(1) Existing law requires an insurer, upon receiving notice of a claim, to immediately, but not more than 15 calendar days after receipt, provide the insured with a legible reproduction of the specified Insurance Code section, in at least 12-point type, detailing acts prohibited as unfair trade practices, and a written notice, as specified. This bill would revise the written notice and require that it be provided to the insured with a legible reproduction of only specified portions of the Insurance Code in at least 10-point type. (2) Existing law requires an insurer, whether requested orally or in writing by an insured, to provide the insured with a copy of the Fair Claims Settlement Practices Regulations, as specified, within 15 calendar days of the request. This bill would additionally require the insurer to provide a legible reproduction of specified provisions of the Insurance Code when requested by the insured, as specified.
Sponsored bills
Existing law, the Cortese-Knox-Hertzberg Local Government Reorganization Act of 2000, sets forth the procedures for incorporations and changes of organizations of cities, including procedures for disincorporation. This bill would provide that every city with a population of less than 150 people as of January 1, 2010, would be disincorporated into that city's respective county as of 91 days after the effective date of the bill, unless a county board of supervisors determines, by majority vote within the 90-day period following enactment of these provisions, that continuing such a city within that county's boundaries would serve a public purpose if the board of supervisors determines that the city is in an isolated rural location that makes it impractical for the residents of the community to organize in another form of local governance. The bill would also require the local agency formation commission within the county to oversee the terms and conditions of the disincorporation of the city, as specified. The bill would become operative only if AB 781 of the 2011–12 Regular Session is enacted.
Existing law requires the Superintendent of Public Instruction, on or before August 1, 2011, and annually thereafter, to submit to the Governor, the Legislature, and the State Board of Education a report called the Annual Report on Dropouts in California. Existing law requires, among other things, that the report contain specified information on dropout rates, graduation rates, and pupil promotion rates. Existing law states the intent of the Legislature that the report be usable by schools, school districts, policymakers, researchers, parents, and the public, for purposes of identifying and understanding trends, causal relations, early warning indicators, and potential points of intervention to address the high rate of dropouts in California. This bill would require the report also to include information about the number of schools that offer dropout prevention or dropout recovery programs. The bill would also require the State Department of Education to post on its Internet Web site a list of schools that offer dropout prevention or dropout recovery programs and to include descriptions of the programs offered.
Existing law, the Small Business Procurement and Contract Act, requires the Director of General Services and the heads of other state agencies that enter into contracts for the provision of goods, services, and information technology and for the construction of state facilities to establish goals for the participation of small businesses in these contracts, to provide for small business preference in the award of these contracts, to give special consideration and special assistance to small businesses, and, whenever possible, to make awards to small businesses, as specified. This bill would, on and after July 1, 2012, authorize the Department of General Services to direct all state agencies, departments, boards, and commissions to establish the goal to achieve 25% small business participation in state procurements and contracts each fiscal year, to ensure that the state's procurement and contract processes are administered in order to meet or exceed the goal, and to report to the Director of General Services statistics regarding small business participation in the agency's procurements and contracts. The bill would also authorize the Department of General Services to establish policies and procedures to monitor the progress of the agencies toward meeting the goal of 25% small business participation and to provide this information to the Office of Small Business Advocate.The bill would further authorize the Department of General Services to require a state agency, department, board, or commission that has not achieved its fiscal year goal to submit an implementation and corrective action plan, and to submit a plan every year thereafter as long as that agency fails to meet or exceed the goal. The bill would also authorize the department to establish criteria for such a plan, as specified. The bill would authorize the department to undertake reasonable means to assist agencies in improving small business participation in their contracting.
