This measure would designate March 2016 as Irish American Heritage Month in honor of the multitude of contributions that Irish Americans have made to the country and state.
The California Constitution requires that a county charter provide for a governing body of 5 or more members, elected (1) by district or, (2) at large, or (3) at large with a requirement that they reside in a district, and to provide for the compensation, terms, and removal of members of the governing body. The California Constitution also provides that charter counties are subject to statutes that relate to apportioning population of governing body districts. Existing law requires, following each decennial federal census and using that census as a basis, the board of supervisors of a county to adjust the boundaries of any or all of the supervisorial districts of the county so that the districts are as nearly equal in population as may be and comply with applicable provisions of federal law. Existing law also requires a general law county to have a board of supervisors consisting of 5 members, and requires, except as provided, each member of the board of supervisors to be elected by the district which the member represents. This measure would, in a charter county that is found at a decennial United States census, beginning with the 2020 United States census, to have a population of more than 3,000,000, require, and deem the county charter to provide for, a governing body consisting of 7 or more members, not to be thereafter reduced to fewer than 7 members even if, in a future decennial United States census, the county is not a county with a population of more than 3,000,000. The measure would similarly provide that, in such a county, the expenditures for the governing body and its staff may not exceed, for any subsequent fiscal year after the release of the census finding that the county has a population of more than 3,000,000 the amount that was allocated for the expenses of the governing body and its staff in the county's adopted budget for the fiscal year in which that same census was conducted, as adjusted each fiscal year thereafter for changes in the California Consumer Price Index. This measure would also extend these same requirements to the governing body of a general law county that is found at a decennial United States census, beginning with the 2020 United States census, to have a population of more than 3,000,000. This measure would require, on and after January 1, 2021, a county charter to provide for members to be elected by district with a requirement that the member reside in a district, and would impose that requirement on all general law counties. As described above, the California Constitution requires that a county charter provide for the compensation of members of the governing body. The California Constitution also requires that, if a county charter provides for the Legislature to prescribe the salary of the governing body, the salary be prescribed by the governing body by ordinance. This bill would repeal that latter provision on January 1, 2021. This measure would also make other technical, nonsubstantive changes.
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 provides for the licensure and regulation of home health agencies by the State Department of Public Health. Existing law requires all private or public organizations that provide or arrange for skilled nursing services to patients in the home to obtain a home health agency license. Existing law also provides for the Medi-Cal program, which is administered by the State Department of Health Care Services, under which qualified low-income individuals receive health care services. Existing law provides that home health care services are covered Medi-Cal benefits, subject to utilization controls. This bill would require the department, on or before January 1, 2017, to develop at least 3 regional pilot projects in counties located in designated areas of the state. The pilot projects would be targeted to increase access to in-home, private duty nursing care for children receiving Medi-Cal benefits who are eligible for in-home, shift nursing care services and participate in specified programs. The bill would require, for a period of at least 3 years, an increased reimbursement rate for participating licensed home health agencies that are currently providing private duty nursing. The bill would require that the pilot project be implemented only to the extent that federal financial participation is available, and would require the department to submit any state plan amendment, waiver, or waiver amendment application necessary for federal approval. This bill would authorize the department, in collaboration with home health agencies, to establish reasonable provider eligibility standards and participation requirements and also would require the department, or an entity contracting with the department, to report to specified committees of the Legislature an evaluation of the effectiveness of the pilot projects, with input from specified stakeholders. The bill's provisions would become inoperative on July 1, 2020, and would be repealed as of January 1, 2021.
The California Disaster Assistance Act generally provides that the state share for disaster project allocations to local agencies is no more than 75% of total state eligible costs, except for specified events for which the state share is up to 100% of state eligible costs. This bill would add the forest fires that occurred in the County of Lake in 2015 to the list of events for which the state share of state eligible cost is up to 100%. This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.
The Political Reform Act of 1974 generally prohibits a public official, as defined, from making, participating in making, or using his or her official position to influence a governmental decision in which the official has a financial interest. The act also requires the disclosure of specified financial interests of certain public officials on a statement of economic interests, which is filed annually. The act imposes certain restrictions on postgovernmental employment of specified public officials of state and local agencies. This bill would require each state agency and each local agency that maintains an Internet Web site to make publicly available on that Internet Web site the statements of economic interests filed by the specified public officials. This bill would prohibit an elected or appointed officer of a state or local agency, while holding office and for a period of one year after leaving office, from engaging in specified conduct, including maintaining employment with, as specified, or being a compensated consultant of that agency or, for compensation, aiding, advising, consulting with, or assisting an entity with a permit, regulatory action, or enforcement action pending before the agency. A violation of the act is punishable as a misdemeanor. By expanding the scope of an existing crime, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program. The bill would also impose a state-mandated local program by increasing the duties imposed on local officials. 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 with regard to certain mandates no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason. With regard to any other mandates, this bill would provide that, if the Commission on State Mandates determines that the bill contains costs so mandated by the state, reimbursement for those costs shall be made pursuant to the statutory provisions noted above. 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.
