Existing law requires the State Office of Child Abuse Prevention to develop and disseminate information to all school districts and district school personnel regarding the detection of child abuse. Existing law, the Child Abuse and Neglect Reporting Act, designates certain persons, including teachers, as mandated reporters. Existing law requires a mandated reporter to make a report if the person has knowledge of or observes a child whom the person knows or reasonably suspects has been the victim of child abuse or neglect. Existing law also provides that the California School for the Blind and the California School for the Deaf are under the administration of the State Department of Education. This bill would require the governing board of each school district and county office of education, the governing body of each charter school, and, for purposes of the California School for the Blind and the California School for the Deaf, the department, to adopt a policy on the reporting of child abuse and the responsibilities of mandated reporters. The bill would require each school district, charter school, and county office of education, the California School for the Blind, and the California School for the Deaf to, at minimum, review the mandated reporting requirements of school employees with all school personnel within the first 6 weeks of each school year, at a regularly scheduled staff meeting. By expanding the duty of school districts, charter schools, and county offices of education, 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, 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.
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Existing law vests the Public Utilities Commission with regulatory authority over public utilities, including electrical corporations. Pursuant to its existing authority, the commission issued Electrical Rule 21 establishing operational and metering requirements for a generation facility to be connected to an electrical corporation's distribution system. Existing law relative to private energy producers requires every electric utility, as defined, to develop a standard contract or tariff providing for net energy metering, as defined, and to make this contract or tariff available to eligible customer-generators, as defined, upon request for generation by a renewable electrical generation facility, as defined. The existing definition of an eligible customer-generator requires that the generating facility use a renewable source of energy, as specified, and have a generating capacity of not more than one megawatt. Existing law requires that every electric utility ensure that requests for an interconnection agreement from an eligible customer-generator are processed in a time period not to exceed 30 working days from the date it receives a completed application form from the eligible customer-generator for an interconnection agreement. This bill would require the commission to determine criteria that would allow an independent generation facility, as defined, to apply for interconnection to the utility electric distribution grid under the fast track review process, as defined under Rule 21. Under existing law, a violation of an order, rule, direction, demand, or requirement of the commission is a crime. Because a failure of an electric utility to process an interconnection request from an independent generation facility pursuant to Rule 21 would be a 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 property tax law establishes a veterans' organization exemption under which property is exempt from taxation if, among other things, that property is used exclusively for charitable purposes and is owned by a veterans' organization. This bill would provide that the veterans' organization exemption shall not be denied to a property on the basis that the property is used for fraternal, lodge, or social club purposes, and would make specific findings and declarations in that regard. The bill would also provide that the exemption shall not apply to any portion of a property that consists of a bar where alcoholic beverages are served. Section 2229 of the Revenue and Taxation Code requires the Legislature to reimburse local agencies annually for certain property tax revenues lost as a result of any exemption or classification of property for purposes of ad valorem property taxation. This bill would provide that, notwithstanding Section 2229 of the Revenue and Taxation Code, no appropriation is made and the state shall not reimburse local agencies for property tax revenues lost by them pursuant to the bill. This bill would take effect immediately as a tax levy.
