The Personal Income Tax Law, in modified conformity with federal income tax law, excludes from the gross income of a beneficiary of, or contributor to, a qualified tuition program, which includes a Golden State Scholarshare College Savings Trust, distributions or earnings under that program, as specified. This bill, for taxable years beginning on or after January 1, 2020, and before January 1, 2025, would allow under that law a deduction against gross income in the amount equal to the monetary contribution made by a qualified taxpayer, as defined, to the California qualified tuition program established pursuant to the Golden State Scholarshare Trust Act not to exceed either $5,000 or $10,000, as provided. The bill would require, with exceptions, in the case of any distribution in excess of qualified higher education expenses, as defined, the aggregate amount of the deduction allowed that reduced the qualified taxpayer's gross income in any taxable year to be added to the gross income of the qualified taxpayer in the taxable year of the distribution, as provided. The bill would require the Scholarshare Investment Board to report to the Legislature, on an annual basis, specified data related to this deduction and Scholarshare accounts and would require the Franchise Tax Board to provide certain information to the Scholarshare Investment Board upon request. This bill would take effect immediately as a tax levy.
Sponsored bills
This measure would recognize September 2020 as Sickle Cell Disease Awareness Month and encourage the Legislature to appropriate funds for research, treatment, and monitoring of sickle cell disease, and for related education and outreach.
This measure would designate October 23, 2020, as Chinese American Day in California to highlight the important historical contributions of Chinese Americans to California and to the United States of America.
This measure would urge specified state departments and the Attorney General to use their authority to ensure that health care service plans and health insurers subject to their authority comply with the federal Paul Wellstone and Pete Domenici Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act of 2008.
Existing law requests the University of California to compile specified information, including a survey of existing resources throughout California's governmental and administrative structure that are available to address the needs of an aging society. Existing law requires the Secretary of the California Health and Human Services Agency, based upon the information compiled by the University of California and with the consultation or advice of specified entities, to develop a statewide strategic plan on aging for long-term planning purposes and submit the plan to the Legislature. By executive order, the Governor ordered that a master plan for aging be developed and issued to serve as a blueprint to implement strategies and partnerships that promote healthy aging and prepare the state for upcoming demographic changes. The executive order requires the Secretary of the California Health and Human Services Agency to convene a Cabinet-level Workgroup for Aging to advise the secretary in developing and issuing the master plan. This bill would require the secretary, in coordination with the Director of the California Department of Aging, to lead the development and implementation of the master plan established pursuant to that executive order. The bill would require the secretary and the director, with the assistance of the workgroup, to work with specified agencies, as needed, to identify policies, efficiencies, and strategies necessary to implement the master plan. The bill would also require the workgroup to solicit input and gather information to assist with the implementation of the master plan. The bill would require the department to submit a report to the Governor and the Legislature by October 1, 2020, and submit updates annually thereafter, until October 1, 2030, regarding the master plan.
Existing law establishes the Department of Motor Vehicles in the Transportation Agency and sets forth the powers and duties of the department, including, but not limited to, vehicle registration and the issuance and renewal of driver's licenses. Existing law defines a "person," for the purposes of these and related provisions, as a natural person, firm, copartnership, association, limited liability company, or corporation. Under existing law, a violation of, or failure to comply with, any provision of the Vehicle Code is unlawful and constitutes an infraction, unless otherwise provided. This bill would make it unlawful for any person to sell, or offer for sale, an appointment with the department, as specified. Because a violation of this provision would be an infraction, the bill would create 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 authorizes the Director of the California Conservation Corps, in implementing the California Conservation Corps program, to recruit and enroll corpsmembers and special corpsmembers and to adopt criteria for selecting applicants for enrollment, including individuals convicted of a crime described in the California Uniform Controlled Substances Act. Existing law requires the director, when adopting this criteria, to take into account the health, safety, and welfare of the public and the corps program participants and staff. Existing law authorizes the director to select an applicant for enrollment in the corps program who is on probation, postrelease community supervision, or mandatory supervision. This bill would also authorize the director to select an applicant for enrollment in the corps program who is on parole. When selecting an applicant for enrollment in the corps program, the bill would require the director to consider specified aspects of the applicant's overall fitness to join the corp, including any potential impacts the applicant may have on public safety, as provided. Existing law establishes the community conservation corps, defined as a nonprofit public benefit corporation or an agency operated by a city, county, or city and county that is certified by the California Conservation Corps, as meeting specified criteria. Existing law, notwithstanding a certain prohibition, authorizes a school district or county office of education that operates a community conservation corps to select an applicant for enrollment in the community conservation corps program who is on probation, postrelease community supervision, or mandatory supervision. This bill would also authorize, notwithstanding that prohibition, a school district or county office of education that operates a community conservation corps to select an applicant for enrollment in the community conservation corps program who is on parole.
