Existing law requires specified categories of law enforcement officers to meet training standards pursuant to courses of training certified by the Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) . Existing law requires POST to include in its basic training course adequate instruction in the handling of persons with developmental disabilities or mental illness, or both. Existing law also requires POST to establish and keep updated a continuing education classroom training course relating to law enforcement interaction with developmentally disabled and mentally ill persons. This bill would require POST to review the training module relating to persons with a mental illness, intellectual disability, or substance abuse disorder in its basic training course, and develop additional training to better prepare law enforcement officers to recognize, deescalate, and appropriately respond to persons with mental illness, intellectual disability, or substance use disorders. The bill would require that this training be at least 15 hours, address issues relating to stigma, be culturally relevant and appropriate, include training scenarios and facilitated learning activities, and be included in the current hour requirement of the regular basic course. The bill would also require POST to establish and keep updated a classroom-based continuing training course that includes instructor-led active learning relating to behavioral health and law enforcement interaction with persons with mental illness, intellectual disabilities, and substance use disorders. The bill would require that this continuing training course be at least 3 consecutive hours. The bill would require this course be made available to each law enforcement officer with a rank of supervisor or below and who is assigned to patrol duties or to supervise officers who are assigned to patrol duties. This bill would require implementation of the training module and continuing training course no later than August 1, 2016.
Sponsored bills
This measure would establish the California Task Force on Family Caregiving, to meet, if a nonstate organization agrees to provide administrative support to the task force, to examine issues relative to the challenges faced by family caregivers and opportunities to improve caregiver support, review the current network and the services and supports available to caregivers, and make policy recommendations to the Legislature. The task force would be required to submit an interim report to the Legislature no later than January 1, 2017, and a final report no later than July 1, 2018.
This measure would urge the United States Congress to require the United States Postal Service to take all appropriate measures to restore service standards in effect as of July 1, 2012, would urge Congress to place a moratorium on planned shutdowns of mail sorting centers, and would urge Congress to oppose any postal reform legislation that does not continue the mandate for 6-day delivery service or protect door-to-door delivery as it currently exists. The measure would also urge the Secretary of State to publicly oppose changes in the United States Postal Service that negatively impact the rights of California voters who vote by an absentee ballot.
This measure would recognize the month of October 2015 as Filipino American History Month and the 428th anniversary of the first presence of Filipinos in the continental United States.
(1) Existing law establishes the jurisdiction of the juvenile court, which may adjudge children to be dependents of the court under certain circumstances, including when the child suffered or there is a substantial risk that the child will suffer serious physical harm, or a parent fails to provide the child with adequate food, clothing, shelter, or medical treatment. Existing law establishes the grounds for removal of a dependent child from the custody of his or her parents or guardian, and establishes procedures to determine temporary placement of a dependent child. When a court orders the removal of a child from the physical custody of his or her parent, existing law generally requires the court to order the return of the child to the physical custody of his or her parent at the review hearings held 6 months, 12 months, and 18 months, respectively, after the initial disposition hearing, unless the court finds that the return of the child would create a substantial risk of detriment, or substantial danger, to the safety, protection, or physical or emotional well-being of the child. In making this determination, existing law requires the court to consider the efforts or progress, or both, demonstrated by the parent and the extent to which he or she availed himself or herself of reunification services, taking into account the particular barriers to an incarcerated, institutionalized, detained, or deported parent's or guardian's access to those court-mandated reunification services and ability to maintain contact with his or her child. This bill would require the court, in making its determination at those review hearings, to take into account the particular barriers to a minor parent or a nonminor dependent parent. (2) If a child is not returned to a parent or legal guardian at the 18-month permanency review hearing and the court determines by clear and convincing evidence that the best interests of the child would be met by the provision of additional reunification services to the parent or legal guardian, as specified, existing law authorizes the court to continue the case for up to 6 months for a subsequent permanency review hearing, as specified. This bill would authorize the court to continue the case for up to 6 months for the provision of additional reunification services to a minor parent or a nonminor dependent parent at the initial hearing who is making significant and consistent progress in establishing a safe home for the child's return for a subsequent permanency review hearing.
(1) The federal McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act sets forth specified requirements relating to the education of homeless children and youth, as defined. Under existing state law, a local educational agency liaison for homeless children and youth is required to ensure that public notice of the educational rights of homeless children and youths is disseminated in schools within the liaison's local educational agency, as specified. This bill would require a local educational agency serving a homeless child, once a child becomes a homeless child, to allow the homeless child to continue his or her education in the school of origin through the duration of the homelessness, and would set forth related requirements governing the enrollment of homeless children. By imposing additional duties on local educational agencies, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. (2) Existing law requires a pupil placed in a licensed children's institution or foster family home to attend programs operated by the local educational agency, unless one of certain circumstances applies. Existing law requires each local educational agency to designate a staff person as the educational liaison for foster children, as defined. Existing law requires the educational liaison for foster children to ensure and facilitate the proper educational placement, enrollment in school, and checkout from school of foster children, and to assist foster children when transferring from one school to another school or from one school district to another school district in ensuring the proper transfer of credits, records, and grades. Existing law defines a local educational agency for purposes of these provisions, the provisions above relating to homeless children and youth, and other related provisions to include a school district, a county office of education, a charter school participating as a member of a special education local plan area, or a special education local plan area. This bill would revise the definition of a local educational agency for purposes of those provisions to include all charter schools. To the extent this would impose additional duties on charter schools, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. (3) 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, if the Commission on State Mandates determines that the bill contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement for those costs shall be made pursuant to these statutory provisions.
This measure would urge the Supreme Court of the United States to uphold the federal constitutional principle of "one person, one vote" and not deny California's children and immigrants equal protection under the law.
Existing law requires all moneys, except for fines and penalties, collected by the State Air Resources Board from the auction or sale of allowances as part of a market-based compliance mechanism relative to reduction of greenhouse gas emissions to be deposited in the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund. Existing law continuously appropriates 10% of the annual proceeds of the fund to the Transit and Intercity Rail Capital Program and 5% of the annual proceeds of the fund to the Low Carbon Transit Operations Program. This bill would instead continuously appropriate 20% of those annual proceeds to the Transit and Intercity Rail Capital Program, and 10% of those annual proceeds to the Low Carbon Transit Operations Program, thereby making an appropriation.
Existing law provides for the Medi-Cal program, which is administered by the State Department of Health Care Services, under which qualified low-income individuals receive health care services. The Medi-Cal program is, in part, governed and funded by federal Medicaid Program provisions. One of the methods by which these services are provided is pursuant to contracts with various types of managed care health plans. Existing federal law provides for the federal Medicare Program, which is a public health insurance program for persons 65 years of age and older and specified persons with disabilities who are under 65 years of age. Existing law, the Coordinated Care Initiative (CCI) , requires the department to seek federal approval pursuant to a Medicare or a Medicaid demonstration project or waiver, or a combination thereof, to establish a demonstration project that enables beneficiaries dually eligible for the Medi-Cal program and the Medicare Program to receive a continuum of services that maximizes access to, and coordination of, benefits between the programs. This bill would make legislative findings and declarations relating to the CCI and the availability of consumer protections for beneficiaries. The bill would require, no later than July 1, 2016, the department to develop and post on the department's Internet Web site, an educational and informational guide to assist consumers and patients in understanding the rights afforded to them under the CCI and how to effectively exercise those rights, as specified. The bill would require the department to distribute the educational and informational guide to specified consumer advocacy groups and programs and, upon request, to all other interested persons. The bill would require the department to update the educational and informational guide annually, or as necessary, to keep the information contained in the guide up to date regarding changes to the CCI.