Existing law establishes the Public Employment Relations Board (PERB) in state government for the purpose of resolving disputes and enforcing the statutory duties and rights of specified public employers and employees under various acts regulating collective bargaining, including the Meyers-Milias-Brown Act. Under existing law, PERB has the power and duty to investigate an unfair practice charge and to determine whether the charge is justified and the appropriate remedy for the unfair practice. This bill would enact the Public Employee Health Protection Act, which would make it an unfair practice for a covered employer, as defined, to fail or refuse to maintain or pay for continued health care or other medical coverage for an enrolled employee or their enrolled dependents, for the duration of the enrolled employee's participation in the authorized strike, at the level and under the conditions that coverage would have been provided if the employee had continued to work in their position for the duration of the strike. The act would also make it an unfair practice for a covered employer to fail to collect and remit the employee's contributions, if any, to this coverage, or to maintain any policy purporting to authorize an action prohibited by this provision or otherwise threaten an employee or their dependents' continued access to health or medical care during or as a result of the employee's participation in a strike. The act would require the restoration of health or other medical care premiums, contributions, or out-of-pocket expenses actually paid by the employee or their dependents as a result of the employer's violation of this provision, or because the employer failed to ensure continued coverage during a strike, and would require other equitable adjustments to ensure that the employee and their dependents are made whole, as specified. The act would define "covered employer" to include any public employer, as specified, that offers health care or other medical coverage for nonoccupational injuries or illness to its employees. The act would grant PERB jurisdiction over any violation of these provisions as an unfair practice, with specified enforcement powers and duties, including adjudication of claims and would state that its provisions are declaratory of, and clarify, existing law, as specified. By requiring unfair practice claims against local public employers to be adjudicated before PERB, 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, 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.
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(1) Existing law requires a pupil to complete designated coursework while in grades 9 to 12, inclusive, in order to receive a diploma of graduation from high school. These graduation requirements include, among others, the completion of 3 years of courses in English and 3 years of courses in social studies, including one-year courses in United States history and geography and world history, culture, and geography, a one-semester course in American government and civics, and a one-semester course in economics. Existing law requires the Instructional Quality Commission to develop, and the State Board of Education to adopt, modify, or revise, a model curriculum in ethnic studies. Existing law also encourages each school district and charter school that maintains any of grades 9 to 12, inclusive, and that does not otherwise offer a standards-based ethnic studies curriculum to offer, beginning in the school year following the adoption of the model curriculum, a course of study in ethnic studies based on the model curriculum. This bill would add the completion of a one-semester course in ethnic studies, meeting specified requirements, to the graduation requirements commencing with pupils graduating in the 2029–30 school year, including for pupils enrolled in a charter school. The bill would expressly authorize local educational agencies, including charter schools, to require a full-year course in ethnic studies at their discretion. The bill would require local educational agencies, including charter schools, to offer an ethnic studies course commencing with the 2025–26 school year, as specified. The bill would authorize, subject to the course offerings of a local educational agency, including a charter school, a pupil to satisfy the ethnic studies course requirement by completing either (A) a course based on the model curriculum in ethnic studies developed by the commission, (B) an existing ethnic studies course, (C) an ethnic studies course taught as part of a course that has been approved as meeting the A–G requirements of the University of California and the California State University, or (D) a locally developed ethnic studies course approved by the governing board of the school district or the governing body of the charter school. The bill would prohibit a course that does not use ethnic studies content as the primary content through which the subject is taught from being used to satisfy the ethnic studies course requirement. The bill would require a pupil who completes a course described above to also accrue credit for coursework in the subject that the course is offered, including, if applicable, credit towards satisfying a course required for a diploma of graduation from high school. These provisions would become operative only upon an appropriation of funds by the Legislature for these purposes in the annual Budget Act or another statute. Because the bill would add new duties to local educational agencies, it would constitute a state-mandated local program. (2) 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.
