federal law. Because a violation of these provisions with respect to health care service plans would be a crime, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. These provisions would be inoperative July 1, 2014, and repealed on January 1, 2015. The bill would require the Department of Managed Health Care, in conjunction with the Department of Insurance, to convene an Autism Advisory Task Force by February 1, 2012, to provide assistance to the department on topics related to behavioral health treatment and to develop recommendations relating to the education, training, and experience requirements to secure licensure from the state. The bill would require the department to submit a report of the Task Force to the Governor and specified members of the Legislature by December 31, 2012. Existing law establishes various communicable disease prevention and control programs. Existing law requires the State Department of Public Health to establish a list of reportable diseases and conditions and requires health care providers and laboratories to report cases of HIV infection to the local health officer using patient names and sets guidelines regarding these reports. Existing law requires the local health officers to report unduplicated HIV cases by name to the department. This bill would authorize the department to revise the HIV reporting form without the adoption of a regulation, as specified. Under the Bronzan-McCorquodale Act, the State Department of Mental Health administers the provision of funds to counties for community mental health services programs. Existing law also permits counties to receive, under certain circumstances, Medi-Cal reimbursement for mental health services. Under existing law, negotiated net amounts or rates are used as the cost of services in contracts between the state and the county and between the county and a subprovider of services. Existing law establishes the method for computing negotiated rates. Existing law prohibits the charges for the care and treatment of each patient receiving service from a county mental health program from exceeding the actual or negotiated cost of the services. This bill would only allow the use of negotiated net amounts as the cost of services in a contract between the state and a county and the county and a subprovider of services, and would eliminate the use of negotiated rates. The bill would also specify that the charges for the care and treatment of each patient receiving a service from a county mental health program shall not exceed the actual cost of the service. Existing law establishes the Medi-Cal program, administered by the State Department of Health Care Services, under which basic health care services are provided to qualified low-income persons. The Medi-Cal program is, in part, governed and funded by federal Medicaid provisions. Under existing law, the State Department of Health Care Services promulgates regulations for determining reimbursement of Short-Doyle mental health services allowable under the Medi-Cal program. Existing law requires the State Department of Mental Health and the State Department of Health Care Services to jointly develop a ratesetting methodology for use in the Short-Doyle Medi-Cal system that maximizes federal funding and utilizes, as much as practicable, federal Medicare reimbursement principles. Existing law requires that this ratesetting methodology contain incentives relating to economy and efficiency. The bill would delete the requirement that the ratesetting methodology in the Short-Doyle Medi-Cal system include incentives relating to economy and efficiency. 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 Superintendent of Public Instruction, with approval of the State Board of Education, to develop an Academic Performance Index (API) , as part of the Public School Performance Accountability Program, to measure the performance of schools, especially the academic performance of pupils. The API consists of a variety of indicators including specified achievement test scores, attendance rates, and graduation rates. Existing law requires the Superintendent, with approval of the state board, to develop an alternative accountability system for specified types of schools, including, among others, community day schools and continuation 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, until January 1, 2017, would require the Superintendent and the state board, as part of the alternative accountability system for schools, or any successor system, to allow no more than 10 dropout recovery high schools, as defined, to report the results of an individual pupil growth model that is proposed by the school and certified by the Superintendent pursuant to specified criteria instead of reporting other indicators.
(1) Existing law contains various provisions that define sex as including gender and define gender as including a person's gender identity and gender-related appearance and behavior whether or not stereotypically associated with the person's assigned sex at birth. This bill would make technical changes to those provisions by refining the definition of gender to also mean a person's gender identity and gender expression and would define gender expression as meaning a person's gender-related appearance and behavior whether or not stereotypically associated with the person's assigned sex at birth. The bill would also replace cross-references to definitions of gender with the referenced definitions refined in the same manner as specified above. (2) Existing law contains various provisions that require equal rights and opportunities in various aspects, including education, housing, and employment, regardless of gender and prohibits discrimination based on specified characteristics, including sex and gender. Existing law also includes various statements of legislative intent and the policies of the state regarding the equal treatment and equal rights of people regardless of certain enumerated characteristics, including sex and gender. Existing law authorizes the Fair Employment and Housing Commission and the Department of Fair Employment and Housing to perform certain functions to eliminate discrimination in employment and housing on the basis of sex. Existing law requires the county counsel to determine whether certain documents contain an unlawful restrictive covenant based on sex and other characteristics. In these provisions, sex and gender are defined in the same manner described above. This bill would make technical changes to those provisions by including gender, gender identity, and gender expression among the enumerated characteristics. The bill would make related conforming changes. (3) Existing law prohibits public schools, including charter schools, from discriminating on the basis of specified characteristics, including gender, and specifies various statements of legislative intent and the policies of the state in that regard. Existing law also prohibits discrimination based on specified characteristics by any postsecondary educational institution that receives, or benefits from, state financial assistance. This bill would additionally include gender identity and gender expression among those characteristics. (4) Existing law requires an employer to allow an employee to appear or dress consistently with the employee's gender identity. This