Asm. Heath Flora

The California Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1973 provides the Division of Occupational Safety and Health within the Department of Industrial Relations with the power, jurisdiction, and supervision over all employment and places of employment necessary to enforce and administer all occupational health and safety laws,and standards and to protect employees. The Occupational Safety and Health Standards Board, an independent entity within the department, has the exclusive authority to adopt occupational safety and health standards within the state. Existing law requires every employer to comply with those standards. A violation of these standards and regulations under specific circumstances is a crime. This bill would require the board to adopt occupational safety and health standards for state public works projects to prevent and control coccidioidomycosis, more commonly known as Valley Fever. By expanding the definition of an existing 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.

Existing law establishes a workers' compensation system to compensate an employee for injuries arising out of, and in the course of, his or her employment. Existing law designates illnesses and conditions, including meningitis, that constitute a compensable injury for various employees, such as members of the Department of the California Highway Patrol, firefighters, and certain peace officers. This bill would expand the coverage of the workers' compensation provisions relating to meningitis to include an active firefighting member of the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. The bill would also make technical and clarifying organizational changes.

Existing law, the Fire Fighting Thermal Imaging Equipment Act of 2001, establishes in the Office of Emergency Services the thermal imaging equipment purchasing program and requires the office to acquire firefighting thermal imaging equipment on behalf of local and state agencies that provide fire suppression services and are interested in obtaining this equipment. Existing law requires the Director of Emergency Services to establish an advisory committee in this connection and seek funding for the program from the private sector. The bill would revise those provisions and rename that act the Firefighting for the 21st Century Act of 2018 and would create within the Office of Emergency Services the SMART Firefighting for the 21st Century Pilot Program for the purpose of providing grants to local and state agencies to acquire and utilize SMART firefighting equipment. The bill would require the office to choose no more than five pilot locations, with at least one in a rural area, one in a suburban area, and one in an urban area, and a fire department selected in each location. The bill would require a fire department in order to be eligible for funding under these provisions to establish a labor management committee that is composed of equal number of representatives of the employer and of employees. The bill would provide that a fire department in each pilot location would be eligible for a grant not to exceed $5,000,000, and would require the fire department to use grant funds to fund costs associated with the purchase of SMART firefighting equipment and the training of department personnel in its use. The bill would create the SMART Firefighting for the 21st Century Fund, the moneys of which would be available to the office, upon appropriation by the Legislature, for expenditure for the purposes of the program, including the provision of grants to pilot program participants. The bill would make conforming changes to this effect by repealing language referring to thermal imaging equipment. The bill would require the director to form a task force with a prescribed membership to evaluate the effectiveness of the pilot program and report to the Legislature in this regard on or before January 1, 2021. The bill would repeal these provisions on January 1, 2022.

The Personal Income Tax Law imposes a tax on individual taxpayers measured by the taxpayer's taxable income for the taxable year, but excludes certain items of income from the computation of tax, including an exclusion for combat-related special compensation. This bill, for taxable years beginning on or after January 1, 2018, and before January 1, 2028, would exclude from gross income retirement pay received by a taxpayer from the federal government for service performed in the uniformed services, as defined. This bill would take effect immediately as a tax levy.

This measure would declare the support of the Legislature for the expansion of sensory-friendly movie screenings and similar programs for people with autism, and would encourage families to attend a sensory-friendly movie screening during April 2018, which is National Autism Awareness Month.

This measure would, among other things, designate the year 2018 as "State of California Year of Commemoration of the Anniversary of the Armenian Genocide of 1915–1923," would designate April 24, 2018, as "State of California Day of Commemoration of the 103rd Anniversary of the Armenian Genocide of 1915–1923," and would call upon the President of the United States and the United States Congress to formally and consistently reaffirm the historical truth that the atrocities committed against the Armenian people constituted genocide.

This measure would proclaim April 16, 2018, as California Holocaust Memorial Day and would urge all Californians to observe this day of remembrance for the victims of the Holocaust in an appropriate manner.

This measure would urge the Congress of the United States to implement revised dam safety and inspection requirements, with specified components, for all federally operated and regulated dams and reservoirs for the purpose of ensuring public safety.

This measure would recognize September 20, 2018, and every year on that date thereafter, as California Surfing Day to celebrate the California surfing lifestyle, would commend all those who honor the history, culture, and future of surfing, as well as the sport of surfing and the protection of our beach and ocean environments, would express support for future surfers and encourage potential surfing Olympians to work diligently, and would encourage all Californians to enjoy California Surfing Day.