Asm. Marie Waldron

This measure would urge the federal government to immediately declare a moratorium on all further wild horse and burro roundups and would urge the United States Bureau of Land Management and the United States Forest Service to restore the wild horses and burros of California to their legal areas throughout the state.

Existing federal law, the Indian Child Welfare Act of 1978 (ICWA) , governs the proceedings for determining the placement of an Indian child when that child is removed from the custody of the child's parent or guardian. Existing state law specifies that the state is committed to protecting the essential tribal relations and best interest of an Indian child by promoting practices in accordance with ICWA. Existing law requires a court in an Indian child custody proceeding to, among other things, comply with ICWA. This bill would make technical, nonsubstantive changes to those state provisions governing Indian child custody proceedings.

Existing law establishes the Aid to Families with Dependent Children-Foster Care (AFDC-FC) program, under which counties provide payments to foster care providers on behalf of qualified children in foster care. The program is funded by a combination of federal, state, and county funds. Under existing law, foster care providers are paid a per child per month rate in return for the care and supervision of the AFDC-FC child placed with them. Existing law defines "care and supervision" as including, among other things, food, clothing, shelter, daily supervision, and liability insurance with respect to a child. This bill would add automobile insurance for a child to the definition of care and supervision. By creating new duties for counties, 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 existing law, the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection is required to develop, implement, and administer various forest improvement and fire prevention programs in the state. Existing law requires the department to establish a local assistance grant program for fire prevention activities in California. Existing law requires the department to prioritize, to the extent feasible, projects that are multiyear efforts and to prioritize grant applications from specified local agencies. This bill would appropriate the sum of $25,000,000 from the General Fund to the department to be used to provide the local assistance grants described above. The bill would require the department, for purposes of this appropriation, to prioritize projects, in addition to the priorities specified above, that manage vegetation along streets and roads to prevent the ignition of wildfire and that need the funds for purposes of purchasing equipment necessary for the project.

The Personal Income Tax Law imposes a tax on individual taxpayers measured by the taxpayer's taxable income for the taxable year, but excludes certain items of income from the computation of tax, including an exclusion for combat-related special compensation. This bill, for taxable years beginning on or after January 1, 2020, and before January 1, 2030, would exclude from gross income specified amounts of retirement pay received by a taxpayer from the federal government for service performed in the uniformed services, as defined, during the taxable year. This bill would take effect immediately as a tax levy.

Existing law requires the State Department of Health Care Services to license narcotic treatment programs to use narcotic replacement therapy and medication-assisted treatment in the treatment of addicted persons. Existing law specifies the medications a licensed narcotic treatment program may use for narcotic replacement therapy and medication-assisted treatment by licensed narcotic treatment programs. Existing law establishes the Medi-Cal program, administered by the State Department of Health Care Services and under which qualified low-income persons receive health care services. The Medi-Cal program is, in part, governed and funded by federal Medicaid program provisions. Existing law establishes the Drug Medi-Cal Treatment Program (Drug Medi-Cal) , under which the department is authorized to enter into contracts with each county, or enter into contracts directly with certified providers, for the provision of various alcohol and drug use treatment services to Medi-Cal beneficiaries. Existing law limits reimbursement for narcotic treatment program services to services specified in state and federal regulations governing the licensing and administration of narcotic treatment programs, as specified. This bill would require the department to create reimbursement rates and rate billing codes for authorized medications that are provided by licensed narcotic treatment programs electing to provide noncontrolled medications approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration for patients with a substance use disorder.

Existing law, the Veterinary Medicine Practice Act, provides for the licensure and regulation of veterinary medicine by the Veterinary Medical Board in the Department of Consumer Affairs. Existing law authorizes the Veterinary Medical Board to deny, revoke, or suspend a license or registration or assess a fine for a violation of specified acts, including the employment of anyone but a veterinarian licensed in this state to demonstrate the use of biologics in the treatment of animals. A violation of the act is a crime. Existing law prohibits a person from engaging in the production of animal blood and blood component products, as defined, for retail sale and distribution except in a commercial blood bank for animals licensed by the Secretary of Food and Agriculture and requires the secretary to license commercial blood banks for animals that meet specified requirements. Existing law exempts licensed private veterinarians who collect blood or blood products solely for use in their own practice from these provisions regulating and licensing commercial blood banks for animals and biologics. Existing law defines animal, for the purposes of these provisions, as any domesticated fowl or nonhuman mammal and any wild fowl, bird, or mammal that is reduced to captivity. A violation of these provisions is a crime. This bill, not withstanding any law, commencing January 1, 2022, would prohibit a person from engaging in the production of canine blood and blood component products or biologics for retail sale and distribution unless that person is licensed as a canine blood bank by the Secretary of Food and Agriculture, among other specified requirements, including the requirement that the operations are performed under the direct supervision of a licensed veterinarian or board-certified specialist. The bill would prohibit a canine blood bank from paying a person for canine blood or blood component products and would require a canine blood bank to keep specified records. By expanding the scope of existing 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.

