Asm. Diane L Harkey

This measure would continue designation and observance of the month of October as Italian American Heritage Month. This measure would also encourage the Legislature to continue the Italian American Legislator Project and welcome the exhibit "The Italian American Legislator Project of 2011: A Legacy of Service to the California Legislature" to the State Capitol Building in October 2011 and encourage all Californians, through the K–12 curriculum and otherwise, to learn about the history, role, and contributions of Italian Americans to the State of California.

Existing law, the Cortese-Knox-Hertzberg Local Government Reorganization Act of 2000, sets forth the procedures for incorporations and changes of organizations of cities, including procedures for disincorporation. This bill would provide that every city with a population of less than 150 people as of January 1, 2010, would be disincorporated into that city's respective county as of 91 days after the effective date of the bill, unless a county board of supervisors determines, by majority vote within the 90-day period following enactment of these provisions, that continuing such a city within that county's boundaries would serve a public purpose if the board of supervisors determines that the city is in an isolated rural location that makes it impractical for the residents of the community to organize in another form of local governance. The bill would also require the local agency formation commission within the county to oversee the terms and conditions of the disincorporation of the city, as specified. The bill would become operative only if AB 781 of the 2011–12 Regular Session is enacted.

The Personal Income Tax Law and the Corporation Tax Law authorize various credits against the taxes imposed by those laws, including a credit for taxable years beginning on or after January 1, 2009, in the amount of $3,000 for each full-time employee hired by a qualified employer, until a cut off date in which a maximum cumulative credit of $400,000,000 has been reached for all taxable years. Those laws define "qualified employer" as a taxpayer that employed 20 or fewer employees as of the last day of the preceding taxable year. This bill, under both laws, for taxable years beginning on or after January 1, 2011, would expand the definition of "qualified employer" to mean a taxpayer that employed 50 or fewer employees as of the last day of the preceding taxable year. This bill would include a change in state statute that would result in a taxpayer paying a higher tax within the meaning of Section 3 of Article XIIIA of the California Constitution, and thus would require for passage the approval of 23 of the membership of each house of the Legislature. This bill would take effect immediately as a tax levy.

This measure would designate a specified portion of State Highway Route 5 in the City of San Clemente as the Officer Richard T. Steed Memorial Highway. This measure would also request the Department of Transportation to determine the cost of appropriate signs showing this special designation and, upon receiving donations from nonstate sources covering those costs, to erect those signs.

Existing law makes it a crime for a parent or guardian of a minor child to willfully omit, without lawful excuse, clothing, food, shelter, or medical care for the child. Existing law also makes it a crime for a parent or guardian to desert a child under 14 years of age with the intent to abandon him or her. This bill would make it a felony for a parent, guardian, or caregiver having the care, custody, and control of a child under 18 years of age to knowingly fail to report the child's death and the location of the child's remains to law enforcement, emergency medical personnel, or the coroner within 2 hours of the discovery of the child's death or as soon as possible thereafter if reasonable and expedient means to notify were not previously available. This bill would provide that the reporting requirement described above is fulfilled if the child dies in a hospital or other medical care facility or under the care of a licensed medical professional. The bill would further make it a felony for a parent, guardian, or caregiver having the care, custody, and control of a child under 12 years of age to knowingly fail to report the child's disappearance to law enforcement within 48 hours of the child's disappearance or as soon as possible thereafter if reasonable and expedient means to notify were not previously available. By creating new crimes, 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. This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.

Existing law, the California High-Speed Rail Act, creates the High-Speed Rail Authority to develop and implement a high-speed rail system in the state, with specified powers and duties. Existing law, pursuant to the Safe, Reliable High-Speed Passenger Train Bond Act for the 21st Century, approved by the voters as Proposition 1A at the November 4, 2008, general election, provides for the issuance of $9.95 billion in general obligation bonds for high-speed rail and related purposes. Article XVI of the California Constitution authorizes the Legislature, at any time after the approval of a general obligation bond act by the people, to reduce the amount of the indebtedness authorized by the act to an amount not less than the amount contracted at the time of the reduction or to repeal the act if no debt has been contracted. This bill would reduce the amount of general obligation debt authorized pursuant to the Safe, Reliable High-Speed Passenger Train Bond Act for the 21st Century to the amount contracted as of January 1, 2012.

Existing law, the Safe, Reliable High-Speed Passenger Train Bond Act for the 21st Century, approved by the voters as Proposition 1A at the November 4, 2008, general election, provides for the issuance of $9.95 billion in general obligation bonds for high-speed rail and related purposes. Existing law, the California High-Speed Rail Act, creates the High-Speed Rail Authority to develop and implement a high-speed train system in the state, with specified powers and duties. Existing law requires the authority to approve and submit to the Director of Finance, a specified peer review group, the transportation policy committees and fiscal committees of the Legislature, a detailed funding plan for that corridor or a usable segment thereof of the high-speed train system. Existing law requires the funding plan to include certain information and meet specified requirements. This bill would require the authority to approve an investment grade analysis, to be prepared by the State Auditor, and to submit that investment grade analysis to those same entities. The bill would require that investment grade analysis to include certain information and meet specified requirements.

This measure would declare April 29, 2011, as the day of the annual TAALK-a-Thon sponsored by Talk About Abuse to Liberate Kids (TAALK) , and would encourage all adults in California to be knowledgeable and outspoken about the prevention of child sexual abuse.