(1) Existing law authorizes the governing board of any school district or community college district to order an election and submit to the electors of the district the question of whether the bonds of the district shall be issued and sold to raise money for specified purposes. Existing law generally requires, to pass a school bond measure, that either at least 23 of the votes cast on the proposition of issuing bonds be in favor of issuing the bonds to pass the measure, or, if certain conditions are met, at least 55% of the votes cast on the proposition of issuing bonds be in favor of issuing the bonds. Existing law prohibits the total amount of bonds issued by a school district or community college district from exceeding 1.25% of the taxable property of the district, as provided. This bill would raise that limit to 2%. (2) Existing law also authorizes a unified school district to issue bonds receiving at least 55% of the votes cast on the proposition of issuing the bonds that, in aggregation with bonds issued with a 23 favorable vote, do not exceed 2.5% of the taxable property of the district, as provided. This bill would raise that limit to 4%. The bill would make a similar percentage increase for community college districts. (3) The Leroy F. Greene School Facilities Act of 1998 provides for the adoption of rules, regulations, and procedures, under the administration of the Director of General Services, for the allocation of state funds by the State Allocation Board for the construction and modernization of public school facilities. This bill would, among other things, require a school district to submit to the Department of General Services a 5-year school facilities master plan or updated 5-year school facilities master plan, as provided, as a condition of participating in the school facilities program under the act, would require the school district to submit specified information in the school district's application for an apportionment of state funds, and would make other changes to requirements a school district is required to comply with before participating in programs under the act. The bill would require the department to process applications to participate in the program, as specified, and would make other changes to the method by which the board makes apportionments of moneys under the act. This bill would establish the 2020 State School Facilities Fund, and authorize the board to apportion, and make disbursements of, moneys in the fund, as provided. The bill would require, for bonds approved by voters in 2020 or thereafter, the board to adjust a school district's required local and state contribution, as specified. The bill would authorize new construction and modernization grants to be used for seismic mitigation purposes and, among other things, to establish schoolsite-based infrastructure to provide broadband internet access. The bill would also authorize modernization grants to be used, among other things, for the control, management, or abatement of lead and for the demolishment and construction of a building on an existing schoolsite that meets specified conditions. The bill would prohibit the use of new construction and modernization grants for the purchase of portable electronic devices with a useful life of less than 3 years. This bill would authorize funding for health and safety projects by a school district, as provided. This bill would authorize the board to provide a grant to test for lead in water outlets used for drinking or preparing food on schoolsites serving kindergarten or any of grades 1 to 12, inclusive, as provided. The bill would specify procedures that small school districts, as defined, may use to obtain project and construction management, new construction grants, and modernization grants. The bill would also make conforming changes in, and remove inoperative provisions from, the act. (4) The act also requires the board to adopt regulations for determining the amount of funding and the eligibility and prioritization of funding that school districts with a financial hardship may receive from bond acts for construction, modernization, or relocation assistance. The act requires those regulations to include consideration of various factors, including whether the school district's total bonding capacity is $5,000,000 or less, in which case the school district shall be deemed eligible for financial hardship. This bill, for purposes of the regulations related to financial hardship eligibility, would increase the total bonding capacity cap to $15,000,000, to be adjusted as specified. (5) The California Constitution prohibits the Legislature from creating a debt or liability that singly or in the aggregate with any previous debts or liabilities