(1) Existing law establishes the University of California, under the administration of the Regents of the University of California, the California State University, under the administration of the Trustees of the California State University, and the California Community Colleges, under the administration of the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges, and private, independent institutions of higher education as the 4 segments of postsecondary education in this state. Existing law establishes a higher education accountability program under which the University of California, the California State University, and the California Community Colleges are required to prepare a list of reports on a regular basis and submit them to the Legislature and to state agencies. Under the program, the California Postsecondary Education Commission (CPEC) is required to submit annually a higher education report to the Legislature and the Governor that provides information on significant indicators of the performance of public colleges and universities. This bill would repeal the existing higher education accountability program and require the state to establish a new accountability framework for achieving prescribed educational and economic goals. The bill would require the Governor to convene a task force by July 1, 2012, to review the framework and recommend a set of overarching goals for the state's higher education institutions, as specified. The bill would urge the task force to consider issues that include 6 statewide policy questions. The bill would require the task force to report to the Legislature and the Governor on the recommended statewide goals and indicators of progress for higher education, as specified. (2) Existing law requires the 3 public segments of postsecondary education to present annual statistical reports on transfer patterns via the CPEC to the Governor and the Legislature. This bill would repeal this requirement.
Existing law provides for the licensure and regulation of health facilities, including general acute care hospitals, by the State Department of Public Health. A violation of these provisions is a crime. Existing law defines a general acute care hospital as a health facility having a duly constituted governing body with overall administrative and professional responsibility and an organized medical staff that provides 24-hour inpatient care, including the following basic services: medical, nursing, surgical, anesthesia, laboratory, radiology, pharmacy, and dietary services. This bill would provide that, for the purposes of licensing, dietary services may be provided either at the hospital or in another hospital immediately adjacent to the hospital as long as dedicated facilities are in place to accommodate the delivery of these services and the department determines that all applicable statutory and regulatory standards pertaining to dietary services have been met. By expanding the definition of a crime, this bill imposes 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. This bill would incorporate additional changes in Section 1250 of the Health and Safety Code, proposed by SB 177, to be operative only if SB 177 and this bill are both chaptered and become operative before January 1, 2012, and this bill is chaptered last.
Existing law authorizes the Business, Transportation and Housing Agency to, among other duties, engage in trade and foreign investment activities. This bill would additionally authorize the agency to coordinate international trade marketing and promotion activities. Existing law authorizes the secretary to convene a statewide business partnership for international trade and investment, to advise the secretary on business needs and priorities in that regard. This bill would also authorize the secretary to convene a statewide business partnership for international trade marketing and promotion no later than March 1, 2012, to advise the secretary on what role the state should play in international trade marketing and promotion.
(1) The Surface Mining and Reclamation Act of 1975 prohibits a person, with exceptions, from conducting surface mining operations unless a permit is obtained from, a reclamation plan is submitted to and approved by, and financial assurances for reclamation have been approved by, the lead agency for the operation. Existing law prohibits a lead agency from approving a reclamation plan for a surface mining operation for gold, silver, copper, or other metallic minerals or financial assurances for the operation if the operation is located on, or within one mile of, a Native American sacred site and is located in an area of special concern, unless certain criteria are met. This bill would also prohibit a lead agency from approving a reclamation plan for an aggregate products operation if the operation is located on or within 2,000 yards of the external boundaries of an Indian reservation and is on or within 5,000 yards of a Native American sacred site, and is on or within 4,000 yards of the Santa Margarita River or an aquifer that is hydrologically connected to the river, unless the tribe whose reservation is nearest the operation consents to the operation. This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.
Existing law provides that coverage for unmarried dependent children under a group life insurance policy may continue through 20 years of age, or through 24 years of age if the dependent child is attending an educational institution, or may continue for a child 21 years of age or older who is both incapable of self-sustaining employment by reason of mental retardation or physical handicap. This bill would provide that coverage for dependent children under a group life insurance policy may continue until 26 years of age, regardless of the child's marital status or whether the child is attending an educational institution, and would provide for that coverage to continue for a child 26 years of age or older who is both incapable of self-sustaining employment by reason of mental retardation or physical handicap and chiefly dependent upon the employee under the group policy for support and maintenance, as specified.
This measure would state that the Legislature finds and declares that it is in California's economic interest to promote opportunities for EB-5 visa investment in the state.