The California Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006 requires the State Air Resources Board to adopt regulations to require the reporting and verification of emissions of greenhouse gases and to monitor and enforce compliance with the reporting and verification program, and requires the state board to adopt a statewide greenhouse gas emissions limit equivalent to the statewide greenhouse gas emissions level in 1990 to be achieved by 2020. The act requires the state board to prepare and approve a scoping plan for achieving the maximum technologically feasible and cost-effective reductions in greenhouse gas emissions. The state board is required to evaluate the total potential costs and total potential economic and noneconomic benefits of the plan. The state board is required by January 1, 2011, to adopt greenhouse gas emissions limits and emission reduction measures by regulation to achieve the prescribed emission reductions. This bill would require the state board to complete a study to reevaluate the evaluation of costs discussed above, and provide this study to the Legislature by October 1, 2009. The state board would be required to report to the Legislature by November 1, 2009, on whether the revised analysis has led, or will lead, to any changes to the scoping plan, and whether any changes should be made to the act's timelines. The bill would require the Legislative Analyst to review the state board's implementation of these requirements, as provided. This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.
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The Outdoor Advertising Act regulates placement of advertising signs adjacent to and within specified distances of highways that are part of the national system of interstate and defense highways and federal aid highways. That act prohibits advertising displays from being placed or maintained on property adjacent to a section of a freeway that has been landscaped, with certain exceptions. This bill would authorize an advertising display adjacent to a section of a landscaped freeway by a city, county, or public education facility subject to specified conditions.
The Personal Income Tax Law authorizes various credits against the taxes imposed by that law. This bill would allow a credit to a qualified taxpayer, as defined, who purchases a qualified principal residence, as defined, during a specified period, in an amount equal to 10% of the purchase price, not to exceed $8,000, as provided. The bill would limit the total amount of credits to specified aggregate amounts per fiscal year, and provide that the General Fund shall be paid an amount equal to the credits with specified funds from the Neighborhood Stabilization Program 2 Funding as provided. This bill would take effect immediately as a tax levy.
Existing law imposes specified taxes. This bill would make legislative findings and declarations relating to this state's taxes, and declare the Legislature's intent to establish a flat personal income tax and corporate tax at a revenue-neutral rate.
The Sales and Use Tax Law imposes a tax on the gross receipts from the sale of tangible personal property sold at retail in this state, or on the sales price of tangible personal property purchased from a retailer for the storage, use, or other consumption of that property in this state. That law defines the terms "gross receipts" and "sales price." This bill would provide, for purposes of that law, that the terms "gross receipts" and "sales price" do not include the value of a motor vehicle traded in for a new motor vehicle, including a new motorcycle, if the value of the trade-in motor vehicle is separately stated on the new motor vehicle invoice or bill of sale or similar document provided to the purchaser. Counties and cities are authorized to impose local sales and use taxes in conformity with the Sales and Use Tax Law, and districts are authorized to impose transactions and use taxes in conformity with Sales and Use Tax Law. Amendments to the Sales and Use Tax Law are incorporated into these laws. Section 2230 of the Revenue and Taxation Code provides that the state will reimburse counties and cities for revenue losses caused by the enactment of sales and use tax exemptions. This bill would provide that, notwithstanding Section 2230 of the Revenue and Taxation Code, no appropriation is made and the state shall not reimburse cities and counties for sales and use tax revenues lost by them pursuant to this bill. This bill would take effect immediately as a tax levy, but its operative date would depend on its effective date.
The Personal Income Tax Law authorizes various credits against the taxes imposed by that law. Existing law authorizes a credit against those taxes in an amount equal to the lesser of 5% of the purchase price of a qualified principal residence, as defined, purchased on and after March 1, 2009, and before March 1, 2010, or $10,000, allocated by the Franchise Tax Board on a first-come-first-served basis. Existing law requires a taxpayer to provide the Franchise Tax Board with a certification from the seller of the qualified principal residence that the residence has never been previously occupied within one week of the sale of the residence and caps the total amount of the credit at $100,000,000. This bill would allow the tax credit for purchases of a qualified principal residence made before the date that is 12 months after the effective date of this bill, subject to specified restrictions. This bill would revise the certification requirements to provide that the taxpayer receive the certification no later than one week after the close of escrow on the qualified principal residence and that the Franchise Tax Board be provided with the certification upon request by the board. This bill would also remove the cap on the total credit amount allowed and the requirement that the tax credits be allocated on a first-come-first-served basis. This bill would take effect immediately as a tax levy.
