Sen. Anthony Cannella

Existing law establishes the Department of Veterans Affairs, which is responsible for administering various programs and services for the benefit of veterans. This bill would require, by July 1, 2015, the Department of Veterans Affairs to develop a transition assistance program for veterans who have been discharged from the Armed Forces of the United States or the National Guard of any state, as specified. The bill would require the program to include certain California-specific transition assistance information.

The Cal Grant Program establishes the Cal Grant A and B Entitlement Awards, the California Community College Transfer Cal Grant Entitlement Awards, the Competitive Cal Grant A and B Awards, the Cal Grant C Awards, and the Cal Grant T Awards under the administration of the Student Aid Commission, and establishes eligibility requirements for awards under these programs for participating students attending qualifying institutions. A provision of the program specifies that the commission shall require that a grade point average be submitted, as specified, to the commission for Cal Grant A and B applicants, except for those applicants permitted to provide test scores in lieu of a grade point average. This bill would require that each pupil enrolled in grade 12, except for pupils who opt out, as specified, be deemed a Cal Grant applicant. The bill would require that a grade point average be submitted for all Cal Grant A and B applicants, and submitted electronically for all grade 12 pupils at public schools, including charter schools, each academic year, except for pupils who have opted out, as specified, and would provide that grade point averages submitted shall be subject to review by the commission or its designee. The bill would require the school district or charter school, no later than October 15 of a pupil's grade 12 academic year, to notify, in writing, each grade 12 pupil and his or her parent or guardian that the pupil will be deemed a Cal Grant applicant unless the pupil is opted out, and would specify a procedure for opting out. To the extent that these provisions would impose new duties on local educational agencies and community college districts, they would constitute 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 these statutory provisions.

Existing law provides for the Drug Medi-Cal (DMC) Treatment Program, under which counties enter into contracts with the State Department of Health Care Services for the provision of various drug treatment services to Medi-Cal recipients, or the department directly arranges for the provision of these services if a county elects not to do so. Existing law requires the State Department of Health Care Services to screen Medi-Cal providers and designate each provider or applicant as "limited," "moderate," or "high" categorical risk. Existing law requires a provider or applicant designated as a "high" categorical risk, and a person with a 5% or greater direct or indirect ownership interest in the provider, to submit to the Department of Justice fingerprint images and related information for the purpose of obtaining information as to the existence of past criminal conduct, as specified. Existing law requires the Department of Justice to charge a fee, to be paid by the applicant or provider, sufficient to cover the cost of processing the criminal background check request. This bill would provide that if the department designates a nonprofit Drug Medi-Cal provider or applicant as a "high" categorical risk, the criminal background check and the requirement to submit fingerprint images and related information would apply to the officers and executive director of the nonprofit provider or applicant.

(1) Under existing law, the Public Utilities Commission has regulatory authority over public utilities, including water corporations. Existing law authorizes the commission to fix just and reasonable rates and charges. The existing Monterey Peninsula Water Management District Law establishes the Monterey Peninsula Water Management District and provides for its powers and purposes. This bill would authorize the commission to issue financing orders to facilitate the recovery, financing, or refinancing of water supply costs, defined to mean reasonable and necessary costs incurred or expected to be incurred by a qualifying water utility, as defined, undertaking water supply activities, as specified. The bill would authorize the Monterey Peninsula Water Management District to issue water rate relief bonds if the commission finds that the bonds will provide savings to water customers on the Monterey Peninsula, as specified. (2) This bill would make legislative findings and declarations as to the necessity of a special statute for the Monterey Peninsula, the California American Water, and the Monterey Peninsula Water Management District. (3) Existing law requires the Public Utilities Commission to issue a decision and order or rehearing regarding the implementation of certain provisions of law related to the Department of Water Resources within 20 days after the filing of an application. This bill would allow the commission 210 days to issue the decision and order. (4) Existing law requires that certain transfers be deemed perfected against 3rd persons upon the execution and delivery to the transferee an assignment of the transfer in writing, excluding transfers or assignments of transition property or recovery property. Existing law provides generally that a transfer of personal property not accompanied by delivery and change of possession of the property is void against the transferor's creditors, except for certain specified transfers or types of property, including transition property or recovery property. This bill would remove the exceptions for transition property from these provisions. The bill would remove the exception for recovery property described in the latter provision above. (5) Existing law makes any public utility, as defined, and any corporation other than a public utility that violates the Public Utilities Act guilty of a crime. Because a violation of certain provisions of the bill would be a violation of the act, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program by creating a new crime. 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.

