Existing law establishes the California Alternative Energy and Advanced Transportation Financing Authority and requires the authority to establish programs to provide financial assistance to participating parties for projects related to alternative energy sources and advanced transportation projects. Existing law authorizes the authority to issue revenue bonds or other securities of up to $1 billion in total outstanding debt as a financing mechanism for providing financial assistance to those projects. This bill would revise and recast those provisions to, among other things, require the authority to establish programs providing financial assistance to projects for renewable energy generation facilities, combined heat and power systems, facilities designed for the production of renewable fuels, distributed generation and energy storage technologies eligible under the self-generation incentive program as determined by the Public Utilities Commission, and energy efficiency devices and technologies. The bill would eliminate the $1 billion limitation on the amount of outstanding indebtedness the authority may incur to provide the financial assistance. Existing law authorizes the authority, until January 1, 2021, to provide financial assistance in the form of a sales and use tax exclusion for a project to promote California-based manufacturing, California-based jobs, the reduction of greenhouse gases, or the reduction in air and water pollution or energy consumption. Existing law requires the authority, once the sales and use tax exemptions for projects exceed $100,000,000 for a given year, to provide the Legislature with a 20-day notice prior to granting additional sales and use tax exemptions. The sales and use tax exemption applies to the transfer of title of tangible personal property constituting a project to the authority by a participating party, or a lease or transfer of title of tangible personal property constituting a project by the authority to a participating party. This bill would additionally authorize the authority, until July 1, 2016, to grant the above financial assistance to projects that promote the utilization of advanced manufacturing, as defined. The bill would require the authority, until July 1, 2016, to study the efficacy and cost benefit of the sales and use tax exemption for advanced manufacturing projects. The bill would require the authority, before January 1, 2017, to submit to the Legislature a report on the study. The bill would require the authority, before January 1, 2015, to submit to the Legislature an interim report on the efficacy of granting the sales and use tax exemption for projects, and recommendations on changes that would increase the efficacy in creating jobs and whether the exemption should be expanded or narrowed. The bill would require the Governor's Office of Business and Economic Development to consult with the Legislative Analyst's Office, among others, to review and identify efficient and cost-effective methods for the state to create jobs in advanced manufacturing. The bill would require the Governor's Office of Business and Economic Development to report its findings to the Legislature by January 1, 2017. The bill would require the authority, until January 1, 2021, to work with the University of California or the California State University to perform a peer review of the net benefits test, as described, used to evaluate applicants applying for the sales and use tax exemption, as specified. The bill would instead prohibit the authority from granting, on an annual basis, a sales and use tax exemption for a project exceeding $100,000,000. The bill would, instead, apply the sales and use tax exemption to the lease or transfer of title of tangible property constituting a project to any participating party.
Sponsored bills
Existing law provides economic impact aid funding to school districts based on the number of economically disadvantaged pupils and English learners enrolled in the school district. Existing law requires the Superintendent of Public Instruction to perform specified calculations to determine the amount of economic impact aid a school district receives for a fiscal year and further requires each school district to expend these funds for specified programs and activities. This bill would require a school district, as a condition of the receipt of economic impact aid funds, to post in an easily accessible location on its Internet Web site data related to its economic impact aid funding and expenditures, as specified.
