Asm. Heath Flora

Existing law establishes the Division of Occupational Safety and Health in the Department of Industrial Relations, and charges the division with the enforcement of various laws affecting safe working conditions, including the California Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1973. Existing law requires the Director of Industrial Relations to prepare and submit to the Legislature an annual report on the activities of the Division of Occupational Safety and Health, as specified. This bill would additionally require the Director of Industrial Relations to submit the report to the Governor and post the report on the department's internet website. This bill would also make nonsubstantive changes to those provisions.

Existing law, the California Safe Drinking Water Act, requires the State Water Resources Control Board to administer provisions relating to the regulation of drinking water to protect public health. The act defines various terms for its purposes. This bill would make nonsubstantive changes to those definitions.

Existing law requires that a court report of adoption be filed with the original record of birth and that these records remain a part of the records of the State Registrar. Existing law provides that vital records related to adoptions, other than a newly issued birth certificate, shall be available only upon the order of the superior court of the county of residence of the adopted child or of the county granting the order of adoption. Existing law prohibits the order from being granted unless a verified petition setting forth facts showing the necessity of the order has been presented to the court and good and compelling cause is shown for granting the order. This bill would, beginning January 1, 2025, require a superior court to grant a petition and require the State Registrar to provide a copy of the original unredacted birth certificate of an adopted person upon receipt of a verified petition filed by that adopted person who is 18 years of age or older and was the subject of an adoption occurring before January 1, 2025. The bill would require, for an adoption occurring before January 1, 2025, the State Registrar to provide notice to each birth parent on the original birth certificate, as specified, informing them that the original and unredacted birth certificate of the adopted child has been requested by the adopted person. The bill would require the notice to include a form on which each birth parent may indicate that they authorize a copy of the original and unredacted birth certificate to be provided to the adopted person. The bill would prohibit the State Registrar from providing the original and unredacted birth certificate if either birth parent did not receive the notice, as specified, but would permit the State Registrar to provide the birth certificate with information identifying and pertaining to the birth parent that did not receive or did not respond to the notice redacted. This bill would require the State Registrar, for adoptions occurring on or after January 1, 2025, upon receiving notice that adoption proceedings have been completed, to provide notice to each birth parent named on the original birth certificate of an adopted person who is the subject of adoption proceedings informing each birth parent that the adopted person may request a copy of the original and unredacted birth certificate. The bill would require a superior court to grant a petition and require the State Registrar to provide a copy of the original unredacted birth certificate of an adopted person upon receipt of a verified petition filed by that adopted person who is 18 years of age or older and was the subject of an adoption occurring on or after January 1, 2025. The bill would require the State Registrar to provide notice to each birth parent on the original birth certificate, as specified, informing them that the original and unredacted birth certificate will be provided to the adopted person absent the parent's refusal, as specified. The bill would prohibit the State Registrar from providing the original and unredacted birth certificate if either birth parent did not receive the notice, as specified, but would permit the State Registrar to provide the birth certificate with information identifying and pertaining to the birth parent that did not receive or did not respond to the notice redacted. This bill would also require a superior court to grant a petition and direct the State Registrar to provide a copy of the adopted person's original and unredacted birth certificate if a verified petition is filed by an adopted person who is 18 years of age or older and both parents listed on a birth certificate of the adopted person are deceased, as verified by the Office of Vital Records.

Existing law defines and regulates the terms and conditions of employment. Existing law generally defines "workweek" for these purposes and requires that work in excess of 40 hours in a workweek be compensated at a rate of at least 112 times the employee's regular rate of pay, subject to certain exceptions. Existing law makes a violation of these provisions a misdemeanor. This bill would expressly require that overtime provisions apply to an employee of the Legislature. By expanding the application of a crime, this 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 no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason.

