Existing law, known as the Donahoe Higher Education Act, sets forth, among other things, the missions and functions of California's public and independent segments of higher education and their respective institutions of higher education. Provisions of the act apply to the University of California only to the extent that the Regents of the University of California, by appropriate resolution, act to make a provision applicable. A portion of the Donahoe Higher Education Act known as the Equity in Higher Education Act declares, among other things, that it is the policy of the State of California that all persons, regardless of their sex, should enjoy freedom from discrimination of any kind in the postsecondary educational institutions of the state. This bill would express various legislative findings and declarations relating to pregnancy discrimination. The bill would add to the Equity in Higher Education Act a provision specifying that this policy of freedom from discrimination includes, but is not limited to, freedom from pregnancy discrimination as described in a specified federal statute. This bill would prohibit postsecondary educational institutions, including the faculty, staff, or other employees of these institutions, from requiring a graduate student to take a leave of absence, withdraw from the graduate program, or limit his or her graduate studies solely due to pregnancy or pregnancy-related issues. The bill would require postsecondary educational institutions, including the faculty, staff, or other employees of these institutions, to reasonably accommodate pregnant graduate students, as specified, so that they may complete their graduate courses of study and research. The bill would also allow a graduate student who chooses to take a leave of absence because she is pregnant or has recently given birth a period consistent with the policies of the postsecondary educational institution, or a period of 12 additional months, whichever period is longer, to prepare for and take preliminary and qualifying examinations and an extension of at least 12 months toward normative time to degree while they are in candidacy for a graduate degree, unless a longer extension is medically necessary. The bill would allow a graduate student who is not the birth parent and who chooses to take a leave of absence because of the birth of his or her child a period consistent with the policies of the postsecondary educational institution, or a period of one month, whichever period is longer, to prepare for and take preliminary and qualifying examinations, and an extension of at least one month toward normative time to degree while he or she is in candidacy for a graduate degree, unless a longer period or extension is medically necessary to care for his or her partner or their child. The bill would provide that an enrolled graduate student in good academic standing who chooses to take a leave of absence because she is pregnant or has recently given birth would return to her program in good academic standing following a leave period that is consistent with the policies of the postsecondary educational institution, or a period of up to one academic year, whichever period is longer, subject to the reasonable administrative requirements of the institution, unless there is a medical reason for a longer absence, in which case her standing in the graduate program would be maintained during that period of absence. The bill would also provide that an enrolled graduate student in good academic standing who is not the birth parent and who chooses to take a leave of absence because of the birth of his or her child would return to his or her program in good academic standing following a leave period that is consistent with the policies of the postsecondary educational institution, or a period of up to one month, whichever period is longer, subject to the reasonable administrative requirements of the institution. The bill would require each postsecondary educational institution to have a written policy for graduate students on pregnancy discrimination and procedures for addressing pregnancy discrimination complaints under Title IX or this bill. The bill would require a copy of this policy to be made available to faculty, staff, and employees in their required training, and made available to all graduate students attending orientation sessions at a postsecondary educational institution.
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The California Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006 designates the State Air Resources Board as the state agency charged with monitoring and regulating sources of emissions of greenhouse gases. The act authorizes the state board to include the use of market-based compliance mechanisms. Existing law requires all moneys, except for fines and penalties, collected by the state board from the auction or sale of allowances as part of a market-based compliance mechanism to be deposited in the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund and to be available upon appropriation. Existing law requires the Department of Finance, in consultation with the state board and any other relevant state agency, to develop, as specified, a 3-year investment plan for the moneys deposited in the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund. This bill would authorize moneys in the fund to be allocated, as specified, for an investment in a traffic signal synchronization component that is part of a sustainable infrastructure project if the component is designed and implemented to achieve cost-effective reductions in greenhouse gas emissions and includes specific emissions reduction targets and metrics to evaluate the project's effect.
