Sen. María Elena Durazo

Existing law requires a county or city health officer to annually investigate health and sanitary conditions in a county jail, publicly operated detention facility in the county, and private work furlough facility, as specified. Existing law authorizes a county or city health officer to make additional investigations of a county jail or detention facility as they determine necessary. This bill would additionally authorize a county or city health officer to investigate a private detention facility, as defined, as they determine necessary.

Existing law establishes the California Broadband Council in state government for the purpose of promoting broadband deployment in unserved and underserved areas of the state and broadband adoption throughout the state and imposes specified duties on the council relating to that purpose, including taking actions to ensure that state agencies are coordinating efforts and resources to promote broadband deployment and adoption. Existing law also establishes the California Workforce Development Board as the body responsible for assisting the Governor in the development, oversight, and continuous improvement of California's workforce investment system and the alignment of the education and workforce investment systems to the needs of the 21st century economy and workforce. This bill would enact the Broadband Labor Standards Act. The bill would require the board, by January 1, 2026, to convene relevant stakeholders and state agencies to develop model contract terms for broadband deployment projects that are awarded grants by state agencies and to provide a recommendation on a memorandum of understanding between the board and the Public Utilities Commission to enable development of high road job creation on broadband deployment projects and expand access to those jobs, as specified. By July 1, 2026, the bill would require the board to post the model contract terms on the board's internet website and submit a report to the Legislature on specified matters, including a summary of the discussions with relevant stakeholders and state agencies to develop the model contract terms. The bill would require any model contract terms developed pursuant to the bill's provisions to be applied to a contract related to a broadband deployment project or application entered into or amended by a state agency, as specified.

Existing law, the Dymally-Alatorre Bilingual Services Act, requires every state agency directly involved in the furnishing of information or the rendering of services to the public where contact is made with a substantial number of non-English-speaking people to employ a sufficient number of qualified bilingual persons in public contact positions to ensure provision of information and services to the public in the language of the non-English-speaking person, except as specified. This bill would establish the Office of Language Access, within the California Health and Human Services Agency, to ensure individuals with limited English proficiency have meaningful access to government programs and services. This bill would require the Office of Language Access to, among other things, lead the development, monitoring, and periodic updating of every Language Access Plan within the agency and coordinate with language access coordinators throughout the agency to implement each Language Access Plan. The bill would require the Office of Language Access to maintain an internet website containing specified information, including every current Language Action Plan and all corrective action plans. The bill would require the Office of Language Access, commencing November 1, 2026, and every other year thereafter, to submit a report to the Legislature and the relevant policy committees that contains specific information, including challenges encountered while implementing Language Access Plans, lessons learned, best practices, and metrics regarding individuals with limited English proficiency who use agency services. This bill would require the California Health and Human Services Agency to develop a Language Access Plan Guidance Document to support its various departments and offices in the development of their Language Access Plans. The bill would require each department and office within the agency to develop a Language Access Plan, as specified. The bill would require the agency to develop a correction for a department or office that fails to implement and achieve the goals set forth in its Language Access Plan. This bill would also require the agency to submit annual compliance reports to the Office of Language Access regarding the progress made with Language Access Plans and corrective action plans. The bill would require, commencing January 1, 2025, the agency to commence the Language Access Advisory Workgroup, to meet on a prescribed schedule, with specified membership. This bill would require the workgroup to share the progress of the various Language Access Plans, address relevant issues, and obtain community input.

