Existing law provides that the Department of Transportation shall have full possession and control of the state highway system and specifies the duties and responsibilities of the department on various other transportation matters. Existing law requires the department to prepare the interregional transportation improvement program which, along with the regional transportation improvement programs adopted by regional transportation agencies, becomes part of the state transportation improvement program and identifies most transportation capital improvements to be undertaken over a multiyear period with state and federal funds. Existing law also requires the department to separately prepare the state highway operation and protection program, which identifies capital projects limited to maintenance, safety, and rehabilitation work necessary to preserve and protect the state highway system. Existing law requires the California Transportation Commission to, among other things, adopt the state transportation improvement program and approve the state highway operation and protection program, and further provides for the commission to allocate transportation capital funds to specific projects contained in the state transportation improvement program, but not the state highway operation and protection program, which is managed by the department. This bill would authorize the commission to prescribe study areas for analysis and evaluation by the department and to establish guidelines for updates to the California Transportation Plan, commencing with the plan required to be updated by December 31, 2020. The bill would require the department, on or before June 30, 2015, to submit to the commission for approval an interregional transportation strategic plan directed at achieving a high functioning and balanced interregional transportation system. The bill would revise the procedures for the development of the interregional transportation improvement program by requiring the department to submit a draft 5-year interregional transportation improvement program to the commission by October 15 of each odd-numbered year. The bill would require projects included in the draft interregional transportation improvement program to be consistent with the interregional transportation strategic plan. The bill would require the commission to hold public hearings by November 15 of each odd-numbered year regarding the draft program and to attempt to reconcile any objections. The department would be required to consider the input received at the hearings and develop and submit a final interregional transportation improvement program to the commission for approval not later than December 15 of each odd-numbered year. The bill would require the department, in consultation with the commission, to prepare a robust asset management plan to guide selection of projects for the state highway operation and protection, which plan would be subject to approval by the commission. The bill would require the department to specify, for each project in the program, a capital and support budget and projected delivery date for various components of the project. The bill would specifically authorize the commission to decline to adopt the program if it determines that the program is not sufficiently consistent with the asset management plan. This bill would require the department to report quarterly to the commission on the approved capital and support budgets compared to expenditures at contract construction acceptance for each major state highway operation and protection program project completed in the previous quarter. Existing law requires the department, by June 30, 1994, to apply for federal funding to be used for conversion of data pertaining to the state highway system from paper storage to intelligent computer information, and to commence implementation of the conversion process within 6 months of receiving federal funding approval. This bill would repeal these provisions. The bill would also make legislative findings and declarations.
Sponsored bills
Existing law authorizes the establishment of county and local school attendance review boards, and authorizes a school district to refer a pupil to a school attendance review board or the probation department for, among other things, truancy. Existing law, under specified circumstances, authorizes a school attendance review board or probation officer to direct the county superintendent of schools to request a petition on behalf of the pupil in the juvenile court of the county. Existing law requires the governing board of a school district to adopt rules and regulations to require appropriate officers and employees of the school district to gather and transmit to the county superintendent of schools the number and types of referrals to school attendance review boards and of requests for petitions to the juvenile court. This bill would instead require the governing board of each school district that has established a local school attendance review board to adopt rules and regulations to require appropriate officers and employees of the school district to gather that information for the prior school year, and would expand the information required to be gathered to include, among other things, the number of pupils referred to a school attendance review board who improved their attendance and the number of pupils and parents or guardians referred to community services, as specified. The bill would require the information to be disaggregated by specified subgroups, including gender, ethnicity, and foster youth status. The bill would require the governing board of each school district to make available on its Internet Web site, if one is available, the contents of those school attendance review board reports no later than September 15 of every year. The bill would require the State Department of Education to maintain current Internet Web site links to the Internet Web sites of school attendance review board reports, and would require the governing board of each school district that posts school attendance review board reports to provide to the department current uniform resource locators for those Internet Web sites. The bill would make these provisions operative beginning June 1, 2015.
