Sen. Carol Liu

This measure would recognize the Lunar New Year Celebration.

This measure would recognize the Lunar New Year Celebration on February 19, 2015.

This measure would proclaim January 13, 2015, as Korean-American Day.

Under existing law, individuals are allowed to contribute amounts in excess of their tax liability for the support of specified funds. Existing law provides for various voluntary contribution check-off funds to be listed on the personal income tax return. This bill would modify the existing voluntary check-off system by establishing the California Voluntary Contribution Program to be administered by the office of California Volunteers to expand the contribution options for a taxpayer. The bill would provide that the purpose of the program is to promote charitable giving and collect through the personal income tax return individual taxpayers' voluntary contributions either to specified charities in a pool of up to 200 qualified applicants, defined to include any charitable organization meeting certain requirements or a state or local agency, or to make a general charitable gift by donating to the Charitable Giving Fund. Not later than January 1, 2017, the bill would require the office to, among other things, develop the application to participate in the program and establish application and renewal fees. The bill would authorize the office to adopt specified policies and guidelines to regulate the number of qualified applicants participating in the program. The bill would authorize the office to adopt regulations necessary to carry out these provisions and would make these regulations subject to the Administrative Procedure Act. The bill would require the Franchise Tax Board to revise the personal income tax form in a manner necessary to inform an individual about how to make designations to qualified applicants or to the Charitable Giving Fund. Commencing on January 1, 2018, this bill would allow an individual taxpayer to designate a contribution to up to 5 qualified applicants or to the Charitable Giving Fund. The bill would require an applicant wishing to receive contributions to submit an application to the program, including an application fee. The bill would require the office to approve an application if specified requirements, and other reasonable requirements, are met, thereby making a qualified applicant eligible to receive voluntary contributions. The bill would require these contributions to be transferred from the Personal Income Tax Fund to the California Voluntary Contribution Fund or to the Charitable Giving Fund, both of which are created by this bill. The bill would require moneys in the California Voluntary Contribution Fund and the Charitable Giving Fund, upon appropriation by the Legislature, to be allocated to the Franchise Tax Board and the Controller for reimbursement of costs, as provided, and the balance from the California Voluntary Contribution Fund to the office of California Volunteers for distribution to each qualified applicant designated by an individual and the balance from the Charitable Giving Fund to the office for distribution as grants for charitable purposes, in accordance with policies and procedures established by the office. The bill would establish a specified minimum contribution amount for each qualified applicant. The bill would prohibit a qualified applicant from receiving voluntary contributions if, among other things, the average amount of contributions received during certain calendar years did not equal the minimum contribution amount. This bill would annually require the office to provide the Legislature with a report containing specified information on the program. The bill would also require this report to be made available to the public. The bill would also require the office to work in consultation with the Department of Finance to develop a strategy to propose to the Legislature for a continuous appropriation to distribute taxpayers' contributions to the designated qualified applicants. This bill would repeal these provisions on January 1, 2023.

Existing law declares the intent of the Legislature to preserve, upgrade, and expand the supply of housing to persons and families of low or moderate income, through the sale of specified surplus residential property owned by public agencies. Existing law establishes priorities and procedures that any state agency disposing of that surplus residential property is required to follow, and defines relevant terms for these purposes, including "fair market value." Existing law defines "fair market value" as the fair market value as of the date the offer of sale is made by the selling agency and to reflect the existing "as is" condition of the property, taking into account any needed repairs, as specified. Existing law requires tenants in good standing who legally occupy nonresidential properties to be given priority to purchase the property at fair market value. This bill would require that fair market value be determined relative to current use of the property if the tenant that has priority to purchase the nonresidential property is a nonprofit organization.

Existing law establishes various health research grant programs, including the Cancer Research Program, the Breast Cancer Research Program, and the Spinal Cord Injury Research Program. This bill, the California Blueprint for Research to Advance Innovations in Neuroscience (Cal-BRAIN) Act of 2014, would request the Regents of the University of California to establish the Cal-BRAIN program to leverage California's research assets and the federal BRAIN Initiative's funding opportunities to accelerate the development of brain mapping techniques, including the development of new technologies, in order to achieve certain goals. The bill would additionally request the University of California to convene certain stakeholders to develop a governing structure for the Cal-BRAIN program designed to do specified tasks, and to provide information about the program through an Internet Web site. These provisions would only be implemented to the extent that adequate funding is appropriated to the University of California, as specified.

