Sen. Bill Dodd

Existing law requires the adopted course of study for grades 1 to 6, inclusive, and for grades 7 to 12, inclusive, to offer courses in specified areas of study, including social sciences. This bill would require, on or before July 1, 2019, the State Department of Education to make available to school districts on its Internet Web site a list of resources and instructional materials on media literacy, as defined, including media literacy professional development programs for teachers.

Existing law requires an elections official, upon receipt of a vote by mail ballot, to compare the signature on the identification envelope with either the signature appearing on the voter's affidavit of registration, or the signature appearing on a form issued by an elections official that contains the voter's signature and that is part of the voter's registration record. Existing law prohibits, if the elections official determines that the signatures do not compare, the elections official from opening the identification envelope and counting the ballot. This bill would eliminate the prohibition on counting the ballot and would instead require the elections official to follow specified procedures to notify the voter and allow the voter an opportunity to verify his or her signature before certification of the election. The bill would also make technical, nonsubstantive changes to these provisions. By increasing the duties of local election officials, 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, 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 the statutory provisions noted above. This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.

Existing law establishes fees for various court filings, including a $500 fee for filing in superior court an application to appear as counsel pro hac vice and a fee for the annual renewal of that application. This bill would waive the fee and renewal fee for filing pro hac vice when the applicant is an attorney representing a tribe in a child welfare matter under the federal Indian Child Welfare Act.

Existing law provides for state cooperation with the federal government in the construction of specified flood control projects. Existing law authorizes a plan of improvement for flood control and other purposes on the Napa River in Napa County, known as the Napa River Flood Control Project, in accordance with specified recommendations adopted by a specified federal act, at an estimated cost to the state of the sum that may be appropriated for state cooperation by the Legislature upon the recommendation and advice of the Department of Water Resources. This bill would require the state share of the nonfederal costs of that project to be only for those project costs incurred on or after the date on which the project was authorized by Congress. The bill would also authorize certain state funding to be used within the authorized project boundaries to fund construction of the incomplete portions of the authorized project when federal funds are not available for project completion, as provided.

Existing law, the Leroy F. Greene School Facilities Act of 1998 (the Greene Act) , requires the State Allocation Board to allocate to applicant school districts prescribed per-unhoused-pupil state funding for the construction and modernization of school facilities, including hardship funding, and supplemental funding for site development and acquisition. Existing law requires, on or after July 1, 2011, all new construction projects submitted to the Division of the State Architect pursuant to the Greene Act to include locks that allow doors to classrooms and rooms with an occupancy of 5 or more persons to be locked from the inside, except as specified. This bill would require the governing board of a school district, if the governing board of the school district applies for state funding pursuant to the Greene Act for a school modernization project for a school facility constructed before January 1, 2012, to include, as part of the modernization project, locks that allow doors to classrooms and any room with an occupancy of 5 or more persons to be locked from the inside of the room, except as provided. The bill would provide that these provisions apply only to those projects seeking funding on or after January 1, 2019, and that were submitted to the Division of the State Architect for approval on or after January 1, 2019. The bill also would provide that these provisions apply only to those projects that propose to renovate, repair, or modernize the interior of a school building and do not apply to projects that only propose to renovate, repair, or modernize the exterior of a school building, the school grounds, or the playing fields of a school.

Existing law establishes within state government a Military Department headed by an Adjutant General. Existing law includes within the Military Department the office of the Adjutant General, the California National Guard, the State Military Reserve, the California Cadet Corps, and the Naval Militia. Existing law requires an officer who desires to resign to submit his or her resignation to the Governor. Among others, existing law authorizes the Governor to refuse to accept a resignation in time of war or when war is imminent, in time of civil stress or emergency, or on account of the exigencies of the service. This bill would revise and recast that provision to instead provide that the Governor under those circumstances may instead refuse to accept a resignation from an officer when the officer is mobilized for deployment on state or federal duty, or notified of impending mobilization for state or federal military duty.