Existing law establishes the California Clean Truck, Bus, and Off-Road Vehicle and Equipment Technology Program, which is administered by the State Air Resources Board, in conjunction with the State Energy Resources Conservation and Development Commission, to fund development, demonstration, precommercial pilot, and early commercial deployment of zero- and near-zero-emission truck, bus, and off-road vehicle and equipment technologies. This bill would specify that peer-to-peer truck sharing platform demonstration is eligible for funding under the program.
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 and to nonminor dependents up to 21 years of age. Existing law specifies that a nonminor dependent is eligible for federal financial participation for benefits under the AFDC-FC program if the nonminor dependent meets certain criteria, including, among others, that they have been deprived of parental support, as specified. This bill would authorize a county child welfare, probation, or tribal placing agency, for certain nonminor dependents who were ineligible for federal financial participation prior to attaining 18 years of age and who consent, to file a petition with the juvenile court to dismiss dependency or transition jurisdiction and immediately resume that jurisdiction in order to establish the nonminor dependent's eligibility for federal financial participation. The bill would authorize the juvenile court to grant the petition without a hearing. The bill would require a county child welfare, probation, or tribal placing agency filing a petition pursuant to these provisions to ensure that a nonminor dependent does not experience a break in services or supports before, during, or after the filing or granting of the petition. The bill would require the Judicial Council, by September 1, 2022, to develop and implement rules, and develop and adopt appropriate forms, as necessary to implement this process. The bill would require the Director of Social Services to seek any federal approvals necessary to implement these provisions by July 1, 2022. This bill would make other related and conforming changes. This bill would incorporate additional changes to Section 11400 of the Welfare and Institutions Code proposed by AB 592 and AB 808 to be operative only if this bill and either or both AB 592 and AB 808 are enacted and this bill is enacted last.
The California Constitution provides that the civil service includes every officer and employee in the state except as otherwise provided in the Constitution, and existing statutory law, the State Civil Service Act, prescribes a comprehensive civil service personnel system for the state. Existing law, the Teachers' Retirement Law, establishes the State Teachers' Retirement System (STRS) and creates the Defined Benefit Program of the State Teachers' Retirement Plan, which provides a defined benefit to members of the program, based on final compensation, credited service, and age at retirement, subject to certain variations. STRS is administered by the Teachers' Retirement Board. Existing law authorizes the board, upon a finding by the board that necessary investment expertise is not available within existing civil service classifications, and with approval of the State Personnel Board, to contract with qualified investment managers, as provided. This bill would additionally authorize the board to contract with investment advisers, as defined, upon the same finding by the board and approval by the State Personnel Board. The bill would, pursuant to a policy adopted by the board, authorize the board to establish a competitive bidding process and to specify the contract terms and conditions the board solely deems necessary and prudent to contract with qualified investment managers and investment advisers.
Existing law establishes various programs and incentives intended to promote the development of affordable housing, including, among others, the Affordable Housing and Sustainable Communities Program. Existing law establishes the Strategic Growth Council and sets forth its powers and duties relating to developing and administering a program for the purpose of reducing greenhouse gas emissions through projects that implement land use, housing, transportation, and agricultural land preservation practices to support infill and compact development and that support other related and coordinated public policy objectives, including, among others, preserving and developing affordable housing for lower income households. Existing law specifies the types of projects eligible for funding under the program, including, among others, certain affordable housing projects. Existing law requires the council to develop guidelines and selection criteria for the implementation of the program, as specified. This bill would state the intent of the Legislature to enact legislation relating to the equitable treatment of home ownership in state and local affordable housing programs for a specified reason. The bill would specify that the affordable housing referenced by those provisions includes rental and owner-occupied units. The bill would require the council to adopt guidelines or selection criteria that include both affordable housing rental units and owner-occupied affordable housing units. The bill, for notices of funding availability released after July 1, 2022, would authorize the council to include guidelines or criteria for the award of funds to projects that provide home ownership opportunities for low-income individuals.
