Sen. Bill Emmerson

Under existing law, each school district and campus of the California State University is authorized and is encouraged to establish and maintain a paper recycling program in specified areas owned or leased by the school district or campus where a significant quantity of wastepaper is generated or may be collected. This bill would authorize and encourage school districts and campuses of the University of California, California State University, and California Community Colleges also to establish and maintain a paper recycling program and a beverage container recycling program in those areas.

This measure would declare April 2010 as Financial Aid and Literacy Month to raise public awareness about the need for increased financial literacy.

The Personal Income Tax Law authorizes a credit against the taxes imposed by that law in an amount equal to the lesser of 5% of the purchase price or $10,000 in the case of the purchase of a qualified principal residence on and after March 1, 2009, and before March 1, 2010, but not to exceed an aggregate limitation of $100,000,000 for all credits allowable. Existing law requires a certification that the residence has never been occupied be provided to the Franchise Tax Board within one week of the sale of the qualified principal residence. This bill would limit the credit to taxpayers who purchased a qualified principal residence on and after March 1, 2009, and before July 3, 2009, and on and after the effective date of this bill and before March 1, 2010. This bill would also require the aggregate limitation of credits to be reduced by a specified amount per certification received by the Franchise Tax Board. (2) The bill would appropriate the sum of $44,000 from the General Fund to the Franchise Tax Board, in augmentation of a specified appropriation made in the 2009-10 Budget Act. (3) This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.

(1) The California Constitution requires the Legislature to convene in regular biennial session at noon on the first Monday in December of each even-numbered year to consider legislation and the Budget Bill. This measure would require the Legislature to convene in regular biennial session, but would require, commencing on December 6, 2010, that the sessions held in odd-numbered years be budget sessions, and sessions held in even-numbered years be general sessions. The measure would require the Legislature in the budget session to adopt Budget Bills for each of the 2 subsequent fiscal years. The measure would require the Legislature, during a budget session, to meet only to conduct oversight and review of the revenues and expenditures of the state and to consider Budget Bills, budget implementation bills, as defined, and related revenue bills, except the Legislature could consider urgency statutes. (2) The California Constitution requires that a budget be submitted by the Governor, and that the Legislature pass a Budget Act on or before June 15. Funds may be expended from the State Treasury for support of the state government only through an appropriation made by the Legislature. This measure would require, in each odd-numbered calendar year, commencing in 2011, that the Governor submit to the Legislature 2 proposed budgets for the 2 subsequent fiscal years, respectively. (3) The California Constitution permits revenues from taxes imposed by the state on motor vehicle fuels and funds in the Public Transportation Account in the State Transportation Fund to be loaned to the General Fund. That loan is required to be repaid in full either during the same fiscal year in which the loan was made or within 3 fiscal years from the date on which the loan was made if specified conditions apply. If the loan is to be repaid in full during the same fiscal year, the repayment may be delayed until a date not more than 30 days after the date of enactment of the Budget Bill for the subsequent fiscal year. The measure would provide that the repayment may be delayed until a date not more than 30 days after the date of enactment of the Budget Bill for the subsequent fiscal year, or July 31 of that subsequent fiscal year, whichever is later.

This measure would recognize the week of April 18, 2010, through April 24, 2010, as Crime Victims' Rights Week.

This measure would proclaim the month of May to be Women Veterans Recognition Month.

This measure would express the Legislature's declaration of May 15, 2009, as NASCAR Day for the State of California, and encourage fans to wear their NASCAR Day lapel pins to show their support.

Existing law, the Alfred E. Alquist Hospital Facilities Seismic Safety Act of 1983, requires the Office of Statewide Planning and Development to observe the construction of, or addition to, any hospital building or the reconstruction or alteration of any hospital building, as it deems necessary to comply with the act for the protection of life and property. The act requires a hospital governing board or authority to provide for and require competent and adequate inspection during the construction or alteration by an inspector satisfactory to the architect or structural engineer, or both, and the office. The office is required to develop regulations for the testing and approval of these inspectors. This bill would declare the intent of the Legislature to enact legislation that would establish minimum qualifications for certification of a professional construction inspector of record pursuant to these provisions.

Existing law provides that no handgun ammunition vendor, as defined, shall sell, offer for sale, or display for sale, any handgun ammunition in a manner that allows that ammunition to be accessible to a purchaser without the assistance of the vendor or employee thereof. This bill would repeal those provisions. Existing law requires, subject to exceptions, commencing February 1, 2011, that handgun ammunition vendors obtain a thumbprint and other information from ammunition purchasers, as specified. Existing law provides, subject to exceptions, that commencing February 1, 2011, the delivery or transfer of ownership of handgun ammunition may only occur in a face-to-face transaction, with the deliverer or transferor being provided bona fide evidence of identity of the purchaser or other transferee. Violations of any of the above provisions are misdemeanors, some with specified penalties. This bill would repeal those provisions.

This measure would urge the President and the Congress of the United States to consider the removal of commercial, economic, and financial restrictions relating to agricultural sales to Cuba.