This measure would request the President and the Congress of the United States to express their support for access to comprehensive reproductive health care, including the services provided by Planned Parenthood, and to oppose efforts to eliminate federal funding for Planned Parenthood.
Existing law authorizes the Employment Development Department, within the Labor and Workforce Development Agency, to perform various functions and duties with respect to job creation and retention activities. Existing law requires the department to research the needs of veterans throughout the state and develop a profile of veterans' employment and training needs. Existing law requires the department to develop a statewide plan for the equitable distribution of employment funds for veterans' employment services. Existing law authorizes the board of supervisors of each county to appoint a county veterans service officer to provide veteran-related services. This bill would require the Employment Development Department, upon request of the local county veterans service officer, to provide training to the county veterans service officer and his or her staff in providing assistance to veterans applying for unemployment insurance benefits. The bill would require the Employment Development Department to coordinate with county veterans service officers for purposes of becoming familiar with the services provided by county veterans service officers. The bill would further require the Employment Development Department to establish a system to refer veterans to county veterans service officers for purposes of determining eligibility for benefits.
Existing law provides for the licensure and regulation of home health agencies by the State Department of Public Health. Existing law requires all private or public organizations that provide or arrange for skilled nursing services to patients in the home to obtain a home health agency license. Existing law also provides for the Medi-Cal program, which is administered by the State Department of Health Care Services, under which qualified low-income individuals receive health care services. Existing law provides that home health care services are covered Medi-Cal benefits, subject to utilization controls. This bill would require the department, on or before January 1, 2017, to develop at least 3 regional pilot projects in counties located in designated areas of the state. The pilot projects would be targeted to increase access to in-home, private duty nursing care for children receiving Medi-Cal benefits who are eligible for in-home, shift nursing care services and participate in specified programs. The bill would require, for a period of at least 3 years, an increased reimbursement rate for participating licensed home health agencies that are currently providing private duty nursing. The bill would require that the pilot project be implemented only to the extent that federal financial participation is available, and would require the department to submit any state plan amendment, waiver, or waiver amendment application necessary for federal approval. This bill would authorize the department, in collaboration with home health agencies, to establish reasonable provider eligibility standards and participation requirements and also would require the department, or an entity contracting with the department, to report to specified committees of the Legislature an evaluation of the effectiveness of the pilot projects, with input from specified stakeholders. The bill's provisions would become inoperative on July 1, 2020, and would be repealed as of January 1, 2021.
The California Disaster Assistance Act generally provides that the state share for disaster project allocations to local agencies is no more than 75% of total state eligible costs, except for specified events for which the state share is up to 100% of state eligible costs. This bill would add the forest fires that occurred in the County of Lake in 2015 to the list of events for which the state share of state eligible cost is up to 100%. This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.
Existing law provides for the Medi-Cal program, which is administered by the State Department of Health Care Services, under which qualified low-income individuals receive health care services. The Medi-Cal program is, in part, governed and funded by federal Medicaid provisions. Qualified individuals under the Medi-Cal program include medically needy persons and medically needy family persons who meet the required eligibility criteria, including applicable income and share of cost requirements. Existing law prohibits medically needy persons or medically needy family persons from receiving health care services during any month in which their share of cost has not been met. Existing law, for purposes of determining the share of cost for those medically needy persons or medically needy family persons, requires the department to establish income levels for maintenance need at the lowest levels that reasonably permit a medically needy individual to meet his or her basic needs for food, clothing, and shelter, and for which federal financial participation will still be provided under applicable federal law. In calculating the income of a medically needy individual who is in a medical institution or nursing facility, or a person receiving institutional or noninstitutional services from a Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly organization, the required monthly maintenance amount includes, among other things, an amount providing for the personal and incidental needs in an amount not less than $35 while a patient, and authorizes the department, by regulation, to increase this amount as necessitated by increasing costs of personal incidental needs. This amount is also referred to as the personal needs allowance. This bill would increase the personal needs allowance amount from $35 to $80 per month while a person is a patient as described above, and instead would require the department to annually increase this amount based on the percentage increase in the California Consumer Price Index. Because counties are required to make Medi-Cal eligibility determinations, and this bill would expand eligibility by increasing the personal needs allowance and would increase the responsibility of counties in determining Medi-Cal eligibility, this 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 these statutory provisions.
Existing law requires the Superintendent of Public Instruction to administer all California state preschool programs, which include part-day age and developmentally appropriate programs for 3- and 4-year-old children, as provided. Existing law provides that 3- and 4-year-old children are eligible for the state part-day preschool program if the family meets one of several eligibility requirements, including income eligibility. This bill would require the State Department of Education, in consultation with the State Board of Education and the State Advisory Council on Early Learning and Care, on or before January 1, 2018, to submit to the Legislature and the Department of Finance a plan that provides a multiyear plan for providing access to income-eligible children to high-quality prekindergarten programs for a minimum of one year before enrollment in kindergarten and a multiyear plan for ensuring that publicly funded prekindergarten programs include specified elements.
