This measure would recognize the importance of access to local parks, trails, open space, and facilities for the health and development of all Californians and would declare the month of July 2015 as "Parks Make Life Better!" Month.
This measure would memorialize the President and the Congress of the United States to recognize the unique military value of California's defense installations and the disproportionate sacrifices California has endured in previous base realignment and closure (BRAC) rounds.
This measure would proclaim June 12, 2015, as Women Veterans' Day and urge all citizens to join in celebrating the many contributions of women to our military forces.
This measure would resolve that the Legislature and the people of California should uphold and protect the dignity and independence of older Californians by continuing the state's commitment to provide these individuals with certain supporative programs and services.
This measure would proclaim the week of May 17, 2015, to May 23, 2015, inclusive, as Emergency Medical Services Week.
The California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) requires a lead agency, as defined, to prepare, or cause to be prepared, and certify the completion of, an environmental impact report (EIR) on a project that it proposes to carry out or approve that may have a significant effect on the environment or to adopt a negative declaration if it finds that the project will not have that effect. CEQA also requires a lead agency to prepare a mitigated negative declaration for a project that may have a significant effect on the environment if revisions in the project would avoid or mitigate that effect and there is no substantial evidence that the project, as revised, would have a significant effect on the environment. Existing law establishes regulations related to numerous environmental issues. This bill would enact the Sustainable Environmental Protection Act and would specify the environmental review required pursuant to CEQA for projects related to specified environmental topical areas. In a judicial action or proceeding filed challenging an action taken by a lead agency on the ground of noncompliance with CEQA, the bill would prohibit a cause of action that (1) alleges noncompliance with CEQA based on any topical area or criteria for which compliance obligations are identified or (2) challenges the environmental document based on noncompliance with CEQA if: (A) the environmental document discloses compliance with applicable environmental law, (B) the project conforms with the use designation, density, or building intensity in an applicable plan, as defined, and (C) the project approval incorporates applicable mitigation requirements into the environmental document. The bill would provide that the Sustainable Environmental Protection Act only applies if the lead agency or project applicant has agreed to provide to the public in a readily accessible electronic format an annual compliance report prepared pursuant to the mitigation monitoring and reporting program. Because this bill would impose additional duties on local agencies, 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 no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason.
Existing law makes it unlawful for any person, firm, corporation, or association to sell, or offer for sale, merchandise that advertises itself as being made or manufactured in the United States when any article, unit, or part of the merchandise has been entirely or substantially made, manufactured, or produced outside of the United States. This bill would instead make it unlawful for any person, firm, corporation, or association to sell, or offer for sale, merchandise that advertises itself as being made or manufactured in the United States unless the merchandise has been all or virtually all made in the Unites States, and provides that "all or virtually all" has the same meaning as a specified policy statement of the Federal Trade Commission. The bill would also state the intent of the Legislature in enacting the bill.
Existing law, as added by Proposition 112, adopted June 5, 1990, establishes the California Citizens Compensation Commission and requires the commission to establish the annual salary and the medical, dental, insurance, and other similar benefits of state officers, including Members of the Legislature. The Public Employees' Medical and Hospital Care Act, which governs health care coverage available to public employees, specifies that a Member of the Legislature is eligible to enroll in an approved health benefit plan, as defined, pursuant to that act. Existing law establishes the California Health Benefit Exchange (Exchange) within state government, specifies the powers and duties of the board governing the Exchange, and requires the board to facilitate the purchase of qualified health plans through the Exchange by qualified individuals and small employers by January 1, 2014. This bill would instead provide that the only health benefit plans available to a Member of the Legislature who is elected to or serving in office on or after January 1, 2016, with respect to his or her service as a Member of the Legislature, are health benefit plans that are offered through the Exchange. The bill would require the state to reimburse the Member of the Legislature for the cost of coverage in an amount not to exceed the amount of the state employer's contribution for coverage for a Member as of December 31, 2015.
This measure would recognize the 50th anniversary of the Older Americans Act of 1965, affirm the Legislature's continuing support for the goals of the act, and memorialize the United States House of Representatives and United States Senate to reauthorize the act.