This measure would designate Monday, May 5, 2014, as California Peace Officers' Memorial Day, urge all Californians to use that day to honor California peace officers, and recognize specified California peace officers who were killed in defense of their communities.

(1) Existing law, the Safe, Clean, and Reliable Drinking Water Supply Act of 2012, if approved by the voters, would authorize the issuance of bonds in the amount of $11,140,000,000 pursuant to the State General Obligation Bond Law to finance a safe drinking water and water supply reliability program. Existing law provides for the submission of the bond act to the voters at the November 4, 2014, statewide general election. This bill would repeal these provisions. (2) Under existing law, various measures have been approved by the voters to provide funds for water supply and protection facilities and programs. Existing law, the Safe Drinking Water, Water Quality and Supply, Flood Control, River and Coastal Protection Bond Act of 2006, an initiative measure approved by the voters as Proposition 84 at the November 7, 2006, statewide general election, authorizes the issuance of bonds in the amount of $5,388,000,000 for the purposes of financing safe drinking water, water quality and supply, flood control, natural resource protection, and park improvements. Existing law, the Disaster Preparedness and Flood Prevention Bond Act of 2006, approved by the voters as Proposition 1E at the November 7, 2006, general statewide election, authorizes the issuance of bonds in the amount of $4,090,000,000 for the purposes of financing disaster preparedness and flood prevention projects. Existing law, the Water Security, Clean Drinking Water, Coastal and Beach Protection Act of 2002, an initiative measure approved by the voters as Proposition 50 at the November 5, 2002, statewide general election, authorizes, for the purposes of financing a safe drinking water, water quality, and water reliability program, the issuance of bonds in the amount of $3,440,000,000. Existing law, the Costa-Machado Water Act of 2000, approved by the voters as Proposition 13 at the March 7, 2000, statewide primary election, authorizes the issuance of general obligation bonds in the amount of $1,970,000,000 for the purposes of financing a safe drinking water, clean water, watershed protection, and flood protection program. Existing law, the Safe, Clean, Reliable Water Supply Act, approved by the voters as Proposition 204 at the November 5, 1996, statewide general election, authorizes the issuance of general obligation bonds in the amount of $995,000,000 for the purposes of financing a safe, clean, reliable water supply program. Existing law, the Water Conservation and Water Quality Bond Law of 1986, approved by the voters as Proposition 44 at the June 3, 1986, statewide primary election, authorizes the issuance of general obligation bonds in the amount of $150,000,000 for the purposes of financing a water conservation and water quality program. This bill would enact the Water Quality, Supply, and Infrastructure Improvement Act of 2014, which, if approved by the voters, would authorize the issuance of bonds in the amount of $7,120,000,000 pursuant to the State General Obligation Bond Law to finance a water quality, supply, and infrastructure improvement program. This bill, upon voter approval, would reallocate $425,000,000 of the unissued bonds authorized for the purposes of Propositions 1E, 13, 44, 50, 84, and 204 to finance the purposes of a water quality, supply, and infrastructure improvement program. This bill would provide for the submission of these provisions to the voters at the November 4, 2014, statewide general election. (3) This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.

Under existing law, there are 5 segments of postsecondary education in this state. These segments include the three public segments: the University of California, the California State University, and the California Community Colleges. Private postsecondary educational institutions and independent institutions of higher education constitute the other segments. Existing law states the intent of the Legislature that budget and policy decisions regarding postsecondary education generally adhere to 3 specified goals and that appropriate metrics be identified, defined, and formally adopted, based upon metrics recommended by a working group, to monitor progress toward the achievement of the goals. This bill would require the Governor, or the Governor's designee, in consultation with the 5 segments of postsecondary education, private industry, policy research entities, and any other entity the Governor deems appropriate, to identify and establish specific postsecondary educational attainment goals for the segments of postsecondary education in the state that satisfy specified criteria and a target date for the segments to achieve these goals. The bill would require the trustees, the board of governors, and, as a condition to receiving a General Fund appropriation from the state, the regents to each develop and adopt a plan for making progress toward these statewide goals, and would require the Governor, or the Governor's designee, to convene a technical working group to aid in the development of the plan, as specified. The bill would require the plan to include, but not necessarily be limited to, specific goals for satisfying the statewide attainment goals and performance measures specified for each segment, respectively. The bill would also require the California State University, the California Community Colleges, and the University of California to report to the Legislature on the plans annually until January 1, 2021, as specified.