Under existing law, all moneys in the possession of or collected by any state agency or department is state moneys and is subject to provisions governing its deposit and handling in trust accounts. Existing law creates the State Treasury System to deposit state moneys held by state agencies prior to expenditure. This bill would require each state agency, department, and entity to provide the Treasurer with its employer identification number. The bill would authorize the Treasurer to use those numbers to monitor state money deposited outside the centralized State Treasury System. The bill would also require a bank or financial institution to provide, upon request from the Treasurer, specified account information relating to these employer identification numbers to assist the Treasurer in monitoring accounts and state money deposited outside the centralized State Treasury System.

Existing law authorizes an individual to contribute amounts in excess of his or her income tax liability for the support of specified funds. This bill would additionally allow an individual to designate on his or her tax return that a specified amount in excess of his or her tax liability be transferred to the Habitat for Humanity Fund, which would be created by this bill. The bill would prohibit a voluntary contribution designation for this fund from being added until another designation is removed or space is available, whichever occurs first. The bill would require moneys in the Habitat for Humanity Fund, upon appropriation by the Legislature, to be allocated to the Franchise Tax Board, the Controller, and the Department of Housing and Community Development for reimbursement of costs, as provided, and the balance to the Department of Housing and Community Development to distribute grants to Habitat for Humanity affiliates in California that meet certain requirements, including having a specified tax-exempt status. The bill would require the Department of Housing and Community Development to award grants through a competitive, project-specific grant process and be responsible for overseeing that grant program. The bill would prohibit a Habitat for Humanity affiliate from using a grant award for administrative expenses or for any purposes outside of California. The bill would provide that these provisions would remain in effect only until January 1 of the 5th taxable year following the first appearance of the Habitat for Humanity Fund on the tax return or January 1, 2021, whichever occurs first, but would further provide for an earlier repeal if the Franchise Tax Board determines that the amount of contributions estimated to be received during a calendar year will not at least equal the minimum contribution amount, as defined, for that calendar year, in which case these provisions would be repealed on December 1 of that year.

Existing law authorizes the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) to issue specialty license plates, including environmental license plates and specified special environmental design license plates. Under existing law, a state agency is authorized to apply to the DMV to sponsor a specialized license plate program, and the DMV is required to issue those license plates if the agency meets certain requirements. The DMV is required to charge specified fees for certain services related to the issuance of those plates. Existing law establishes the Breast Cancer Control Account in the Breast Cancer Fund, and requires that funds in that account, upon appropriation by the Legislature, be allocated for the provision of early breast cancer detection services for uninsured and underinsured women. This bill would require the State Department of Health Care Services to apply to sponsor a breast cancer awareness license plate program, and would require the DMV to issue the license plates if the State Department of Health Care Services meets certain requirements. The bill would authorize the State Department of Health Care Services to accept and use donated artwork from California artists for the license plate. The bill would require the revenue generated from the license plates, as specified, to be deposited in the Breast Cancer Control Account in the Breast Cancer Fund. This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.

This measure would recognize August 31, 2014, as William Saroyan Day.

This measure would acknowledge and applaud the Modesto City Schools' initiative and achievement in teaching the unique World Geography-World Religions class as a grade 9 required course for the last 15 years, and would recommend that the class be considered for adoption by other school districts in the state.

Existing law requires the Controller to submit specified fiscal reports, including, among others, an annual report to the Governor relating to the state's revenues and expenditures during the preceding fiscal year, known as the budgetary-legal basis annual report. Except as otherwise provided by law, all money belonging to the state received from any source by any state agency is accounted for to the Controller, and on the order of the Controller, paid into the Treasury and credited to the General Fund, as prescribed. This bill would require the Controller to include the name of the account, the source of authorization for establishing the account, and the account balance on bank accounts and savings and loan association accounts outside the treasury system in the budgetary-legal basis annual report. This bill would specifically require a state agency that receives revenues for state costs under a cost recovery statute to deposit those revenues into the State Treasury.