(1) Article XIX of the California Constitution restricts the expenditure of revenues from taxes imposed by the state on fuels used in motor vehicles upon public streets and highways to street and highway and certain mass transit purposes, and restricts the expenditure of revenues from fees and taxes imposed by the state upon vehicles or their use or operation to state administration and enforcement of laws regulating the use, operation, or registration of vehicles used upon the public streets and highways, as well as to street and highway and certain mass transit purposes. These restrictions do not apply to revenues from taxes or fees imposed under the Sales and Use Tax Law or the Vehicle License Fee Law. Article XIX prohibits the Legislature from borrowing revenues from taxes imposed by the state on fuels used in motor vehicles, and from using those revenues other than as specifically permitted by Article XIX. Article XIX provides that up to 25% of fuel tax revenues allocated to the state may be pledged or used for the payment of principal and interest on voter-approved transportation bonds issued for street and highway purposes on and after November 2, 2010, upon voter approval and appropriation by the Legislature. Article XIX provides that up to 25% of fuel tax revenues allocated to cities and counties may be pledged or used for the payment of principal and interest on voter-approved transportation bonds issued for street and highway purposes. However, in counties where voters have approved the use of fuel tax revenues for certain mass transit purposes, Article XIX provides that the Legislature may authorize any fuel tax revenues allocated to mass transit purposes to be pledged or used for payment of principal and interest on voter-approved bonds issued for those mass transit purposes. This measure would prohibit the Legislature from borrowing revenues from fees and taxes imposed by the state on vehicles or their use or operation, and from using those revenues other than as specifically permitted by Article XIX. The measure would also provide that none of those revenues may be pledged or used for the payment of principal and interest on bonds or other indebtedness. The measure would delete the provision that provides for use of any fuel tax revenues allocated to mass transit purposes to be pledged or used for payment of principal and interest on voter-approved bonds issued for those mass transit purposes, and would instead subject those expenditures to the existing 25% limitation applicable to the use of fuel tax revenues for street and highway bond purposes. This measure would also restrict the expenditure of revenues from taxes imposed by the state on motor vehicle fuels used in propelling water-borne vessels solely to purposes relating to boating facilities, safety, and boating-related activities, as specified, and would prohibit the Legislature from borrowing those revenues. (2) Article XI of the California Constitution requires the revenues derived under the Vehicle License Fee Law from a rate that does not exceed 0.65% of the market value of a vehicle to be allocated to cities and counties, and does not restrict expenditure of those revenues for a particular purpose. This measure would require revenues derived from that portion of the vehicle license fee rate that exceeds 0.65% of the market value of a vehicle to be used solely for street and highway purposes and would prohibit the Legislature from borrowing those revenues. The measure would also prohibit those revenues from being pledged or used for the payment of principal and interest on bonds or other indebtedness. (3) This measure would make other conforming changes.
Sponsored bills
Under existing law, a person may not stop, park, or leave a vehicle standing alongside a curb space authorized for the loading or unloading of passengers of a bus engaged as a common carrier in local transportation when indicated by a sign or red paint on the curb, except that existing law allows local authorities to permit schoolbuses to stop alongside these curb spaces upon agreement between a transit system operating buses as common carriers in local transportation and a public school district or private school. This bill would also allow local authorities to permit shuttle service vehicles, as defined, to stop for the loading or unloading of passengers alongside these curb spaces upon agreement between a transit system operating buses engaged as common carriers in local transportation and a shuttle service provider, as defined. The bill would state that it is the intent of the Legislature to not replace public transit services. This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.
Existing law prohibits state trust funds, as defined, from making, holding, or renewing investments in business firms or financial institutions that engage in discriminatory business practices in furtherance of, or in compliance with, the Arab League's economic boycott of Israel, as specified. Existing law also prohibits state moneys, as defined, from being deposited with financial institutions that engage in those discriminatory business practices. This bill would enact the California Israel Commerce Protection Act. The bill would additionally apply those prohibitions to investment in business firms or financial institutions that engage in discriminatory business practices in furtherance or in compliance with the boycott of Israel, as defined. The bill would require state trust funds to use the most recent federal report on politically motivated acts of boycott, divestment from, and sanctions against Israel to determine which business firms and financial institutions engage in those practices. The bill would make conforming changes and related findings and declarations.
