Existing law requires the State Department of Education to incorporate materials relating to civil rights, human rights violations, genocide, slavery, and the Holocaust into publications that provide examples of curriculum resources, consistent with the subject frameworks on history and social science and other requirements. Under existing law, the Legislature encourages the incorporation of survivor, rescuer, liberator, and witness testimony into the teaching of human rights, genocide, and the Holocaust. Existing law establishes the Instructional Quality Commission and requires the commission to, among other things, recommend curriculum frameworks to the State Board of Education. This bill would require the department to incorporate materials related to the Armenian Genocide into those publications, and would require the commission to include the Armenian Genocide in the recommended history-social science curriculum framework when the history-social science framework is revised as required by law. The bill would also specify that the Legislature encourages the incorporation of survivor, rescuer, liberator, and witness oral testimony into the teaching of human rights, the Holocaust, and genocide, including the Armenian, Cambodian, Darfur, and Rwandan genocides. The bill would define oral testimony to mean firsthand accounts of significant historical events presented in a specified format.
Sponsored bills
Existing law authorizes the governing board of any school district or community college district to order an election and submit to the electors of the district the question whether the bonds of the district should be issued and sold to raise money for specified purposes. Existing law requires the ratio of total debt service to principal for each bond series to not exceed 4 to 1. Existing law requires each bond that allows for the compounding of interest, including, but not limited to, a capital appreciation bond, maturing more than 10 years after its date of issuance to be subject to redemption before its fixed maturity date, as specified, beginning no later than the 10th anniversary of the date the bond was issued. Existing law requires, if the sale includes bonds that allow for the compounding of interest, including, but not limited to, capital appreciation bonds, the agenda item to identify that bonds that allow for the compounding of interest are proposed and require the governing board of the school district or community college district to be presented with specified information concerning the bonds. Existing law requires a school district or community college district that intends to issue bonds that allow for the compounding of interest, including, but not limited to, capital appreciation bonds, to comply with certain requirements. This bill would exempt a school district or community college district whose electors approved the issuance of a note in an election held on or before January 1, 2014, and began issuing a note pursuant to that authority on or before January 1, 2014, from, among other requirements, the requirements specified in the previous paragraph.
Existing law establishes a system of public elementary and secondary schools operated by local educational agencies throughout the state. Existing law also establishes a system of public postsecondary education in this state that includes 3 segments: the California Community Colleges, the California State University, and the University of California. This bill would express the intent of the Legislature to establish a pilot program with the goal of establishing a coordinated curriculum that enables students, including, but not necessarily limited to, students who have earned college course credit through concurrent enrollment in high school and community college, to earn a baccalaureate degree from a participating University of California campus within 3 years of graduating from a secondary school, at a total cost to the student as close as possible to $25,000, excluding the cost of mandatory campus-based fees. The bill would authorize the University of California to establish a Baccalaureate Degree Pilot Program that includes any campus of the University of California, any campus of the California Community Colleges that volunteers to participate, and any secondary educational institution that volunteers to participate. The bill would place specified conditions on the operation of the pilot program, which would apply to the University of California only to the extent made applicable by action of the Regents of the University of California.
This measure would call upon all Californians to observe César Chávez's birthday, March 31, as a day of public service, to recognize the hard work and self-sacrifice that farmworkers go through to feed all the families in our state, and to learn from César Chávez's life and his mission of nonviolence, social justice, and selfless service to others.
Existing law requires that a vote by mail ballot be received by the issuing elections official or the precinct board no later than the close of polls on election day. This bill would make an exception for military or overseas voters, as defined, and would instead require that their vote by mail ballots be postmarked by the United States Postal Service or the Military Postal Service Agency on or before election day and received by their elections officials no later than 3 days after election day. Because the bill would impose additional duties on local elections officials, 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, 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.
The California Constitution requires the Governor, within the first 10 days of each calendar year, to submit to the Legislature a budget for the ensuing fiscal year containing itemized statements for recommended state expenditures and estimated state revenues. Existing law requires the Director of Finance to provide to the Legislature, on or before May 14 of each year, specified information, including an estimate of General Fund revenues for the current fiscal year and for the ensuing fiscal year. This bill would require the Director of Finance to calculate any increase between the General Fund revenue estimate for the 2013–14 fiscal year in the Governor's Budget Summary 2014–15 and the estimate of General Fund revenue for the 2013–14 fiscal year submitted by the Director of Finance on or before May 14, 2014. The bill would require the Director of Finance to calculate any increase between the General Fund revenue estimate in the budget for the 2014–15 fiscal year submitted by the Governor and the estimate of General Fund revenues for the 2014–15 fiscal year submitted by the Director of Finance on or before May 14, 2014. The bill would prohibit General Fund appropriations other than those made by this bill for the 2013–14 and 2014–15 fiscal years from exceeding the amount of General Fund revenues in the budget approved for the 2013–14 fiscal year and, for the 2014–15 fiscal year, in the budget submitted by the Governor. The bill would appropriate the amount of any increase in General Fund revenues calculated by the Director of Finance necessary to meet the state's minimum funding obligation pursuant to Section 8 of Article XVI of the California Constitution to the Controller for apportionment to school districts and community college districts. If any funds remain after this appropriation, the bill would appropriate 50% of the remaining funds to the Budget Stabilization Account and would appropriate 50% of the funds, up to $2.534 billion, to specified transportation funds and accounts for immediate repayment of outstanding loans made from those transportation funds and accounts to the General Fund. The bill would appropriate certain amounts repaid to specified transportation funds and accounts for local street and road purposes, to be apportioned by the controller according to a specified formula. The bill would appropriate any funds remaining after these appropriations to the Budget Stabilization Account.
