Asm. Carl DeMaio

The Personal Income Tax Law allows various credits against the taxes imposed by that law. This bill would allow a credit against those taxes for each taxable year beginning on or after January 1, 2025, and before January 1, 2030, to a qualified taxpayer, as defined, in an amount equal to 40% of the taxpayer's qualified expenses, as defined, not to exceed $400 per taxable year, or $2,000 cumulatively. Existing law requires any bill authorizing a new tax credit to contain, among other things, specific goals, purposes, and objectives that the tax credit will achieve, detailed performance indicators, and data collection requirements. The bill would also include additional information required for any bill authorizing a new tax expenditure. This bill would take effect immediately as a tax levy.

Existing law establishes the Department of Insurance, headed by the Insurance Commissioner, which regulates insurers and insurance practices. Existing law divides insurance into classes, including, among others, life insurance, fire insurance, and marine insurance. Under existing law, an insurer is entitled to payment of the premium as soon as the subject matter insured is exposed to the peril insured against. This bill would require, upon an appropriation, the state to pay for any annual increase in residential property insurance rates that is above either an annual increase of 7% or the annual national average increase in residential insurance premiums, whichever is lower. The bill would require, by March 31, 2026, the Department of Insurance, in consultation with insurers in the insurance industry, to provide a report to the Legislature on, among other things, how to slash regulations on the insurance market to achieve efficiencies to keep residential property insurance rates at or below the annual national average increase in residential insurance premiums. The bill would repeal these provisions on January 1, 2030. Existing law imposes a gross premiums tax of 2.35% on all insurers doing business in this state, as set forth in the California Constitution. This bill would, until January 1, 2030, set the gross premiums tax rate for premiums received for residential property insurance policies at 0% for premiums received on or after January 1, 2026.

Existing law establishes the California State University and the University of California as 2 of the segments of public postsecondary education in this state. Existing law requires the California State University, and requests the University of California, to publicly provide labor market outcome information relating to the graduates of their undergraduate programs. This bill would require the California State University, and would request the University of California, to include in admission notifications (1) a hyperlink to the university's internet website that contains the labor market outcome information described above, and (2) information on student loans, as specified.

Existing law, the California Public Records Act, requires state and local agencies to make their records available for public inspection, unless an exemption from disclosure applies. The act declares that access to information concerning the conduct of the people's business is a fundamental and necessary right of every person in this state. This bill would, until January 1, 2029, and subject to appropriation, establish the Office of the California Public Records Act Ombudsperson. The bill would require the Governor to appoint the ombudsperson subject to certain requirements. The bill would require the ombudsperson to receive and investigate requests for review, as defined, determine whether the denials of original requests, as defined, complied with the California Public Records Act, and issue written opinions of its determination, as provided. The bill would require the ombudsperson to create a process to that effect, and would authorize a member of the public to submit a request for review to the ombudsperson consistent with that process. The bill would require the ombudsperson, within 30 days from receipt of a request for review, to make a determination, as provided, and would require the state agency to provide the public record if the ombudsperson determines that it was improperly denied. The bill would require the ombudsperson to create a process through which a person whose information is contained in a record being reviewed may intervene to assert their privacy and confidentiality rights, and would otherwise require the ombudsperson to maintain the privacy and confidentiality of records, as provided. The bill would require the ombudsperson to report to the Legislature, on or before March 31, 2027, and annually thereafter, on, among other things, the number of requests for review the ombudsperson has received in the prior year.

Existing law establishes the State Department of Public Health and sets forth its powers and duties pertaining to, among other things, protecting, preserving, and advancing public health. Existing law requires the department, in consultation with specified stakeholders, to develop a plan, addressing specified issues, with recommendations and guidelines for counties to use in the case of a significant air quality event caused by wildfires or other sources. This bill, the Wildfire Smoke and Health Outcomes Data Act, would require the State Department of Public Health, in consultation with the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection and the Wildfire and Forest Resilience Task Force, to create, operate, and maintain a statewide integrated wildfire smoke and health data platform on or before July 1, 2028, that, among other things, would integrate wildfire smoke and health data from multiple databases. Under the bill, the purposes for the data platform would include providing adequate information to understand the negative health impacts on California's population caused by wildfire smoke and evaluating the effectiveness of investments in forest health and wildfire mitigation on health outcomes in California. This bill would require the State Department of Public Health, in consultation with the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection and the Wildfire and Forest Resilience Task Force, to develop, among other things, protocols for data sharing, documentation, quality control, and promotion of open-source platforms and decision support tools related to wildfire smoke and health data. This bill would authorize the State Department of Public Health, the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, and the Wildfire and Forest Resilience Task Force, where appropriate, to utilize data from existing sources, including open source data and other external data, for purposes of implementing the act. This bill would create the Wildfire Smoke and Health Administration Fund. Under the bill, moneys in the fund would be available, upon appropriation by the Legislature, to the State Department of Public Health, the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, and the Wildfire and Forest Resilience Task Force for the collection, management, and improvement of wildfire smoke and health data for the purposes of the act. The bill would specify that these provisions do not change existing law with respect to the jurisdiction of the public entities involved. The bill would make related findings and declarations.