Existing federal law governs the processing, storage, and use of human tissue and human cell, tissue, or cellular- or tissue-based products (HCT/P) , as specified, and imposes certain regulatory duties relating to HCT/P upon the federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA) . Existing state law requires the State Department of Public Health to license and regulate tissue banks, which process, store, or distribute human tissue for transplantation into human beings. Existing law generally requires every tissue bank operating in this state to have a current and valid tissue bank license issued or renewed by the department, but exempts certain activities from that requirement, including the storage of HCT/P by a licensed physician or podiatrist, as specified, if the products were obtained from a California-licensed tissue bank, stored in strict accordance with manufacturer instructions, and used solely for the express purpose of direct implantation into or application on the practitioner's own patient, among other criteria. This bill would create an additional exemption from the tissue bank licensing requirement for the storage of HCT/P by a person if that person is a hospital or outpatient setting and the HCT/P meets specified requirements, including, among other things, that the HCT/P was obtained from a tissue bank licensed by the state, is stored in the original unopened enclosure for one finished unit of transplantable tissue and in strict accordance with the package insert and any other manufacturer instructions and guidelines, and is intended for the express purpose of implantation into or application on a patient.
Existing law, the Knox-Keene Health Care Service Plan Act (Knox-Keene Act) of 1975, provides for the licensure and regulation of health care service plans by the Department of Managed Health Care and makes a willful violation of the act a crime. Existing law also provides for the regulation of health insurers by the Department of Insurance. The Knox-Keene Act requires a health care service plan that provides prescription drug benefits and maintains one or more drug formularies to provide to members of the public, upon request, a copy of the most current list of prescription drugs on the formulary, as specified. This bill would require a health care service plan or health insurer that provides prescription drug benefits and maintains one or more drug formularies to post those formularies on its Internet Web site and update that posting with changes on a monthly basis. The bill would require the departments to jointly develop a standard formulary template by January 1, 2017, and would require plans and insurers to use that template to display formularies, as specified. The bill would make other related conforming changes. Because a willful violation of these requirements by a health care service plan would be a crime, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. Existing law establishes the California Health Benefit Exchange within state government, specifies the powers and duties of the board governing the Exchange, and requires the board to facilitate the purchase of qualified health plans through the Exchange by qualified individuals and small employers. Existing law requires the board to determine the minimum requirements a health care service plan or health insurer must meet to be considered for participation in the Exchange and the standards and criteria for selecting qualified health plans to be offered through the Exchange that are in the best interests of qualified individuals and qualified small employers. This bill would require the board of the Exchange to ensure that its Internet Web site provides a direct link to the formularies for each qualified health plan offered through the Exchange that are posted by plans and insurers pursuant to the bill's provisions. 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 for the compensation of victims and derivative victims of specified types of crimes by the California Victim Compensation and Government Claims Board from the Restitution Fund, a continuously appropriated fund, for specified losses suffered as a result of those crimes. Existing law sets forth eligibility requirements and specified limits on the amount of compensation the board may award. Existing law authorizes the board to reimburse a crime victim or derivative victim for the amount of outpatient mental health counseling-related expenses incurred by the victim or derivative victim, including peer counseling services provided by a rape crisis center, as specified. This bill would additionally, until January 1, 2017, authorize the board to reimburse a crime victim or derivative victim for the amount of outpatient violence peer counseling-related expenses incurred by the victim or derivative victim, as specified. By expanding the authorization for the use of moneys in a continuously appropriated fund, this bill would make an appropriation.