Existing law vests the Public Utilities Commission with regulatory authority over public utilities, including telephone corporations. Existing law requires the commission to develop, implement, and administer the California Advanced Services Fund to encourage deployment of high-quality advanced communications services to all Californians that will promote economic growth, job creation, and the substantial social benefits of advanced information and communications technologies, as specified. Existing law establishes the Broadband Infrastructure Grant Account in the fund to approve funding for infrastructure projects that will provide broadband access to no less than 98% of California households in each consortia region, and establishes the Federal Funding Account in the fund to expeditiously connect unserved and underserved communities, as specified. The Get Connected California Act of 2024 would require the commission to ensure all deployment grant awardees, defined as all internet service providers that receive funding from the Broadband Infrastructure Grant Account and the Federal Funding Account within the California Advanced Services Fund, offer internet service that costs no more than $30 per month and meets certain minimum speed requirements, as specified. The bill would require a deployment grant awardee to allow any household in a project area, as defined, to switch to the above-described low-cost broadband service option in the billing cycle immediately following the household's enrollment in the low-cost broadband service option. The bill would not apply these requirements to applications submitted to the commission before January 1, 2025. The bill would make the above-described provisions severable. This bill would also require the commission, on or before January 1, 2025, to issue a draft resolution to award a total of at least $1,000,000,000 in project funding from the Federal Funding Account and the Broadband Infrastructure Grant Account. The bill would require the commission, on or before January 1, 2027, to adopt updated rules for the Federal Funding Account and the Broadband Infrastructure Grant Account, and related programs, to conform with each other in terms of project eligibility, applicant requirements, and eligible technologies, as provided. Under existing law, a violation of the Public Utilities Act or any order, decision, rule, direction, demand, or requirement of the commission is a crime. Because the above provisions would be part of the act and a violation of a commission action implementing this bill's requirements would be a crime, the 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 imposes requirements on, and authorizes procedures for, public contracting for equipment and services, among other things, by local and state agencies. Existing law authorizes certain procurements to be facilitated through a lowest responsible bidder requirement. This bill would authorize a public entity, as defined, to award contracts through a best value procurement method, as described, for the purchase of goods with a base value of $250,000 or more. The bill would require the public entity to adopt and publish procedures and guidelines for evaluating the qualifications of the bidders to ensure the best value selections are conducted in a fair and impartial manner, as described. The bill would authorize the procedures and guidelines to include the adoption of a high road jobs plan policy that evaluates bidders' high road jobs plan commitments as part of the overall score for the public contract, as specified. This bill would require the solicitation document to include certain information and would direct the public entity to use a scoring method based on price and the factors described in the solicitation document, as specified. The bill would require the public entity to let any contract for these projects to the selected bidder that represents the best value or reject all bids. The bill would also authorize a public entity to award all contracts for the purchase of municipal fleets by using a best value procurement method, as specified.

The California Private Postsecondary Education Act of 2009 provides, among other things, for student protections and regulatory oversight of private postsecondary institutions in the state. The act is enforced by the Bureau for Private Postsecondary Education within the Department of Consumer Affairs. The act authorizes an independent institution of higher education that is exempt from the act based on accreditation, as specified, to execute a contract with the bureau for the bureau to review and, as appropriate, act on complaints concerning the institution, and requires the executed contract to, among other things, require the institution to cooperate with the bureau to resolve complaints received. The act is repealed on January 1, 2027. This bill would also authorize a law school that is exempt from the act because it is accredited by the Council of the Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar of the American Bar Association, or a law school or law study program that is exempt from the act because it is subject to the approval, regulation, and oversight of the Committee of Bar Examiners, to execute a contract with the bureau as described above, to be operative until no later than December 31, 2029, if certain requirements are met.

Maddy summarySenate Resolution 108 officially designates August 8 as California Pickleball Day to honor the sport's history and growing popularity in the state. This resolution does not change laws or allocate funding but instead serves as a commemorative measure to recognize pickleball as a fun, social activity suitable for people of all ages. The text highlights the game's origins in 1965 and its rapid expansion across the United States, noting its inclusion in senior games and its status as one of the fastest-growing sports. By adopting this resolution, the Senate acknowledges the sport's cultural significance without imposing any new regulations or obligations on residents.

Maddy summaryThis Senate Resolution formally acknowledges the 15th anniversary of California-Mexico Advocacy Day, a recurring event that brings together leaders from both countries to discuss bilateral issues. The document highlights the strong economic and cultural ties between the two regions, noting that the border is a major entry point for goods and supports hundreds of thousands of jobs. By adopting this resolution, the California Senate recognizes the importance of ongoing dialogue on topics such as public health and cross-border pollution to foster continued cooperation and prosperity.