Existing law requires the Department of the California Highway Patrol to adopt rules and regulations that are designed to promote the safe operation of specific vehicles, including, among other things, schoolbuses and commercial motor vehicles. Existing law also requires the Department of Motor Vehicles to register vehicles that are being operated in this state and to issue a license plate to an applicant for the operation and identification of that person's vehicle. This bill would authorize the operation of an autonomous vehicle, as defined, on public roads for testing purposes, by a driver who possesses the proper class of license for the type of vehicle being operated if specified requirements are met, including that the driver be seated in the driver's seat, monitoring the safe operation of the autonomous vehicle, and capable of taking over immediate manual control of the autonomous vehicle in the event of an autonomous technology failure or other emergency. The bill would prohibit, except as provided for testing purposes, the operation of such a vehicle on public roads until the manufacturer submits an application to the department that includes various certifications, including a certification that the autonomous technology satisfies certain requirements, and the application is approved by the department pursuant to the regulations that the department would be required to adopt. The bill would require one of the certifications to specify that the autonomous vehicle's technology meets Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards for the vehicle's model year and all other applicable safety standards and performance requirements set forth in state and federal law and the regulations promulgated pursuant to those laws. The bill would require that the Department of Motor Vehicles adopt regulations as soon as practicable, but no later than January 1, 2015, setting forth requirements for the submission of evidence of insurance, surety bond, or self-insurance required by the bill and requirements for the submission or approval of an application to operate an autonomous vehicle, including any testing, equipment, or performance standards, as specified, and to hold public hearings on the adoption of any regulation applicable to the operation of an autonomous vehicle without the presence of a driver inside the vehicle. The bill would provide that federal regulations promulgated by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration supersede state law or regulation when found to be in conflict. The bill would require the department to approve an application submitted by a manufacturer upon making specified findings and would authorize the department to impose additional requirements if the application seeks approval for autonomous vehicles where there is no person in the driver's seat. The bill would also require the department to notify the Legislature of the receipt of an application from a manufacturer seeking approval to operate an autonomous vehicle capable of operating without the presence of a driver inside the vehicle and the approval of the application. The bill would provide that approval of the application is effective no sooner than 180 days after the date the application is submitted. The department would be authorized to charge a fee for the application in an amount necessary to recover all costs reasonably incurred by the department.
Existing law, the federal National Voter Registration Act of 1993, requires each state to establish procedures to register voters by application in person at certain federal, state, or nongovernmental agencies designated by state law as voter registration agencies. This bill would establish procedures to register voters in accordance with the act, and would require voter registration agencies to perform specified tasks related to voter registration. This bill would require the Secretary of State and county elections officials to coordinate with the voter registration agencies, as specified. Existing law requires the Secretary of State, in consultation with county elections officials, to design and make available on his or her Internet Web site an affidavit of voter registration. Existing law, the federal National Voter Registration Act of 1993, provides for state departments of motor vehicles to make voter registration information and materials available to an applicant for a driver's license and other vehicular documents. Existing state law provides that a person who is qualified to register to vote and who has a valid California driver's license or state identification card may submit an affidavit of voter registration electronically on the Internet Web site of the Secretary of State. Existing state law requires the Department of Motor Vehicles and the Secretary of State to develop a process and the infrastructure to allow a person who is qualified to register to vote in the state to register to vote online. This bill would require a voter registration agency that allows a person to apply online for service or assistance, or to submit a recertification, renewal, or change of address form relating to the service or assistance, to implement a process and the infrastructure that allows an applicant to electronically submit a voter preference form, as defined, and to submit an affidavit of voter registration electronically on the Internet Web site of the Secretary of State. This bill also would require the California Health Benefit Exchange, no later than July 1, 2014, to implement a process and the infrastructure to allow a person who applies online for service or assistance, or who submits a recertification, renewal, or change of address form relating to the voter registration service or assistance online, to submit an affidavit of voter registration electronically on the Internet Web site of the Secretary of State. By requiring additional duties of county elections officials and local agencies, 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.
Existing law establishes procedures regarding the registration of voters. Under existing law, a person may not be registered to vote except by affidavit of registration, and a voter may not vote in an election unless his or her affidavit of registration is executed and received by the county elections official on or before the 15th day prior to the election. Existing law permits any registered voter to vote by a vote by mail ballot, and further permits any voter using a vote by mail ballot to vote the ballot at the office of the elections official beginning 29 days before the election. Existing law requires that the affidavit of registration show facts necessary to establish the affiant as an elector, as specified, and provides that if the affiant has not been issued a current and valid driver's license or social security number, he or she shall be provided a unique identification number for voter registration purposes. This bill would establish conditional voter registration, using an affidavit of registration, whereby a person would be permitted to register to vote after the 15th day prior to an election or on election day, and cast a provisional ballot to be counted if the conditional voter registration is deemed effective. This