Existing law, the Telemedicine Development Act of 1996, regulates the practice of telemedicine, defined as the practice of health care delivery, diagnosis, consultation, treatment, transfer of medical data, and education using interactive audio, video, or data communications, by a health care practitioner, as defined. Existing law establishes that it is the intent of the Legislature that the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation operate in the most cost-effective and efficient manner possible when purchasing health care services for inmates. This bill would declare the Legislature's findings on the use of telemedicine in the state's prisons. The bill would require the department to establish guidelines for the use of telemedicine consultations, use telemedicine for all appropriate consultations, make use of existing external telemedicine resources, maintain current prison telemedicine programs, as specified, and establish annual performance targets regarding the use of telemedicine in prisons.
Sponsored bills
Existing law establishes the California State University and its various campuses under the administration of the Trustees of the California State University. Existing law requires the California State University to offer undergraduate and graduate instruction through the master's degree in the liberal arts and sciences and professional education, including teacher education. This bill would authorize the California State University to award the Doctor of Nursing Practice degree. The bill would distinguish the Doctor of Nursing Practice degree from the doctor of philosophy degree offered at the University of California. The bill would require the Doctor of Nursing Practice degree program to be designed to enable professionals to earn the degree while working full time, train nurses for advanced practice, and prepare clinical faculty to teach in postsecondary nursing programs. The bill would require initial funding to come from existing budgets, without diminishing the quality of undergraduate programs or reducing enrollment therein. The bill would require the California State University to annually report on the status of the Doctor of Nursing Practice degree program, as specified.
The Personal Income Tax Law allows various deductions in computing the income that is subject to the taxes imposed by that law. This bill would allow for taxable years beginning on or after January 1, 2010, and before January 1, 2015, a deduction under that law for the qualified costs paid or incurred during the taxable year by a taxpayer for the adoption of pets from a qualified animal rescue organization, as defined. Existing law relating to the administration of personal income taxes authorizes individual taxpayers to contribute amounts in excess of their tax liability for the support of specified funds or accounts. This bill would allow individual taxpayers to designate on their tax returns, that a specified amount in excess of their tax liability be transferred to the Pet Adoption Cost Deduction Fund, which would be created by this bill. This bill would provide that all moneys contributed to the fund, upon appropriation by the Legislature, be allocated to the Franchise Tax Board and the Controller for reimbursement of costs, as provided, to the Controller for reimbursement of the General Fund for revenue losses from providing the deduction for pet adoption costs, and to the Department of Food and Agriculture for purposes relating to abandoned and impounded animals. This bill would provide that these voluntary contribution provisions are repealed on either January 1 of the 5th taxable year following the taxable year the fund first appears on the personal income tax return or on January 1 of an earlier calendar year, if the Franchise Tax Board estimates that the annual contribution amount will be less than $250,000, or an adjusted amount, as specified, for subsequent taxable years.
The Milk and Milk Products Act of 1947 establishes standards for the inspection of milk products. Existing law authorizes the Secretary of Food and Agriculture to take specified actions relating to the inspection, sampling, and analyzing of milk products. This bill would make nonsubstantive changes to those provisions.
The Sales and Use Tax Law imposes a tax on retailers measured by the gross receipts from the sale of tangible personal property sold at retail in this state, or on the storage, use, or other consumption in this state of tangible personal property purchased from a retailer for storage, use, or other consumption in this state, and provides various exemptions from the taxes imposed by that law. This bill would exempt from a specified portion of those taxes, for calendar years beginning on and after January 1, 2011, the gross receipts from the sale of, and the storage, use, or other consumption in this state of, sustainable development equipment investments of tangible personal property purchased for use by a qualified person, as specified, and tangible personal property used primarily during the research and development process on qualified research. The bill would also exempt from a specified portion of those taxes, for calendar years beginning on and after January 1, 2013, the gross receipts from the sale of, and the storage, use, or other consumption of, tangible personal property purchased by a qualified person for use primarily in any stage of the manufacturing, processing, refining, fabricating, or recycling of property, as specified, and tangible personal property purchased for use by a contractor purchasing that property for use in the performance of a construction contract for the qualified person who will use the property as an integral part of the manufacturing, processing, refining, fabricating, or recycling process, or as a storage facility for use in connection with the manufacturing process. This bill would specify that this exemption does not apply to local sales and use taxes or transactions and use taxes. This bill would take effect immediately as a tax levy.
Existing law authorizes public entities that supply water, by the adoption of an ordinance or resolution pursuant to specified procedures, to adopt and enforce a water conservation program. This bill would declare legislative intent to enact legislation to promote water conservation.
Existing income and corporation tax laws require the payment of interest on overpayments of tax, except that no interest is required if the overpayments are refunded or credited within specified 90-day time periods. This bill would provide that, in the case of any individual taxable under the Personal Income Tax Law, in the circumstance in which the Controller makes a specified determination, interest shall be allowed and paid on refund warrants that are delayed, as provided. This bill would make a legislative finding and declaration regarding the public purpose served by the bill.
The Personal Income Tax Law authorizes various credits against the taxes imposed by that law. Existing law authorizes a credit against those taxes in an amount equal to the lesser of 5% of the purchase price of a qualified principal residence, as defined, purchased on and after March 1, 2009, and before March 1, 2010, or $10,000, allocated by the Franchise Tax Board on a first-come-first-served basis. Existing law requires a taxpayer to provide the Franchise Tax Board with a certification from the seller of the qualified principal residence that the residence has never been previously occupied within one week of the sale of the residence and caps the total amount of the credit at $100,000,000. This bill would allow the tax credit for purchases of a qualified principal residence made before the date that is 12 months after the effective date of this bill, subject to specified restrictions. This bill would revise the certification requirements to provide that the taxpayer receive the certification no later than one week after the close of escrow on the qualified principal residence and that the Franchise Tax Board be provided with the certification upon request by the board. This bill would also remove the cap on the total credit amount allowed and the requirement that the tax credits be allocated on a first-come-first-served basis. This bill would take effect immediately as a tax levy.
Existing law establishes the Department of Child Support Services to administer all services and perform all functions necessary to establish, collect, and distribute child support. This bill would require the department to provide any notice form, information, or document, without limitation, that is required or authorized to be given, distributed, or provided to an individual, a customer, or a member of the public to be given, distributed, or provided in a digitized form, and by any means the department determines is feasible, including, but not limited to, e-mail or by means of an Internet Web site, except as specified. This provision would not take effect until the department makes a specified determination.
Existing law requires each county to provide cash assistance and other social services to needy families through the California Work Opportunity and Responsibility to Kids (CalWORKs) program, using federal Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) program, state, and county funds. Under existing law, the county is required to annually redetermine eligibility for CalWORKs benefits. This bill would require a recipient of CalWORKs aid to undergo drug testing on a random selection basis, as a condition of continued eligibility. The bill would specify those substances for which drug testing would be conducted. The bill would require a recipient who fails a random drug test to successfully complete a one-year drug treatment program, as specified. The bill would discontinue the individual's aid under the CalWORKs program upon failure of the individual to successfully complete the required drug treatment program. The bill would require the department to seek federal approvals necessary for the implementation of this bill. Because counties administer the CalWORKs program, by increasing county duties, 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, 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.