Existing federal law, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) , requires each state to establish an American Health Benefit Exchange to facilitate the purchase of qualified health benefit plans by qualified individuals and qualified small employers. Existing state law creates the California Health Benefit Exchange, also known as Covered California, to facilitate the enrollment of qualified individuals and qualified small employers in qualified health plans as required under PPACA. Existing law requires the Exchange to apply for a federal waiver to allow persons otherwise not able to obtain coverage through the Exchange because of their immigration status to obtain coverage from the Exchange. This bill would delete that requirement and would instead require the Exchange, no sooner than January 1, 2026, and upon appropriation by the Legislature for this purpose, to administer a program to allow persons otherwise not able to obtain coverage by reason of immigration status to enroll in health insurance coverage in a manner as substantially similar to other Californians as feasible, consistent with federal guidance and given existing federal law and rules. The bill would require the Exchange to undertake outreach, marketing, and other efforts to ensure enrollment, which would begin on October 1, 2027. The bill would also require the Exchange to adopt an annual program design for each coverage year to implement the program, provide appropriate opportunities for stakeholders, including the Legislature, and the public to consult on the design of the program, and report to the Department of Finance and the Legislature on progress toward implementation, as specified. The bill would establish the Covered California for All Fund in the General Fund, to be administered by the Exchange, into which user fees, appropriations, and other funds would be deposited to be used upon appropriation to pay for the administration of the program.

(1) The California Safe Drinking Water Act provides for the operation of public water systems and imposes on the State Water Resources Control Board various responsibilities and duties relating to the regulation of drinking water to protect public health. Existing law establishes the Safe and Affordable Drinking Water Fund in the State Treasury to help water systems provide an adequate and affordable supply of safe drinking water in both the near and long terms. Existing law requires the state board to annually adopt a fund expenditure plan, as provided, and requires expenditures from the fund to be consistent with the fund expenditure plan. Existing law requires the state board to base the fund expenditure plan on data and analysis drawn from a specified drinking water needs assessment. This bill would require the state board to update a needs analysis of the state's public water systems to include an assessment, as specified, of the funds necessary to provide a 20% bill credit for low-income households served by community water systems with fewer than 3,300 service connections and for community water systems with fewer than 3,300 service connections to meet a specified affordability threshold on or before July 1, 2026, and on or before July 1 of every 3 years thereafter. (2) Existing law requires the state board, by January 1, 2018, to develop a plan for the funding and implementation of the Low-Income Water Rate Assistance Program. Existing law requires the plan to include, among other things, a description of the method for collecting moneys to support and implement the program and a description of the method for determining the amount of moneys that may need to be collected from water ratepayers to fund the program. This bill would require qualified systems, defined as any retail water supplier that serves over 3,300 residential connections, to begin providing water rate assistance to eligible ratepayers, defined to mean a low-income residential ratepayer with an annual household income that is no greater than 200% of the federal poverty guideline level, on or before July 1, 2027. The bill would require a qualified system to automatically enroll an eligible ratepayer in the water rate assistance program if available information, which includes, among other things, authorizing a ratepayer to confirm eligibility by self-certification made under penalty of perjury, indicates that they are qualified to receive assistance and provide a water bill credit, as specified. By expanding the crime of perjury, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. The bill would require a qualified system, on or before September 1, 2026, to provide an opportunity for each ratepayer to provide a voluntary contribution as part of the ratepayer's water bill to provide funding for the qualified system's water rate assistance program. The bill would require a qualified system to recommend a voluntary contribution amount on the bill of each ratepayer, other than an eligible ratepayer, at a level intended to raise sufficient funding to provide a bill credit to eligible ratepayers, pay for the qualified system's administrative costs to implement the program beginning January 1, 2025, and establish a balancing account if the qualified system chooses to do so. The bill would require a qualified system to notify ratepayers of the voluntary contribution on the water bill and provide each ratepayer the option and method of opting out of the voluntary contribution, as specified. The bill would also prohibit a qualified system from sanctioning or holding liable a ratepayer in any manner for not paying the voluntary contribution. The bill would authorize a qualified system to use any state or federal funds that are available to support a ratepayer assistance program by offsetting or supplementing the funds collected from voluntary contributions. The bill would authorize the Attorney General to bring an action in state court to restrain the use of any method, act, or practice in violation of these provisions, except as provided. (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 no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason.