(1) Existing law creates the Safe, Clean, and Reliable Drinking Water Supply Act of 2012, which, if approved by the voters, would authorize the issuance of bonds in the amount of $11,140,000,000 pursuant to the State General Obligation Bond Law to finance a safe drinking water and water supply reliability program. Existing law provides for the submission of the bond act to the voters at the November 4, 2014, statewide general election. This bill would repeal these provisions. (2) Under existing law, various measures have been approved by the voters to provide funds for water supply and protection facilities and programs. This bill would enact the Safe Drinking Water, Water Quality, and Flood Protection Act of 2014, which, if adopted by the voters, would authorize the issuance of bonds in the amount of $6,475,000,000 pursuant to the State General Obligation Bond Law to finance a safe drinking water, water quality, and flood protection program. The bill would provide for the submission of the bond act to the voters at the November 4, 2014, statewide general election. (3) This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.
Sponsored bills
Existing law provides for the licensure and regulation of health facilities by the State Department of Public Health. Under the California Community Care Facilities Act, the State Department of Social Services licenses and regulates community care facilities, including residential facilities, and under the California Residential Care Facilities for the Elderly Act, the State Department of Social Services licenses and regulates residential facilities for the elderly. A violation of these provisions is a crime, as specified. This bill would require specified health facilities and residential facilities and residential care facilities for the elderly to provide a person with a Physician Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment form, as defined, upon his or her admission to the facility. The bill would provide that violations of these provisions do not constitute a crime.
Existing law, known as Laura's Law, until January 1, 2017, regulates designated assisted outpatient treatment services, which a county may choose to provide for its residents. To implement the program, the county board of supervisors is required to, by resolution, authorize the program and make a finding that no voluntary mental health program serving adults, and no children's mental health program, may be reduced as a result of the program's implementation. In a county where assisted outpatient treatment services are available, a person is authorized to receive specific mental health services pursuant to an order if requisite criteria are met, as specified. This bill would no longer require a county to authorize the program by resolution and make those findings to implement the program. This bill would authorize a county to limit the number of persons to whom it provides assisted outpatient treatment services.
Existing law imposes various taxes, including taxes on the privilege of engaging in certain activities. The Fee Collection Procedures Law, the violation of which is a crime, provides procedures for the collection of certain fees and surcharges. This bill would impose an oil and gas severance tax upon any operator, as defined, for the privilege of severing oil or gas from the earth or water in this state for sale, transport, consumption, storage, profit, or use, as provided, at the specified rates, calculated as provided. The tax would be administered by the State Board of Equalization and would be collected pursuant to the procedures set forth in the Fee Collection Procedures Law. The bill would require the board to deposit all tax revenues, penalties, and interest collected pursuant to these provisions into the California Higher Education Fund, a continuously appropriated fund created by this bill, for allocation to the Regents of the University of California, the Trustees of the California State University, the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges, the Department of Parks and Recreation, and to a reserve account, as provided. Because this bill would expand the scope of the Fee Collection Procedures Law, the violation of which is a crime, it would impose a state-mandated local program. This bill would include a change in state statute that would result in a taxpayer paying a higher tax within the meaning of Section 3 of Article XIIIA of the California Constitution, and thus would require for passage the approval of 23 of the membership of each house of the Legislature. 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 Department of Food and Agriculture to promote and protect the agricultural industry of the state and requires the department to prevent the introduction and spread of injurious insect or animal pests, plant diseases, and noxious weeds. This bill would require the department to develop standards for animal welfare.
Existing law establishes a system of public elementary and secondary schools in this state. Existing law also establishes school districts throughout the state, and authorizes these school districts to operate schools and to provide instruction to pupils. Existing law establishes a system for the funding of public elementary and secondary schools which includes, among other things, the apportionment of state funds to school districts in accordance with specified computations. Existing law provides for various types of school districts, including elementary school districts, which operate only elementary schools, high school districts, which operate only secondary schools, and unified school districts, which operate both elementary and secondary schools. Existing law provides that any person who is eligible to attend high school, and who does not reside in a high school district or a unified school district, may attend high school in any high school district or unified school district in the county in which he or she resides or in another county. This bill would specify computations to be made under this provision in the event that a pupil attends a high school in a basic aid school district, and would require the Superintendent of Public Instruction to apportion the amount computed under this bill to the school district of attendance from Section A of the State School Fund, thereby making an appropriation. The bill would define a basic aid school district to mean a school district that does not receive from the state an apportionment of state funds pursuant to a specified statute in any fiscal year in which this provision is applied.
Existing law provides that if a member of a county retirement system becomes a member of another county retirement system, the membership in the first retirement system ceases. This bill would make a nonsubstantive change to these provisions.
Existing law provides that the Division of Oil, Gas, and Geothermal Resources (DOGGR) in the Department of Conservation regulates the drilling, operation, maintenance, and abandonment of oil and gas wells in the state. The State Oil and Gas Supervisor supervises the drilling, operation, maintenance, and abandonment of wells and the operation, maintenance, and removal or abandonment of tanks and facilities related to oil and gas production within an oil and gas field regarding safety and environmental damage. Existing law also requires an operator of a well, before commencing the work of drilling the well, to obtain approval from the State Oil and Gas Supervisor or a district deputy. Under existing law, the Uniform Trade Secrets Act (act) establishes specified rights and remedies for the misappropriation of a trade secret. This bill would require the division to regulate oil and gas operations in conformance with the provisions of the act.
Existing law establishes the segments of the public postsecondary education system in the state, including the University of California administered by the Regents of the University of California, the California State University administered by the Trustees of the California State University, and the California Community Colleges administered by the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges. Existing law exempts a community college student who was a member of the Armed Forces of the United States stationed in this state on active duty for more than one year immediately prior to being discharged from paying nonresident tuition for up to one year if he or she files an affidavit with the community college stating that he or she intends to establish residency in California as soon as possible, if that student uses this exemption within 2 years of being discharged. Existing law prohibits a former member of the Armed Forces who received a dishonorable or bad conduct discharge from receiving this exemption. Existing law provides that the statutory provisions relating to student residency requirements for public postsecondary education apply to the University of California only to the extent that the regents act, by resolution, to make these provisions applicable. This bill would make this one-year exemption from payment of nonresident tuition applicable to a student enrolled, or intending to enroll, at a campus of the California Community Colleges, or as an undergraduate at a campus of the California State University, who was a member of the Armed Forces of the United States stationed in this state on active duty for more than one year immediately prior to being discharged if he or she files an affidavit with the institution at which he or she is enrolled, or intends to enroll, stating that he or she intends to establish residency in California as soon as possible, and uses this exemption within 2 years of being discharged. The bill would request the regents to enact regulations and procedures that exempt from nonresident tuition students of that university who meet the requirements applicable to students of the California Community Colleges and the California State University for the exemption of the bill.
Existing law provides for the licensure and regulation of health care service plans by the Department of Managed Health Care. Existing law provides for the regulation of health insurers by the Department of Insurance. Existing law requires health care service plan contracts and health insurance policies to provide benefits for specified conditions, including coverage for behavioral health treatment, as defined, for pervasive developmental disorder or autism, except as specified. A willful violation of these provisions with respect to health care service plans is a crime. These provisions are inoperative on July 1, 2014, and are repealed on January 1, 2015. This bill would extend the operation of these provisions until January 1, 2017. By extending the operation of provisions establishing crimes, 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.