Asm. Lorena Gonzalez

This act would declare June 10, 2016, as Portugal Day to celebrate Portuguese national heritage.

This measure would recognize May 24, 2016, as Slavic Heritage Day.

Existing law, the federal Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) , requires each state to establish an American Health Benefit Exchange that facilitates the purchase of qualified health plans by qualified individuals and qualified small employers, and meets certain other requirements. PPACA specifies that an individual who is not a citizen or national of the United States or an alien lawfully present in the United States shall not be treated as a qualified individual and may not be covered under a qualified health plan offered through an exchange. Existing law creates the California Health Benefit Exchange (the Exchange) for the purpose of facilitating the enrollment of qualified individuals and qualified small employers in qualified health plans as required under PPACA. This bill would require the Exchange to apply to the United States Department of Health and Human Services for a waiver to allow individuals who are not eligible to obtain health coverage through the Exchange because of their immigration status to obtain coverage from the Exchange. The bill would require the Exchange, after that waiver has been granted, to require an issuer that offers a qualified health plan in the individual market through the Exchange to concurrently offer a California qualified health benefit plan, as specified, to these individuals. The requirement to offer California qualified health plans would become operative on January 1, 2018, for coverage effective for California qualified health plans beginning January 1, 2019, as specified. The bill would require that individuals eligible to purchase California qualified health plans pay the cost of coverage without federal assistance and meet other specified requirements. The bill would require that information provided by an applicant for coverage under the bill be used only for the purposes of, and to the extent necessary for, ensuring the efficient operation of the Exchange, including verifying the eligibility of an individual to enroll through the Exchange, and would prohibit that information from being disclosed to any other person except as provided by the bill. This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.

This bill would call a special election to be consolidated with the November 8, 2016, statewide general election. The bill would require the Secretary of State to submit to the voters at the November 8, 2016, consolidated election a voter instruction asking whether California's elected officials should use all of their constitutional authority, including proposing and ratifying one or more amendments to the United States Constitution, to overturn Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission (2010) 558 U.S. 310, and other applicable judicial precedents, as specified. The bill would require the Secretary of State to communicate the results of this election to the Congress of the United States. The bill would require the Secretary of State, if prohibited by court order from submitting the voter instruction to the voters at the November 8, 2016, statewide general election, as specified, to submit the voter instruction to the voters at the next occurring election. This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an act calling an election.

This measure would proclaim that Monday, January 18, 2016, be observed as the official memorial of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s birth and his work in the Civil Rights Movement.

This measure would recognize May 2016 as Celiac Disease Awareness Month.

This measure would commend the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals on the celebration of its 150th anniversary and for the myriad contributions it has made to the health and well-being of animals nationwide and would extend best wishes for continued success in the future.

This measure would proclaim April 27, 2016, as Don't Text and Drive Day, and would call upon individuals, government agencies, and schools, among others, to promote awareness of the problem of texting and driving and to support programs and policies that reduce the incidence of texting while driving in California and nationwide.

This measure would recognize May 2016 as Asian and Pacific Islander American Heritage Month.

This measure would designate the month of May 2016 as Health Care District Month.