Sen. Curren D Price

This measure would proclaim May 2010 as Buy California Small Business First Month to raise awareness that when California consumers, businesses, colleges, universities, and governmental agencies choose to first support California small businesses when making purchasing decisions, a wave of positive economic impacts occurs within the state and local economies.

This measure would request the Congress to develop a comprehensive federal regulatory framework for marine aquaculture that undergoes complete environmental review and is at least as protective as that codified in California's Sustainable Oceans Act to address environmental and economic concerns.

This measure would designate Friday, May 7, 2010, as California Peace Officers' Memorial Day and would urge all Californians to use that day to honor California peace officers.

This measure would declare May 2010 to be American Stroke Month in California and would urge all Californians to familiarize themselves with the risk factors, and to recognize the warning signs and symptoms associated with stroke, to help reduce the devastating effects of stroke on the population.

This measure would proclaim the month of May, each year, as Perinatal Depression Awareness Month in California, and would request the State Department of Health Care Services, the State Department of Public Health, the State Department of Mental Health, First 5 California, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, Postpartum Support International, and other stakeholders to work together to explore ways to improve women's access to mental health care at the state and local levels, to facilitate increased awareness and education about perinatal depression, clinically referred to as perinatal mood and anxiety disorders, to explore and encourage the use of prenatal screening tools, and to improve the availability of effective treatment and community support services.

The Personal Income Tax Law and the Corporation Tax Law, in modified conformity to federal income tax laws, allow a charitable contribution deduction in computing tax liability. This bill would, for a cash contribution made after January 11, 2010, and before March 1, 2010, for the relief of victims in areas affected by the earthquake in Haiti on January 12, 2010, authorize taxpayers to treat that contribution as if it were made on December 31, 2009, and not in 2010. This bill would take effect immediately as a tax levy.

The California Alternative Energy and Advanced Transportation Financing Authority Act established the California Alternative Energy and Advanced Transportation Financing Authority. The authority is authorized to do all things necessary and convenient to carry out the purposes of the act. The authority is also required to establish a renewable energy program to provide financial assistance, as defined, to certain entities for projects to generate new and renewable energy sources, develop clean and efficient distributed generation, and demonstrate the economic feasibility of new technologies. Existing law provides that the transfer of title of tangible personal property constituting a project under the act to the authority by a participating party or the lease or transfer of tangible personal property constituting a project under the act by the authority to a participating party pursuant to the act is not a "sale" or "purchase" for the purposes of the Sales and Use Tax Law. This bill would include as a project, machinery or equipment that is utilized for the design, technology transfer, manufacture, production, assembly, distribution, or service of an alternative source component. The bill would require the authority to consider specified criteria in approving a project for which the purchase, sale, or lease of tangible personal property qualifies for the sales and use tax exclusion. The California Constitution authorizes the Governor to declare a fiscal emergency and to call the Legislature into special session for that purpose. The Governor issued a proclamation declaring a fiscal emergency, and calling a special session for this purpose, on January 8, 2010. This bill would state that it addresses the fiscal emergency declared by the Governor by proclamation issued on January 8, 2010, pursuant to the California Constitution.

The Public Schools Accountability Act of 1999 requires the Superintendent of Public Instruction, with the approval of the State Board of Education, to develop the Academic Performance Index (API) consisting of a variety of indicators currently reported to the State Department of Education to track the achievement of schools and their pupils. Existing law requires the API to be used for specified purposes, including, but not limited to, ranking all public schools in the state. The Immediate Intervention/Underperforming Schools Program, the High Priority Schools Program, and the Quality Education Investment Act of 2006 are intended to provide support to schools ranked in the lower deciles of the API. The federal No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 requires the state accountability system to ensure that all local educational agencies and public schools make adequate yearly progress, as defined. The State Department of Education is required to identify local educational agencies that are in danger of being identified within 2 years as program improvement local educational agencies under the federal No Child Left Behind Act of 2001. This bill, subject to an appropriation of federal funds for this purpose, would require the State Department of Education to contract for the development of a new indicator that measures pupil-level growth in academic achievement over time using specified statewide tests. The new indicator would be required to allow the state to comply with the federal No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 and to measure adequate yearly progress under that act. The department would be required to convene an advisory board consisting of representatives from the state board, the Secretary for Education, the Department of Finance, the Legislative Analyst's Office, parent groups, school districts, and education researchers to provide general guidance and make recommendations relative to modifying assessments, academic content standards, performance expectations, and eligibility criteria for state support and resources. The bill would require the department, subject to funding being provided in the annual Budget Act, to contract with a consultant for independent oversight of the project to develop a new academic performance indicator. The consultant would be required to twice annually submit a written report on the progress in developing of the new measure and how the new measure is meeting specified goals to the Superintendent of Public Instruction, the state board, the advisory board, the Director of Finance, the Legislative Analyst, and the appropriate policy and fiscal committees of the Legislature.

Under existing law, a person may register to vote by completing an affidavit of registration. This bill would also provide that a person may register to vote by completing and submitting to the Department of Motor Vehicles a voter form on an application for a new or renewed California driver's license, instruction permit, junior permit, or identification card, or by completing and submitting to the Franchise Tax Board a voter form on a Personal Income Tax form. If the person named on these voter forms would not be 18 years of age at the time of the next election but otherwise satisfies the requirements to be registered to vote, he or she would be automatically registered to vote at 18 years of age. The bill would require the Department of Motor Vehicles and the Franchise Tax Board to transmit these voter forms to the elections official of the county in which the person resides, unless the person has not indicated that he or she wishes to be registered to vote, has not completed the application or form, or has not supplied sufficient information to indicate that he or she satisfies the requirements to be registered to vote. Except as specified, these voter forms would be affidavits of registration. Because the bill requires elections officials to perform additional duties, it 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, 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.