Existing law requires the Department of Justice to collect data from specified local law enforcement agencies and to make available on the department's OpenJustice Web portal information relating to criminal statistics. Existing law requires those law enforcement agencies to install and maintain records needed for the correct reporting of statistical data and to report the data to the Attorney General in the manner the Attorney General prescribes. This bill would require the department to include in the information made available on the OpenJustice Web portal information concerning arrests for human trafficking and the number of individuals who have been a victim of human trafficking as reported through the California Incident-Based Reporting System. Because the bill would require local law enforcement agencies to collect and report additional information to the Attorney General, 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 the statutory provisions noted above.
Sponsored bills
Existing law, the State Bar Act, provides for the licensure and regulation of attorneys by the State Bar of California, a public corporation governed by a board of trustees. Existing law authorizes the State Bar to establish an examining committee, also known as the Committee of Bar Examiners, with powers that include examining all applicants for admission to practice law. Existing law, the Bagley-Keene Open Meeting Act, generally requires all meetings of a state body to be open and public. The State Bar Act makes the State Bar subject to the Bagley-Keene Open Meeting Act, with specified exceptions. The Bagley-Keene Open Meeting Act authorizes a state body that is an advisory board, advisory commission, advisory committee, advisory subcommittee, or similar multimember advisory body to hold an open meeting by teleconference if certain requirements are satisfied. This bill would specify that the Committee of Bar Examiners shall not be considered an advisory board, advisory commission, advisory committee, advisory subcommittee, or similar multimember advisory body for purposes of those provisions. Existing law prohibits the Committee of Bar Examiners from altering the bar examination in a manner that requires the substantial modification of the training or preparation required for passage of the examination, except after giving 2 years' notice of that change, and requires the committee to communicate and cooperate with the Law School Council. This bill would prohibit the Committee of Bar Examiners from changing the vendor or creator of the multiple choice questions except after giving 18 months' notice, except as specified, and would prohibit the Committee of Bar Examiners from authorizing a remote administration of the bar examination except after giving 2 years' notice. The bill would require 120 days' notice for specified alterations of the bar examination, including changes to the medium in which testing materials are provided. The bill would require the Committee of Bar Examiners to communicate and cooperate with the Law School Council and their deans, or their designees, of law schools accredited by the American Bar Association or the committee. The bill would require the Committee of Bar Examiners to give notice if artificial intelligence is used in creating questions for or grading the bar examination. The bill would authorize the use of scaling on the bar examination, as specified. Existing law, until January 1, 2026, requires the board of trustees of the State Bar to fix the annual license fee for active licensees for 2025 at a sum not exceeding $400, and, for the annual license fee for inactive licensees for 2025, a sum not exceeding $100. This bill, until January 1, 2027, would require the board to fix the annual license fee for active licensees for 2026 at a sum not exceeding $400, and the annual license fee for inactive licensees at a sum not exceeding $100. Existing law requires certain revenue received from specified noninsurance and insurance affinity programs offered to licensees of the State Bar to go to the California Lawyers Association or an affiliated 501(c) (3) organization to support their respective diversity, equity and inclusion, access to justice, and civil engagement efforts. Existing law prohibits the California Lawyers Association from creating, operating, participating in, or soliciting its members for any affinity or royalty program involving similar insurance or noninsurance products or services with a percentage or share of costs being distributed to the California Lawyers Association. This bill would require the California Lawyers Association or the affiliated 501(c) (3) organization to submit an annual report to the Legislature detailing their use of funds and a statement of compliance with the prohibition on creating, operating, or soliciting members for affinity or royalty programs involving similar products or services. Existing law prohibits a person who is not an attorney to literally translate from English into another language any words or titles that imply that the person is an attorney, and subjects the person to, among other things, a civil penalty payable to the State Bar. Existing law requires the State Bar to annually report the collection and expenditure of those funds for the preceding calendar year to the Assembly and Senate Committees on Judiciary. This bill would instead require the State Bar to annually report the collection and expenditure of those funds for the preceding fiscal year. Existing law requires the State Bar to create a program to certify alternative resolution firms, providers, or practitioners. Existing law requires the program to include different levels or tiers of certification of alternative dispute resolution firms, providers, or practitioners. Existing law requires the higher levels or tiers to be awarded to firms, providers, or practitioners that demonstrate a higher level of commitment to accountability and consumer protection based on criteria developed by the State Bar, and requires the levels or tiers to reference only specified standards of conduct. This bill would instead require higher levels or tiers to be awarded to firms, providers, or practitioners that demonstrate a high level of commitment to accountability and consumer protection based on criteria or other standards, including additional education or training, adopted by the State Bar, and would delete the provision requiring the levels or tiers to reference only specified standards of conduct. This bill would also delete obsolete provisions, update cross-references, and make other technical changes in various provisions of the act, including deleting a provision prohibiting inactive licensees from voting or holding office on the board.
