This measure would recognize the week of March 23, 2014, to March 29, 2014, inclusive, as National Agriculture Week, and would designate March 19, 2014, as California Agriculture Day.
This measure would declare February 19, 2014, as a Day of Remembrance in order to increase public awareness of the events surrounding the internment of Americans of Japanese ancestry during World War II.
(1) Existing law authorizes, until January 1, 2015, the Attorney General, or other specified prosecuting officers at the Department of Justice, or a district attorney, to apply for, and a judge to enter, an ex parte order authorizing interception of wire or electronic communications under certain circumstances. Existing law authorizes a judge to enter an order authorizing the interception of communications initially intercepted within the territorial jurisdiction of the court in which the judge is sitting, if the judge determines that, among other things, there is probable cause to believe that an individual is committing, has committed, or is about to commit one of specified felony offenses, including murder and the illegal possession or sale of controlled substances. Existing law proscribes the crime of human trafficking, as defined to include, among other prohibited acts, depriving or violating the personal liberty of another with the intent to obtain forced labor or services or to effect or maintain a specified criminal offense, or inducing or persuading a minor to engage in a commercial sex act. This bill would expand the provisions described above authorizing interception of wire or electronic communications to apply if a judge determines that, among other things, there is probable cause to believe that an individual is committing, has committed, or is about to commit a violation of the provision described above proscribing human trafficking. (2) Existing law specifies obligations for parties applying for and carrying out orders to intercept communications pursuant to the provision described above, and makes a violation of these provisions a misdemeanor or felony. This bill would broaden the types of communications to which these crimes would apply. By creating new crimes, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program. The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement. This bill would provide that no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason.
Existing law establishes various categorical education programs and appropriates the funding for those programs in the annual Budget Act. Existing law requires the Superintendent of Public Instruction, for the 2009–10 to the 2014–15 fiscal year, inclusive, to apportion from the amount provided in the annual Budget Act for specified categorical education programs an amount based on the same relative proportion that the local educational agency received in the 2008–09 fiscal year for those programs and authorizes those agencies, for those fiscal years, to use these funds, with specified exceptions, for any educational purpose, to the extent permitted by federal law. Existing law, as a condition of receiving the categorical education program funds that may be used for any educational purpose, requires school districts and county offices of education, at a regularly scheduled open public hearing, to take testimony from the public, discuss, and approve or disapprove the proposed use of funding. Existing law requires a local educational agency to report expenditures, as specified, to indicate the activities for which these funds were expended and requires the State Department of Education annually to collect and provide this information to the appropriate legislative policy and budget committees and the Department of Finance. Existing law, for those fiscal years, deems local educational agencies that use these categorical education program funds for any educational purpose to be in compliance with the program and funding requirements of those categorical education programs. This bill would establish the Maximum Categorical Funding Flexibility and Accountability Program, to be implemented from the 2015–16 fiscal year to the 2019–20 fiscal year, inclusive. The bill would extend the operation of the provisions that authorize the expenditure of funds provided for specified categorical education programs for any educational purpose by 5 fiscal years, but would delete funds appropriated for adult education programs, specialized secondary education grant programs, and regional occupational centers and programs from the scope of this provision as of July 1, 2015, and would base the amount apportioned under the provision on the same relative proportion that the local educational agency received in the 2013–14 fiscal year rather than the 2008–09 fiscal year. The bill would thereby make an appropriation by allowing the expenditure of appropriated funds for additional purposes for that extended period. To be eligible for selection for participation in this program, and in order to utilize the provisions allowing the expenditure of funds appropriated for specified categorical programs for any educational purpose for any of the fiscal years from 2015–16 to 2019–20, inclusive, a school district would be required to meet certain preconditions, including developing a plan to accelerate pupils' progress to proficiency that includes specified goals. A school district selected by the Superintendent to participate in the program would be required to agree to demonstrate significant progress toward accelerating pupils' progress toward proficiency in California's academic standards over a 3-year period, a narrowing of the achievement gap in its federally recognized subgroups, fiscal solvency, positive growth on the school district's Academic Performance Index, an increase in its graduation rate, improvement in its college entrance rate, and pupil progress in passage of common core standards. The bill would require the Superintendent, for the 2015–16 to 2019–20 fiscal years, inclusive, to apportion to the participating school districts an increase or decrease of the amounts apportioned under the provisions authorizing the expenditure of funds appropriated for specified categorical programs for any educational purpose in accordance with specified criteria. The bill would require the additional funds apportioned to school districts under this program to be expended for any purpose related to improving pupil achievement and academic instruction, except as specified. The bill would require that a participating school district would be deemed to be in compliance with the program and funding requirements associated with the categorical education programs. The bill would require that a participating school district would be required to submit an evaluative annual report and an annual expenditure report, including prescribed information, to the State Department of Education. The bill would require the Superintendent to contract for an interim evaluation report and a final evaluation report that identifies the success and failures of the program and makes recommendations regarding improving the program and whether the program should be continued. The provisions establishing the program would become inoperative on July 1, 2020, and would be repealed on January 1, 2021.
