The Vehicle License Fee Law, in lieu of any ad valorem property tax upon vehicles, imposes an annual license fee for any vehicle subject to registration in this state in the amount of 1% of the market value of that vehicle, as provided, for a specified amount of time. Existing law also, until July 1, 2011, imposes an additional tax equal to 0.15% of the market value of specified vehicles, as determined by the Department of Motor Vehicles, to the vehicle license fee, to be deposited in the General Fund and transferred to the Local Safety and Protection Account, a continuously appropriated fund. Existing law provides that money in the account shall be allocated for various public safety programs, as provided. This bill would, beginning July 1, 2011, and each July 1 thereafter for a transfer $500,000,000 from the General Fund to the account total of 5 years, as provided. By transferring funds to a continuously appropriated fund, this bill would make an appropriation. This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.
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Under existing law, the Electronic Waste Recycling Act of 2003 requires a retailer selling a covered electronic device in this state to collect an electronic waste recycling fee and to transmit the fee to the Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery (CalRecycle) . Existing law provides for the administration of the act by both CalRecycle and the Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC) and imposes specified duties upon the DTSC with regard to providing notice of exports and the inspection of e-waste recycling facilities. Existing law requires CalRecycle and the DTSC to deposit the fees and fines collected under the act in the Electronic Waste Recovery and Recycling Account and authorizes CalRecycle and the DTSC to expend the moneys deposited in the account, upon appropriation by the Legislature, to administer the act and other provisions regulating covered electronic devices. Existing law incorporates the provisions of the act into the hazardous waste control laws. The hazardous waste control laws require the DTSC to adopt regulations for identifying covered electronic devices that are hazardous waste when discarded. This bill would transfer the duties, powers, and authority of the DTSC under the act to CalRecycle and would require the employees of the DTSC who are serving in the state civil service for purposes of carrying out the duties, powers, purposes, and responsibilities of the DTSC under the act to be transferred to CalRecycle, except with regard to the identification of those devices that are hazardous waste. The bill would delete the provision authorizing the enforcement of the act under the hazardous waste control laws and would make conforming changes with regard to the transfer of this authority.
The Enterprise Zone Act provides for the designation of enterprise zones by the Department of Community Housing and Development, pursuant to which certain entities within a designated enterprise zone may receive regulatory, tax, and other incentives for private investment and employment, and sets forth the findings and declarations of the Legislature in this regard. This bill would make a technical, nonsubstantive change to these provisions.
Existing law, the Administrative Procedure Act, governs the procedure for the adoption, amendment, or repeal of regulations by state agencies and for the review of those regulatory actions by the Office of Administrative Law. Under existing law, a regulation or an order of repeal becomes effective on the 30th day after it is filed with the Secretary of State. This bill would require an agency, for any regulation that it has identified as having a gross cost of $15,000,000 or more, an increased cost of 5% or more over the cost of an existing regulation, or both, to submit a copy of the rulemaking record for that regulation to the appropriate policy committee in each house of the Legislature when the agency submits the regulation to the office for approval. This bill would require that these regulations take effect on the 180th day after they are filed with the secretary.
Existing law establishes the Department of Veterans Affairs, which is responsible for administering various programs and services for the benefit of veterans. This bill would appropriate the sum of $7,300,000 from the General Fund to the Department of Veterans Affairs to provide for specified veterans' services.
Existing law partially exempts from the taxes imposed by sales and use tax laws, the gross receipts from the sale in this state of, and the storage, use, or other consumption in this state of, diesel fuel used in farming and food processing. This bill would make a technical, nonsubstantive change to this provision.
Existing law requires members of the public to obtain license, permits, or to register with state agencies prior to undertaking certain types of tasks. This bill would require the Governor to establish a Internet Web site, known as the California Licensing and Permit Center (CLPC) , to assist the public with licensing, permitting, and registration requirements of state agencies. This bill would require the Governor to operate, via both e-mail and telephone methods, a help center to assist applicants with licensing, permitting, and registration requirements. This bill would require state agencies that the Governor determines has licensing authority to cooperate with this program by providing accurate updated information about their licensing requirements. This bill would create the California License and Permit Fund in the State Treasury, and require state agencies that are required to participate in the CLPC to reallocate a portion of their operating budget, as specified, to pay for the operating cost of the CLPC. This bill would state that upon appropriation by the Legislature, revenues from the fund will be used only for purposes of the bill. This bill would require the CLPC to be provided to the public free of charge.
Existing law, the California Beverage Container Recycling and Litter Reduction Act, requires a distributor to pay a redemption payment of $0.04 for every beverage container sold or offered for sale in the state to the Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery for deposit in the California Beverage Container Recycling Fund. After setting aside funds for the payment of refund values and administrative fees, and for a reserve for contingencies, the remaining moneys in the fund are continuously appropriated to the division for expenditure for designated programs, grants, and fee payments. This bill would make technical, nonsubstantive changes to that provision of the act.
Existing law establishes the 3 segments of public postsecondary education in this state. These segments include the California State University, which is administered by the Trustees of the California State University, the University of California, which is administered by the Regents of the University of California, and the California Community Colleges, which is administered by the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges. Most provisions of law apply to the University of California only to the extent that the regents, by resolution, make these provisions applicable. This bill would specify that, for purposes of veterans' benefits, the Trustees of the California State University and the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges shall, and the Regents of the University of California are requested to, designate mandatory education fees as tuition.
Existing law establishes in the California Environmental Protection Agency the State Air Resources Board, which is responsible for the control of emissions from motor vehicles and is designated the air pollution control agency for all purposes set forth in federal law. Existing law requires the state board to consist of 11 members appointed based on certain qualifications. This bill would make technical, nonsubstantive changes to these requirements regarding the membership of the state board, and would delete obsolete provisions.