Existing law requires that contracts between private parties and public entities, defined to include specified local entities, contain various specified provisions. This bill would, with certain exceptions, prohibit a public entity from entering into a contract to acquire or dispose of goods, services, information technology, or construction unless the contract includes a representation that the contractor is not currently engaged in, and an agreement that the contractor will not during the duration of the contract engage in, the boycott, as defined, of a person or an entity based in or doing business with a jurisdiction with which the state can enjoy open trade, defined as a state that is a member of the World Trade Organization. The bill would specify that these provisions constitute a matter of statewide concern. By imposing additional duties with respect to local public contracting, 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 these statutory provisions.
  Existing law classifies certain controlled substances into designated schedules. Existing law requires the Department of Justice to maintain the Controlled Substance Utilization Review and Evaluation System (CURES) for the electronic monitoring of the prescribing and dispensing of Schedule II, Schedule III, and Schedule IV controlled substances by all practitioners authorized to prescribe or dispense these controlled substances. Existing law authorizes the Department of Justice to provide the history of controlled substances dispensed to an individual to a licensed health care practitioner, pharmacist, or both, providing care or services to the individual. By January 1, 2016, or upon licensure in the case of a pharmacist, or upon receipt of a federal Drug Enforcement Administration registration in the case of another health care practitioner authorized to prescribe, order, administer, furnish, or dispense controlled substances, whichever respective event occurs later, existing law requires those persons to apply to the Department of Justice to obtain approval to access information contained in the CURES database regarding the controlled substance history of a patient under his or her care. This bill would extend those January 1, 2016, deadlines to July 1, 2016. This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.
Existing law establishes a specialized license plate program and requires the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) to issue specialized license plates on behalf of a sponsoring state agency that meets certain requirements. Existing law requires that the DMV charge specified additional fees for the issuance, renewal, or transfer of specialized license plates, and requires the DMV to deposit the fees, less the DMV's costs, into the Specialized License Plate Fund. Existing law requires that moneys in the fund be allocated, upon appropriation by the Legislature, to each sponsoring agency in proportion to the amount that is attributable to the agency's specialized license plate program. Existing law authorizes the sponsoring state agency to use these moneys to fund projects and programs that promote the state agency's official policy, mission, or work. The bill would require the DMV to deposit fees for the issuance, renewal, or transfer of the Pet Lover's specialized license plates, less the DMV's costs, into the Pet Lover's Fund, which the bill would establish in the Specialized License Plate Fund, for the deposit of revenue derived from these specialized license plates. The bill would require that these funds be allocated, upon appropriation by the Legislature, to the Veterinary Medical Board for disbursement by a nonprofit organization selected by the board to fund grants to providers of no-cost or low-cost animal sterilization services. The bill would require the board to determine eligibility requirements for the grants, establish the grant application process, and develop program specifics. The bill would authorize the board to contract with an entity, including a nonprofit organization, to provide advice, consultation, and administrative services for purposes of implementing and administering the grant program. The bill would require the board to provide oversight for the disbursal of grant funds under the grant program.
This measure would proclaim April 12 through April 19, 2015, as California Holocaust Memorial Week and would urge Californians to observe these days of remembrance for the victims of the Holocaust in an appropriate manner.
This measure would designate November 2015 as Court Adoption and Permanency Month and would encourage the courts and their local communities to join in activities to expedite permanency for children.
This measure would encourage citizens, businesses, groups, organizations, and public institutions to observe and participate in coastal protection activities, and proclaim September 19, 2015, as the 31st annual Coastal Cleanup Day.
This measure, among other things, would urge both private and public medical training institutions in the state to provide equal access to osteopathic and allopathic students to apply to training programs, would urge osteopathic medical schools, allopathic medical schools, and their training institutions to build on current successes of working toward greater collaboration and coordination of education and training for California's future physicians, and would urge efforts by training institutions and allopathic and osteopathic medical schools to work toward greater acceptance and integration of osteopathic and allopathic students.