Existing law subjects any person under 18 years of age who commits a crime to the jurisdiction of the juvenile court, which may adjudge such person to be a ward of the court, except as specified. Under existing law, a minor has the right to counsel of his or her own choice in proceedings to declare the minor a ward of the court. If the minor and his or her parents are indigent, the minor is entitled to appointed counsel. This bill would require the Judicial Council to establish minimum hours of training and education necessary in order to be appointed as defense counsel in delinquency proceedings, and would require that training hours approved by the State Bar be counted toward Minimum Continuing Legal Education (MCLE) . The bill would specify that these hours do not increase the minimum number of MCLE hours required of all attorneys by the State Bar. The bill would require the Judicial Council, by July 1, 2015, to adopt rules of court in this regard, including, among other things, establishing required training areas and encouraging public defender offices and other agencies that represent minors in delinquency cases to provide juvenile delinquency training. The bill would state legislative findings and declarations regarding the necessity for specialized training and education for defense counsel in delinquency proceedings.
Existing law imposes various taxes, including taxes on the privilege of engaging in certain activities. The Fee Collection Procedures Law, the violation of which is a crime, provides procedures for the collection of certain fees and surcharges. This bill would impose an oil and gas severance tax upon any operator, as defined, for the privilege of severing oil or gas from the earth or water in this state for sale, transport, consumption, storage, profit, or use, as provided, at the specified rates, calculated as provided. The tax would be administered by the State Board of Equalization and would be collected pursuant to the procedures set forth in the Fee Collection Procedures Law. The bill would require the board to deposit all tax revenues, penalties, and interest collected pursuant to these provisions into the California Higher Education Fund, a continuously appropriated fund created by this bill, for allocation to the Regents of the University of California, the Trustees of the California State University, the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges, the Department of Parks and Recreation, and to a reserve account, as provided. Because this bill would expand the scope of the Fee Collection Procedures Law, the violation of which is a crime, it would impose a state-mandated local program. This bill would include a change in state statute that would result in a taxpayer paying a higher tax within the meaning of Section 3 of Article XIIIA of the California Constitution, and thus would require for passage the approval of 23 of the membership of each house of the Legislature. The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement. This bill would provide that no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason.
The California Library Services Act establishes the California Library Services Board and requires the board to, among other things, establish and maintain a statewide communications and delivery network between and among cooperative library systems, state reference centers, independent public libraries, and all other libraries participating in the programs authorized by the act. This bill would instead require the board to establish and maintain a statewide communications and delivery collaborative network between cooperative library systems, independent public libraries, and all other libraries participating in the programs authorized by the act. The bill would also authorize the State Librarian, with approval of the board, to enter into a cooperative agreement with a high-bandwidth, high-capacity Internet service provider for the purpose of providing services to all public libraries in the state, as provided. Existing law requires each cooperative library system, as defined, to annually apply for funds for intrasystem communications and delivery, and requires the proposals to be based upon the most cost-effective methods of exchanging materials and information among member libraries. This bill would specify that applications to the board for funds for intrasystem communications and delivery may include, requests for grant assistance for broadband capacity upgrades. The bill would also require that proposals be based on the most cost-effective methods for information and resource sharing, including electronic or physical delivery.