(1) Existing law requires an employer to provide an employee who works more than 5 hours in a workday with a meal period of not less than 30 minutes, unless the employee works no more than 6 hours in a workday and the meal period is waived by mutual consent. An employer also is required to provide an employee who works more than 10 hours in a workday with a second meal period of not less than 30 minutes, unless the employee works no more than 12 hours, the first meal period was not waived, and the 2nd meal period is waived by mutual consent. The Industrial Welfare Commission (IAC) of the Department of Industrial Relations adopts and amends wage orders that, among other things, specify how meal periods are required to be provided to covered employees within various industries, including the procedures for providing employees with on-duty meal periods. This bill would revise the statutory requirements for the provision of meal periods to specify that the requirements apply only to employees subject to the meal period provisions of an order of the IWC. The statutory requirements for providing the meal periods would be revised to specify that a meal period based on working more than 5 hours in a workday is required to be provided before the employee completes 6 hours of work, unless the existing waiver provision is invoked. The waiver provision for the 2nd meal period would be changed to provide an exception for different provisions within IWC wage orders in effect as of January 1, 2009, and to permit the employer and employee to agree to waive either the first or the 2nd meal period if the employee otherwise is entitled to 2 meal periods. The bill also would specify conditions under which on-duty meal periods are permitted rather than meal periods in which the employee is relieved of all duty. The bill would require that orders of the IWC be interpreted in a manner consistent with the specified provisions, and would require the Department of Industrial Relations to amend and republish specified IWC wage orders to be consistent with the revised meal period requirements. The bill also would declare that all those provisions are declaratory and not amendatory of existing law. (2) Existing law requires an employer who fails to provide an employee with a required meal or rest period to pay the employee one hour's pay for each workday that the meal or rest period is not provided. This bill would specify that the penalty of one hour's pay is not restitutionary in nature and does not constitute additional wages to the employee. This bill would define "providing" a meal or rest period to mean making one available to the employee without interfering with its use.
The Sales and Use Tax Law imposes a tax on the gross receipts from the sale of tangible personal property sold at retail in this state, or on the sales price of tangible personal property purchased from a retailer for the storage, use, or other consumption of that property in this state. That law defines the terms "gross receipts" and "sales price." This bill would provide, for purposes of that law, that the terms "gross receipts" and "sales price" do not include the value of a vehicle traded in for a new vehicle, if the value of the trade-in vehicle is separately stated on the new vehicle invoice or bill of sale or similar document provided to the purchaser. The Bradley-Burns Uniform Local Sales and Use Tax Law authorizes counties and cities to impose local sales and use taxes in conformity with the Sales and Use Tax Law, and the Transactions and Use Tax Law authorizes districts, as specified, to impose transactions and use taxes in conformity with the Sales and Use Tax Law. Exemptions from state sales and use taxes are incorporated in these taxes. Section 2230 of the Revenue and Taxation Code provides that the state will reimburse counties and cities for revenue losses caused by the enactment of sales and use tax exemptions. This bill would provide that, notwithstanding Section 2230 of the Revenue and Taxation Code, no appropriation is made and the state shall not reimburse cities and counties for sales and use tax revenues lost by them pursuant to this bill. This bill would take effect immediately as a tax levy, but its operative date would depend on its effective date.
Existing law prescribes the duties of the State Registrar of Vital Statistics and local registrars of births and deaths with respect to the registration of a live birth. Existing law requires the State Department of Social Services to implement a Statewide Child Welfare Services Case Management System (CWSCMS) in order to protect children and effectively administer and evaluate California's Child Welfare Services and foster care programs. This bill would require the State Registrar, upon receipt of the weekly transmission of original certificates from a local registrar, to enter the name of each parent listed on a certificate of live birth into the CWSCMS, and to forward to the appropriate child protective services department the name of a parent who has had his or her parental rights terminated due to abuse or neglect, as specified. The bill would require a county child protective services department to conduct an immediate investigation upon receipt of a name forwarded by the State Registrar pursuant to the bill. By increasing the duties of county child protective services departments, 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 establishes the Home Purchase Assistance Program, administered by the California Housing Finance Agency, to assist first-time homebuyers to utilize existing mortgage financing. Existing law authorizes the agency to provide mortgage insurance for home purchase assistance provided pursuant to the program and limits the moneys provided for mortgage insurance to 15%. This bill would make a technical, nonsubstantive change to this provision of law.