Existing law provides for the payment of unemployment compensation benefits and extended benefits to eligible individuals who meet specified requirements. Existing law provides definitions for "employment" for purposes of these provisions. Existing federal and state law excludes services performed by a child in the employ of a parent, a parent in the employ of their child, or a person in the employ of their spouse, from the definition of "employment" for purposes of unemployment taxes and unemployment insurance benefit eligibility, as specified. Under existing law, unemployment benefits are generally paid from the Unemployment Compensation Disability Fund, which is continuously appropriated for these purposes. This bill would provide that the definition of "employment" for the purposes of unemployment insurance coverage includes services performed by an individual in the employ of their parent, child, or spouse if that individual is providing services through the In-Home Supportive Services program or the Waiver Personal Care Services program. This bill would, notwithstanding existing law, provide that no money is continuously appropriated for purposes of the provisions of this bill and would make the operation of the bill's provisions contingent upon appropriation by the Legislature. Existing law permits an employing unit for which services are performed that do not constitute employment because they are services performed by a minor child in the employ of parent, or services performed by an individual in the employ of their child or spouse, to elect that the services constitute employment for purposes of disability compensation laws and provides that, upon written approval from the Director of Employment Development, those services are deemed to constitute employment. This bill would require that an individual whose services are deemed to constitute employment pursuant to the above-described provisions be treated as an individual whose services ordinarily constitute employment for purposes of computing disability benefit rights and contributions, if that individual is providing services through the In-Home Supportive Services program or the Waiver Personal Care Services program. Under existing law, disability benefits are generally paid from the Unemployment Compensation Disability Fund, which is continuously appropriated for these purposes. This bill would, notwithstanding existing law, provide that no money is continuously appropriated for purposes of the provisions of this bill and would make the operation of the bill's provisions contingent upon appropriation by the Legislature. 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. This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.
Sponsored bills
Existing law requests the Regents of the University of California to assemble a colloquium of scholars to draft a research proposal to analyze the economic benefits of slavery that accrued to owners and the businesses, including insurance companies and their subsidiaries, that received those benefits, and to make recommendations to the Legislature regarding those findings. Existing law requires the Insurance Commissioner to request and obtain information from insurers licensed and doing business in this state regarding any records of slaveholder insurance policies issued by any predecessor corporation during the slavery era. Existing law requires insurers to research and report to the commissioner on insurance policies that provided coverage for injury to, or death of, enslaved people. This bill would establish the Task Force to Study and Develop Reparation Proposals for African Americans, with a Special Consideration for African Americans Who are Descendants of Persons Enslaved in the United States, consisting of 9 members, appointed as provided. The bill would require the Task Force to, among other things, identify, compile, and synthesize the relevant corpus of evidentiary documentation of the institution of slavery that existed within the United States and the colonies. The bill would require the Task Force to recommend, among other things, the form of compensation that should be awarded, the instrumentalities through which it should be awarded, and who should be eligible for this compensation. The bill would require the Task Force to submit a written report of its findings and recommendations to the Legislature. The bill would authorize reimbursement of the members' expenses only to the extent an appropriation therefor is made in the Budget Act. The bill would state that any state level reparations authorized under these provisions are not to be considered a replacement for any reparations enacted at the federal level. The bill would repeal these provisions on July 1, 2023.
Existing law provides for the exclusion of a prospective juror from a trial jury by peremptory challenge. Existing law prohibits a party from using a peremptory challenge to remove a prospective juror on the basis of an assumption that the prospective juror is biased merely because of the sex, race, color, religion, ancestry, national origin, ethnic group identification, age, mental disability, physical disability, medical condition, genetic information, marital status, or sexual orientation of the prospective juror, or on similar grounds. This bill would, for all jury trials in which jury selection begins on or after January 1, 2022, prohibit a party from using a peremptory challenge to remove a prospective juror on the basis of the prospective juror's race, ethnicity, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, or religious affiliation, or the perceived membership of the prospective juror in any of those groups. The bill would allow a party, or the trial court on its own motion, to object to the use of a peremptory challenge based on these criteria. Upon objection, the bill would require the party exercising the challenge to state the reasons the peremptory challenge has been exercised. The bill would require the court to evaluate the reasons given, as specified, and, if the court grants the objection, would authorize the court to take certain actions, including, but not limited to, starting a new jury selection, declaring a mistrial at the request of the objecting party, seating the challenged juror, or providing another remedy as the court deems appropriate. The bill would subject the denial of an objection to de novo review by an appellate court, as specified. The bill would, until January 1, 2026, specify that its provisions do not apply to civil cases.