The Public Schools Accountability Act of 1999 requires the Superintendent of Public Instruction to develop an Academic Performance Index to measure the performance of schools and the academic performance of pupils. Existing law requires the Superintendent to establish an advisory committee to advise the Superintendent and the State Board of Education on all appropriate matters relating to the creation of the Academic Performance Index and the implementation of an accountability system. This bill would require the advisory committee to develop a public measurement, or index, of activities in public school classrooms that foster creativity, innovation, and problem solving, as provided. The bill would also require the advisory committee to report and make recommendations on the development of the index to the Superintendent by January 1, 2015.
Existing law establishes the California Conservation Camp program to provide for the training and use of the inmates and wards assigned to conservation camps in the furtherance of public conservation. Existing law requires the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection to use inmates and wards assigned to conservation camps for fire prevention, fire control, and other work of the department. This bill would authorize a county sheriff or the director of the county department of corrections to utilize inmates assigned to county conservation camps in performing fire prevention, fire suppression and control, and other work as may be assigned by the sheriff or the director of the county department of corrections. Existing law authorizes the establishment in each county of an industrial farm or industrial road camp in which prisoners are held in custody and required to work on the farm or camp, and prescribes procedures for the adoption of a resolution by a county board of supervisors before establishing such an industrial farm or road camp. Existing law authorizes the legislative body of any incorporated city to avail itself of the use of the industrial farm or road camp upon adoption of a resolution and subject to reimbursing the county for the care of the city's prisoners. This bill would additionally authorize the establishment in each county of a conservation camp, as defined. The bill would permit an industrial farm, industrial road camp, or conservation camp to be operated by the sheriff or the director of the county department of corrections who would be required to establish administrative rules consistent with the rules of the jail, or to be operated as an entity separate from the county jail administered by a superintendent subject to administrative rules adopted by the board of supervisors. The bill would make existing statutory provisions that govern the administration and operation of an industrial farm or industrial road camp also applicable to a conservation camp. The bill would also authorize a county to establish conservation camps for women prisoners in accordance with prescribed requirements. Existing law specifies that any inmate sentenced to county jail who is assigned to a conservation camp by a sheriff and who is eligible to earn one day of credit for every one day of incarceration shall instead earn 2 days of credit for every one day of service. This bill would make these provisions governing incarceration credits applicable instead to any inmate sentenced to a county jail who is assigned to a state- or county-operated conservation camp by a sheriff or the director of the county department of corrections.
Existing law, the California Constitution, prohibits the Legislature from creating a debt or liability that singly or in the aggregate with any previous debts or liabilities exceeds the sum of $300,000, except by an act that (1) authorizes the debt for a single object or work specified in the act, (2) has been passed by a 23 vote of all the members elected to each house of the Legislature, (3) has been submitted to the people at a statewide general or primary election, and (4) has received a majority of all the votes cast for and against it at that election. Existing law, the Kindergarten-University Public Education Facilities Bond Act of 2006, authorizes $10,416,000,000 of state general obligation bonds to provide aid to school districts, charter schools, county superintendents of schools, county boards of education, the California Community Colleges, the University of California, the Hastings College of the Law, and the California State University to construct and modernize education facilities. This bill would express the intent of the Legislature to enact legislation that would create the Kindergarten-University Public Education Facilities Bond Act of 2014 to authorize an unspecified sum of state general obligation bonds to provide aid to school districts, county superintendents of schools, county boards of education, the California Community Colleges, the University of California, the Hastings College of the Law, and the California State University to construct and modernize education facilities. The bill would also express the Legislature's intent that the bond act would become operative only if approved by the voters at the November 4, 2014, statewide general election, and would provide for its submission to the voters at that election.
