Asm. Ken Cooley

Existing law creates the California Insurance Guarantee Association (CIGA) and requires all insurers admitted to transact insurance in this state to become members. CIGA is required to collect premium payments from members to discharge its obligations to cover claims of an insolvent insurer. Existing law provides that CIGA shall be a party in interest in all proceedings involving a covered claim, and has all of the rights an insolvent insurer would have if the insurer was not in liquidation. CIGA is required to allocate its claim payments and costs based on categories of insurance, including, but not limited to, workers' compensation claims and homeowners' claims. The premium payments from each category are separate and required to be used to pay the claims and costs allocated to that category. Existing law provides that the premium charged to a member insurer for any of the categories of insurance is 1% of the net direct written premium, as defined, written in the category by the member per year. Existing law authorizes CIGA to request the issuance of bonds by the California Infrastructure and Economic Development Bank to pay for covered claims that arise as a result of the insolvency of workers' compensation insurers. Proceeds from the sale of the bonds are deposited in the Workers' Comp Bond Fund, and CIGA distributes this money to pay covered claims. Principal and interest on the bonds are paid from special bond assessments levied by CIGA on workers' compensation insurers, as provided. This bill would, commencing January 1, 2015, provide that the premium charged to a member insurer for a category of insurance would be 2% of the net direct written premium, unless there are outstanding bonds, as specified, in which case the premium would not exceed 1% of the net direct written premium for any category of insurance for which the bond proceeds are being used to pay claims and expenses. The bill would prohibit, once all the bonds issued pursuant to these provisions are redeemed, further initial special bond assessments from being levied or made. The bill would require that any premium adjustments applicable to the special bond assessments continue to be made and determined, and that any credits or charges that result from the premium adjustments be credited or charged to the workers' compensation assessments that the insurers are otherwise required to pay CIGA.

Existing law requires that specified fees be paid by certain applicants for certified copies of birth certificates. Existing law provides that $4 of each fee be paid to either a county children's trust fund or to the State Children's Trust Fund, to fund child abuse and neglect prevention and intervention programs. Existing law requires a county treasurer to transmit moneys collected from birth certificate fees that are for the county children's trust fund and that are collected with respect to the birth certificate of a child whose mother was a resident of another county at the time of the birth to the treasurer of the county of the mother's residence at the time of the birth if the county to receive the funds, among other things, does not have a licensed health facility that provides maternity services within its jurisdiction. This bill would delete the requirement that the county to receive the funds does not have a licensed health facility that provides maternity services within its jurisdiction, as specified.

This measure would urge Congress to support legislation reauthorizing the Export-Import Bank of the United States.

This measure would proclaim the year of 2014 as the "Year of the Community," and would declare that the Legislature will actively promote the rights of persons with developmental disabilities and their full inclusion into community life.

This measure would recognize the essential role that museums have in the State of California as educational institutions and would proclaim May 2014 as California Museum Month.

This measure would commend the extraordinary service delivered by Near East Relief to the survivors of the Armenian Genocide and the Assyrian Genocide.

This measure would recognize the essential role that health care districts have in the State of California and proclaims the month of May 2014 as Health Care District Month in California.

This measure would proclaim May 19, 2014, as Viral Hepatitis Awareness Day in California.