The Donahoe Higher Education Act provides for a public postsecondary education system in this state. This system consists of the University of California, the California State University, and the California Community Colleges. The act applies to the University of California only to the extent that the Regents of the University of California act by resolution to make it applicable. This bill would require the California State University and, as a condition of receipt of funds appropriated for purposes of the bill's provisions, the University of California to each select a campus of their respective system to establish, commencing with the 2021–22 academic year, a pilot program for participating students to enter into an income share agreement with the campus. These agreements would specify that moneys for the pilot program would be provided to students for costs of attendance, with students agreeing to pay a portion of their future incomes in exchange. The bill would provide that the period of repayment shall not exceed 10 years, unless extended by up to 60 months under specified circumstances, and shall commence 6 months after the student is no longer enrolled full-time in an accredited college program. The bill would require the income share agreement to be subject to specified requirements, including, among others, that the agreement provide for monthly payments to be based on a specified percentage of the student's annual income. The bill would require the pilot program to be open to students in their sophomore, junior, or senior year, and would authorize the campus to impose other eligibility requirements and cap the number of participants based on the amount of moneys appropriated for the pilot program. The bill would require that implementation of the pilot program be contingent upon the appropriation of funds for this purpose in the annual Budget Act or another statute. The bill would require each participating campus to submit a report no later than November 1, 2023, and a 2nd report no later than November 1, 2026, to the appropriate policy and fiscal committees of the Legislature containing specified information about the pilot program.

Article XIX of the California Constitution restricts the use of fuel excise tax revenues imposed by the state on fuels used in motor vehicles upon public streets and highways to expenditure on highway and certain mass transit purposes. Existing law provides for the deposit of these revenues in the Highway Users Tax Account, and appropriates those revenues for various purposes. With respect to the portion of these revenues that is derived from increases in the motor vehicle fuel excise tax beginning in 2010, existing law requires, after certain allocations are made, the Controller to allocate the remaining amount of this portion of revenues 44% to the state transportation improvement program, 12% to the State Highway Operation and Protection Program, and 44% to cities and counties for local street and road purposes. This bill would require the Controller to allocate a portion of these revenues available for counties to the De Luz Community Services District for local street and road purposes as though the De Luz Community Services District were a county. The bill would thereby make an appropriation. Existing law creates the Road Maintenance and Rehabilitation Program to address deferred maintenance on the state highway system and the local street and road system. Existing law provides for the deposit of various funds, including revenues from certain increases in fuel taxes and vehicle fees enacted in 2017, for the program in the Road Maintenance and Rehabilitation Account. After certain allocations for the program are made, existing law requires the remaining funds available for the program to be continuously appropriated 50% for maintenance of the state highway system or to the State Highway Operation and Protection Program and 50% for apportionment to cities and counties by the Controller pursuant to a specified formula. Before receiving an apportionment of funds under the program from the Controller in a fiscal year, existing law requires an eligible city or county to submit to the California Transportation Commission a list of projects proposed to be funded with these funds. Existing law requires the commission to report to the Controller the cities and counties that have submitted a list of projects and requires the Controller, upon receipt of the report, to apportion funds to eligible cities and counties included in the report, as specified. Existing law requires cities and counties to maintain their existing commitment of local funds for street, road, and highway purposes in order to remain eligible for an allocation or apportionment of these funds. This bill would require the Controller to allocate a portion of these revenues available for counties to the De Luz Community Services District pursuant to the specified formula after the Controller receives a report from the commission indicating that the district submitted a list of projects proposed to be funded with these funds. The bill would thereby make an appropriation. The bill would exempt the district from the maintenance of effort requirement. The bill would make other conforming changes. This bill would make legislative findings and declarations as to the necessity of a special statute for the De Luz Community Services District.

Existing law establishes the San Diego County Regional Transportation Commission in the County of San Diego and requires the board of directors of the San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG) to serve as the commission. Existing law authorizes the commission to impose a retail transactions and use tax by ordinance in the county if approved by 23 of the electors voting on the measure. Existing law further authorizes the commission to expand, extend, or increase the tax if approved by the required vote of the electors. Existing law requires the ordinance to contain an expenditure plan that includes an allocation of revenues for the purposes authorized in the ordinance. Pursuant to this authority, the commission, upon receiving voter approval, imposed a retail transactions and use tax of 12 of 1% in 1987, and extended the tax, commonly referred to as the TransNet Extension Ordinance, in 2004 until April 1, 2048. This bill would prohibit SANDAG's board of directors, serving as the commission, from changing the allocation of revenues to any component of the expenditure plan contained in the TransNet Extension Ordinance by more than an unspecified percentage unless the board, serving as the commission, adopts a resolution proposing to change the allocation of revenues in the expenditure plan, holds 4 public meetings in specified regions of the county to share the details of the proposed change, and the proposed change is approved by 23 of the electors voting on the measure at a special election called by the board, serving as the commission. This bill would impose a state-mandated local program by requiring the County of San Diego to conduct the election on a proposed change to the allocation of revenues in the expenditure plan. 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, if the Commission on State Mandates determines that the bill contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement for those costs shall be made pursuant to the statutory provisions noted above.