Existing law provides for the Medi-Cal program, which is administered by the State Department of Health Care Services, under which qualified low-income individuals receive health care services, as specified. The Medi-Cal program is, in part, governed and funded by federal Medicaid program provisions. Existing law provides that, to the extent that federal financial participation is available, face-to-face contact between a health care provider and a patient is not required under the Medi-Cal program for "teleophthalmology, teledermatology, and teledentistry by store and forward," as defined to mean the asynchronous transmission of medical information to be reviewed at a later time by a licensed physician or optometrist, as specified, at a distant site. This bill would enact similar provisions relating to the use of reproductive health care under the Medi-Cal program. The bill would provide that, to the extent that federal financial participation is available, face-to-face contact between a health care provider and a patient shall not be required under the Medi-Cal program for "reproductive health care provided by store and forward." The bill would define that term to mean an asynchronous transmission of medical information to be reviewed at a later time by a physician, nurse practitioner, certified nurse midwife, licensed midwife, physician assistant, or registered nurse at a distant site, where the provider at the distant site reviews the dental information without the patient being present in real time, as defined and as specified. The bill would require Medi-Cal managed care plans that contract with the department to cover reproductive health care provided by store and forward. This bill would also provide that, to the extent federal financial participation is available and any necessary federal approvals are obtained, telephonic and electronic patient management services, as defined, provided by a physician or nonphysician health care provider acting within his or her scope of licensure shall be a benefit under the Medi-Cal program in fee-for-service and managed care delivery systems, as specified. The bill would authorize the department to seek approval of any state plan amendments necessary to implement these provisions.
Existing law requires the state to have the primary financial responsibility for preventing and suppressing fires in areas that the State Board of Forestry and Fire Protection has determined are state responsibility areas, as defined. Existing law requires that a fire prevention fee be charged on each habitable structure on a parcel that is within a state responsibility area, collected annually by the State Board of Equalization, in accordance with specified procedures, and specifies that the annual fee shall be due and payable 30 days from the date of assessment by the state board. Existing law authorizes a petition for redetermination of the fee to be filed within 30 days after service of a notice of determination, as specified. This bill would extend the time when the fire prevention fee is due and payable from 30 to 60 days from the date of assessment by the State Board of Equalization and would authorize the petition for redetermination to be filed within 60 days after service of the notice of determination, as specified.
Existing law creates various state transportation agencies, including the Department of Transportation, with specified powers and duties, including, but not limited to, coordinating and assisting, upon request of, the various public and private transportation entities to strengthen their development and operation of balanced integrated mass transportation, highway, aviation, maritime, railroad, and other transportation facilities and services in support of statewide and regional goals. This bill would create the Golden State Patriot Passes Program to be administered by the Department of Transportation to provide veterans with free access to transit services. The bill would require the department to develop guidelines that describe the methodologies that a participating transit operator would use to demonstrate that proposed expenditures would increase veteran mobility and fulfill specified requirements. The bill would require the department to select 3 transit operators to participate, and would require a transit operator selected to participate in the program to match any state moneys that it receives through the program with local moneys. The bill would require the participating transit operators and the department to report on the program. The bill would repeal the program on January 1, 2022.
(1) Existing law authorizes a city, county, or city and county to impose a tax on the privilege of occupying a room or other living space in a hotel, inn, tourist home or house, motel, or other lodging unless the occupancy is for a period of more than 30 days. This bill, on and after July 1, 2017, would require every platform, as defined, that elects to assume the responsibility of collecting and remitting transient occupancy taxes on behalf of an operator to collect and remit the amount of the tax levied on a rental transaction facilitated by the platform for a unit that is offered for tourist or transient use and is located within a city, county, or city and county that has not elected to retain the responsibility for directly collecting the tax from operators, as specified. The bill would authorize a platform to make its election to assume responsibility, and a city, county, or city and county to make its election to retain responsibility, by notifying the Controller of the election on or before April 30, 2017. The bill would authorize a platform that does not make its election by April 30, 2017, to elect to assume responsibility by notifying the Controller on or after July 1, 2017, and would make this election effective 6 months after the Controller's receipt of the notification or on the date specified in the notice, whichever is later. The bill would authorize a platform to discontinue an election, and a city, county, or city and county to make or discontinue an election, by notifying the Controller on or before June 30, 2019, or June 30 of any odd-numbered year thereafter, and would make this discontinuance or election effective on July 1, 2020, or July 1 of the first even-numbered year after notification. This bill, commencing on January 1, 2017, and by December 31 of each year thereafter, would require the Controller to review or audit a platform's collection and remittance of tax revenue pursuant to the bill and would prohibit the Controller or any person who obtains access to information contained in, or derived from, the review or audit to disclose information pertaining to any platform or other person required to provide information subject to audit or review, as specified. The bill would provide that a platform and a city, county, or city and county that, on or before June 1, 2016, have entered into a binding legal agreement relating to the collection of transient occupancy taxes are bound by the agreement and are required to notify the Controller of the agreement, that any election made to the Controller by the platform or the city, county, or city and county is not effective as to any other party to the agreement, and that the platform's collection and remittance of transient occupancy taxes pursuant to the agreement are not subject to audit or review by the Controller pursuant to the bill, unless the platform and the city, county, and city and county mutually agree to terminate the agreement. (2) The California Constitution authorizes a city or county to make and enforce within its limits all local, police, sanitary, and other ordinances and regulations not in conflict with general laws. This bill would find and declare that providing short-term rental online platforms with uniform transient occupancy tax administration requirements is a matter of statewide concern, and that the bill therefore applies to charter cities, charter counties, and charter cities and counties. (3) Existing constitutional provisions require that a statute that limits the right of access to the meetings of public bodies or the writings of public officials and agencies be adopted with findings demonstrating the interest protected by the limitation and the need for protecting that interest. This bill would make legislative findings to that effect. (4) The California Constitution requires local agencies, for the purpose of ensuring public access to the meetings of public bodies and the writings of public officials and agencies, to comply with a statutory enactment that amends or enacts laws relating to public records or open meetings and contains findings demonstrating that the enactment furthers the constitutional requirements relating to this purpose. This bill would make legislative findings to that effect.
