Asm. Randy Voepel

Existing law requires an applicant for the renewal of a driver's license to pay to the Department of Motor Vehicles a fee of $30 for that renewal. Existing regulations provide for the annual increase of that fee based on the Consumer Price Index. This bill would, until January 1, 2026, waive the renewal fee for applicants who have reached the age of 65 years on the date of application and are seeking a noncommercial license.

Existing law requires each pupil completing grade 12 to satisfy certain requirements as a condition of receiving a diploma of graduation from high school. These requirements include the completion of designated coursework in grades 9 to 12, inclusive, including completion of a one-semester course in economics. This bill would require the State Department of Education to implement, commencing with the 2022–23 school year, a financial literacy pilot program. The bill, under the pilot program, would authorize a school district or charter school to voluntarily incorporate a financial literacy program into a course, for pupils in grade 11 or 12, offered by the local educational agency. The bill would require the department to submit a report with findings on the pilot program to the Legislature on or before January 1, 2026. This bill would make these provisions inoperative on June 30, 2026, and would repeal it as of January 1, 2028.

Existing law requires the State Department of Health Care Services to perform various health functions, including providing breast and cervical cancer screening and treatment for low-income individuals. This bill would additionally require the department to post on its internet website information and resources on ovarian and cervical cancer, and on the importance of screening for those cancers. The bill would require the information posted to be available in English and in the top 15 languages spoken by limited-English-proficient individuals in California, as determined by the department.

Existing law provides for unemployment compensation benefits to eligible persons who are unemployed through no fault of their own. These provisions are generally administered by the Employment Development Department. Existing law requires unemployment compensation benefits that are directly deposited to an account of the recipient's choice to be deposited to a qualifying account. Existing law defines "qualifying account" for these purposes to mean a demand deposit or savings account at an insured financial institution in the name of the person entitled to receipt of public assistance payments or a prepaid card account that meets certain requirements, including that the prepaid card account may not be attached to any credit or overdraft feature that is automatically repaid from the account after delivery of the payment. This bill would, by July 1, 2021, provide that the recipient of the unemployment compensation benefits has the right to choose whether the benefits payments are directly deposited into a qualifying account or applied to a prepaid debit card. This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.

Existing law, with certain exceptions, establishes 8 hours as a day's work and a 40-hour workweek, and requires payment of prescribed overtime compensation for additional hours worked. Existing law authorizes the adoption by 23 of employees in a work unit of alternative workweek schedules providing for workdays no longer than 10 hours within a 40-hour workweek. This bill would enact the Workplace Flexibility Act of 2021. The bill would permit an individual nonexempt employee to request an employee-selected flexible work schedule providing for workdays up to 10 hours per day within a 40-hour workweek, and would allow an employer to implement this schedule without the obligation to pay overtime compensation for those additional hours in a workday, except as specified. The bill would require that the flexible work schedule contain specified information and the employer's and the employee's original signature. The bill would also require the Division of Labor Standards Enforcement in the Department of Industrial Relations to enforce this provision and adopt regulations.

Existing law requires the California Department of Aging to establish a task force of certain members to study and make recommendations to the Legislature on the improvement of legal services delivery to senior citizens in California by exploring specified matters, including ways to ensure uniformity in the provision of legal services throughout the state and the possible establishment of a statewide legal hotline for seniors. Existing law requires the task force to report and make its recommendations to the Legislature on or before September 1, 2002. This bill would require the department to establish a similar task force to assess the implementation of the recommendations made pursuant to the above-mentioned provisions, make additional recommendations by exploring the same matters explored by the initial task force, and to report the assessment and make its recommendations to the Legislature on or before September 1, 2023.

Existing law, the Personal Income Tax Law and Corporation Tax Law, in modified conformity with federal income tax laws, generally allow various deductions in computing the income that is subject to taxes imposed by those laws, including a deduction for a net operating loss as specified. Existing law suspends the deduction for a net operating loss, as specified, for taxable years beginning on or after January 1, 2020, and before January 1, 2023. The Personal Income Tax Law and Corporation Tax Law generally authorize various credits against the taxes imposed by those laws. Existing law provides that, except as specified, the total credits allowable under those laws may not reduce the taxes imposed by those laws by more than $5,000,000, as provided, for taxable years beginning on or after January 1, 2020, and before January 1, 2023. This bill, the Golden State Innovation Act of 2021, would, for taxable years beginning on or after January 1, 2021, and before January 1, 2023, exclude a taxpayer that performs research and development in biotechnology, as described, from the above-described suspension of the deduction for net operating losses and the above-described limitation on the total credits allowable. Existing law requires any bill authorizing a new tax expenditure to contain, among other things, specific goals, purposes, and objectives that the tax expenditure will achieve, detailed performance indicators, and data collection requirements. The bill also would include additional information required for any bill authorizing a new tax expenditure. This bill would take effect immediately as a tax levy.