Existing law, the Knox-Keene Health Care Service Plan Act of 1975, provides for the licensure and regulation of health care service plans by the Department of Managed Health Care and makes a willful violation of the act a crime. Existing law also provides for the regulation of health insurers by the Department of Insurance. Existing law requires a health care service plan or health insurer to comply with specified minimum medical loss ratios and requires a plan or insurer to provide an annual rebate to enrollees and insureds if the ratio of the amount of premium revenue expended by the plan or insurer on specified costs to the total amount of premium revenue is less than a certain percentage. Existing law specifies that these requirements do not apply to specialized health care service plan contracts or specialized health insurance policies. This bill would require health care services plans that issue, sell, renew, or offer specialized dental health care service plan contracts and health insurers that issue, sell, renew, or offer specialized dental health insurance policies to, no later than September 30, 2015, and each year thereafter, file a report, to be known as the MLR annual report, with the departments that contains the same information required in the 2013 federal Medical Loss Ratio (MLR) Annual Reporting Form. The bill would require the Department of Managed Health Care or the Department of Insurance, as applicable and, if a financial examination is determined to be necessary to verify the representations in the MLR annual report, to provide the health care service plan or health insurer with a notification before conducting the examination, and would require the plan or insurer to electronically submit to the appropriate department specified requested records, books, and papers. The bill would declare the intent of the Legislature that the data reported pursuant to these provisions be considered by the Legislature in adopting a medical loss ratio standard for health care service plans and specialized health insurance policies that cover dental services that would take effect no later than January 1, 2018. The bill would authorize the Department of Managed Health Care and the Department of Insurance, until January 1, 2018, to issue guidance to health care service plans and health insurers of specialized health insurance policies subject to these provisions regarding compliance with these provisions, as specified. Because a willful violation of the bill's requirements by a health care service plan would be a crime, the 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.
Under the California Child Day Care Facilities Act, the State Department of Social Services licenses and regulates child day care facilities. Existing law requires the department, when it conducts a site visit of a licensed child day care facility, to publicly post at the facility a notice that indicates whether the facility was cited for violating any state standards or regulations. Existing law also requires each licensed child day care facility to make accessible to the public a copy of any licensing report or other public licensing document that documents a facility visit, a substantiated complaint investigation, a conference with a local licensing agency management representative and the licensee in which issues of noncompliance are discussed, or a copy of an accusation indicating the department's intent to revoke the facility's license. This bill would require the department to post licensing information on its Internet Web site for child day care facilities, including, among other things, the number of citations, substantiated and inconclusive complaint inspections, and noncomplaint inspections during the preceding 5-year period. The bill would require the department to update this information on at least a monthly basis.
Existing law, on or before July 1, 2014, requires the governing board of each school district and each county board of education to adopt a local control and accountability plan and requires the governing board of each school district and each county board of education to update its local control and accountability plan on or before July 1 of each year. Existing law requires the plan to include certain elements, and requires the charter for a charter school to include some of those same elements. Existing law establishes the California Collaborative for Educational Excellence for purposes of advising and assisting school districts, county superintendents of schools, and charter schools in achieving the goals set forth in a local control and accountability plan. Existing law requires the collaborative to be governed by a board consisting of 5 members, as specified. This bill would add a representative of charter schools, appointed by the Senate Committee on Rules, and a parent of a California public school pupil, appointed by the Speaker of the Assembly, to the governing board of the collaborative. This bill would incorporate additional changes to Section 52074 of the Education Code proposed by SB 1248 that would become operative if this bill and SB 1248 are both enacted on or before January 1, 2015, and this bill is enacted last.
The Lanterman Developmental Disabilities Services Act authorizes the State Department of Developmental Services to contract with regional centers to provide services and support to individuals with developmental disabilities, including autism. Existing law governs the habilitation services provided for adult consumers of regional centers, including work activity programs, as described, and establishes an hourly rate for supported employment services provided to consumers receiving individualized services. This bill would require the department, contingent upon receiving federal financial participation, to conduct a 4-year demonstration project to determine whether community-based vocational development services will increase employment outcomes for consumers and reduce purchase of service costs for working age adults, as specified. The bill would require the development and semiannual review of a plan, as specified, if community-based vocational development services, as defined, are determined to be a necessary step to achieve a supported employment outcome. The bill would establish an hourly rate for community-based vocational development services, for purposes of the demonstration project, of $40 per hour for a maximum of 75 hours per calendar quarter for all services identified and provided in the plan. The bill would provide that a consumer's hours of participation in community-based vocational development services may be provided in lieu of hours of participation in other community-based day program services, for up to 2 years, except as specified. The bill would require the department to publish a notice on the department's Internet Web site when the demonstration project has been implemented, and to make determinations and notify the Legislature concerning the project's effectiveness, as specified, at the project's conclusion. The bill would repeal these provisions as of January 1, 2025. The bill would also set forth related legislative findings and declarations and a statement of legislative intent.