Existing law, the Political Reform Act of 1974, provides for the comprehensive regulation of campaign financing, including requiring the reporting of campaign contributions. The act imposes a contribution limit of $3,000 on contributions made to, and received by, candidates for elective state offices that are not statewide elective offices. The act is administered and enforced by the Fair Political Practices Commission, which is authorized to adjust the contribution limit to reflect changes in the Consumer Price Index, as specified. The act does not limit the amount of contributions that a person may make to a committee that is primarily formed to support or oppose one or more ballot measures. The act prohibits a candidate for elective state office or a committee controlled by that candidate from making a contribution to another candidate for elective state office in excess of the contribution limit for elective state offices. The act imposes various restrictions and reporting requirements on Members of the Legislature and candidates for either house of the Legislature, including prohibiting or restricting earned income from a lobbyist or lobbyist employer, restricting the receipt of gifts, and restricting the purposes for which campaign funds may be expended. This bill would prohibit a person from making to a committee controlled by a candidate for elective office that is primarily formed to support or oppose one or more ballot measures, and prohibit such a committee from receiving, a contribution in excess of the contribution limit for elective state offices, as specified. The bill would prohibit a candidate for any elective office, or the candidate's controlled committees, from making a contribution to another candidate for elective office or a committee controlled by a candidate that is primarily formed to support or oppose one or more ballot measures in excess of the contribution limit established for candidates for elective state office. This bill would prohibit a committee controlled by a candidate for elective office that is primarily formed to support or oppose one or more ballot measures from expending campaign funds to make a contribution or other transfer of campaign funds to a committee for a purpose other than supporting or opposing a ballot measure that the controlled committee was primarily formed to support or oppose. This bill would prohibit a lobbyist or lobbyist employer from providing any compensation to a spouse or dependent of a Member or candidate, except as specified. The bill would prohibit campaign funds from being used to compensate a spouse or dependent of a Member of the Legislature or of a candidate for either house of the Legislature. This bill would prohibit the expenditure of campaign funds for attorney's fees and other costs in connection with criminal litigation, and would limit the payment of criminal litigation attorney's fees and other related legal costs arising directly out of the conduct of an election campaign, the electoral process, or the performance of the officer's governmental activities or duties to funds deposited in a legal defense account created pursuant to other specified provisions of law. The bill would also prohibit a committee that is not a legal defense committee from making an expenditure of campaign funds to any legal defense account. This bill would require a Member of the Legislature or a candidate for either house of the Legislature to report to the Secretary of State a contribution of one thousand dollars ($1,000) or greater within three business days of receipt of the contribution. A violation of the act's provisions is punishable as a misdemeanor. By expanding the scope of an existing crime, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program. Existing law subjects any member of the Legislature or any member of the legislative body of a city, county, city and county, school district, or other special district, and every executive or ministerial officer, employee, or appointee of the state, a county or city, or political subdivision, who asks for or receives a bribe in exchange for influence over his or her official action to imprisonment in a state prison for 2, 3, or 4 years, and imposes prescribed restitution fines based on whether a bribe has actually been received. This bill would increase the punishment to 4, 6, or 8 years in state prison and would increase the restitution fines to twice the original amount. 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. The Political Reform Act of 1974, an initiative measure, provides that the Legislature may amend the act to further the act's purposes upon a 23 vote of each house and compliance with specified procedural requirements. This bill would declare that it furthers the purposes of the act. This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.
(1) Existing law creates the High-Speed Rail Authority with specified powers and duties relating to the development and implementation of an intercity high-speed train system. Existing law, for any project along the high-speed rail network, authorizes the authority to contract with the Department of Transportation to perform specified project design services, including construction inspection services. This bill would require the authority to require that any employee of the authority, or any employee working for a public or private entity that has contracted with the authority, prior to entering onto any privately owned property, identify himself or herself to the property owner and obtain the consent of the property owner, as specified. (2) This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.
Existing law establishes the practices and procedures for the issuance of an original or a renewal of a driver's license. The federal Military Selective Service Act (federal act) requires specified persons to register with the federal Selective Service System. This bill would require a person who is required to be registered under the federal act and who submits an application for an original or a renewal of a driver's license to be deemed to have consented to registration with the federal Selective Service System, as provided. The bill would require the Department of Motor Vehicles to include specified notices on an application for an original or renewal of a driver's license and would require the department to forward the necessary personal information required for registration to the federal Selective Service System in an electronic format. The bill would make its provisions operative on January 1, 2016.