bill would provide that a conditional voter registration shall be deemed effective if the county elections official is able to determine before or during the canvass period for the election that the registrant is eligible to register to vote and that the registrant has provided information that matches specified state or federal databases. The bill would provide that if the information provided by the registrant cannot be verified by matching the information to those specified state or federal databases and the registrant is otherwise eligible to vote, the registrant shall be issued a unique identification number pursuant to the above-referenced provisions and the conditional voter registration shall be deemed effective. The bill would establish specific criminal and civil penalties for the commission of fraud in the execution of a conditional voter registration pursuant to these provisions. The bill would require the county elections official to offer conditional voter registration and provisional voting at its permanent offices, and would permit the official to offer this registration and voting at satellite offices on election day, in accordance with specified procedures. The bill would also require the county elections official to cancel, as specified, duplicate voter registrations that may arise due to conditional voter registration. The above provisions of the bill would become operative on January 1 of the year following the year in which the Secretary of State certifies that the state has a statewide voter registration database that complies with the requirements of the federal Help America Vote Act of 2002. Existing law provides that upon conviction for a crime pertaining to an election for which no fine is prescribed, the court may impose, in addition to any prescribed imprisonment, a fine on the offender of not more than $1,000 for a misdemeanor or $10,000 for a felony. This bill would increase the amount of that fine for a felony to $25,000. By creating a new crime and new duties for local elections officials, 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 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 Alcoholic Beverage Control Act prohibits any licensee from giving any premium, gift, or free goods in connection with the sale or distribution of any alcoholic beverage, except as provided. This bill would permit an authorized licensee, as defined, to conduct a consumer contest, as defined, and conduct or sponsor consumer sweepstakes, as defined, offering the chance to win prizes, if specified conditions are met. The Alcoholic Beverage Control Act provides that a violation of any of its provisions for which another penalty or punishment is not specifically provided is a misdemeanor. This bill would expand existing crimes by imposing additional duties on a licensee under the act, thus, 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.
Existing law requires specified information to be provided to patients regarding their health care. Existing federal law requires a written report of the results of each mammography examination and requires a summary of that report to be sent to the patient within a specified time period. This bill, from April 1, 2013, until January 1, 2019, would require, under specified circumstances, a health facility at which a mammography examination is performed to include in the summary of the written report that is sent to the patient a prescribed notice on breast density.
Existing law refers to mental retardation or a mentally retarded person in provisions relating to, among other things, educational and social services, commitment to state facilities, and criminal punishment. This bill would revise these provisions to refer instead to intellectual disability or a person with an intellectual disability. This bill would provide that it is the intent of the Legislature that the bill not be construed to change the coverage, eligibility, rights, responsibilities, or substantive definitions referred to in the amended provisions of the bill. This bill would make related and technical changes.
Existing federal Medicaid provisions require a state to describe its Medicaid program in its state plan, which is required by federal law to provide for, among other things, a public process for determination of rates of payment under the plan for hospital services, nursing facility services, and services of intermediate care facilities for the mentally retarded. Under existing law, various state statutes refer to mentally retarded persons in provisions relating to, among other things, services, commitment to state facilities, and criminal punishment. This bill, which would be known as the Shriver "R-Word" Act, would revise various statutes to, instead, refer to a person with an intellectual disability. The bill would also state the intent of the Legislature that the bill not be construed to change the coverage, eligibility, rights, responsibilities, or substantive definitions referred to in the amended provisions of the bill.
Existing law requires each school district that has one or more pupils who are English learners, and to the extent required by federal law, a county office of education and a charter school, to assess the English language development of each of those pupils in order to determine their level of proficiency. Existing law requires the State Department of Education, with the approval of the State Board of Education, to establish procedures for conducting the assessment and for the reclassification of a pupil from English learner to English proficient. Existing law requires the Superintendent of Public Instruction to apportion funds appropriated for purposes of assessing the English language development of pupils whose primary language is a language other than English to enable school districts to use the California English language development test to identify pupils who are limited English proficient, determine the level of English language proficiency of those pupils, and to assess the progress of those pupils in acquiring the skills of listening, reading, speaking, and writing in English. This bill would require the department, by January 1, 2014, to review and analyze the criteria, policies, and practices that a sampling of school districts that represent the geographic, socioeconomic, and demographic diversity of school districts in the state use to reclassify English learners and recommend to the Legislature and state board any guideline, regulatory, or statutory changes that the department determines are necessary to identify when English learners are prepared for the successful transition to classrooms and curricula that require English proficiency. The bill would require the department, by January 1, 2014, to issue a report on its findings, research, analysis, recommendations, and best practices, and by January 1, 2017, to issue an updated report that reflects any changes in analysis and recommendations as a result of the adoption by the state board of the common core standards and related English language development standards. The bill would make implementation of these provisions contingent on an appropriation of federal or state funds or on the availability of private funding.