The Personal Income Tax Law and the Corporation Tax Law allow various credits against the taxes imposed by those laws, including a credit against those taxes for taxable years beginning on or after January 1, 2011, in an amount equal to an applicable percentage of either 20% or 25%, respectively, of the qualified expenditures, as defined, attributable to the production of a qualified motion picture in California, or, where the qualified motion picture is a television series that relocated to California or is an independent film, as provided. Existing law imposes specified duties on the California Film Commission related to the administration of the credits, including a requirement to allocate the tax credits until July 1, 2017, and limits the aggregate amount of credits that may be allocated to qualified motion pictures in any fiscal year to $100,000,000 through the 2016–17 fiscal year. Existing law, for taxable years beginning on or after January 1, 2011, in lieu of the credits authorized under the Personal Income Tax Law and the Corporation Tax Law for qualified motion pictures described above, also allows a credit against qualified state sales and use taxes, as provided. Existing law provides for a tentative minimum tax and further provides that, except for specified credits, no other credit shall reduce the tax imposed below the tentative minimum tax. This bill would establish similar credits under the Personal Income Tax Law and the Corporation Tax Law for taxable years beginning on or after January 1, 2016, to be allocated by the California Film Commission on or after July 1, 2015, and before July 1, 2020. This bill would, as compared to the existing tax credits, extend the scope of the credits for a qualified motion picture to the applicable percentage of qualified expenditures up to $100,000,000, would extend the credit to qualified expenditures for television pilot episodes, and would determine an applicable percentage of 25% or 20% for qualified expenditures, with an additional credit amount available, as specified. This bill would limit the aggregate amount of these new credits to be allocated in each fiscal year to up to $330 million, and would, subject to a computation and ranking of applicants based on the jobs ratio, as defined, require the California Film Commission to allocate credit amounts subject to specified categories of qualified motion pictures. This bill would, for taxable years beginning on or after January 1, 2016, in lieu of the credits authorized under the Personal Income Tax Law and the Corporation Tax Law for qualified motion pictures described above, allow a credit against qualified state sales and use taxes, as provided. This bill would also require the Legislative Analyst's Office to prepare reports related to the effectiveness and administration of the qualified motion picture credit under the Sales and Use Tax Law, the Personal Income Tax Law, and the Corporation Tax Law. This bill would, for taxable years, beginning on or after January 1, 2016, additionally allow the credit under the Corporation Tax Law for qualified expenditures for the production of qualified motion pictures to reduce the tentative minimum tax. This bill would also make findings and declarations related to the entertainment industry, and would urge the United States Department of Commerce and the International Trade Commission to investigate and impose sanctions on specified motion picture productions and elements of production to combat unfair and illegal competition. Existing constitutional provisions require that a statute that limits the right of access to the meetings of public bodies or the writings of public officials and agencies be adopted with findings demonstrating the interest protected by the limitation and the need for protecting that interest. This bill would make legislative findings to that effect. The bill would state that its provisions are severable. This bill would incorporate additional changes in Section 23036 of the Revenue and Taxation Code, proposed by AB 2754, to be operative only if AB 2754 and this bill are both chaptered and become effective on or before January 1, 2015, and this bill is chaptered last. This bill would take effect immediately as a tax levy.