(1) Existing law establishes the Pierce's Disease Control Program in the Department of Food and Agriculture, and the Pierce's Disease Management Account in the Food and Agriculture Fund. Existing law allows money in this account to be expended as specified to combat Pierce's disease and its vectors. Existing law declares that these provisions shall become inoperative on March 1, 2011. This bill would allow specified money in the account to also be expended for purposes relating to other designated pests and diseases, as provided. The bill would change the date on which the above provisions become inoperative to March 1, 2016. (2) Existing law creates in the Department of Food and Agriculture the Pierce's Disease and Glassy-winged Sharpshooter Board, which consists of specified numbers of representatives of producers and processors, as defined, in the grape industry who are appointed by the Secretary of Food and Agriculture. Existing law sets forth the powers of the board and provides for an annual assessment to be paid by the processors into the Department of Food and Agriculture Fund for the purposes of, among other things, research and other activities related to the transmittal of the plant killing Pierce's disease bacterium, and its vectors, particularly the glassy-winged sharpshooter. Existing law repeals these provisions on March 1, 2011. This bill would authorize the expenditure of the assessments for purposes relating to other designated pests and diseases, as provided, and would extend the repeal date of these provisions to March 1, 2016, except that this bill would make these provisions inoperative as of March 1, 2011, unless the secretary finds, in a referendum conducted by him or her, or a person designated by him or her, that a favorable vote has been given. The bill would require, no later than April 15, 2010, the secretary to establish a list of those individuals eligible to vote on the continued implementation of these provisions, as specified. The bill would also make a conforming change and other technical changes. (3) Existing law authorizes the Department of Food and Agriculture and the Pierce's Disease and Glassy-winged Sharpshooter Board to charge expenditures for administrative purposes, as specified, in an amount not to exceed a total of 7% of the assessments collected pursuant to these provisions. This bill would increase the amount that may be charged for administrative purposes to an amount not to exceed a total of 14% of the assessments collected. Because assessments collected pursuant to these provisions are deposited in the Department of Food and Agriculture Fund, which is continuously appropriated, by extending the collection of these assessments and authorizing expenditure for a new purpose, this bill would make an appropriation. (4) Existing law, operative until March 1, 2011, provides that the Secretary of Food and Agriculture shall appoint an advisory task force to advise him or her on the control and management of Pierce's disease. This bill would extend these provisions to March 1, 2016. This bill would authorize the Pierce's Disease and Glassy-winged Sharpshooter Board, after consulting with the advisory task force and upon making specified findings, to recommend to the secretary, and would authorize the secretary to determine, that a pest or disease affecting grapes grown in California and crushed for wine, wine vinegar, juice, concentrate, or beverage brandy be designated as an other designated pest or disease, and that money should be expended on research and outreach programs for specified purposes relating to the other designated pest or disease, except as provided. The bill would also make conforming changes.
Sponsored bills
Existing law requires the State Department of Public Health to develop information about meningococcal disease, by April 1, 2002, and make it available to each requesting degree-granting public and private postsecondary institution and to each requesting school district. Existing law authorizes the department to design and implement a public awareness campaign to reach members of the population identified as being at high risk for contracting the disease. This bill would, instead, require the department to develop information about meningococcal disease, including information pertaining to children who are between 11 and 18 years of age, by April 1, 2010. The bill would authorize the State Department of Education to add this information to any health education material sent home to parents of students who are at least 11 years of age.
This measure would create the Joint Committee for the Protection of Lake Tahoe. The measure would require the committee to consist of 8 members, who shall include 4 Senators appointed by the Senate Committee on Rules and 4 Assembly Members appointed by the Speaker of the Assembly. In addition, this measure would require the members to meet at various times and places on or before December 31, 2009. This measure would authorize the termination of the committee on November 30, 2010.
Existing law requires the Governor to proclaim various days as holidays and days of remembrance. Existing law also designates certain days in each year as having special significance for purposes of encouraging schools to observe those days and conduct suitable commemorative exercises. This bill would require the Governor to annually proclaim March 30 of each year as "Welcome Home Vietnam Veterans Day." The bill would additionally encourage schools to conduct exercises on March 30 of each year to recognize the contributions of those involved in the Vietnam conflict.
