The Personal Income Tax Law allows various deductions in computing the income that is subject to the tax imposed by that law, including, in conformity with federal income tax law, a deduction for amounts paid, not to exceed $50 per month, by a taxpayer to maintain an individual, who is not a dependent or a relative, as a member of the taxpayer's household during the period that the individual is a full-time pupil or student in elementary or secondary grades at specified educational organizations. Existing law does not allow this deduction where the taxpayer receives compensation or reimbursement for maintaining the individual, as provided. This bill, for each taxable year beginning on and after January 1, 2020, and before January 1, 2025, would increase the authorized deduction, not to exceed $500 per month, for individuals described above whose permanent place of residence is not the United States and would allow the deduction to taxpayers who receive compensation or reimbursement for maintaining that individual. This bill would take effect immediately as a tax levy.
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Existing law authorizes the Department of the California Highway Patrol to operate vehicle inspection facilities and platform scales for the purpose of determining whether vehicles are safely loaded or that the height, width, length, or weight of those vehicles is lawful. Existing law requires every driver of a commercial vehicle to stop and submit the vehicle to an inspection of the size, weight, equipment, and smoke emissions of the vehicle at any location where members of the Department of the California Highway Patrol are conducting tests and inspections of commercial vehicles and when signs are displayed requiring the stop. Existing law provides that every driver who fails or refuses to stop and submit the commercial vehicle to an inspection when signs are displayed requiring that stop is guilty of a misdemeanor. This bill would require, if the department or other state or local agencies provide information to drivers, including signage, on the hours of operation of a commercial inspection facility or platform scale, or whether a facility or scale is open or closed, that the department or agency update that information as soon as it changes to enhance driver awareness of when they are required to stop, pursuant to the above-described provision.
The Optometry Practice Act provides for the licensure and regulation of the practice of optometry by the State Board of Optometry, which is within the Department of Consumer Affairs. Existing law requires various fees for purposes of the act, and requires those moneys to be deposited in the Optometry Fund. This bill would establish an endorsement fee of $50, and would authorize the board to increase the fee to not more than $100.
Existing law requires the California Transportation Commission and the Department of Transportation to plan, design, and construct a system of safety roadside rests on the state highway system outside of units of the state park system, and requires the department, in designing safety roadside rests, to design only those safety roadside rests that are reasonably economical and will provide the motorist a place where the motorist may stop for a short time during daytime and nighttime hours. This bill would require the Department of Transportation, in consultation with the Department of the California Highway Patrol, to conduct a study evaluating the capacity of the state to provide adequate parking and rest facilities for commercial vehicles engaged in transportation. The bill would require the study to assess the volume of commercial motor vehicle traffic in the state and to develop a system of metrics to measure the adequacy of commercial motor vehicle parking facilities in the state. The bill would require the department, on or before January 1, 2021, to prepare and submit a report of its findings based on the study to the appropriate policy and fiscal committees of the Legislature. The bill would repeal its provisions as of January 1, 2024. The bill would require the report to be posted on the department's internet website.
The Personal Income Tax Law excludes from the gross income of an employee amounts paid or incurred by an employer for educational assistance to the employee, as specified, up to $5,250 during a calendar year. This bill would also exclude from the gross income of an employee amounts, not exceeding an aggregate amount of $5,250 per calendar year, that are paid or incurred by an employer on and after January 1, 2019, and before January 1, 2024, for the payment of principal or interest on a qualified education loan, as defined, incurred by the employee. The bill would provide that, for taxable years beginning on or after January 1, 2019, and before January 1, 2024, the above-described exclusions shall not exceed an aggregate of amount $10,500 per calendar year per employee. This bill would take effect immediately as a tax levy.
Existing law establishes within the Department of Housing and Community Development the California Housing Finance Agency and provides that the primary purpose of the agency is to meet the housing needs of persons and families of low or moderate income. Existing law requires the California Housing Finance Agency administer the Roberti-Greene Home Purchase Assistance Program, to provide home purchase assistance to low- and moderate-income homebuyers to qualify for the purchase of owner-occupied homes. Existing law authorizes the agency, pursuant to specified objectives, to create its own home purchase assistance programs, home purchase assistance products, or both, on terms and conditions as the agency deems prudent. Existing law requires the agency to provide to the Legislature and the Legislative Analyst an annual report containing information concerning all units produced, assisted, or insured using agency funds. This bill would require the Legislative Analyst to conduct a study, and present the findings thereof to the Legislature, to inform the creation of a low-interest loan program for first responders. The bill would require the report to be submitted on or before January 1, 2024. The bill would require the report to include a recommendation as to which state department is best suited to administer the program, an estimation of the amount of funding that would be necessary to conduct the program, and recommendations for qualifications for participation in the program.
Existing law requires the Department of Justice to provide to the State Department of Social Services, the Medical Board of California, and the Osteopathic Medical Board of California, pursuant to state or federal law authorizing those departments to receive state or federal summary criminal history information, subsequent state or federal arrest or disposition notifications to assist in fulfilling employment, licensing, or certification duties, or the duties of approving relative caregivers, nonrelative extended family members, and resource families upon the arrest or disposition of any person whose fingerprints are maintained on file at the Department of Justice or the Federal Bureau of Investigation as the result of an application for licensing, employment, certification, or approval. This bill would require the Department of Justice to provide to the State Department of Social Services all conviction records that the Department of Justice receives for a person subject to the above provisions, as specified.
Existing law requires the Secretary of State and the Department of Motor Vehicles to establish the California New Motor Voter Program. Under the program, the Department of Motor Vehicles is required to provide to the Secretary of State specified information associated with each person who submits an application for a driver's license or identification card, and additionally to report to the Secretary of State that an applicant has attested that the applicant meets the voter preregistration requirements for a person who is at least 16 years of age and otherwise meets all voter eligibility requirements. The prescribed information submitted by the department to the Secretary of State constitutes a completed or submitted affidavit of registration, and the Secretary is required to register or preregister the person to vote, unless the person affirmatively declines to register to vote during a transaction with the department, the department does not represent to the Secretary of State that the person attested that the person meets all voter eligibility requirements, or the Secretary of State determines that the person is ineligible to vote. This bill would instead require a person to affirmatively agree to become registered or preregistered to vote during a transaction with the department before the Secretary registers or preregisters that person, and it would make other conforming changes.
Existing law establishes the In-Home Supportive Services (IHSS) program, administered by the State Department of Social Services and counties, under which qualified aged, blind, and disabled persons are provided with services in order to permit them to remain in their own homes. Existing law requires the county welfare department to assess each recipient's continuing monthly need for in-home supportive services at varying intervals as necessary, but at least once every 12 months, and requires the monthly needs assessment to be divided by 4.33 to establish a recipient's weekly authorized number of hours, subject to specified adjustments. Existing law requires that in-home supportive services and waiver personal care services be performed by providers within a workweek, as defined, that does not exceed 66 hours per week, as reduced by a specified net percentage, and specifies that there are bimonthly payroll periods. This bill would instead require the county welfare department to measure each recipient's continuing need for supportive services on a weekly basis for purposes of its required assessment of the recipient's continuing need, and would specify that a "payroll period" means 2 workweeks. The bill would make other technical, nonsubstantive changes.