Existing law establishes the California Community Colleges, under the administration of the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges, as one of the segments of public postsecondary education in this state. Existing law establishes community college districts throughout the state, and authorizes them to operate campuses and provide instruction. This bill would authorize the Office of the Chancellor of the California Community Colleges to enter into agreements with up to 10 community college districts to provide additional funds for services in support of postsecondary education for foster youth. The bill would provide that these services include, when appropriate, but are not necessarily limited to, outreach and recruitment, service coordination, counseling, book and supply grants, tutoring, independent living and financial literacy skills support, frequent in-person contact, career guidance, transfer counseling, child care and transportation assistance, and referrals to health services, mental health services, housing assistance, and other related services. The bill would require a community college district that wishes to participate in this program to apply to the board of governors for funding under the program created by the bill, as specified. The bill would require, if more than 10 community college districts apply for funding, the board of governors to give priority to those districts with the higher number of eligible students. The bill would require that a participating student be a current or former foster youth in California whose dependency was established or continued by the court on or after the student's 16th birthday and be no older than 25 years of age at the commencement of any academic year in which he or she participates in the program. The bill would express the intent of the Legislature that, consistent with specified requirements in the Seymour-Campbell Student Success Act of 2012, and to the extent that a participating community college meets specified responsibilities set forth in that act, any student who participates in the program established by this bill also receive specified matriculation services under that act. The bill would require the board of governors to adopt regulations for the program and to be responsible for the administration of funds for the program, as specified. The bill would require the board of governors to submit a biennial report, commencing no later than March 31, 2018, and every 2 years thereafter, providing prescribed information, including recommendations on whether and how the program can be expanded to all community college districts and campuses. The bill would be operative in a fiscal year only if sufficient funds have been appropriated for purposes of the bill for that fiscal year.
Existing federal law provides for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) , known in California as CalFresh, formerly the Food Stamp Program, under which supplemental nutrition assistance benefits allocated to the state by the federal government are distributed to eligible individuals by each county. Under existing law, households are eligible to receive CalFresh benefits to the extent permitted by federal law. Existing federal law provides that students who are enrolled in college or other institutions of higher education at least half time are not eligible for SNAP benefits unless they meet one of several specified exemptions, including participating in specified employment training programs. This bill would provide that, for the purposes of determining eligibility, certain educational programs, as determined by the State Department of Social Services, shall be considered employment training programs, thereby qualifying a student participating in one of those programs for an exemption, unless prohibited by federal law. The bill would also require the State Department of Social Services, in consultation with representatives from other specified organizations, to establish a protocol to identify and verify all potential exemptions and to identify and verify participation in educational programs, including self-initiated placements, that would qualify a student for an exemption. The bill would require the department to implement these provisions by all-county letters or similar instructions beginning no later than October 1, 2015, until regulations are adopted, and would require the department to adopt regulations on or before October 1, 2017. The bill would require the department to seek and obtain federal approval, as specified, prior to publishing that guidance or regulation, if the United States Department of Agriculture requires federal approval.
(1) Existing law establishes the State Department of Education, under the administration of the Superintendent of Public Instruction, to execute numerous statutes and policies relating to the funding and governance of public elementary and secondary schools throughout the state. Existing law authorizes the governing board of a school district maintaining secondary schools to establish and maintain classes for adults, as specified. Existing law requires the Chancellor of the California Community Colleges and the State Department of Education, pursuant to funding made available in the annual Budget Act, to jointly provide 2-year planning and implementation grants to regional consortia of community college districts and school districts for the development of regional plans for adult education. Existing law requires the chancellor and the department to submit a joint report relating to this adult education consortium program to the Legislature and the Governor on or before March 1, 2015. This bill would require the department, in conjunction with the Office of the Chancellor of the California Community Colleges, as part of a report that is required under existing law, to jointly develop and issue assessment policy recommendations regarding assessments to be used by school districts and community college districts for purposes of placement in adult education courses offered by those districts as part of an adult education consortium. The bill would also require the department and the chancellor's office, as a part of the report required under the adult education consortium program, to jointly develop and issue policy recommendations to the Legislature regarding a comprehensive accountability system for adult education courses offered by school districts and community college districts in accordance with prescribed requirements. The bill would require the chancellor's office and the department to coordinate and issue recommendations, including recommendations as to whether or not fees should be assessed, and fee policy guidelines to be used by school districts and community college districts regarding the authority to charge fees for courses offered pursuant to the adult education consortium program. The bill would require the chancellor's office, in conjunction with the department, to annually report on the number and types of courses being taught and the number of students being served with funding provided to the adult education consortia. The bill would require the chancellor's office to annually report on the number and types of noncredit courses being taught and the number of students being served with funding provided to the community colleges for noncredit courses offered pursuant to a specified statute. The bill would require the chancellor's office to identify any deficits in course offerings based upon levels, types, and needs for adult education programs identified in adult education consortium plans. (2) The bill would require the Commission on Teacher Credentialing and the Academic Senate for California Community Colleges to jointly develop and submit recommendations to specified policy and fiscal committees of the Legislature for modifying or establishing reciprocity standards for instructors of adult education courses by July 1, 2016.