Existing law establishes the Judges' Retirement System and the Judges' Retirement System II, both of which are administered by the Board of Administration of the Public Employees' Retirement System, which provide pension and other benefits to judges who are members. Existing law establishes the Legislators' Retirement System, also administered by the Board of Administration of the Public Employees' Retirement System, which provides pension and other benefits to those members of the Legislature and specified state and statutory officers who have elected to become members. Existing California constitutional provisions prohibit the provision of retirement benefits to members of the Legislature and, on and after January 1, 2013, the Legislators' Retirement System was closed generally to new members. Existing federal law limits the amount that a public employee defined benefit plan may pay a participant annually and requires that this limitation be adjusted by regulation to account for increases in the cost of living. Existing law incorporates federal limits into the law that defines and regulates the above-described retirement systems. This bill would prohibit the amount payable to a member or a judge under the Legislators' Retirement System, the Judges' Retirement System, and the Judges' Retirement System II, including specified adjustments, from exceeding the federal limits on annual defined benefit plan payments and would incorporate specified provisions of federal law by reference. The bill would also require the retirement allowance of a judge who is a member of the Judges' Retirement System or the Judges Retirement System II, or a person who is a member of the Legislators' Retirement System, to be increased to reflect adjustments to payment limits prescribed by federal law, provided that the member's allowance determined without regard to that law equals or exceeds the applicable limit as indexed. The bill, for judges in the Judges Retirement System II, would also apply this requirement to a monetary payments annuity that is payable to a judge.
Existing law authorizes the formation of the Sacramento Regional Transit District with various powers and duties with respect to transportation planning, programming, construction, and operations. Existing law vests the government of the district in a board of directors. Existing law prescribes a weighted voting procedure, based on a total of 100 votes, for board action. Existing law defines a quorum for the transaction of business at a noticed meeting as the presence of members eligible to cast a majority of the 100 votes. Existing law requires an affirmative vote of members casting a majority of the 100 votes for official acts of the board, as specified. This bill would instead establish that each board member has one vote, that a majority of the members of the board constitutes a quorum, and that all official acts of the board require the affirmative vote of a majority of all the members of the board. The bill would require the board to post the new voting procedure on the district's internet website. The bill would also make conforming changes. By imposing new duties on the Sacramento Regional Transit District, the 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.
Existing law establishes the Interagency Advisory Committee on Apprenticeship within the Division of Apprenticeship Standards, which is in the Department of Industrial Relations. Existing law prescribes the composition of the committee, which includes specified officials or their designees, serving as ex officio members, and 6 persons appointed by the Secretary of Labor and Workforce Development who are familiar with certain apprenticeable occupations, as specified requirements. This bill would add the director of the State Department of Social Services as a member of the Interagency Advisory Committee on Apprenticeship. This bill would require the Interagency Advisory Committee on Apprenticeship to create a subcommittee to study and report on issues related to the participation of homeless youth and foster youth, as defined, in apprenticeships and preapprenticeships, and prescribe specified subjects the subcommittee is to address. The bill would authorize the subject matters of study and reporting to be expanded to include issues relating to minority populations, at the request of a committee member. The bill would require, on and after July 1, 2023, that the findings and recommendations be included in a specified report. Existing law requires the Chief of the Division of Apprenticeship Standards, the California Apprenticeship Council, and the Interagency Advisory Committee on Apprenticeship to annually report separately through the Director of Industrial Relations to the Legislature and the public on their activities. Existing law specifies the subjects upon which they are to report, including the number of individuals, including numbers of women and minorities, in apprenticeship, preapprenticeship, and other specified programs for the current year and in each of the previous 5 years. This bill would expand the above-described reporting requirements to include provisions relating to foster youth and homeless youth, as defined. This bill would incorporate additional changes to Section 3071.5 of the Labor Code proposed by AB 1273 to be operative only if this bill and AB 1273 are enacted and this bill is enacted last.
This measure would proclaim November 3, 2021, as One Health Day, to celebrate and bring attention to the need for a One Health approach to address shared health threats at the human-animal-environmental interface.