exceeds the sum of $300,000, except by an act that (A) authorizes the debt for a single object or work specified in the act, (B) has been passed by a 23 vote of all the Members elected to each house of the Legislature, (C) has been submitted to the people at a statewide general or primary election, and (D) has received a majority of all the votes cast for and against it at that election. This bill would set forth the Public Preschool, K-12, and College Health and Safety Bond Act of 2020 as a state general obligation bond act that would provide $15,000,000,000 to construct and modernize education facilities, as specified. This bond act would become operative only if approved by the voters at the March 3, 2020, statewide primary election. The bill would also provide for the submission of the bond act to the voters at that election. (6) Existing law establishes the California State University, which is administered by the Board of Trustees of the California State University, and the University of California, under the administration of the Regents of the University of California, as segments of public postsecondary education in this state. This bill would require the Board of Trustees and the Regents to comply with certain conditions, as provided, before receiving funds from the 2020 University Capital Outlay Bond Fund established pursuant to the Public Preschool, K-12, and College Health and Safety Bond Act of 2020. (7) Existing law authorizes the governing board of a school district to impose, as specified, an alternative fee, charge, dedication, or requirement on developers to fund school facilities, until the date new construction bond proceeds authorized by the Preschool-College Public Education Bond Act of 2016 are expended, or December 31, 2020, whichever is earlier. This bill would remove this authority beginning the earlier of January 1, 2021, or the date new construction bond proceeds authorized by the 2016 bond act are expended or apportioned, until January 1, 2028. The bill would also exempt multifamily housing developments that are located no further than 12 mile from a major transit stop, and reduce by 20% from specified amounts for any other multifamily housing developments, as specified, from any fee, charge, dedication, or other requirement for the construction or reconstruction of school facilities, as provided. (8) This bill, except for the provision making the provisions of the bill severable, would become effective upon the adoption of the Public Preschool, K-12, and College Health and Safety Bond Act of 2020 by the voters at the March 3, 2020, statewide primary election.
Existing law, the County Water District Law, provides for the formation and operation of county water districts, and specifies the powers and purposes of those districts. Existing law authorizes a district to make and perform any agreement with the state or any agency thereof, any public or private corporation of any kind, and any person for the joint construction, acquisition, disposition, or operation of any property or works of a kind that may be constructed, acquired, disposed of, or operated by the district. Existing law authorizes a governmental agency to solicit proposals and enter into agreements with private entities for the design, construction, or reconstruction of, and to lease to private entities, specified types of fee-producing infrastructure projects. Existing law prohibits a state agency or specified governmental agencies from using this authorization to design, construct, finance, or operate a state project, as specified. This bill would specifically authorize the South Coast Water District to contract for the Doheny Ocean Desalination Project until January 1, 2025. The bill would authorize the district to use the method described above relating to agreements with private entities for this project. The bill would also require the district to utilize a skilled and trained workforce for this project in accordance with existing procedures. This bill would make legislative findings and declarations as to the necessity of a special statute for the South Coast Water District.
The Personal Income Tax Law provides for various exclusions from gross income, including an exclusion for the amount of student loan indebtedness repaid or canceled pursuant to a specified federal law. This bill would exclude from gross income the amount of student loan indebtedness discharged on or after January 1, 2019, and before January 1, 2024, for an eligible individual who is granted a discharge under specified conditions, as provided, including that the individual attended a Brightwood College school or a location of The Art Institute of California. This bill would take effect immediately as a tax levy.