Sen. Shannon Grove

This measure would proclaim the month of January 2016 as Human Trafficking Awareness Month, encourage all Californians to become educated about human trafficking and work to eradicate these criminal practices within and beyond our borders, and encourage Members of the Legislature, as well as organizations, businesses, and individuals, to host or sponsor and attend community events in order to bring visibility and support to efforts made by nongovernmental organizations to recognize and combat human trafficking.

Existing law gives the Department of Transportation full possession and control of all state highways. Existing law describes the authorized routes in the state highway system and establishes a process for adoption of a highway on an authorized route by the California Transportation Commission. Existing law also authorizes the commission to relinquish certain state highway segments to local agencies. This bill would authorize the commission to relinquish to the City of Tehachapi and the County of Kern specified portions of State Highway Route 202, under certain conditions. The bill would provide that these relinquishments shall be made only if the sum of $28,000,000 in state funds is appropriated to the City of Tehachapi and the County of Kern for maintenance of the relinquished segments.

Existing law creates the San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District and establishes provisions regulating the collective bargaining of the employees and the board of directors of that district. Existing law prescribes procedures specifically relating to the collective bargaining of transit districts, and authorizes the Governor, when it appears a strike will significantly disrupt transportation services and endanger public health, safety, and welfare, to appoint a board to investigate issues in connection with these labor negotiations and make a report. Existing law prohibits a strike during the period of investigation and permits the Governor, upon receiving a report from a board of investigation, to request the Attorney General to petition a court to enjoin the strike, as specified. This bill would prohibit employees of the San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District from engaging in a strike or work stoppage if the transit district board maintains the compensation and benefit provisions of an expired contract and an employee or employee organization has agreed to a provision prohibiting strikes in the expired or previous written labor contract. The bill would provide that an employee whom the transit district employer finds willfully engaged in a strike or work stoppage in violation of these provisions is subject to dismissal if that finding is sustained upon conclusion of the appropriate proceedings necessary for the imposition of a disciplinary action.

Under existing law, the segments of postsecondary education in this state include the University of California, the California State University, the California Community Colleges, private postsecondary educational institutions, and independent institutions of higher education. Existing law prohibits the Regents of the University of California, the Trustees of the California State University, and the governing board of a community college district from making or enforcing a rule subjecting a student to disciplinary sanction solely on the basis of conduct that is speech or other communication that is protected by specified provisions of the United States Constitution and the California Constitution. This bill would require, as a condition of receiving state funds for student financial assistance, the governing board of each community college district, the Trustees of the California State University, and the Board of Regents of the University of California to adopt a policy prohibiting their respective campuses from discriminating against a student organization, as specified, for imposing certain requirements on its leaders or voting members. The bill would authorize a student or a student organization aggrieved by a violation of these provisions to commence a civil action to obtain appropriate injunctive and declaratory relief as determined by a court. The bill would also authorize a court to award attorney's fees to a prevailing plaintiff in a civil action pursuant to these provisions.

Existing law requires the Attorney General to provide a ballot label and a ballot title for each measure to be submitted to the voters at a statewide election. Existing law requires the Attorney General to prepare a summary of the chief purposes and points of each statewide ballot measure as part of the ballot title. This bill would impose specified requirements with respect to the content of the ballot title and summary required to be prepared by the Attorney General.

The California Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006 authorizes the State Air Resources Board to adopt greenhouse gas emissions limits and emission reduction measures by regulation to achieve the maximum technologically feasible and cost-effective reduction in greenhouse gas emissions in furtherance of achieving the statewide greenhouse gas emissions limit. The act authorizes the board, in the regulations adopted, to include the use of market-based compliance mechanisms. This bill would prohibit the board, on and after January 1, 2016, from adopting or amending regulations pursuant to the act. The bill would authorize the board to submit to the Legislature recommendations on how to achieve the goals of the act.