Existing law, the California Suicide Prevention Act of 2000, allows the State Department of Health Care Services, contingent upon appropriation, to establish and implement a suicide prevention, education, and gatekeeper training program to reduce the severity, duration, and incidence of suicidal behaviors. Existing law authorizes the State Department of Public Health to establish the Office of Suicide Prevention to, among other things, convene experts and stakeholders, including, but not limited to, stakeholders representing populations with high rates of suicide, to encourage collaboration and coordination of resources for suicide prevention. This bill would require the department to establish an Ending Military Suicide Task Force to systematically reduce military suicides and to develop a plan to eliminate all military suicides in the state, as specified. Commencing June 1, 2023, the bill would require the task force to submit a specified report to the Governor and the Legislature on the state of veteran suicide prevention, as specified, including, among other things, an analysis of the plans, activities, strategies, and programs undertaken pursuant to the task force's recommendations and their effects on reducing military suicides in the state.

The California Residential Care Facilities for the Elderly Act (act) requires the State Department of Social Services to license, inspect, and regulate residential care facilities for the elderly and imposes criminal penalties on a person who violates the act or who willfully or repeatedly violates any rule or regulation adopted under the act. The act enumerates specific rights and liberties for residents that are to be posted inside the facility and personally provided to each resident. These rights include, among others, being granted a reasonable level of personal privacy in accommodations, medical treatment, personal care and assistance, visits, communications, telephone conversations, use of the internet, and meetings of resident and family groups. This bill would enact the Electronic Monitoring in Residential Care Facilities for the Elderly Act to authorize the use of electronic monitoring devices either inside a resident's room by a resident or in certain areas of a facility by the facility under specified conditions. For the use of a personal electronic monitoring device inside a resident's room by a resident, the bill would require, among other things, the resident or the resident's representative, as defined, to provide the facility with a completed notification and consent form, as specified, that includes the consent of the resident's roommate, if any. The bill would also require the resident or the resident's representative to post a sign at the entrance to the resident's room stating that the room is monitored electronically. For the use of a facility electronic monitoring device, the bill would require the facility to, among other things, post signage at all entrances and exits that provides notice of electronic monitoring, archive the electronic monitoring digital data for 365 days, and provide the department access to the data upon 24 hours' notice. By expanding the duties of licensed facilities under the act with regard to authorizing residents and facilities to conduct electronic monitoring under these conditions, the bill would expand an existing crime, thereby imposing a state-mandated local program. The bill would make it a misdemeanor to knowingly hamper, obstruct, tamper with, or destroy a personal electronic monitoring device or a facility electronic monitoring device or the recordings made therefrom, except as provided. The bill would make it a felony to knowingly hamper, obstruct, tamper with, or destroy a personal electronic monitoring device or a facility electronic monitoring device or the recordings made therefrom in the commission of, or in the attempt to conceal the commission of, a felony. By creating new 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 prohibits provisions of the memorandum of understanding between the state employer and a recognized employee organization that require the expenditure of funds from becoming effective unless approved by the Legislature in the annual Budget Act. Existing law requires that any side letter, appendix, or other addendum to a ratified memorandum of understanding that requires the expenditure of $250,000 or more related to salary and benefits and that is not already contained in the original memorandum of understanding or the Budget Act be provided by the Department of Human Resources to the Joint Legislative Budget Committee. Existing law requires the Joint Legislative Budget Committee to determine if that side letter, appendix, or other addendum presents substantial additions that are not reasonably within the parameters of the original memorandum of understanding and requires ratification by legislative action. This bill would remove the requirement that the side letter, appendix, or other addendum requires the expenditure of $250,000 or more related to salary and benefits in connection with the provisions described above.