Existing law requires the State Office of Child Abuse Prevention to develop and disseminate information to all school districts and district school personnel regarding the detection of child abuse. Existing law, the Child Abuse and Neglect Reporting Act, designates certain persons, including teachers, as mandated reporters. Existing law requires a mandated reporter to make a report if the person has knowledge of or observes a child whom the person knows or reasonably suspects has been the victim of child abuse or neglect. Existing law also provides that the California School for the Blind and the California School for the Deaf are under the administration of the State Department of Education. This bill would require the governing board of each school district and county office of education, the governing body of each charter school, and, for purposes of the California School for the Blind and the California School for the Deaf, the department, to adopt a policy on the reporting of child abuse and the responsibilities of mandated reporters. The bill would require each school district, charter school, and county office of education, the California School for the Blind, and the California School for the Deaf to, at minimum, review the mandated reporting requirements of school employees with all school personnel within the first 6 weeks of each school year, at a regularly scheduled staff meeting. By expanding the duty of school districts, charter schools, and county offices of education, 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, 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 the practices and procedures for the issuance of an original or a renewal of a driver's license. The federal Military Selective Service Act (federal act) requires specified persons to register with the federal Selective Service System. This bill would require a person who is required to be registered under the federal act and who submits an application for an original or a renewal of a driver's license to be deemed to have consented to registration with the federal Selective Service System, as provided. The bill would require the Department of Motor Vehicles to include specified notices on an application for an original or renewal of a driver's license and would require the department to forward the necessary personal information required for registration to the federal Selective Service System in an electronic format. The bill would make its provisions operative on January 1, 2016.
Existing law prescribes procedures governing disputes between exclusive bargaining representatives of public transportation employees and local agencies, and authorizes the Governor, when it appears a strike will significantly disrupt transportation services and endanger public health, safety, and welfare, to appoint a board to investigate issues in connection with these labor negotiations and make a report. Existing law prohibits a strike during the period of investigation and permits the Governor, upon receiving a report from a board of investigation, to request the Attorney General to petition a court to enjoin the strike, as specified. This bill would repeal those provisions that authorize the Governor to appoint a board to investigate when it appears a strike will significantly disrupt transportation services, prohibit a strike during the period of investigation, and that authorize the Governor to request the Attorney General to petition a court to enjoin the strike. The bill would instead prohibit a state or local public transportation employee or public transportation employee organization from engaging in, causing, instigating, encouraging, or condoning a strike. The bill would also provide that a person who, on behalf of a public transportation employer, exercises authority, supervision, or direction over a public transportation employee shall not have the power to, and shall not purport to, authorize, approve, condone, or consent to a strike by a public transportation employee. The bill would establish a process for a public transportation employee to object to a determination by the chief executive officer of the public transportation employer that he or she violated these provisions by filing a sworn affidavit under penalty of perjury, thus expanding the definition of a crime. The bill would require the chief executive officer, if he or she determines that the objection raises a question of fact that if resolved in favor of the employee would establish that the employee did not commit the violation, to appoint an officer to conduct a hearing on the matter at which the employee would bear the burden of proving by a preponderance of the evidence that he or she did not commit the violation, as specified. The bill would require the Public Employment Relations Board to hold a hearing to determine whether an employee organization violated these provisions, and would require the employer and the employee organization to be permitted to be represented by counsel. The bill would provide that a public transportation employee who violates these provisions is subject to removal or other disciplinary action, and would authorize the chief financial officer of the employer to deduct from the compensation of a public transportation employee found to have violated these provisions an amount equal to twice his or her daily rate of pay for each day or part thereof that it was determined that he or she violated these provisions. The bill would also require the board, if it determines that an employee organization violated these provisions, to order forfeiture of specified rights granted by state law to recognized employee organizations. The bill would also require the chief executive officer of the employer, within 60 days of the end of a strike, to prepare a written report, to be made public, that contains specified information regarding the circumstances surrounding the strike, the names of those public transit employees who the chief executive officer has reason to believe were responsible for causing, instigating, or encouraging the strike, and the sanctions imposed or proceedings pending against those employees. Because the bill would expand the definition of a crime and require local officers to perform additional duties, 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 Personal Income Tax Law provides for various deductions in computing the income that is subject to the taxes imposed by that law including in modified conformity with federal tax law, a deduction for that portion of medical expenses that is more than 7.5% of adjusted gross income. Self-employed individuals may deduct health insurance premiums for medical expenses incurred by the taxpayer in lieu of the itemized deduction for medical expenses. This bill, for taxable years beginning on or after January 1, 2014, would allow a deduction from gross income under the Personal Income Tax Law for the amounts paid or incurred by a taxpayer during the taxable year for medical insurance for medical care, as defined, and for transportation for and essential to that medical care, as provided. The bill would not allow as an itemized deduction, an amount allowed as a deduction from gross income as provided in the bill. This bill would take effect immediately as a tax levy.