Existing law requires the Department of Motor Vehicles to establish the California Legacy License Plate Program, and to create and issue a series of specialized license plates, consisting of one or more of 3 specified designs that replicate license plates from the state's past. Existing law requires the department to collect and hold paid applications for the plates, as specified, and prohibits the department from issuing a specialized license plate until it has received not less than 7,500 paid applications for any one of the particular plates on or before January 1, 2015. This bill would extend the deadline for receipt of the required number of paid applications to January 1, 2025, for plate designs that did not receive the required number of applications by January 1, 2015.

Existing law, the Davis-Stirling Common Interest Development Act, governs the management and operation of common interest developments. The act requires the board of an association of a condominium project to cause a visual inspection to be conducted, at least every 9 years, of the exterior elevated elements for which the association has maintenance or repair responsibility. Existing law requires the inspection to be conducted by a licensed structural engineer or architect. This bill would additionally authorize a Branch 3 registered company registered with the Structural Pest Control Board with a minimum of 5 years of experience to conduct the inspection. Existing law, the State Housing Law, authorizes an enforcement agency to enter and inspect any building or premises whenever necessary to secure compliance with, or prevent a violation of, the State Housing Law, the building standards published in the California Building Standards Code, and specified other rules and regulations. Existing law requires exterior elevated elements that include load-bearing components in all buildings containing 3 or more multifamily dwelling units to be inspected, and requires that inspection to be performed by one of specified licensed individuals, including a licensed architect or a licensed civil or structural engineer. This bill would additionally authorize a Branch 3 registered company registered with the Structural Pest Control Board with a minimum of 5 years of experience to perform the inspection. To the extent the bill would impose additional enforcement duties on local enforcement entities, the 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 makes it a misdemeanor to sell equipment, supplies, or services to any person with knowledge that the equipment, supplies, or services are to be used in the performance of a service or contract in violation of the licensing requirements provided by law. Existing law excludes cash sales of less than $100 from these provisions. Existing law provides that a violation of these provisions is punishable by a fine of not less than $1,000 and by imprisonment in the county jail not exceeding 6 months. This bill would instead exclude cash sales of less than $200 from these provisions. The bill would also provide that a violation of these provisions is punishable by a fine of not less than $2,000 and by imprisonment in the county jail not exceeding 6 months. This bill would also make nonsubstantive changes to these provisions.

Existing law provides the authority for the organization and powers of fire protection districts. This bill would make nonsubstantive changes to that law.

Existing law declares that the protection of the public interest in the development of the water resources of the state is of vital concern to the people of the state and that the state shall determine in what way the water of the state, both surface and underground, should be developed for the greatest public benefit. Existing law establishes within the Natural Resources Agency the State Water Resources Control Board and the California regional water quality control boards. Existing law requires the work of the state board to be divided into at least 2 divisions, known as the Division of Water Rights and the Division of Water Quality. This bill would establish a statewide goal to increase above- and below-ground water storage capacity by a total of 3,700,000 acre-feet by the year 2030 and a total of 4,000,000 acre-feet by the year 2040. The bill would require the Department of Water Resources, in consultation with the state board, to take reasonable actions to promote or assist efforts to achieve the statewide goal, as provided. The bill would require the department, beginning July 1, 2027, and on or before July 1 every 2 years thereafter until January 1, 2043, in consultation with the state board, to prepare and submit a report to the Legislature on the progress made to achieve the statewide goal.

Existing law establishes the Natural Resources Agency, composed of departments, boards, conservancies, and commissions responsible for the restoration, protection, and management of the state's natural and cultural resources. Existing law establishes in the agency the Department of Water Resources, which manages and undertakes planning with regard to water resources in the state. This bill would require the agency, and each department, board, conservancy, and commission within the agency, to take all reasonable steps to approve the necessary permits for specified projects that meet certain employment conditions within 180 days from receiving a complete permit application. The bill would require the department, board, conservancy, or commission responsible for issuing a permit to post updates on its internet website for each permit application explaining how the permit approval process is progressing and the estimated time until the permit is approved.