Existing law establishes various state water policies, including that the protection of the public interest in the development of the water resources of the state is of vital concern to the people of the state and that the state shall determine in what way the water of the state, both surface and underground, should be developed for the greatest public benefit. This bill would require the Department of Water Resources to develop a state water policy that gives priority to the formation of joint powers authorities that are formed to address critical surface water storage needs and to funding of the joint powers authorities' surface water projects. The bill would make findings and declarations of the Legislature, including, but not limited to, that, of the water storage projects available, the Temperance Flat Dam and Sites Reservoir will meet statewide goals and provide specified public benefits to the greatest extent.
Sponsored bills
Existing law allows pupils, with the written consent of their parents or guardians, to be excused from school in order to participate in religious exercises or to receive moral and religious instruction, as specified. Under existing law, these absences will not be deemed absences in computing average daily attendance if (1) the governing board of a school district, in its discretion, first adopts a resolution permitting pupils to be absent from school for the exercises or instruction, (2) the governing board adopts regulations governing the attendance of pupils at the exercises or instruction and the reporting thereof, (3) the pupil attends at least the minimum schoolday, and (4) no pupil is excused for more than 4 days per school month. This bill would delete the condition that a pupil be excused for no more than 4 days per school month, and would instead require as conditions that a pupil in kindergarten or in grade 1 to 8, inclusive, attend the exercises or instruction for no more than 2 hours per school week and that a pupil in grade 9 to 12, inclusive, attend the exercises or instruction for no more than the number of hours required to complete one course at that pupil's school.
This measure would recognize May 2016 as Better Hearing and Speech Month.
This measure would proclaim the month of February 2016 as Teen Dating Violence Awareness and Prevention Month, and would encourage all Californians to observe Teen Dating Violence Awareness and Prevention Month with programs and activities that raise awareness about teen dating violence.
Existing law requires the Director of Health Care Services to, among other things, maintain or enter into contracts directly with nonprofit caregiver resource centers (CRCs) to provide direct services to caregivers of cognitively impaired adults, as defined, throughout the state. These services include, but are not limited to, specialized information, family consultation, respite care, short-term counseling, and support groups. This bill would, each fiscal year, commencing with the 2016–17 fiscal year, appropriate $3,300,000 from the General Fund to the State Department of Health Care Services for allocation to CRCs for the purpose of providing those respite care services. The bill would also authorize those services to be provided in-person and, except for respite care services, through the use of remote technologies.
Existing law requires the Regents of the University of California, the Board of Directors of the Hastings College of the Law, the Trustees of the California State University, and the governing board of each community college district to collect fees from students attending those postsecondary education institutions. This provision is applicable to the Regents of the University of California only if the regents, by resolution, make it applicable. This bill would prohibit the regents, the trustees, and the governing board of each community college district from collecting any fees or tuition of any kind from a student in an undergraduate program who is the surviving dependent, as defined, of any individual killed in the terrorist attack in San Bernardino on December 2, 2015, if the dependent meets the financial need requirements of the Cal Grant A Program and either the dependent was a resident of California on December 2, 2015, or the individual killed in the attack was a resident of California on that date. The bill would require the governing board of each community college district to waive fee requirements for any student in an undergraduate program who is a surviving dependent. The bill would require the California Victim Compensation and Government Claims Board to identify all persons who are eligible for tuition and fee waivers pursuant to the bill, to notify these persons or their parents or guardians of that eligibility, and, if requested by the public segments of postsecondary education in the state, on a case-by-case basis, to confirm the eligibility of persons requesting the waiver of tuition and fees. The bill would apply to the University of California only if the regents, by resolution, make it applicable. To the extent that the bill would impose new duties on community college districts, it 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. This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.
