Sen. Abel Maldonado

Existing law provides that a custodial officer employed by a law enforcement agency in one of specified counties or in a county with a population of 425,000 or less, as specified, is a public officer, not a peace officer. Existing law defines various persons as peace officers, including, among others, custodial officers in certain counties. This bill would include custodial officers in the County of San Luis Obispo and the County of Colusa, as specified, within the definition of peace officer.

Existing law allows taxpayers, until January 1, 2010, to contribute amounts in excess of their personal income tax liability for the support of the California Fund for Senior Citizens. Existing law repeals the contribution provisions for this fund either on the September 1 following the calendar year for which the Franchise Tax Board estimates that the minimum contribution amount will be less than a prescribed amount or on January 1, 2010, whichever occurs first. This bill would, under this latter limit, extend the operation of those contribution provisions until January 1, 2015.

This measure would recognize California as the leading high technology center in the United States and would declare that it shall remain the leading high technology center in the United States. The measure would also declare the 2nd week of May, annually, as California High Technology Week.

This measure would declare June 2009 as Scleroderma Awareness Month.

This measure would declare May 2009 to be "Senior Volunteer Month" to honor the contributions of California's senior volunteers.

Existing federal law, the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1985 (COBRA) , requires group health plans providing coverage to employers of 20 or more employees to provide former employees with continuation of benefits, as specified. Existing federal law, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, provides specified premium assistance under COBRA and state programs that provide comparable continuation coverage for certain assistance eligible individuals, as defined. Existing law, the Knox-Keene Health Care Service Plan Act of 1975, provides for the licensure and regulation of health care service plans by the Department of Managed Health Care and makes a willful violation of that act a crime. Existing law also provides for regulation of health insurers by the Department of Insurance. Existing law, the California Continuation Benefits Replacement Act (Cal-COBRA) , requires health care service plans and health insurers providing group coverage to employers of 2 to 19 employees to offer continuation of that coverage for a specified period of time to certain qualified beneficiaries, as specified. This bill would require health care service plans and health insurers to provide notice of the availability of premium assistance under the federal American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 to qualified beneficiaries who may be eligible for that assistance, as specified, and would require the notice to include certain information and to be sent within specified periods of time. The bill would allow a qualified beneficiary eligible for the federal premium assistance to elect Cal-COBRA coverage within a certain period of time and would allow individuals enrolled in Cal-COBRA coverage as of February 17, 2009, to request application of the federal premium assistance, as specified. The bill would authorize the Director of the Department of Managed Health Care and the Insurance Commissioner to adopt emergency regulations in the event that any federal assistance is or becomes available to persons eligible for Cal-COBRA, as specified. The bill would enact other related provisions. Because a willful violation of these requirements by a health care service plan would be a crime, 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 no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason. This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.

This measure would designate Friday, May 8, 2009, as California Peace Officers' Memorial Day and would urge all Californians to use that day to honor California peace officers.

This measure would declare May 19, 2009, to be Viral Hepatitis Awareness Day in California.

Existing provisions of the California Constitution require the Legislature to provide for primary elections for partisan offices, including an open presidential primary election, as specified. The California Constitution also provides that all judicial, school, county, and city offices are nonpartisan offices, and a political party or party central committee is prohibited from endorsing, supporting, or opposing a candidate for these offices. This measure would permit a voter, at the time of registration, to choose whether or not to disclose a party preference. This measure would also provide that a voter may vote for the candidate of his or her choosing in the primary election, regardless of his or her disclosure or non-disclosure of party preference. This measure would provide for a "voter-nominated primary election" for each state elective office and congressional office in California, in which a voter may vote at the primary election for any candidate for congressional or state elective office without regard to the political party preference disclosed by either the candidate or the voter. The 2 candidates receiving the 2 highest vote totals for each office at a primary election, regardless of party preference, would then compete for the office at the ensuing general election. The measure would further provide that a candidate for a congressional or state elective office generally may choose whether to have his or her political party preference indicated upon the ballot for that office in the manner to be provided by statute. This measure would not change existing law as it relates to presidential primaries. Because this bill would change the duties of local elections officials, it 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. This bill would provide that it would become operative only if SCA 4 is approved by the voters.

This bill would amend and supplement the Budget Act of 2009 by revising an item of appropriation for the Controller. The California Constitution authorizes the Governor to declare a fiscal emergency and to call the Legislature into special session for that purpose. The Governor issued a proclamation declaring a fiscal emergency, and calling a special session for this purpose, on December 19, 2008. This bill would state that it addresses the fiscal emergency declared by the Governor by proclamation issued on December 19, 2008, pursuant to the California Constitution. This bill would become operative only if AB 1 or SB 1 of the Third Extraordinary Session is enacted and becomes effective on or before July 1, 2009. This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.