Asm. Bonnie Lowenthal

The Personal Income Tax Law and the Corporation Tax Law, in modified conformity to federal income tax laws, allow a charitable contribution deduction in computing tax liability. This bill would, for a cash contribution made after January 11, 2010, and before March 1, 2010, for the relief of victims in areas affected by the earthquake in Haiti on January 12, 2010, authorize taxpayers to treat that contribution as if it were made on December 31, 2009, and not in 2010. This bill would take effect immediately as a tax levy.

Existing law requires the Department of Personnel Administration to establish and adjust salary ranges for each class of position in the state civil service, subject to specified merit limits and except as specified. Existing law requires the salary range to be based on the principle that like salaries shall be paid for comparable duties and responsibilities. Existing law allows the state to enter into memoranda of understanding relating to employer-employee relations with employee organizations representing certain state employees. This bill would, until January 1, 2013, prohibit a person employed by the state whose base salary on or after the effective date of the bill is greater than $150,000 per year from receiving a salary increase while employed in the same position or classification. The bill would exempt from this prohibition a person whose compensation is governed by an operative memorandum of understanding, as described above, a person who has been exempted by Executive order of the Governor, as specified, and a person whose salary is set pursuant to the California Constitution. The bill would make related legislative findings and declarations regarding the state budget deficit. The California Constitution authorizes the Governor to declare a fiscal emergency and to call the Legislature into special session for that purpose. The Governor issued a proclamation declaring a fiscal emergency, and calling a special session for this purpose, on January 8, 2010. This bill would state that it addresses the fiscal emergency declared by the Governor by proclamation issued on January 8, 2010, pursuant to the California Constitution.

This measure would recognize the month of February 2010 as American Heart Month in California, would recognize February 4, 2010, as Wear Red Day in California, and would urge public support for Go Red for Women events.

This measure would proclaim January 13, 2010, as Korean-American Day.

Existing law establishes various programs relating to perinatal health, including a comprehensive perinatal outreach program targeting the health effects of drugs and alcohol, the development of regionalized perinatal health systems, and the development of a model needs assessment protocol for pregnant and postpartum substance abusing women. This bill would permit the State Department of Public Health, in conjunction with the State Department of Mental Health, to establish a task force, as prescribed, to develop recommendations and educational materials for the department's perinatal health programs. This bill would permit the State Department of Public Health to use nonpublic contributions to carry out the purposes of this bill. This bill would, if the department creates the task force, create the California Perinatal Mood and Anxiety Disorders Awareness Fund and permit voluntary contributions to be deposited into the fund. This bill would continuously appropriate the money in the fund to the department to carry out the purposes of this bill.

The federal Workforce Investment Act of 1998 provides for workforce investment activities, including activities in which states may participate. Existing law contains various programs for job training and employment investment, including work incentive and employment training outreach programs. Existing law, the California Workforce Investment Act, declares that it is the intent of the Legislature to deliver comprehensive workforce services to jobseekers, students, and employers through a system of one-stop career centers to, among other things, make job outreach, intake, job search and placement assistance, and other related services available in one location. Existing law provides for the payment of unemployment compensation benefits to eligible unemployed persons during the period that the person is unemployed, and requires the Employment Development Department to implement and administer the unemployment compensation program. This bill would require the department to ensure that information is posted or otherwise made available at all state one-stop career centers regarding any jobs that have been or will be created in this state as a result of economic stimulus funding provided to the state pursuant to the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, or from the proceeds from the sale of state General Fund infrastructure bonds.

Existing law, the Highway Safety, Traffic Reduction, Air Quality, and Port Security Bond Act of 2006, approved by the voters as Proposition 1B at the November 7, 2006, general election, authorizes the issuance of general obligation bonds for various transportation-related purposes, including reducing emissions and improving air quality in trade corridors. The State Air Resources Board is required to allocate the funds to be used for air quality purposes pursuant to specified requirements. This bill would require that priority be given to projects that secure other supplemental funding in an amount that is above a percentage requirement required by existing law, as provided.

Existing law proscribes various crimes committed against an elder or dependent adult when the person knows or reasonably should know that the victim is an elder or dependent adult related to physical abuse, including causing or permitting an elder or dependent adult to suffer or inflicting thereon unjustifiable physical pain or mental suffering and violating. This bill would delete the language requiring that the person either know or reasonably should know that the victim was an elder or dependent adult from the definitions of those crimes. The bill would also expand those crimes to include willfully causing or permitting an elder or dependent adult to sustain any wound or physical or psychological injury. Because this bill would expand the definitions of 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 a specified reason.

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. Existing law allows the department to contract with one or more prepaid health plans in order to provide Medi-Cal benefits. Existing law allows the Director of Health Care Services to contract with any qualified individual, organization, or entity, including counties, to provide services to, or arrange for or case manage the care of, Medi-Cal beneficiaries. This bill would establish the Medi-Cal Managed Care Pilot Program. Under this program, until July 31, 2016, and subject to the receipt of any necessary federal waivers, the department would be required to provide all seniors and persons with disabilities in the Counties of Riverside and San Bernardino who are not expressly excluded from enrollment with the ability to enroll in a Medi-Cal managed care health plan. The bill would require the department, by July 1, 2010, to complete an implementation plan containing specified elements and prepared in consultation with a health care stakeholder advisory committee, which this bill would require the department to convene in accordance with specified criteria, and to take certain other actions relating to the development of the pilot program. The bill would impose various requirements on managed care plans participating in the program. The bill would require the department to seek federal approval for the program, and to conduct, and, by March 1, 2014, report to the Legislature the results of, an evaluation of the program.