Existing law provides for the regulation and licensure of various professions and vocations by boards within the Department of Consumer Affairs. Existing law establishes fees for initial licenses, initial temporary and permanent licenses, and original licenses for those various professions and vocations. Existing law requires that licenses issued to certain licensees, including, among others, architects, acupuncturists, dental hygienists, dentists, occupational therapists, osteopathic physicians and surgeons, registered veterinary technicians, and veterinarians, expire at 12 a.m. on either the last day of the birth month of the licensee or at 12 a.m. of the legal birth date of the licensee during the 2nd year of a 2-year term, if not renewed. This bill would, commencing July 1, 2017, require that the fees imposed on these licensees for an initial license or an original license be prorated on a monthly basis. The bill would, commencing July 1, 2017, require that the fee assessed an osteopathic physician and surgeon for license renewal be prorated on a monthly basis. This bill would incorporate additional changes in Section 1724 of the Business and Professions Code, proposed by Assembly Bill 179, that would become operative only if this bill and Assembly Bill 179 are chaptered and become effective January 1, 2016, and this bill is chaptered last. This bill would incorporate additional changes in Section 1944 of the Business and Professions Code, proposed by Senate Bill 800, that would become operative only if this bill and Senate Bill 800 are chaptered and become effective January 1, 2016, and this bill is chaptered last.

Existing law describes the California Interscholastic Federation, provides the intent of the Legislature regarding its policies, and requires it to report to the Legislature and the Governor on its evaluation and accountability activities on or before January 1, 2016. Existing federal law, Title IX of the federal Education Amendments of 1972, prohibits sex discrimination in an educational institution's programs and activities. This bill would require the California Interscholastic Federation, in consultation with the State Department of Education, to, no later than July 1, 2017, develop guidelines, procedures, and safety standards for the purpose of classifying competition cheer as an interscholastic sport, as specified. The bill would require the California Interscholastic Federation to seek a United States Department of Education Office for Civil Rights Title IX compliance designation for competition cheer, and would specify that competition cheer shall not be counted toward a school's Title IX compliance unless the United States Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights deems competition cheer compliant with its definition of a sport.

Existing federal law provides for construction funding assistance for elementary and secondary public schools that are located on United States military installations and that meet specified criteria. This bill would express the intent of the Legislature that assistance be provided to school districts in the 2015–16 fiscal year to meet the matching share requirement of a school construction grant made by the Office of Economic Adjustment of the federal Department of Defense to construct, renovate, repair, or expand elementary and secondary public schools located on military installations. The bill would require the Department of Finance to explore options, including, but not necessarily limited to, making low-interest loans available to school districts through the California Infrastructure and Economic Development Bank, on how best to assist school districts in meeting the matching share requirement of the federal school construction grant referenced in the bill.

The Labor Code Private Attorneys General Act of 2004 authorizes an aggrieved employee to bring a civil action to recover specified civil penalties, that would otherwise be assessed and collected by the Labor and Workforce Development Agency, on behalf of the employee and other current or former employees for the violation of certain provisions affecting employees. The act provides the employer with the right to cure certain violations before the employee may bring a civil action, as specified. For other violations, the act requires the employee to follow specified procedures before bringing an action. Existing law requires an employer to provide its employees with specified information regarding their wages, including, among others, the inclusive dates of the period for which the employee is paid and the name and address of the legal entity that is the employer, either semimonthly or at the time of each wage payment and provides that the employer does not have the right to cure a violation of that requirement before an employee may bring a civil action under the act. This bill would provide an employer with the right to cure a violation of the requirement that an employer provide its employees with the inclusive dates of the pay period and the name and address of the legal entity that is the employer before an employee may bring a civil action under the act. The bill would provide that a violation of that requirement shall only be considered cured upon a showing that the employer has provided a fully compliant, itemized wage statement to each aggrieved employee, as specified. The bill would limit the employer's right to cure with respect to alleged violations of these provisions to once in a 12-month period, as specified. The bill would also delete references to obsolete provisions of law. This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.