Existing law recognizes that the California Interscholastic Federation is a voluntary organization that consists of school and school-related personnel with responsibility for administering interscholastic athletic activities in secondary schools. Existing law expresses the intent of the Legislature to ensure that all pupils in foster care and those who are homeless, as defined, have a meaningful opportunity to meet the challenging state pupil academic achievement standards to which all pupils are held and that, in fulfilling their responsibilities to these pupils, educators, county placing agencies, care providers, advocates, and the juvenile courts shall work together to maintain stable school placements and to ensure that each pupil is placed in the least restrictive educational programs, and has access to the academic resources, services, and extracurricular and enrichment activities that are available to all pupils. This bill would require that a foster child who changes residences pursuant to a court order or decision of a child welfare worker be immediately deemed to meet all residency requirements for participation in interscholastic sports or other extracurricular activities.
Existing law provides that no disaster worker who is performing disaster services during a state of war emergency, a state of emergency, or a local emergency shall be liable for civil damages on account of personal injury to or death of any person or property, as provided. This bill would provide that disaster service workers shall not be liable when acting within the scope of their responsibilities under the authority of the governmental emergency organization, as provided. This bill would provide that these provisions apply exclusively to any legal action filed on or after the effective date of this bill. This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.
Existing law, the Veterinary Medicine Practice Act, provides for the licensure and registration of veterinarians and registered veterinary technicians, and the regulation of the practice of veterinary medicine by the Veterinary Medical Board, which consists of 7 members, 3 of whom are public members and 4 of whom are licensed veterinarians. Existing law requires the Governor to appoint the 4 licensed veterinarians and the Senate Committee on Rules and the Speaker of the Assembly to each appoint a public member. Existing law requires the board to ascertain, by means of examination, the professional qualifications of applicants for licensure to practice veterinary medicine and to issue a license to every person whom it finds to be qualified. Existing law requires that the examination consist of a licensing examination administered on a national basis, a state board examination, and an examination concerning the statutes and regulations of the act administered by the board. Existing law requires that the complete examination be given at least once each year. Existing law requires the board to waive the examination requirement and issue a temporary license valid for one year to an applicant under the supervision of another California-licensed veterinarian under specified conditions. Existing law requires an applicant for registration as a veterinary technician to meet specified age and education requirements, to pass a written and practical examination, and to register with the board. Existing law authorizes the board to issue citations to, place on probation, and revoke or suspend the license of, a licensed veterinarian who violates the act. Existing law authorizes the board to revoke or suspend the registration of a registered veterinary technician who violates the act. Under existing law, veterinary licenses and veterinary technician registrations expire after a 2-year term, but may be renewed at any time within 5 years after expiration, as specified. Under existing law, revoked licenses are subject to expiration, and, if a revoked license is reinstated, specified fees are required to be paid. This bill would specify that the Governor shall appoint 5 members to the board, including one public member. The bill would require that the state board examination for licensure as a veterinarian be given at least twice each year, would require the board to waive the examination requirement and issue a license to an applicant if he or she meets certain requirements, including holding a license in good standing in another state and having practiced clinical veterinary medicine for a specified amount of time, and would also revise the requirements for issuance of a temporary license to practice veterinary medicine. The bill would modify the examination requirements for registration as a veterinary technician on and after January 1, 2011, to instead require that an applicant for registration pass both a national licensing examination and an examination specific to the animal health care tasks limited to California registered veterinary technicians, as approved by the board. The bill would also authorize the board to assess fines on and issue citations to, and place on probation, a registered veterinary technician who violates the Veterinary Medicine Practice Act. The bill would make the provisions of the act relative to revocation and reinstatement of licenses applicable to veterinary technician registrations. Because fees for the reinstatement of a revoked veterinary technician registration collected by the board pursuant to these provisions would be deposited in the Veterinary Medical Board Contingent Fund, which is a continuously appropriated fund, the bill would make an appropriation.
This measure would designate the month of September 2009 as Prostate Cancer Awareness Month in the State of California and would encourage public officials and citizens to observe the month with appropriate activities and programs.
The existing Public Utility District Act authorizes the formation of public utility districts and authorizes a district to acquire, construct, own, operate, or control works for supplying its inhabitants with light, water, power, heat, transportation, telephone service, or other means of communication, or for the means for the disposition of garbage, sewage, or refuse matter. The act provides for the election of directors at large and requires that each office of director at large shall be designated as "director at large" number one, number 2, number 3, or number 4, there being as many numbers as there are directors at large to be elected. This bill would authorize the board of directors of a district to adopt an ordinance that provides that the candidates seeking election for directors at large receiving the greatest number of votes districtwide as there are directors to be elected would be elected to the board.
This measure would declare June 2009 as Scleroderma Awareness Month.