The Personal Income Tax Law, in conformity with federal income tax laws, defines "gross income" as income from whatever source derived, except as specifically excluded, and provides various exclusions from gross income, including an exclusion for combat-related special compensation. This bill, for taxable years beginning on or after January 1, 2025, and before January 1, 2035, would exclude from gross income retirement pay received by a qualified taxpayer, as defined, during the taxable year, not to exceed $20,000, from the federal government for service performed in the uniformed services, as defined. The bill, for taxable years beginning on or after January 1, 2025, and before January 1, 2035, would also exclude from gross income annuity payments received by a qualified taxpayer, as defined, during the taxable year, not to exceed $20,000, pursuant to a United States Department of Defense Survivor Benefit Plan. The bill would make related findings and declarations. Existing law requires any bill authorizing a new tax expenditure to contain, among other things, specific goals, purposes, and objectives that the tax expenditure will achieve, detailed performance indicators, and data collection requirements. This bill also would include additional information required for any bill authorizing a new tax expenditure. This bill would take effect immediately as a tax levy.

Existing law provides funding for homelessness prevention and mental health services through various state programs, such as Housing First, and the Early Psychosis Intervention Plus Program. Existing law establishes the State Department of Health Care Services and, among other things, requires the department to implement certain mental health services through contracts with a county or counties acting jointly. Existing law requires the Governor to create a California Interagency Council on Homelessness to serve as a statewide facilitator, coordinator, and policy development resource on ending homelessness in California, among other things. Existing law requires the council to create a statewide data system with a goal of matching data on homelessness to programs impacting homeless recipients of state programs. This bill would require the Controller, by January 1, 2027, in collaboration with the department and the council to develop, publish, and maintain an online search portal that contains specified information relating to state funding for programs as described above. The bill would require the portal to include funding amounts provided in the current fiscal year and the previous 10 fiscal years, as well as specified information about the state program that received the funds and the department or agency that administers the program. The bill would require the Controller, the department and the council to each include a link to the online portal on their internet websites. The bill would authorize the Controller, the department and the portal to request any relevant information from a state agency or department for the purpose of reporting accurate information within the portal.

Maddy summaryThis bill establishes January as National Human Trafficking Awareness Month in California to raise public awareness about human trafficking. The resolution recognizes the severity of human trafficking as a felony crime and highlights statistics showing its prevalence across the country and specific challenges with identifying male victims and labor trafficking cases. It aims to educate the public and encourage reporting and support for victims during this designated month.

Existing law requires the driver of a vehicle involved in an accident resulting in injury to a person, other than that driver, or in the death of a person, to immediately stop the vehicle at the scene of the accident and provide specified personal information to the injured person or the occupants of the other vehicle and to any traffic or police officer at the scene of the accident. Under existing law, if a vehicle accident results in permanent, serious injury or death, a person who violates the requirement to stop is subject to punishment by imprisonment in the state prison for 2, 3, or 4 years, or in a county jail for not less than 90 days nor more than one year, or by a specified fine, or both the imprisonment and fine. Existing law requires a person who flees the scene of the crime after committing specified vehicle manslaughter while intoxicated or vehicle manslaughter to be punished for an additional term of imprisonment of 5 years in the state prison, upon conviction, and in addition and consecutive to the punishment prescribed. This bill would instead require a person who violates the requirement to stop to be subject to punishment by imprisonment in the state prison for 7, 8, or 9 years if the vehicle accident results in permanent, serious injury or death.

Existing law, the legislative code of ethics, prohibits Members of the Legislature and legislative employees from having financial conflicts of interest and engaging in activities that are in substantial conflict with their official duties. This bill would prohibit Members of the Legislature from entering into, or requesting that another party enter into, a nondisclosure agreement relating to the drafting, negotiation, or discussion of proposed legislation. The bill would also make any nondisclosure agreement relating to the drafting, negotiation, or discussion of proposed legislation entered into after the effective date of this bill void and unenforceable. The bill would provide an exception for nondisclosure agreements, or portions thereof, that prevent only the disclosure of trade secrets, financial information, or proprietary information, as specified. A violation of the legislative code of ethics is punishable as a crime, as specified. By creating a new crime under the act, 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.