Existing law establishes in state government the Natural Resources Agency, consisting of various departments, including the Department of Parks and Recreation, the California Coastal Commission, and the State Coastal Conservancy. Existing law, the State Urban Parks and Healthy Communities Act, requires the Director of Parks and Recreation to develop a competitive grant program to assist state parks, specified state conservancies, urbanized and heavily urbanized local agencies, and community-based organizations within those jurisdictions to provide outdoor educational opportunities to children. This bill would require the Natural Resources Agency to develop and implement a community access program focused on engagement programs, technical assistance, or facilities that maximize safe and equitable physical admittance, especially for low-income and disadvantaged communities, to natural or cultural resources, community education programs, or recreational amenities. The bill would authorize the agency, in consultation with certain state entities, to develop a grant program within a state department for innovative transportation projects that provide disadvantaged and low-income youth with access to outdoor experiences, as specified.
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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.
Existing law requires the State Department of Public Health to inspect and license health facilities, as specified. Existing law requires a hospital that provides emergency medical services to, as soon as possible, but not later than 90 days prior to a planned reduction or elimination of the level of emergency medical services, provide notice of the intended change to the department, other specified entities, and the public. Existing law also requires a health facility to provide public notice, as specified, not less than 30 days prior to closing the facility, eliminating a supplemental service, as defined, or relocating the provision of supplemental services to a different campus. This bill would require a hospital that provides emergency medical services to provide notice, as specified, at least 180 days before a planned reduction or elimination of the level of emergency medical services. The bill would require a health facility to provide at least 180 days notice, as specified, prior to closing the facility and at least 90 days prior to eliminating or relocating a supplemental service, except as specified. Under existing law, violation of the provisions relating to health facility licensure is a misdemeanor. By expanding the scope of a crime, 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 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.
(1) Existing law establishes the Judges' Retirement System II, which the Board of Administration of the Public Employees' Retirement System administers. Existing law authorizes a judge who is a member of the system and who retires upon attaining both 65 years of age and 20 or more years of service, or upon attaining 70 years of age with a minimum of 5 years of service, to elect from specified retirement benefits including a monthly pension. Existing law requires a judge who leaves judicial office after accruing 5 or more years of service, but who has not reached the applicable age of retirement, to be paid a lump sum equal to monetary credits that accrued while in office, as specified. Existing law authorizes a judge who, among other things, separates from office after accruing 5 or more years of service and has not reached 65 years of age to continue health care benefits if the judge assumes certain payments. Existing law specifies benefits provided to a surviving spouse or other beneficiary in relation to these provisions. This bill would authorize a judge who is not otherwise eligible to retire and who has either attained 60 years of age with a minimum of 5 years of service or accrued 20 or more years of service to leave the judge's monetary credits on deposit with the system, to retire, and upon reaching retirement age, as specified, to receive a retirement allowance, as provided. The bill would prescribe procedures to apply if the judge fails to elect within 30 days of separation and would authorize the board to charge an administrative fee, as specified, to a judge who elects to apply these provisions. The bill would specify the monthly allowance provided to a surviving spouse or other beneficiary and would make other conforming changes in relation to these provisions. The bill would also provide, for the purposes of the Judges' Retirement System II, and for a judge first appointed or elected to office on or after January 1, 2020, that a surviving spouse is a spouse who was married to the judge continuously for a period beginning one year prior to the date of the judge's retirement until the judge's death. (2) Existing law establishes the Public Employees' Medical and Hospital Care Act (PEMHCA) for the purpose of providing health care benefits to employees and annuitants, as defined. PEMHCA defines an annuitant for purposes of receiving postretirement health benefits as including, among others, a person who retires within 120 days of separation from public employment and a judge who receives the above-described lump sum payment of monetary credits. Contributions and premiums paid under PEMHCA are deposited in the Public Employees' Contingency Reserve Fund, which is continuously appropriated. This bill would authorize a judge who elects to retire as described above but is not yet receiving a retirement allowance, or a specified surviving spouse of that judge, to continue health care benefits upon separation from office if the judge or surviving spouse assumes specified payments. The bill would include these judges, and specified surviving spouses, within the definition of annuitant upon commencement of the judge's retirement allowance, thereby authorizing the judge or a surviving spouse to receive applicable postretirement health benefits. By authorizing the use of continuously appropriated funds for a new purpose, and by depositing additional amounts into a continuously appropriated fund, this bill would make an appropriation.
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, the Child Abuse and Neglect Reporting Act, requires a mandated reporter, as defined, to report whenever they, in their professional capacity or within the scope of their employment, have knowledge of or observed a child whom the mandated reporter knows or reasonably suspects has been the victim of child abuse or neglect. Failure by a mandated reporter to report an incident of known or reasonably suspected child abuse or neglect is a misdemeanor punishable by up to 6 months of confinement in a county jail, by a fine of $1,000, or by both that imprisonment and fine. This bill would add qualified autism service providers, qualified autism service professionals, and qualified autism service paraprofessionals, as defined, to the list of individuals who are mandated reporters. By imposing the reporting requirements on a new class of persons, for whom failure to report specified conduct is a crime, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program. This bill would incorporate additional changes to Section 1165.7 of the Penal Code proposed by AB 1153 to be operative only if this bill and AB 1153 are enacted and this bill is enacted last. 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 administering agency for the California Disabled Veteran Business Enterprise Program is the Department of General Services, except in the case of contracts for professional bond services. Existing law requires the Director of General Services to adopt written policies and guidelines establishing a uniform process for state contracting to provide a disabled veteran business enterprise (DVBE) participation incentive to bidders, which all state agencies are required to use when awarding contracts. Existing law states the intent of the Legislature that every state procurement authority meet or exceed a DVBE participation goal of a minimum of 3% of total contract value. Existing law requires a department awarding a contract to, upon completion of that contract, require the prime contractor that entered into a subcontract with a DVBE to certify specified information to the awarding department, including, among other things, the amount each DVBE received from the prime contractor. This bill would require that information to include proof of payment for work done by the DVBE, upon request of the awarding department, and the amount and percentage of work the prime contractor committed to provide to one or more DVBEs under the contract. The bill would also require every state contract for which DVBE participation is included in the bid to contain a provision requiring the contractor to comply with all rules, regulations, ordinances, and statutes that apply to the California Disabled Veteran Business Enterprise Program. Existing law allows a prime contractor to replace a DVBE identified by the prime contractor in its bid or offer with another DVBE. This bill would instead require the prime contractor to use the DVBE subcontractors or suppliers proposed in the bid or proposal to the state unless a substitution is requested and approved, as specified. Existing law requires the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to appoint the California Disabled Veteran Business Enterprise Program Advocate and requires the advocate to perform certain duties, including disseminating information on the program and coordinating specified reports. The bill would direct the Office of Small Business and Disabled Veteran Business Enterprise Services to coordinate with the state advocate. This bill would incorporate additional changes to Section 999.5 of the Military and Veterans Code proposed by SB 588 to be operative only if this bill and SB 588 are enacted and this bill is enacted last.
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.