The Personal Income Tax Law and the Corporation Tax Law allow various credits against the taxes imposed by those laws, including a credit against those taxes for taxable years beginning on or after January 1, 2011, in an amount equal to an applicable percentage of either 20% or 25%, respectively, of the qualified expenditures, as defined, attributable to the production of a qualified motion picture in California, or, where the qualified motion picture is a television series that relocated to California or is an independent film, as provided. Existing law imposes specified duties on the California Film Commission related to the administration of the credits, including a requirement to allocate the tax credits until July 1, 2017, and limits the aggregate amount of credits that may be allocated to qualified motion pictures in any fiscal year to $100,000,000 through the 2016–17 fiscal year. Existing law, for taxable years beginning on or after January 1, 2011, in lieu of the credits authorized under the Personal Income Tax Law and the Corporation Tax Law for qualified motion pictures described above, also allows a credit against qualified state sales and use taxes, as provided. Existing law provides for a tentative minimum tax and further provides that, except for specified credits, no other credit shall reduce the tax imposed below the tentative minimum tax. This bill would establish similar credits under the Personal Income Tax Law and the Corporation Tax Law for taxable years beginning on or after January 1, 2016, to be allocated by the California Film Commission on or after July 1, 2015, and before July 1, 2020. This bill would, as compared to the existing tax credits, extend the scope of the credits for a qualified motion picture to the applicable percentage of qualified expenditures up to $100,000,000, would extend the credit to qualified expenditures for television pilot episodes, and would determine an applicable percentage of 25% or 20% for qualified expenditures, with an additional credit amount available, as specified. This bill would limit the aggregate amount of these new credits to be allocated in each fiscal year to up to $330 million, and would, subject to a computation and ranking of applicants based on the jobs ratio, as defined, require the California Film Commission to allocate credit amounts subject to specified categories of qualified motion pictures. This bill would, for taxable years beginning on or after January 1, 2016, in lieu of the credits authorized under the Personal Income Tax Law and the Corporation Tax Law for qualified motion pictures described above, allow a credit against qualified state sales and use taxes, as provided. This bill would also require the Legislative Analyst's Office to prepare reports related to the effectiveness and administration of the qualified motion picture credit under the Sales and Use Tax Law, the Personal Income Tax Law, and the Corporation Tax Law. This bill would, for taxable years, beginning on or after January 1, 2016, additionally allow the credit under the Corporation Tax Law for qualified expenditures for the production of qualified motion pictures to reduce the tentative minimum tax. This bill would also make findings and declarations related to the entertainment industry, and would urge the United States Department of Commerce and the International Trade Commission to investigate and impose sanctions on specified motion picture productions and elements of production to combat unfair and illegal competition. Existing constitutional provisions require that a statute that limits the right of access to the meetings of public bodies or the writings of public officials and agencies be adopted with findings demonstrating the interest protected by the limitation and the need for protecting that interest. This bill would make legislative findings to that effect. The bill would state that its provisions are severable. This bill would incorporate additional changes in Section 23036 of the Revenue and Taxation Code, proposed by AB 2754, to be operative only if AB 2754 and this bill are both chaptered and become effective on or before January 1, 2015, and this bill is chaptered last. This bill would take effect immediately as a tax levy.