bill would additionally require an employer to allow an employee to appear or dress consistently with the employee's gender expression. (5) Existing law requires a county recorder who provides a copy of a declaration, governing document, or deed to any person to place a cover page or stamp on the first page of the previously recorded document stating that if the document contains any restriction based on certain characteristics, including sex, that the restriction violates state and federal fair housing laws and is void, and may be removed. This bill would require the specified language in the cover page or stamp to include the characteristics of gender, gender identity, and gender expression. By requiring the county recorder to change the cover page or stamp, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program. (6) Existing law prohibits certain property insurance policies from being canceled or refused renewal, and prohibits any premium from being excessive or unfairly discriminatory, solely on the basis that one or more claims has been made against the policy during the preceding 60 months for a loss that is the result of a hate crime committed against the person or property of the insured. That provision defines "hate crime" as specified acts done to a person because of any enumerated characteristics of that person, including gender. This bill would additionally include gender expression and gender identity among those characteristics. (7) Existing law requires the Healthy Families Program to be administered without regard to gender, race, creed, color, sexual orientation, health status, disability, or occupation. This bill would additionally require that program to be administered without regard to gender, gender identity, or gender expression. (8) Existing law prohibits a personal relationship or personal connection from being deemed to exist between an employee who is injured or killed by a 3rd party in the course of the employee's employment and that 3rd party based only on a determination that the 3rd party injured or killed the employee solely because of the 3rd party's perception of the employee's race, religious creed, color, national origin, age, gender, disability, sex, or sexual orientation, for purposes of determining whether to grant or deny a workers' compensation claim. This bill would include among those characteristics gender, gender identity, and gender expression. (9) Existing law requires the parole authority upon the release of any person who has been imprisoned for any felony offense committed against someone due to the victim's actual or perceived gender, among other characteristics, to order the defendant to refrain from further acts of violence, threats, stalking, or harassment of the victim as a condition of parole, as specified. Existing law also requires the court in any case when a person is convicted of an offense against someone due to the victim's actual or perceived gender, among other characteristics, to make an order protecting the victim, or known immediate family or domestic partner of the victim. This bill would additionally require the parole authority and the court to make those orders when the offense was due to a victim's actual or perceived gender identity or gender expression. (10) This bill would incorporate changes made by AB 440 and SB 559 that would become operative if AB 440, SB 559, or both bills are enacted and this bill is enacted after AB 440, SB 559, or both bills. (11) 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, the General Corporation Law, authorizes and regulates the formation and governance of general corporations. The Nonprofit Corporation Law authorizes the formation and governance of nonprofit public benefit corporations, nonprofit mutual benefit corporations, and nonprofit religious corporations, and specifies the respective purposes for which those corporations may lawfully be formed. Existing law specifies the duties of corporate directors and the rights of shareholders. Existing law does not provide for the formation and governance of benefit corporations. This bill would authorize and regulate the formation and governance of a new form of corporate entity known as a benefit corporation. The bill would also permit an existing corporation to become a benefit corporation by amendment to its articles of incorporation, as specified, adopted by at least a minimum status vote, as defined, and would permit a corporation to become a benefit corporation through a merger, reorganization, or conversion, or domestic other business entity, as specified. This bill would define "benefit corporation" to mean a corporation that has been organized under the General Corporation Law and has elected to become subject to the provisions of the bill, as specified. The bill would provide that a benefit corporation may be formed for the purpose of creating general public benefit, defined as a material positive impact on society and the environment, taken as a whole, as assessed against a 3rd-party standard, as defined, that satisfies certain requirements. The bill would also provide that a benefit corporation may identify one or more specific public benefits, as defined, as an additional purpose of the corporation, including, without limitation, providing low-income or underserved individuals or communities with beneficial products or services, promoting economic opportunity for individuals or communities beyond the creation of jobs in the ordinary course of business, preserving the environment, and improving human health. This bill would require directors to consider the impacts of any action or proposed action upon specified considerations, including, among others, the shareholders and employees, and of customers who are beneficiaries of the general or specific public benefit purposes, and the environment, and would allow directors to consider the impacts of those actions on, among other things, the resources, intent, and conduct of any person seeking to acquire control of the benefit corporation. This bill would require the board of directors to prepare a specified statement relating to the public benefit purposes of the corporation. The bill would require the benefit corporation to prepare an annual benefit report to include, among other things, a statement indicating whether, in the board's opinion, the benefit corporation failed to pursue its general public benefit and any specific public benefit, a description of the ways in which the benefit corporation pursued those benefits, the extent to which those benefits were created, and the process and rationale for selecting the 3rd-party standard used to prepare the benefit reports, and would require the benefit corporation to file with the Secretary of State a copy of the benefit report together with a filing fee in a specified amount to cover the reasonable regulatory costs associated with maintaining those filings. This bill would include provisions governing the fiduciary duty and liability of an officer or director of a benefit corporation. The bill would provide that the duties of a director or officer, and the general, and any specific, public benefit purpose of a benefit corporation, may be enforced only in a benefit enforcement proceeding, as defined, that would be permitted to be commenced or maintained only as specified.