Existing law requires a court to order a $1000 fine or a term of imprisonment not to exceed five days for a person adjudged in contempt of court. Existing law specifies different terms of imprisonment and community service that a court shall order for a person found in contempt of court for failure to comply with a court order pursuant to the Family Code. This bill would permit the court to grant probation or a conditional sentence, as defined, in lieu of an order for community service, imprisonment, or both, for a party found in contempt for failure to comply with a court order pursuant to the Family Code.
(1) Existing law prohibits an employer from discharging, or discriminating or retaliating against, an employee who is a victim of domestic violence, sexual assault, or stalking, for taking time off from work to obtain or attempt to obtain relief to help ensure the health, safety, or welfare of the victim or victim's child. Existing law requires an employee, as a condition of taking time off for these purposes, to give the employer reasonable advance notice of the employee's intention to take time off, unless doing so is not feasible. Existing law prohibits an employer, when an unscheduled absence occurs, from taking any action against the employee if the employee, within a reasonable time after the absence, provides a certification to the employer meeting certain criteria, including documentation from one of specified persons that the employee was undergoing treatment for specific injuries. Existing law authorizes an employee to file a complaint with the Division of Labor Standards Enforcement for a violation of that prohibition, and makes it a misdemeanor for an employer to refuse to rehire, promote, or restore an employee who has been determined to be so eligible by a grievance procedure or legal hearing. This bill would expand the above provision to prohibit an employer from discharging, or discriminating or retaliating against, an employee who is a victim of crime or abuse for taking time off from work to obtain or attempt to obtain relief, as prescribed. The bill would also prohibit an employer from taking action against an employee, when an unscheduled absence occurs, if the employee victim of crime or abuse provides certification that they were receiving services for certain injuries, or if the documentation is from a victim advocate, as defined. The bill would additionally prohibit such action if the employee provides certification in any other form of documentation that reasonably verifies that the crime or abuse occurred. The bill would also define "victim" and "crime" for purposes of these provisions. By expanding the definition of a crime, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. (2) Existing law also prohibits an employer with 25 or more employees from discharging, or discriminating or retaliating against, an employee who is a victim of domestic violence, sexual assault, or stalking for taking time off from work for any of specified purposes, including seeking medical attention for injuries caused by domestic violence, sexual assault, or stalking. This bill would prohibit the discharge of, or discrimination or retaliation against, an employee who is a victim, as defined, for taking off work, as specified. The bill would revise the categories of time off work under these circumstances, to include taking time off work to seek medical attention for injuries caused by crime or abuse, to obtain services from prescribed entities as a result of the crime or abuse, to obtain psychological counseling or mental health services related to an experience of crime or abuse, or to participate in safety planning and take other actions to increase safety from future crime or abuse. The bill would define terms for these purposes. (3) 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 establishes the Medi-Cal program, which is administered by the State Department of Health Care Services and under which qualified low-income persons receive health care benefits. The Medi-Cal program is, in part, governed and funded by federal Medicaid program provisions. Existing law establishes a schedule of benefits under the Medi-Cal program and provides for various services, including behavioral and mental health services that are rendered by Medi-Cal enrolled providers. This bill would require the department, by July 1, 2022, subject to any necessary federal waivers or approvals, to establish statewide requirements for counties or their representatives to use in developing certification programs for the certification of peer support specialists, who are individuals who self-identify as having lived experience with the process of recovery from mental illness, substance use disorder, or both. The bill would authorize a county, or an agency that represents a county, to develop a peer support specialist certification program and certification fee schedule, both of which would be subject to department approval. The bill would require the department to seek any federal waivers it deems necessary to establish a demonstration or pilot project for the provision of peer support services in a county that agrees to participate in and fund the project, as specified.