Existing law requires the State Air Resources Board to adopt and implement motor vehicle fuel specifications for the control of air contaminants and sources of air pollution. Existing law prohibits the state board from adopting any regulation that establishes a specification for motor vehicle fuel unless that regulation, and a multimedia evaluation conducted by affected agencies and coordinated by the state board, are reviewed by the California Environmental Policy Council. This bill would, notwithstanding that prohibition, authorize blends of gasoline containing 10.5% to 15% ethanol by volume to be sold in the state for use as a transportation fuel until (1) the California Environmental Policy Council completes its review of those blends and (2) the state board either adopts a regulation establishing a specification for those blends or posts an assessment on its internet website demonstrating that it is not possible for a regulation establishing a specification for those blends to meet specified requirements. This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.
The California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) requires a lead agency, as defined, to prepare, or cause to be prepared, and certify the completion of an environmental impact report on a project that it proposes to carry out or approve that may have a significant effect on the environment or to adopt a negative declaration if it finds that the project will not have that effect. CEQA also requires a lead agency to prepare a mitigated negative declaration for a project that may have a significant effect on the environment if revisions in the project would avoid or mitigate that effect and there is no substantial evidence that the project, as revised, would have a significant effect on the environment. CEQA exempts from its requirements various projects, including, but not limited to, housing projects that meet certain requirements and activities and approvals related to certain prison facilities. This bill would exempt from the requirements of CEQA any activity or approval necessary for the completion of the Gypsum Canyon Veterans Cemetery in the County of Orange if specified conditions are met. To the extent that a local agency would be required to determine whether an activity or approval qualifies for this exemption, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. The bill would repeal this provision on January 1, 2030. This bill would make legislative findings and declarations as to the necessity of a special statute for the Gypsum Canyon Veterans Cemetery in the County of Orange. 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 declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.
Existing law, the legislative code of ethics, prohibits Members of the Legislature and legislative employees from having financial conflicts of interest and engaging in activities that are in substantial conflict with their official duties. This bill would prohibit Members of the Legislature from entering into, or requesting that another party enter into, a nondisclosure agreement relating to the drafting, negotiation, or discussion of proposed legislation. The bill would also make any nondisclosure agreement relating to the drafting, negotiation, or discussion of proposed legislation entered into after the effective date of this bill void and unenforceable. The bill would provide an exception for nondisclosure agreements, or portions thereof, that prevent only the disclosure of trade secrets, financial information, or proprietary information, as specified. A violation of the legislative code of ethics is punishable as a crime, as specified. By creating a new crime under the act, 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 no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason.
Under existing law, the State Department of Health Care Services is responsible for administering prevention, treatment, and recovery services for alcohol and drug abuse. Existing law also provides for the certification and regulation of adult alcoholism or drug abuse recovery and treatment programs by the department and authorizes the department to enforce those provisions. Existing law requires the department's death investigation policy to be designed to ensure that a resident's death is addressed and investigated by the department in a timely manner, and requires specified procedures if a death occurs in a licensed facility, including requiring a written report related to the death that includes a description of the followup action that is planned to prevent a future death. Existing law requires that report to be submitted to the department within 7 calendar days of the event or incident. This bill, John's Law, would additionally require a facility to submit to the department, within 30 days of the initial incident, any relevant information that was not known at the time of the initial incident. If the department identifies any violations of specified licensing provisions during its investigation of a resident's death, the bill would require the department to issue a written notice of deficiency to the facility. The bill would authorize the department to implement, interpret, or make specific these provisions through the use of all-county letters, provider bulletins, or similar instructions without taking any further regulatory action.