(1) The Lanterman Developmental Disabilities Services Act requires the State Department of Developmental Services to contract with regional centers to provide services and supports to individuals with developmental disabilities. The services and supports to be provided to a regional center consumer, which include services and supports that are directed toward the achievement and maintenance of an independent, productive, and normal life for the consumer such as daily living skills training, are contained in an individual program plan or individualized family service plan developed in accordance with prescribed requirements. This bill would require regional centers to provide independent living skills services to an adult consumer, consistent with a consumer's individual program plan, that provide the consumer with functional skills training that enables him or her to acquire or maintain skills to live independently in his or her own home, or to achieve greater independence while living in the home of a parent, family member, or other person. (2) Existing law requires that contracts entered into with regional centers include annual performance objectives, including annual performance objectives that are specific, measurable, and designed to, among other things, develop services and supports identified as necessary to meet identified needs. Existing law also requires that each contract with a regional center specify steps to be taken to ensure contract compliance, and, if a regional center is placed on probation pursuant to these steps, requires the department to provide the appropriate area board with a copy of the correction plan, timeline, and any other action taken by the department. This bill would require that annual performance objectives be designed to, among other things, develop services and supports identified as necessary to meet identified needs, which includes culturally and linguistically appropriate services and supports. The bill would require that, if a regional center is placed on probation, the department also provide a copy of the correction plan, timeline, and any other action taken by the department to a specified clients' rights advocacy contractor. (3) Existing law requires the department and regional centers to annually collaborate to compile specified data relating to purchase of service authorization, utilization, and expenditure by each regional center and requires that data to include the number and percentage of individuals, categorized by age, race or ethnicity, and disability, who have been determined to be eligible for regional center services, but who are not receiving purchase of service funds. Existing law requires each regional center and the department to annually post this information on their respective Internet Web sites, as prescribed, and requires each regional center to hold annual stakeholder meetings regarding the data. This bill would additionally require the data to include, and be categorized by, residence type and subcategorized by age, race or ethnicity, and primary language. The bill would also require the department and each regional center to maintain all preceding years' data on its Internet Web site. The bill would require that regional centers hold the annual stakeholder meetings regarding the data separately from any meetings of its board of directors, schedule the meetings at times and locations designed to result in a high turnout by the public and underserved communities, and, in holding the meetings, consider the language needs of the community. The bill would require the regional centers to provide participants of these meetings with the data and associated information and to conduct a discussion of the data and associated information in a manner that is culturally and linguistically appropriate for that community, as specified. This bill would also require each regional center to annually report to the department specified information regarding its implementation of those provisions. The bill would require the reports to be posted on the department's and each regional center's Internet Web site by August 31 of each year.
Existing law, the Ortiz-Pacheco-Poochigian-Vasconcellos Cal Grant Program, establishes the Cal Grant A and B Entitlement awards, the California Community College Transfer Cal Grant Entitlement awards, the Competitive Cal Grant A and B awards, the Cal Grant C awards, and the Cal Grant T awards under the administration of the Student Aid Commission, and establishes eligibility requirements for awards under these programs for participating students attending qualifying institutions. Under the Cal Grant B Entitlement Program, awards may be made for access costs, defined as living expenses and expenses for transportation, supplies, and books, in an amount not to exceed $1,551 annually, as adjusted in the annual Budget Act. This bill would require the Treasurer to certify the amount of moneys available in an academic year from the College Access Tax Credit Fund for distribution, and provide that an amount determined by the Student Aid Commission would be available for expenditure, upon appropriation to the commission by the Legislature in the annual Budget Act, from the College Access Tax Credit Fund, for distribution to students to supplement Cal Grant B access cost awards to bring those students' total annual awards for access costs to not more than $5,000 and to defray the administrative costs incurred by the commission in implementing the bill. The bill would become operative only if SB 798 is enacted and becomes operative on or before January 1, 2015. This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.
This measure would recognize the month of October 2014 as Filipino American History Month and the 427th anniversary of the first presence of Filipinos in the continental United States.
This measure would designate a specified portion of Interstate 10 between Interstate 710 and Interstate 5 in the County of Los Angeles as the Joe Gatto Memorial Highway. The measure also would request the Department of Transportation to determine the cost of appropriate signs showing this special designation and, upon receiving donations from nonstate sources covering that cost, to erect those signs.