Asm. Allan Mansoor

Existing law declares the intent of the Legislature to preserve and strengthen a child's family ties whenever possible, removing the child from the custody of his or her parents only when necessary for his or her welfare or for the safety and protection of the public. Existing law includes various provisions relating to the provision of appropriate placement and other services for children in foster care. This bill would make a technical, nonsubstantive change to a provision relating to foster children.

The Donahoe Higher Education Act authorizes the activities of the 4 segments of the higher education system including the University of California, which is administered by the Regents of the University of California. Provisions of the Donahoe Higher Education Act apply to the University of California only to the extent that the regents act, by resolution, to make them applicable. Existing law authorizes the Regents of the University of California to hold special meetings with public notice for these meetings. Existing law authorizes the regents to conduct closed sessions when they meet to consider or discuss certain topics, including matters affecting national security and certain personnel and litigation matters. This bill would encourage the regents to allow a student, selected by the University of California Student Association, to attend the closed session meetings. The bill would require the student to be a nonvoting, noncontributing participant at the meetings.

The Medi-Cal Act establishes the Medi-Cal program, which is administered by the State Department of Health Care Services, under which qualified low-income individuals receive health care services. The Medi-Cal program is, in part, governed and funded by federal Medicaid Program provisions. Existing law requires, except as otherwise provided, Medi-Cal provider payments to be reduced by 1% or 5%, and provider payments for specified non-Medi-Cal programs to be reduced by 1%, for dates of service on and after March 1, 2009, and until June 1, 2011. Existing law requires, except as otherwise provided, Medi-Cal provider payments and payments for specified non-Medi-Cal programs to be reduced by 10% for dates of service on and after June 1, 2011. This bill would instead require that, to the extent permitted by federal law, this payment reduction not apply to skilled nursing facilities or subacute care units that are a distinct part of a general acute care hospital, intermediate care or other specified facilities serving developmentally disabled individuals, or specified Medi-Cal provider payments for fee-for-service benefits, including payments to pharmacies, for dates of service on or after June 1, 2011. The bill would also provide that this payment reduction shall not apply to managed health care plans for dates of service after the effective date of the bill. This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.

(1) Existing law makes it a crime to engage in any of various transactions relating to marijuana, except as otherwise authorized by law, such as the medical marijuana program. For the purposes of these provisions, marijuana is defined as not including the mature stalks of the plant, fiber produced from the stalks, oil or cake made from the seeds of the plant, any other compound, manufacture, salt, derivative, mixture, or preparation of the mature stalks (except the resin extracted therefrom) , fiber, oil, or cake, or the sterilized seed of the plant which is incapable of germination. This bill would revise the definition of marijuana so that the term would instead not include industrial hemp, as defined, except where the plant is cultivated or processed for purposes not expressly allowed for. The bill would define industrial hemp as an agricultural field crop that is limited to the nonpsychoactive types of the plant Cannabis sativa L. and the seed produced therefrom, having no more than 310 of 1% tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) contained in the dried flowering tops, and that is cultivated and processed exclusively for the purpose of producing the mature stalks of the plant, fiber produced from the stalks, oil or cake made from the seeds of the plant, any other compound, manufacture, salt, derivative, mixture, or preparation of the mature stalks (except the resin or flowering tops extracted therefrom) , fiber, oil, or cake, or the sterilized seed of the plant which is incapable of germination. The bill would require industrial hemp to be cultivated only from seeds imported in accordance with federal law or from seeds grown in California, as specified. The bill would also require the person growing the industrial hemp to obtain, prior to the harvest of each crop, a laboratory test of a random sample of the crop to determine the amount of THC in the crop. The bill would require the test report to contain specified language. The report would be required to be retained for 2 years, and to be made available to law enforcement officials and provided to purchasers, as specified. The bill would require all industrial hemp seed sold for planting in California to be from a crop having no more than 310 of 1% THC contained in a random sampling of the dried flowering tops and tested under these provisions, and would require the destruction of crops exceeding that content, as specified. The bill would provide that this definition of industrial hemp shall not be construed to authorize the cultivation, production, or possession of resin, flowering tops, or leaves that have been removed from the field of cultivation and separated from the other constituent parts of the industrial hemp plant except to perform required testing; the transportation or sale across state borders of any living plant of Cannabis sativa L. or any seed of any type of Cannabis sativa L. that is capable of germination; or any cultivation of the industrial hemp plant that is not grown in a research setting or as an agricultural field crop would be prohibited unless it is in accordance with federal law. By revising the scope of application of existing crimes relating to marijuana, this bill would impose a state‑mandated local program. (2) 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 provides that, when the services of employees are terminated pursuant to a reduction in workforce, a school district is required to terminate the employees in order of seniority. Existing law further provides those employees with a preferred right to reappointment and an opportunity for substitute service in order of seniority. Existing law authorizes a school district to deviate from the order of seniority for those purposes for specified reasons, including compliance with constitutional requirements related to equal protection of the laws. This bill would provide additional reasons for which a school district may deviate from terminating employees in order of seniority, including authorizing school districts to terminate an employee on the basis of performance evaluations and on the basis that the employee is assigned to a schoolsite that has implemented specific models of intervention and has been selected by the governing board of the school district for exemption from certificated reductions in workforce, based upon the needs of pupils in the educational program. The bill would provide an exception to this authorization for an employee who has 18 months or less from his or her date of retirement, or is on medical leave. The bill would prohibit a school district that deviates from the order of seniority for purposes of terminating a certificated employee from taking into consideration whether an employee has exercised any of the rights guaranteed in the Educational Employment Relations Act. The bill would also authorize a school district, during the period of an employee's preferred right to reappointment, to deviate from the order of seniority in offering the opportunity for substitute service for either of specified reasons. The bill would specify that the equal protection exception to the general requirement that terminations and reappointments occur in order of seniority applies to equal protection as that protection relates to pupils. The bill would make various nonsubstantive and clarifying changes.

This measure would urge the President and Congress of the United States of America to repeal the excise tax on medical devices to protect the medical device industry and its consumers.

The Enterprise Zone Act provides for the designation of zones according to specified criteria, pursuant to which certain entities within each zone may receive regulatory, tax, and other incentives for economic and employment development and private investment. Existing law provides definitions for the purposes of the act. This bill would make a technical, nonsubstantive change to this provision.

This measure would designate that January 20, 2014, be observed as the official memorial of the late Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s birth and commemorate Martin Luther King, Jr. Day and the work of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and the Civil Rights Movement in changing public policy in California and in the United States of America. This measure would also recognize the anniversaries of the Emancipation Proclamation and the March on Washington in connection with the advancement of civil rights.

This measure would urge Congress to pass and the President to sign into law the Limiting Internet and Blanket Electronic Review of Telecommunications and Email Act (LIBERT-E Act) , and ensure that the American people are protected from massive invasions of their privacy.