The California Renewables Portfolio Standard Program requires the Public Utilities Commission to establish a renewables portfolio standard requiring all retail sellers, as defined, to procure a minimum quantity of electricity products from eligible renewable energy resources, as defined, at specified percentages of the total kilowatthours sold to their retail end-use customers during specified compliance periods. The program additionally requires each local publicly owned electric utility, as defined, to procure a minimum quantity of electricity products from eligible renewable energy resources to achieve the targets established by the program. The program, consistent with the goals of procuring the least-cost and best-fit eligible renewable energy resources that meet project viability principles, requires that all retail sellers procure a balanced portfolio of electricity products from eligible renewable energy resources, as specified, referred to as the portfolio content requirements. The program requires the commission to authorize the use of renewable energy credits to satisfy the renewables portfolio standard procurement requirements, subject to specified conditions and limitations for unbundled renewable energy credits. One condition placed on renewable energy credits is that they not be created for electricity generated under any electricity purchase contract executed after January 1, 2005, pursuant to the federal Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act of 1978, also known as PURPA. This bill would require that renewable energy credits be created for electricity generated under an electricity purchase contract executed after January 1, 2017, pursuant to PURPA, with those credits being owned by the owner of the eligible renewable energy resource unless otherwise agreed to by the owner. The bill would prohibit the commission from requiring, as a condition of entering into an electricity purchase contract pursuant to PURPA, that the generator sell its renewable energy credits to the electrical corporation pursuant to the contract. The bill would provide that when electricity products and the renewable energy credits associated with those electricity products are sold to the same electrical corporation pursuant to 2 or more separate purchase contracts with identical start and end dates, the credits and electricity products would be treated as bundled. 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 provisions of this bill would be a part of the act and because a violation of an order or decision of the commission implementing its requirements would be a crime, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program by creating a new crime. 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 requires the state to have the primary financial responsibility for preventing and suppressing fires in areas that the State Board of Forestry and Fire Protection has determined are state responsibility areas, as defined. Existing law requires that a fire prevention fee be charged on each habitable structure on a parcel that is within a state responsibility area, collected annually by the State Board of Equalization, in accordance with specified procedures, and specifies that the annual fee shall be due and payable 30 days from the date of assessment by the state board. Existing law authorizes a petition for redetermination of the fee to be filed within 30 days after service of a notice of determination, as specified. This bill would extend the time when the fire prevention fee is due and payable from 30 to 60 days from the date of assessment by the State Board of Equalization and would authorize the petition for redetermination to be filed within 60 days after service of the notice of determination, as specified.
Existing law authorizes the Department of Veterans Affairs to assist a veteran and his or her dependents or survivors to make a claim against the United States arising out of military service and establishing a right to a privilege, preference, care, or compensation. Existing law authorizes the department to cooperate and, with approval of the Department of Finance, contract with any veterans service organization for the purpose of assisting veterans in their claims. Existing law defines veterans service organization for these purposes. This bill would appropriate $3,000,000 from the General Fund to the Department of Veterans Affairs for the purpose of grants to veterans service organizations. The bill would require the department to establish criteria, regulations, and reporting requirements for any organization it contracts with pursuant to these provisions. The bill would additionally require a veterans service organization that contracts with the department to have a presence in this state and be registered with both the Secretary of State and Attorney General.
Under the Public Utilities Act, the Public Utilities Commission has regulatory jurisdiction over public utilities, including electrical corporations and gas corporations. A violation of the Public Utilities Act or any order, decision, rule, direction, demand, or requirement of the commission is a crime. The California Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006 and its implementing regulations provide for a greenhouse gas emissions limit to be achieved through a market-based compliance mechanism. That mechanism includes the requirement that certain greenhouse gas producers acquire "allowances" for their emissions. Those regulations specifically provide for the direct allocation of greenhouse gas allowances to gas corporations. A decision of the commission requires the gas corporations to return to certain customers the proceeds generated from the sale of those greenhouse gas allowances as a bill credit in an equal, non-volumetric manner, and to conduct outreach and education activities to customers receiving the bill credit. The Public Utilities Act authorizes the commission to allocate 15% of the revenues received by an electrical corporation as a result of the auction of greenhouse gas allowances for clean energy and energy efficiency projects established pursuant to statute that are administered by electrical corporations or a qualified 3rd-party administrator approved by the commission and requires the commission to direct the balance of the revenues to be credited directly to the residential, small business, and emissions-intensive trade-exposed retail customers of the electrical corporations, as specified. This bill would authorize the commission to require up to 25% of revenues received by a gas corporation as a result of the auction of greenhouse gas allowances to be used for clean energy and energy efficiency projects or programs approved by the commission, as specified. The bill would require the commission to require each gas corporation to annually report and post on its Internet Web site all expenditures of these revenues and the quantified reductions in greenhouse gases from projects or programs funded under these provisions. Because the provisions of this bill require or authorize action by the commission to implement its requirements, and a violation of these commission-ordered requirements would be a crime, this 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.