(1) Existing law, as amended by Proposition 83, the Sexual Predator Punishment and Control Act (Jessica's Law) , approved by the voters at the November 7, 2006, statewide general election, provides that a defendant shall be punished by imprisonment in the state prison for 25 years to life if convicted of certain crimes, including rape, sexual penetration, sodomy, oral copulation, continuous sexual abuse of a child, or rape, spousal rape, or sexual penetration in concert, if certain circumstances were present, including, among other things, in the commission of that offense, any person kidnapped the victim, tortured the victim, or committed the offense during the commission of a burglary, as specified. Existing law further provides that a defendant shall be punished by imprisonment in the state prison for 15 years to life if convicted of certain crimes, including rape, sexual penetration, sodomy, oral copulation, continuous sexual abuse of a child, or rape, spousal rape, or sexual penetration in concert, if certain circumstances were present, including, among other things, in the commission of that offense any person, except as specified in the provisions above, kidnapped the victim, committed the offense during the commission of a burglary, or used a dangerous or deadly weapon in the commission of the offense. Proposition 83 provides that the Legislature may amend the provisions of the act to expand the scope of their application or increase the punishment or penalties by a statute passed by a majority vote of each house. This bill would add the crimes of rape, sexual penetration, sodomy, and oral copulation, perpetrated against a person who is incapable, because of a mental disorder or developmental or physical disability, of giving legal consent, to the above provisions, if the victim is developmentally disabled, as defined. By applying the above enhancements to these crimes, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program. (2) Existing law provides that a defendant shall be punished by imprisonment in the state prison for 25 years to life if convicted of certain crimes, including rape, spousal rape or sexual penetration in concert, sexual penetration, sodomy, or oral copulation if certain circumstances were present, including, among other things, in the commission of that offense any person kidnapped the victim, committed the offense during the commission of a burglary, or used a dangerous or deadly weapon in the commission of the offense, or under other specified circumstances, and the crime was committed against a minor 14 years of age or older. This bill would add the crimes of rape, sexual penetration, sodomy, and oral copulation, perpetrated against a person who is incapable, because of a mental disorder or developmental or physical disability, of giving legal consent, to the above provisions, if the victim is developmentally disabled, as defined. By applying the above enhancements to these crimes, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program. (3) Existing law requires that a person who commits certain enumerated crimes, including rape, sodomy, oral copulation, and sexual penetration, against a person who is 65 years of age or older, or against a person who is blind, deaf, developmentally disabled, a paraplegic, or a quadriplegic, or against a person who is under 14 years of age, receive a one-year sentence enhancement and requires that any person having a prior conviction for any of the enumerated offenses receive a 2-year sentence enhancement. This bill would add to the enumerated list of crimes rape, sodomy, oral copulation, and sexual penetration, perpetrated against a person who is incapable, because of a mental disorder or developmental or physical disability, of giving legal consent. By applying the above enhancements to these crimes, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program. (4) 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 authorizes the governing board of any school district to provide for the transportation of pupils to and from school whenever, in the judgment of the governing board, the transportation is advisable and good reasons exist therefor. Existing law also authorizes school district governing boards to provide for the transportation of certain pupils who have reached 3 years and 9 months of age and are enrolled in specified special education classes. Existing law provides for the state reimbursement of the costs of this transportation through the apportionment of transportation allowances that are calculated in accordance with designated data. This bill would require that, commencing with the 2014–15 fiscal year, school districts would receive state reimbursement for the full cost of the home-to-school transportation of pupils. The bill would specify that, for its purposes, "school districts" would include charter schools and county offices of education. The bill would require the State Department of Education to develop and implement procedures for the submission by school districts of information regarding their costs of home-to-school transportation of pupils, and would further require that these costs would be reimbursed through an appropriation included in the annual Budget Act. The bill would render the current system of apportioning transportation allowances to local educational agencies inoperative as of July 1, 2014. This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.
Existing law, the Integrated Regional Water Management Planning Act, authorizes a regional water management group to prepare and adopt an integrated regional water management plan with specified components relating to water supply and water quality. Existing law authorizes the Department of Water Resources to award grants to eligible projects consistent with an adopted integrated regional water management plan. This bill would declare the intent of the Legislature to enact future legislation that would require the department to provide grants and expenditures, consistent with an integrated regional water management plan, for the planning, design, and construction of local and regional conveyance projects that support regional and interregional connectivity and water management and provide certain benefits.
Existing law requires the Department of Fish and Wildlife, when income is derived directly from real property acquired and operated by the state as a wildlife management area, as defined, to pay annually to the county in which the property is located an amount equal to the county taxes levied upon the property at the time title to the property was transferred to the state, and any assessments levied upon the property by any irrigation, drainage, or reclamation district. This bill would appropriate $19,000,000 from the General Fund to the department to make payments to counties for unpaid amounts under these provisions. The bill would also appropriate $2,000,000 annually, beginning with the 2014–15 fiscal year, from the General Fund to the department to make payments to counties under these provisions. This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.