The State Bar Act provides for the licensure and regulation of attorneys by the State Bar of California, a public corporation governed by a board of trustees. Existing law authorizes the board of trustees to establish an examining committee, also known as the Committee of Bar Examiners, and requires an applicant for a license to practice law to pass the general bar examination, known as the California bar examination, given by the examining committee. Existing law prohibits the examining committee from altering the bar examination in a manner that requires the substantial modification of the training or preparation required for passage of the examination, except after giving 2 years' notice of that change. This bill would require the Committee of Bar Examiners to provide a report to the board of trustees, the Chief Justice of the California Supreme Court, and to the Assembly and Senate Committees on Judiciary on whether adopting a uniform bar examination would be more efficient to administer and lower the cost of administration for the State Bar and examinees. The bill would repeal those provisions on January 1, 2030.
Existing law establishes the Aid to Families with Dependent Children-Foster Care (AFDC-FC) program, under which counties provide payments to foster care providers on behalf of qualified children in foster care. Existing law establishes a schedule of basic rates to be paid for the care and supervision of each foster child. Existing law also establishes the Kinship Guardianship Assistance Payment Program (Kin-GAP) , which provides aid on behalf of eligible children who have a kinship guardianship, and the Approved Relative Caregiver Funding Program (ARC) , which provides payments to approved relative caregivers who are caring for children and nonminor dependents who are ineligible for AFDC-FC payments. Existing law requires, when a child is living with a parent who receives AFDC-FC or Kin-GAP benefits, or ARC payments, that the rate paid to the foster care provider on behalf of the parent include an additional monthly supplement of $489 for the care and supervision of the child, subject to an appropriation in the annual Budget Act. This bill would require, beginning July 1, 2026, that supplement to be adjusted for inflation. To the extent the bill would impose new requirements on counties administering the AFDC-FC or Kin-GAP benefits or ARC payments, 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 no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason.
Existing law establishes the Tribal Nation Grant Fund, administered by the California Gambling Control Commission, for the receipt and deposit of moneys received by the state from Indian tribes pursuant to the terms of tribal-state gaming compacts. Under existing law, moneys in the Tribal Nation Grant Fund are available, upon appropriation by the Legislature, for the discretionary distribution of funds to nongaming and limited-gaming tribes, as specified. Existing law establishes the Tribal Nation Grant Fund Program and authorizes Tribal Nation Grant Fund Panel to award grants from available moneys within the fund and make other distributions from the fund to eligible tribes, as specified. Existing law requires an eligible tribe requesting a grant to submit an application on a form approved by the panel and provided by the commission. Existing law authorizes the panel to distribute of the available moneys in the fund to all eligible tribes that submitted a completed grant application, as specified. Existing law authorizes the panel, in its discretion and based upon the purpose or project set forth in the application, to require an eligible tribe to encumber or expend any or all of a grant within a specified period of time, as described. Existing law requires each eligible tribe and each individual applying on behalf of each eligible tribe to agree to return to the fund any amount of a grant not encumbered or expended, as specified. This bill would additionally establish the fund for the receipt and deposit of moneys received by the state from Indian tribes pursuant to the terms of class III gaming secretarial procedures. The bill would revise the grant distribution provisions described above to authorize the panel to award grants as specific distribution grants to fund a specifically described purpose or project, or as equal shares grants for distribution to eligible tribes in equal amounts, as specified. The bill would require the panel to develop application forms for the specific distribution grants and the equal shares grants, as described, and would require the equal shares grants application form to include, among other things, a certification from the eligible tribe that the funds will be used for specified purposes. The bill would require the panel to distribute as equal shares grants $600,000 per eligible tribe, or at least 85% of the available moneys in the fund, whichever is greater, as specified. The bill would authorize the panel to distribute as specific distribution grants the remaining available moneys in the fund, as specified. The bill would no longer authorize the panel to require an eligible tribe to encumber or expend any or all of a grant within a specified period of time and would make a related conforming change. The bill would no longer require each eligible tribe and each individual applying on behalf of each eligible tribe to return to the fund any amount of a grant not encumbered or expended, as specified. The bill would make a related statement of legislative intent.
This measure would designate November 1, 2025, as Fernando Valenzuela Day, to highlight the positive impact his legacy created in the Latino and Hispanic community.