Sen. Mike Morrell

This measure would proclaim the month of June 2016 to be Dairy Month in California and would encourage Californians to continue to support the American dairy industry by including dairy products as part of a healthy diet.

This measure would recognize the month of May 2016 as National Military Appreciation Month.

Existing law provides for the licensure and regulation of various professions and vocations by boards within the Department of Consumer Affairs. Existing law authorizes any licensee whose license expired while he or she was on active duty as a member of the California National Guard or the United States Armed Forces to reinstate his or her license without examination or penalty if certain requirements are met. Existing law also requires the boards to waive the renewal fees, continuing education requirements, and other renewal requirements, if applicable, of any licensee or registrant called to active duty as a member of the United States Armed Forces or the California National Guard, if certain requirements are met. Existing law requires each board to inquire in every application if the individual applying for licensure is serving in, or has previously served in, the military. Existing law, on and after July 1, 2016, requires a board within the Department of Consumer Affairs to expedite, and authorizes a board to assist, the initial licensure process for an applicant who has served as an active duty member of the United States Armed Forces and was honorably discharged. This bill, on and after January 1, 2018, would require every board within the Department of Consumer Affairs to grant a fee waiver for the application for and the issuance of an initial license to an applicant who supplies satisfactory evidence, as defined, to the board that the applicant has served as an active duty member of the California National Guard or the United States Armed Forces and was honorably discharged. The bill would require that a veteran be granted only one fee waiver, except as specified.

Under existing law, a hunting license grants the privilege to take birds and mammals. Existing law requires the Department of Fish and Wildlife to issue a hunting license for specified periods of time, including for a term of one year, as provided, upon payment of a fee, to eligible residents and nonresidents. Existing law requires the department to issue a lifetime hunting license, upon payment of a fee, to eligible California residents that authorizes a person to take birds and mammals for the life of the person, as prescribed. Under existing law, a sport fishing license grants the privilege to take fish, reptiles, and amphibians. Existing law requires the department to issue a sport fishing license for specified periods of time, including for the period of a calendar year, as provided, upon payment of a fee, to eligible residents and nonresidents. Existing law requires the department to issue a lifetime sport fishing license, upon payment of a fee, to eligible California residents that authorizes a person to take fish, reptiles, and amphibians for the life of the person, as prescribed. Existing law requires the department to issue lifetime sportsman's licenses, upon payment of a fee, to eligible California residents that authorizes a person to take birds, mammals, fish, reptiles, and amphibians for the life of the person, as prescribed. This bill would require the department to reduce the fee required to obtain the lifetime licenses by 25% for a person who is a veteran of the Armed Forces of the United States, was honorably discharged, and is a resident of California.

Existing law requires the State Board of Forestry and Fire Protection to adopt emergency regulations to establish a fire prevention fee in an amount not to exceed $150 to be charged on each habitable structure, as defined, on a parcel that is within a state responsibility area, as defined. Existing law requires the state board to adjust the fire prevention fee annually using prescribed methods, and requires the state board, until January 31, 2017, to submit a report to the Legislature every January 31 on the status and uses of the fund, containing specified information and recommendations. This bill would instead require the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection to submit that report to the Legislature and the board, and would extend to January 31, 2021, the time until which the report is required to be submitted. The bill would additionally require that the report include specified information on each program, subprogram, and element for which the department uses money generated from that fire prevention fee, and other information regarding fund expenditures, as provided.

This measure would recognize the legendary career of Vincent Edward "Vin" Scully.

Existing law requires a pupil to be excused from school for specified types of absences and prohibits those excused absences from generating state apportionment payments by deeming them as absences in computing average daily attendance. This bill would include attending the pupil's naturalization ceremony to become a United States citizen as another type of excused absence.

Existing law requires specified persons to be granted access to a gated community for a reasonable period of time for the sole purpose of performing lawful service of process or service of a subpoena, as specified. This bill would additionally require an investigator who is employed by an office of the Attorney General, a county counsel, a city attorney, a district attorney, or a public defender, upon the display of proper identification, to be granted access to a gated community for the sole purpose of performing lawful service of process or service of a subpoena.

This act would commend the meaningful contributions that Latino customs, such as the celebration of La Virgen de Guadalupe, make to the diverse heritage of American society.