Existing law, the California Beef Council Law, establishes the California Beef Council, comprised of 20 members and 20 alternate members appointed by the Secretary of Food and Agriculture to perform various advisory and other duties relating to the California beef industry. The California Beef Council Law establishes a $1 fee per head on each sale of cattle and calves to administer the California Beef Council Law, and requires the fee to be collected from the seller by the operator of the stockyard, live auction market, slaughterhouse, or feedlot, or from the seller along with brand inspection fees by the Bureau of Livestock Identification. Existing law also provides that the fee from the sale of calves exempt from brand inspection that is not collected in the manner specified above is required to be collected from the seller by the purchaser, for payment to the secretary. This bill would instead require the fee from the sale of cattle or calves exempt from a brand inspection that is not collected from the seller in the manner specified above to be charged and collected from the seller in a manner determined by the Department of Food and Agriculture. This bill would also establish the California Cattle Council Law (the law) , for purposes that include to formulate and effectuate research relating to all types of California cattle production. The bill would create the California Cattle Council, which would be comprised of 11 members and 11 alternate members appointed by the secretary, as provided. The bill would provide for reimbursement of necessary traveling and other expenses incurred by council members in the performance of their duties. The bill would set forth the powers and duties of the council. The bill would provide for an assessment of $1 per head to be paid on each sale of cattle and calves to carry out the law's provisions. The bill would authorize the council to expend those funds for purposes of implementing the bill, thereby making an appropriation. The bill would require the secretary to conduct a referendum of producers on implementation of the law's provisions and would make operation of the law's provisions, except as specified, contingent upon approval of the referendum by a majority of producers who participate in the referendum, or, if an initial referendum fails, on approval of a 2nd referendum. If the law is approved, the bill would require the secretary, 5 years after approval, and each 5 years thereafter, to hold a public hearing to determine whether the operation of the law should be continued, and, if the secretary finds that a substantial question exists on that subject, to hold a reapproval referendum. The bill would also authorize the secretary to determine that it is no longer in the best interest of the state to continue the existence of the council and the programs established and maintained pursuant to the law, would require the secretary to call a vote of the producers to determine if the council should be terminated, and would provide for suspension of the law if a majority of producers do not vote in favor of continuing the law's operation. The bill would require any person who fails to pay, collect, or remit any fees due to be liable for administrative costs incurred by the department in enforcing these provisions. The bill would authorize the secretary, within 3 years from the date of discovery of the alleged violation, to hold a person who fails to pay, collect, or remit fees due civilly liable in an amount not to exceed $100 for each head of cattle or calves that is sold by the person. The bill would authorize a person to contest a determination of delinquent assessments or other violation and request an informal hearing presided over and conducted by a hearing officer designated by the department, as specified. Existing constitutional provisions require that a statute that limits the right of access to the meetings of public bodies or the writings of public officials and agencies be adopted with findings demonstrating the interest protected by the limitation and the need for protecting that interest. This bill would make legislative findings to that effect.

This measure would call upon the President and the United States Congress to acknowledge that the separation of immigrant children from their families at the border is detrimental to the short- and long-term physical and mental well-being of the children and incompatible with our fundamental values as a nation. The measure would also call upon the United States Congress to issue a formal apology to all child detainees who were forcibly separated from their parents and legal guardians and seized by the United States Department of Homeland Security or United States Customs and Border Protection and to the parents of those children.

This measure would urge the Congress and the President of the United States to support the retention of, and investment in, the Amtrak National Network of passenger trains, specifically the California Zephyr, the Coast Starlight, the Southwest Chief, and the Sunset Limited, as vital components of the state's rail program and would also urge Congress to reject President Trump's proposed Fiscal Year 2019 federal budget cuts to Amtrak and restore full funding for the Amtrak National Network through the appropriations process.

This measure would recognize the impact opioid-related deaths have had on California communities and would support groups and organizations working in California to combat the epidemic.