Existing law designates the Secretary of State as the chief elections officer of the state and requires the Secretary of State to make reasonable efforts to promote voter registration and encourage eligible voters to vote. This bill would require the Secretary of State to establish a Native American Voting Accessibility Advisory Committee. The committee would include the Secretary of State, the Secretary of State's designees, and additional members appointed by the Secretary of State who have demonstrated experience with voting rights or are county elections officials. The committee would serve in an advisory capacity to the Secretary of State and would make specified recommendations and take other actions to make voting more accessible to Native American voters.
This measure would designate a specified portion of State Route 50 in the County of El Dorado as the Deputy Sheriff Brian "Ish" Ishmael Memorial Highway. The measure would request that the Department of Transportation determine the cost of appropriate signs showing this special designation and, upon receiving donations from nonstate sources covering that cost, erect those signs.
Existing law authorizes a court to allow a defendant sentenced to county jail for a felony to withdraw their plea of guilty or plea of nolo contendere and enter a plea of not guilty, after the lapse of one or 2 years following the defendant's completion of the sentence, provided that the defendant is not under supervision, and is not serving a sentence for, on probation for, or charged with the commission of any offense. Existing law requires the defendant to be released from all penalties and disabilities resulting from the offense of which the defendant was convicted, except as specified. This bill would allow a defendant who successfully participated in the California Conservation Camp Program or a county incarcerated individual hand crew as an incarcerated individual hand crew member, and has been released from custody, to petition to withdraw their plea of guilty or plea of nolo contendere and enter a plea of not guilty. The bill would make persons convicted of specified violent felonies and sex offenses ineligible for relief. The bill would allow the court, if the defendant is eligible for relief, to dismiss the accusations or information against the defendant at the court's discretion and in the interest of justice and would release the defendant from all penalties and disabilities resulting from the offense, except as provided. In granting this relief, the bill would require the court to order the early termination of probation, parole, or supervised release if the court determines that the defendant has not violated any of the terms or conditions of their release during the pendency of the petition.
Existing law authorizes a peace officer to use reasonable force to effect the arrest, to prevent escape, or to overcome resistance. Existing law requires law enforcement agencies to maintain a policy on the use of force, as specified. Existing law requires the Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training to implement courses of instruction for the regular and periodic training of law enforcement officers in the use of force. This bill would prohibit the use of kinetic energy projectiles or chemical agents, as defined, by any law enforcement agency to disperse any assembly, protest, demonstration, or other gathering of persons, except in compliance with specified standards set by the bill, and would prohibit their use solely due to a violation of an imposed curfew, verbal threat, or noncompliance with a law enforcement directive. The bill would prohibit the use of chloroacetophenone tear gas or 2-chlorobenzalmalononitrile gas by law enforcement agencies to disperse any assembly, protest, demonstration, or other gathering of persons. The bill would include in the standards for the use of kinetic energy projectiles and chemical agents to disperse gatherings the requirement that, among other things, those weapons only be fired at a specific target who presents a clear and imminent threat to themselves, the officers, or other persons. The bill would make these provisions inapplicable within a state prison facility. Existing law requires specified law enforcement agencies, by no later than January 1, 2021, to maintain a policy on the use of force that meets specified requirements. This bill would require those agencies, by no later than January 1, 2022, to include in those policies specified guidelines relating to deployment at assemblies, protests, demonstrations, and similar gatherings of people. Existing law requires each law enforcement agency to annually report specified use of force incidents to the Department of Justice and requires the Department of Justice to annually publish a summary of those incidents, as specified. The bill would also require each law enforcement agency, beginning on January 1, 2023, to report any incident in which a kinetic energy projectile or chemical agent is used against a person resulting in a reported injury. The bill would require those agencies, commencing on March 31, 2024, to annually publish a report on their use of kinetic energy projectiles and chemical agents. The bill would require a city in which federal law enforcement is operating to request that the federal law enforcement agency refrain from the use of kinetic energy projectiles or chemical agents to disperse any assembly, protest, demonstration, or other gathering, except as specified in the standards. By imposing new duties on law enforcement agencies and cities, this 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, 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.