(1) Under existing law, a hunting license grants the privilege to take birds and mammals. Existing law requires the Department of Fish and Wildlife to issue a hunting license for a term of one year, as provided, upon payment of a fee, to eligible residents and nonresidents. Existing law requires the department to issue a reduced fee hunting license for a term of one year, as provided, upon payment of a reduced fee, to a disabled veteran or recovering service member, as specified. Existing law requires these fees to be adjusted annually according to a specified index. Under existing law, the department issues tags, validations, and other entitlements upon payment of specified fees that are required in addition to a valid hunting license to take specified birds and mammals for purposes other than commercial purposes. This bill would instead require the department to issue a free hunting license, upon application to the department, to a disabled veteran or recovering service member and would require the department to issue a reduced fee hunting license, upon application and payment of a fee of $5, to a veteran of the Armed Forces of the United States who was honorably discharged. The bill would prohibit the reduced hunting license fee from being adjusted pursuant to the specified index. The bill would require the department to reduce the fee required for a tag, validation, or other entitlement by 50% for a person who receives a reduced fee hunting license for veterans and would prohibit the department from charging a person who receives a free hunting license for disabled veterans or recovering service members a fee for these entitlements. (2) Existing law requires every person 16 years of age or older who takes any fish, reptile, or amphibian for any purpose other than profit to first obtain a sport fishing license for that purpose and to have that license on his or her person or in his or her immediate possession when engaged in carrying out any activity authorized by the license. Existing law requires the department to issue a sport fishing license for the period of a calendar year, as provided, upon payment of a specified fee, to eligible residents and nonresidents. Existing law requires the department to issue a reduced fee sport fishing license for the period of a calendar year upon payment of a reduced fee to a disabled veteran or recovering service member, as specified. Existing law requires these fees to be adjusted annually according to a specified index. Under existing law, the department issues sport fishing report cards and validations upon payment of specified fees that authorize various activities relating to the taking and possession of amphibians, reptiles, and fish for purposes other than profit. This bill would instead require the department to issue a free sport fishing license, upon application to the department, to a disabled veteran or recovering service member and would require the department to issue a reduced fee sport fishing license, upon application and payment of a fee of $5, to a veteran of the Armed Forces of the United States who was honorably discharged. The bill would prohibit this reduced fishing license fee from being adjusted pursuant to the specified index. The bill would require the department to reduce the fee required to obtain a sport fishing report card, validation, or other entitlement by 50% for a person who receives a reduced fee sport fishing license for veterans and would prohibit the department from charging a person who receives a free sport fishing license for disabled veterans or recovering service members a fee for these entitlements.
Existing law establishes the University of California, under the administration of the Regents of the University of California, as one of the segments of public postsecondary education in this state. The University of California provides instruction and performs research at the 10 campuses it operates and maintains in Berkeley, Davis, Irvine, Los Angeles, Merced, Riverside, San Diego, San Francisco, Santa Barbara, and Santa Cruz. This bill would express legislative findings and declarations relating to the aerospace industry in this state. The bill would request the regents to establish the California Institute for Aerospace to achieve specified goals relating to the development of the aerospace industry in the state. The bill would also request the regents to locate the California Institute for Aerospace at a satellite campus within 20 miles of Edwards Air Force Base or United States Air Force Plant 42 so that it will be in close proximity to a large part of California's current aerospace research and development. The bill would provide that it would be implemented only to the extent that the regents determine that adequate funding for its purposes has been provided to the University of California, as specified.
Existing property tax law provides, pursuant to the authorization of the California Constitution, a disabled veterans' property tax exemption for the principal place of residence of a veteran or a veteran's spouse, including an unmarried surviving spouse, if the veteran, because of injury incurred in military service, is blind in both eyes, has lost the use of 2 or more limbs, or is totally disabled, as those terms are defined, or if the veteran has, as a result of a service-connected injury or disease, died while on active duty in military service. Existing law exempts that part of the full value of the residence that does not exceed $100,000, or $150,000, if the veteran's household income does not exceed $40,000, adjusted annually for inflation, as specified. This bill, commencing with the lien date for the 2017–18 fiscal year, would instead exempt that portion of the full value of the principal place of residence of a veteran or veteran's spouse that does not exceed $2,100,000, adjusted annually for inflation, as specified. The bill would also define the term "blind in both eyes" to mean that the veteran is a blind person, as defined in a specific statute. The bill would also specify that a "totally disabled" veteran includes a veteran so severely disabled as to be unable to move without the aid of an assistive device. The bill would make other technical and conforming changes to the disabled veterans' property tax exemption. The bill would repeal these provisions on the earlier of January 1, 2020, or the first property tax lien date following a determination by the Commission on State Mandates that these provisions impose reimbursable costs mandated by the state that are payable from the General Fund. By changing the manner in which local tax officials administer the disabled veterans' property tax exemption, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program. 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. 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 take effect immediately as a tax levy.
Existing law requires the court to consider and give due weight to the wishes of a child in making an order granting or modifying custody or visitation, if the child is of sufficient age and capacity to form an intelligent preference as to custody or visitation. Existing law also requires the court to permit a child who is 14 years of age or older to address the court regarding custody or visitation, unless the court determines that doing so is not in the child's best interests. This bill, commencing July 1, 2017, would instead require the court to permit a child who is 10 years of age or older, of his or her own volition, to address the court regarding custody or visitation, unless the court determines that doing so is not in the child's best interests. The bill would require the court to determine whether the child is addressing the court of his or her own volition and to provide the child with an age-appropriate form developed by the Judicial Council that explains to the child specified information prior to the child addressing the court regarding custody or visitation. The bill, commencing January 1, 2017, would require the Judicial Council, no later than July 1, 2017, to develop this age-appropriate form.