Sen. Melissa A. Melendez

This measure would proclaim January 13, 2019, as Korean American Day.

This measure would honor the late Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and commemorate Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.

The California Constitution provides that the electors may propose a statute or an amendment to the California Constitution by initiative and approve or reject a statute by referendum. An initiative measure may be proposed by presenting to the Secretary of State a petition that sets forth the text of the proposed statute or amendment to the Constitution and is certified to have been signed by the required number of electors, as prescribed. A referendum measure may be proposed by presenting to the Secretary of State a petition that sets forth the statute or part of the statute to be submitted to the electors, and is certified to have been signed by the required number of electors. Before the circulation of an initiative or referendum petition for signatures, the California Constitution requires that a copy of the petition be submitted to the Attorney General, who must prepare a title and summary of the measure. Existing statutory law also directs the Attorney General to prepare the ballot label and the ballot title and summary that is included in the state voter information guide for each measure that appears on a statewide ballot. This measure would transfer from the Attorney General to the Legislative Analyst the duty of preparing the title and summary for a proposed initiative or referendum. The measure would also require, for each measure that appears on a statewide ballot, the Legislative Analyst to prepare the ballot label and the ballot title and summary for the state voter information guide.

The Rechargeable Battery Recycling Act of 2006 requires every retailer, as defined, to have in place a system for the acceptance and collection of used rechargeable batteries for reuse, recycling, or proper disposal. Existing law requires the system for the acceptance and collection of used rechargeable batteries to include, at a minimum, specified elements, including, among others, the take-back at no cost to the consumer of a used rechargeable battery of the type or brand that the retailer sold or previously sold. Existing law defines "rechargeable battery" for purposes of these provisions to mean a small, nonvehicular, rechargeable nickel-cadmium, nickel metal hydride, lithium-ion, or sealed lead-acid battery, or a battery pack containing these types of batteries. This bill would require the Secretary for Environmental Protection, on or before April 1, 2019, to convene the Lithium-Ion Car Battery Recycling Advisory Group to review, and advise the Legislature on, policies pertaining to the recovery and recycling of lithium-ion batteries sold with motor vehicles in the state, and would require the secretary to appoint members to the committee from specified departments, vocations, and organizations. The bill would require the advisory group to consult with specified entities and, on or before April 1, 2022, to submit policy recommendations to the Legislature aimed at ensuring that as close to 100% as possible of lithium-ion batteries in the state are reused or recycled at end-of-life in a safe and cost-effective manner. The bill would require the policy recommendations to reflect specified considerations. The bill would repeal these provisions on January 1, 2027.

Existing law provides for the licensure and regulation of alcoholism or drug abuse recovery or treatment facilities serving adults by the State Department of Health Care Services, as prescribed. Existing law makes a violation of these provisions punishable by a civil penalty of not less than $25 or more than $50 per day for each violation, with additional penalties for repeat violations, as specified. This bill would make an initial license for a new facility issued by the department to a provider provisional for one year and revocable for good cause, as defined. The bill would require licensed services offered or provided by a licensed alcoholism or drug abuse recovery or treatment facility to be specified on the license and provided exclusively within either the licensed facility or any facility identified on a single license by street address. The bill would increase the penalties for a violation of the licensing and regulatory provisions to not less than $250 or more than $500 per day for each violation, except as specified, and increase the additional penalties for repeat violations, as specified. The bill would prohibit a person or entity found to be in violation of the licensing provisions described above from applying for initial licensure for 5 years, as specified. The bill would require the department to adopt regulations to implement specified provisions on or before July 1, 2022, and would authorize the department to issue provider bulletins, written guidelines, or similar instructions, as specified.

Existing law establishes a specialized license plate program under which the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) issues specialized license plates on behalf of a sponsoring state agency that meets certain requirements. Existing law authorizes the Department of Veterans Affairs to sponsor a Gold Star Family specialized license plate program, which allows specified persons to apply for Gold Star Family license plates. Existing law requires that Gold Star Family license plates be issued in a sequential series. Existing law imposes additional fees for the issuance and renewal of specialized license plates, but exempts Gold Star Family license plates from these fees. Existing law also requires an applicant to pay specified environmental fees when applying for a specialized environmental license plate, and directs the DMV to deposit this revenue in the California Environmental License Plate Fund. This bill would, commencing January 1, 2020, require the DMV to issue Gold Star Family license plates as environmental license plates if the requester pays the above-described environmental license plate fees and specialized license plate fees. The bill would direct the revenue generated from the environmental license plate fees to be deposited into the Motor Vehicle Account within the State Transportation Fund until the DMV's upfront cost of implementing this program is covered. The bill would then direct this revenue to be deposited into the Veterans Service Office Fund.

Existing law establishes the California Conservation Corps in the Natural Resources Agency and requires the corps to implement and administer the conservation corps program. Existing law requires the Governor to appoint a director to act as the administrative officer of the corps. Existing law authorizes the director to employ special corps members without regard to their ages so that the corps may draw upon their special skills that may contribute to the attainment of the objectives of the program. Existing law provides that these special members may be assigned to headquarters, as well as field positions. This bill would require the director, no later than July 1, 2019, to establish a forestry corps program to accomplish certain objectives including developing and implementing forest health projects, as provided, and establishing forestry corps crews. The bill would require the director to partner with certified community conservation corps in implementing the forestry corps program, where feasible. The bill would require the director, no later than January 1, 2020, to establish 4 forestry corps crews, one to be based in the Central Valley, one in the Inland Empire, and 2 to be based in either a state responsibility area or a very high hazard fire zone, as specified. The bill would also make a nonsubstantive change. This bill would make legislative findings and declarations as to the necessity of a special statute for the creation of the Central Valley and Inland Empire forestry corps crews.