Under existing law, it is the policy of the state that all children in foster care have specified rights, including the right to live in a safe, healthy, and comfortable home where they are treated with respect, the right to be free from physical, sexual, emotional, or other abuse, or corporal punishment, and the right to receive adequate and healthy food, adequate clothing, and medical, dental, vision, and mental health services. This bill would require the State Department of Social Services, in consultation with the County Welfare Directors Association, foster parents, caregivers, and current and former foster youth, to develop and implement a foster parent evaluation process. The bill would require that evaluation process to include a process to allow foster youth over 10 years of age and nonminor dependents to provide feedback on the quality of care received in licensed or certified foster homes and group homes at least every 6 months and upon any exit from those homes. The bill would also require the evaluation process to include the development of an evaluation tool in partnership with current and former foster youth and caregivers that allows youth to provide feedback on the quality of care received, as specified, including feedback on the caregivers' honoring of the rights of foster youth. The bill would require the department to implement the foster parent evaluation process and promulgate all necessary regulations pursuant to this provision on or before January 1, 2015.
Sponsored bills
The Medi-Cal Act establishes the Medi-Cal program, which is administered by the State Department of Health Care Services, under which qualified low-income individuals receive health care services. The Medi-Cal program is, in part, governed and funded by federal Medicaid Program provisions. Existing law requires, except as otherwise provided, Medi-Cal provider payments to be reduced by 1% or 5%, and provider payments for specified non-Medi-Cal programs to be reduced by 1%, for dates of service on and after March 1, 2009, and until June 1, 2011. Existing law requires, except as otherwise provided, Medi-Cal provider payments and payments for specified non-Medi-Cal programs to be reduced by 10% for dates of service on and after June 1, 2011. This bill would instead require that, to the extent permitted by federal law, this payment reduction not apply to skilled nursing facilities or subacute care units that are a distinct part of a general acute care hospital, intermediate care or other specified facilities serving developmentally disabled individuals, or specified Medi-Cal provider payments for fee-for-service benefits, including payments to pharmacies, for dates of service on or after June 1, 2011. The bill would also provide that this payment reduction shall not apply to managed health care plans for dates of service after the effective date of the bill. This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.
This measure would designate that January 20, 2014, be observed as the official memorial of the late Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s birth and commemorate Martin Luther King, Jr. Day and the work of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and the Civil Rights Movement in changing public policy in California and in the United States of America. This measure would also recognize the anniversaries of the Emancipation Proclamation and the March on Washington in connection with the advancement of civil rights.
Existing law establishes the State Department of Public Health and sets forth its powers and duties, including, but not limited to, the licensure and regulation of primary care clinics and specialty clinics. Violation of these provisions is a crime. This bill would, until the department adopts regulations relating to the provision of services by a chronic dialysis clinic, a surgical clinic, or a rehabilitation clinic, require those clinics to comply with prescribed federal certification standards in effect immediately preceding January 1, 2013. Because a violation of that requirement would be a crime, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. The bill would require the department, by July 1, 2017, to conduct a public hearing and submit a prescribed report to the appropriate legislative committees. These provisions would become inoperative on January 1, 2018. Existing law requires the State Department of Public Health and the State Department of Developmental Services to jointly develop and implement licensing regulations appropriate for an intermediate care facility/developmentally disabled-nursing and an intermediate care facility/developmentally disabled-continuous nursing. This bill would, until the departments adopt those regulations, require that the facilities comply with applicable federal certification standards for intermediate care facilities for individuals with intellectual disabilities in effect immediately preceding January 1, 2013. These provisions would become inoperative on January 1, 2018. Existing law provides for the licensure and regulation by the State Department of Public Health of congregate living health facilities. Under existing law, a congregate living health facility is a residential home with a capacity of no more than 12 beds, except as provided, that provides inpatient care to persons with prescribed conditions, including persons who have a diagnosis of terminal illness or who are catastrophically and severely disabled. Existing law requires that a congregate living health facility be freestanding, but specifies that this does not preclude its location on the premises of a hospital. This bill would authorize the establishment of multiple congregate living health facilities in one multifloor building if certain requirements are met, including, among others, that each facility is separated by a wall, floor, or other permanent partition, and is located on former McClellan Air Force Base, as specified. This bill would make legislative findings and declarations as to the necessity of a special statute for these congregate living facilities. 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, until January 1, 2014, authorizes certain state and local transportation entities, if authorized by the California Transportation Commission, to use a design‑build process for contracts on transportation projects, as specified. Existing law establishes a procedure for submitting bids that includes a requirement that design-build entities provide a statement of qualifications submitted to the transportation entity that is verified under oath, subject to penalty of perjury. This bill would authorize the Department of Transportation to utilize design-build procurement for up to 10 projects on the state highway system, based on either best value or lowest responsible bid. The bill would authorize regional transportation agencies, as defined, to utilize design-build procurement for projects on or adjacent to the state highway system. The bill would also authorize those regional transportation agencies to utilize design-build procurement for projects on expressways that are not on the state highway system, as specified. The bill would repeal these provisions on January 1, 2024, or one year from the date that the Department of Transportation posts on its Internet Web site that the provisions related to the construction inspection services of these projects are invalid. The bill would provide that these design-build authorizations do not include construction inspection services for projects on or interfacing with the state highway system. The bill would require the Department of Transportation to perform construction inspection services for projects on or interfacing with the state highway system, as specified. The bill would require a transportation entity, as defined, awarding a contract for a public works project pursuant to these provisions, to reimburse the Department of Industrial Relations for costs of performing prevailing wage monitoring and enforcement of the public works project and would require moneys collected to be deposited into the State Public Works Enforcement Fund, a continuously appropriated fund. By depositing money in a continuously appropriated fund, the bill would make an appropriation. The bill would extend the use of design-build procurement to regional transportation agencies, as defined, and extend the period of time for which the Department of Transportation may use design-build procurement, subject to existing procedures. The bill would, by extension, impose the statement of qualifications requirement upon regional transportation agencies and the department, subject to penalty of perjury, thereby creating a new crime and imposing 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.
Existing law, the State Bar Act, provides for the licensure and regulation of attorneys by the State Bar of California, a public corporation. This bill would make it a violation of specified provisions of law relating to the unauthorized practice of law for any person who is not an attorney to literally translate from English into another language the phrases "notary public," "notary," "licensed," "attorney," "lawyer," or any other terms that imply that the person is an attorney. The bill would prescribe penalties, not to exceed $1,000 per day for each violation, for a person who violates these provisions. The bill would authorize these penalties to be allocated to a specified fund for purposes of providing free legal services related to immigration reform act services to clients of limited means, or to a fund for the purposes of mitigating unpaid claims of injured immigrant clients, as specified, as directed by the Board of Trustees of the State Bar. The bill would require the Board of Trustees of the State Bar to annually report any collection and expenditure of these moneys to the Assembly and Senate Committees on Judiciary. This bill would require, when a contract for legal services is required in writing pursuant to specified provisions of law, that an attorney providing immigration reform act services, as defined, provide a written notice informing the client that he or she may report complaints to specified entities. The bill would make these provisions operative when the State Bar posts the form and specified translations of the form on its Internet Web site, but no later than 45 days after the effective date of the bill. Existing law provides for the regulation of a person engaged in the business or acting in the capacity of an immigration consultant, and provides that a violation of these provisions is a crime. Existing law requires an immigration consultant to provide a client with a written contract containing specified information prior to providing services. Existing law requires an immigration consultant to file a bond of $50,000 with the Secretary of State in accordance with specified provisions of law. This bill would, commencing July 1, 2014, increase the amount of this bond to $100,000. The bill would require that the written contract contain additional information relating to an explanation of the purpose of each service to be performed. The bill would require an immigration consultant to establish a client trust account and to deposit in this account any funds received from the client prior to performing immigration reform act services, as defined, for that client, and would impose certain requirements relating to the expenditure of funds from this trust account. The bill would prohibit an attorney or an immigration consultant from demanding or accepting the advance payment of any funds from a person before the enactment of an immigration reform act, as defined, and would require any funds received after the effective date of this bill, but before the enactment of an immigration reform act, to be refunded to the client promptly, but no later than 30 days after the receipt of any funds. The bill would require any funds that were received before the effective date of the bill for services not rendered before the effective date of the bill to be either refunded to the client or deposited in a client trust fund in accordance with specified provisions. The bill would prescribe penalties, not to exceed $1,000 per day for each violation, for immigration consultants who violate these provisions. Existing law prohibits an immigration consultant from literally translating the phrase "notary public" into Spanish. This bill would provide that a violation of these provisions constitutes a violation of specified provisions of law relating to the unauthorized practice of law. The bill also would prescribe penalties, not to exceed $1,000 per day for each violation, for immigration consultants who violate these provisions. Because a violation of these provisions by an immigration consultant would be a crime, 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. This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.
The California Public Employees' Pension Reform Act of 2013 (PEPRA) , among other things, establishes new retirement formulas for employees first employed on or after January 1, 2013, which a public employer offering a defined benefit pension plan is prohibited from exceeding, requires those employees to contribute a specified percentage of the normal cost of the defined benefit plan, and prohibits public employers from paying an employee's share of retirement contributions. PEPRA excepts certain retirement systems from its provisions. This bill would except from PEPRA public employees whose collective bargaining rights are subject to specified provisions of federal law until a specified federal district court decision on a certification by the United States Secretary of Labor, or his or her designee, or until January 1, 2015, whichever is sooner. The bill would also provide that if a federal district court upholds the determination of the United States Secretary of Labor, or his or her designee, that application of PEPRA to those public employees precludes certification, those employees are excepted from PEPRA. The bill would authorize the Director of Finance to authorize a loan of up to $26,000,000 from the Public Transportation Account in the State Transportation Fund to be made to local mass transit providers in amounts equal to federal transportation grants not received due to noncertification from the federal Department of Labor, as specified. By providing for loans in the manner specified, this bill would make an appropriation. The bill would prescribe requirements regarding the disbursement of these funds. The bill would require a local transit provider to repay the loan based on the occurrence of certain contingencies or by January 1, 2019. This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.
Existing law requires local agencies, as defined, to retain money, that remains unclaimed and that is not the property of the local agency in its treasury or in the official custody of its officers, for a period of 3 years, after which time, if the money, excluding victim restitution money, has not been claimed, it reverts to the local agency, as specified. Existing law requires moneys constituting restitution for victims to be placed into a Restitution Fund or used for victim services after the 3-year period. This bill would require a local agency to document that it has made a reasonable effort to locate and notify the victim to whom the restitution is owed if, at the expiration of the 3-year period, the local agency elects to use restitution funds for victim services.
This measure would honor the California Council on Science and Technology for 25 years of service and unbiased advice to the State of California.