This measure would make various statements regarding the importance of New United Motor Manufacturing, Inc. (NUMMI) to the California economy and would declare the necessity for the Legislature to utilize its vested powers to keep NUMMI in California.
This measure would call upon the Congress of the United States to quickly pass the federal Gulf of the Farallones and Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuaries Boundary Modification and Protection Act and the President of the United States to expeditiously sign it into law.
This measure requests the United States government to restrict swordfish imports unless and until there is a process by which a nation seeking to export swordfish or swordfish products to the United States provides reasonable proof of the effects on marine mammals of the commercial fishing technology used to obtain the swordfish or swordfish products, and the National Marine Fisheries Service receives that proof and determines that the proof demonstrates that the swordfish or swordfish products to be imported were not caught with commercial fishing technology that results in the incidental kill or incidental serious injury of marine mammals in excess of United States standards.
This measure would designate a specified portion of State Highway Route 15 in Temecula as the Deputy Kent Hintergardt Memorial Highway. The measure would also request the Department of Transportation to determine the cost of appropriate signs showing this special designation and, upon receiving donations from nonstate sources covering those costs, to erect those signs.
This measure would urge the President and the Congress of the United States to expand federally funded research efforts aimed at developing a reliable means of detecting pancreatic cancer in its early stages.
Existing law provides that any person who in good faith, and not for compensation, renders emergency medical care at the scene of an emergency shall not be liable for any civil damages resulting from any act or omission. This bill would instead provide that medical, law enforcement, and emergency personnel who in good faith, and not for compensation, render emergency medical or nonmedical care at the scene of an emergency shall not be liable for any civil damages resulting from any act or omission. This bill would also provide that any person, not including medical, law enforcement, and emergency personnel, who in good faith, and not for compensation, renders emergency medical or nonmedical care or assistance at the scene of an emergency shall not be liable for any civil damages resulting from any act or omission, as long as that act or omission does not constitute gross negligence or willful or wanton misconduct. This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.
Existing law provides for the licensure of long-term health care facilities by the State Department of Public Health. Under existing law, the Long-Term Care, Health, Safety, and Security Act of 1973, the department may assess penalties for violation of prescribed state and federal requirements. Moneys collected as a result of the penalties imposed pursuant to these provisions are required to be deposited into either the State Health Facilities Citation Penalties Account or the Federal Health Facilities Citation Penalties Account, and used, upon appropriation by the Legislature, for the protection of health or property of residents of long-term health care facilities, including reimbursing residents for personal funds lost and costs associated with informational meetings. Existing law establishes the Office of the State Long-Term Care Ombudsman in the California Department of Aging. Under existing law, the office is responsible for, among other things, investigating and resolving complaints and concerns communicated by or on behalf of patients, residents, or clients of long-term care facilities, as defined. Existing law authorizes the California Department of Aging to allocate all federal and state funds for local ombudsman programs according to a specified distribution schedule. This bill would appropriate $1.6 million from the Federal Health Facilities Citation Penalties Account to the California Department of Aging for use in funding local ombudsman programs pursuant to the aforementioned distribution schedule, before the end of the 2009–10 fiscal year. This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.
Existing law requires a person serving as a neutral arbitrator pursuant to an arbitration agreement to comply with the ethics standards for arbitrators adopted by the Judicial Council. Existing law also specifies that these provisions do not apply to an arbitration conducted pursuant to the terms of a public or private sector collective bargaining agreement. This bill would specify that certain ethics requirements and standards are nonnegotiable and shall not be waived.
Existing law requires the State Auditor to establish an affirmative action program that meets the criteria and objectives established by the State Personnel Board. This bill would instead require the State Auditor to establish an equal employment opportunity program that meets the criteria and objectives established by the State Personnel Board. Existing law requires the State Auditor to complete any audit in a timely manner and in accordance with the "Government Auditing Standards" published by the Comptroller General of the United States. The State Auditor is required to transmit a copy of the audit report to the Milton Marks "Little Hoover" Commission on California State Government Organization and Economy, immediately upon completion of the audit. The commission is then required to deliver the report to the Legislature, appropriate committees or subcommittees of the Legislature, and the Governor, not later than 24 hours after delivery of the report to the commission. This bill would instead require the State Auditor to deliver the report to the Legislature, appropriate committees or subcommittees of the Legislature, and the Governor, not later than 24 hours after delivery of the report to the commission. Existing law requires the State Auditor to annually issue an auditor's report based upon the general purpose financial statements included in the Controller's annual report to the Governor. The State Auditor is authorized to examine all the financial records, accounts, and documents of any state agency, as defined, in the performance of this annual audit. This bill would instead authorize the State Auditor to examine all the financial records, accounts, and documents of any state agency, as defined, in the performance of this annual audit and any other audit or investigation undertaken by the Bureau of State Audits. Under existing law, if the State Auditor submits a report of alleged improper activity to the head of an employing agency or appropriate appointing authority, that individual is required to report to the State Auditor with respect to any action taken by the individual regarding the activity. That individual is required to transmit the first report no later than 30 days after the date of the State Auditor's report, and to transmit monthly reports thereafter until final action has been taken. This bill would instead require the head of the employing agency or appropriate appointing authority to transmit the first report to the State Auditor no later than 60 days after the date of the State Auditor's report.
Existing law establishes the Bureau of State Audits under the direction of the Milton Marks "Little Hoover" Commission on California State Government Organization and Economy and requires the bureau to be independent of the executive branch and legislative control in order to be free of organizational impairments to independence. This bill would require the bureau to provide the Department of Finance with the bureau's proposed budget for each fiscal year. The bill would also require the Department of Finance to include the bureau's proposed budget in the Governor's Budget without modification.
