Sen. Sabrina Cervantes

Existing law authorizes the Department of Transportation to designate certain lanes for the exclusive or preferential use of high-occupancy vehicles. When those exclusive or preferential use lanes are established and double parallel solid lines are in place to the right thereof, existing law prohibits any person driving a vehicle from crossing over those double lines to enter into or exit from the lanes, and entrance or exit from those lanes is authorized only in areas designated for these purposes or where a single broken line is in place to the right of the lanes, except as specified. This bill would require the department to report to the transportation policy committees of the Legislature, on or before January 1, 2020, on the feasibility and appropriateness of limiting the use of high-occupancy vehicle lanes to high-occupancy vehicles and eligible vehicles, as defined, only during the hours of heavy commuter traffic on both State Route 91 between Interstate 15 and Interstate 215 in the County of Riverside, and State Route 60 in the County of Riverside.

Existing law, the Knox-Keene Health Care Service Plan Act of 1975, provides for the licensure and regulation of health care service plans by the Department of Managed Health Care. Existing law also provides for the regulation of health insurers by the Department of Insurance. Existing law prohibits, until January 1, 2019, an individual or group health care service plan contract or health insurance policy issued, amended, or renewed on or after January 1, 2015, that provides coverage for prescribed, orally administered anticancer medications used to kill or slow the growth of cancerous cells from requiring an enrollee or insured to pay, notwithstanding any deductible, a total amount of copayments and coinsurance that exceeds $200 for an individual prescription of up to a 30-day supply of a prescribed orally administered anticancer medication, as specified. Existing law authorizes health care service plans to adjust that $200 limit on January 1 of each year, to the extent that adjustment does not exceed the percentage increase in the Consumer Price Index for that year. Under existing law, a willful violation of this prohibition by a health care service plan is a crime. This bill would extend the duration of this prohibition until January 1, 2024. The bill would increase the total amount of copayments allowed under those provisions to $250. The bill would remove the authorization for a health care service plan to adjust that limit. Because the bill would expand the scope of a crime, 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.

Existing law establishes the Air Quality Improvement Program that is administered by the State Air Resources Board for the purposes of funding projects related to, among other things, the reduction of criteria air pollutants and improvement of air quality. Pursuant to its existing statutory authority, the state board has established the Clean Vehicle Rebate Project, as a part of the Air Quality Improvement Program, to promote the production and use of zero-emission vehicles by providing rebates for the purchase of new zero-emission vehicles. Existing law, until January 1, 2019, requires the state board, for the purposes of the Clean Vehicle Rebate Project, to, among other things, offer rebates only to applicants who purchase an eligible vehicle and have a specified maximum gross annual income, increase rebate payments by $500 for low-income applicants, provide outreach to low-income households to increase consumer awareness of the rebate project, and prioritize rebate payments for low-income applicants. This bill would require the state board, for the purposes of the Clean Vehicle Rebate Project, to provide outreach to low-income households and low-income communities to increase consumer awareness of the rebate project and, until January 1, 2022, to prioritize rebate payments to low-income applicants.

Existing law establishes the Air Quality Improvement Program that is administered by the State Air Resources Board for the purposes of funding projects related to, among other things, the reduction of criteria air pollutants and improvement of air quality. Pursuant to its existing statutory authority, the state board has established the Clean Vehicle Rebate Project, as a part of the Air Quality Improvement Program, to promote the production and use of zero-emission vehicles by providing rebates for the purchase of new zero-emission vehicles. This bill would require the state board, until July 31, 2025, to establish the Zero-Emission Assurance Project to provide rebates for the replacement of or a vehicle service contract, as defined, for a battery, fuel cell, or related components for an eligible used vehicle. The bill would require the state board to submit a specified report on the Zero-Emission Assurance Project to the Legislature no later than January 1, 2024.

Existing state law authorizes the Department of Transportation to designate certain lanes for the exclusive use of high-occupancy vehicles (HOVs) . Existing law also authorizes, until January 1, 2019, ultra-low emission vehicles (ULEVs) , and until September 30, 2025, or until the date federal authorization expires, or until the Secretary of State receives a specified notice, whichever occurs first, super ultra-low emission vehicles (SULEVs) , enhanced advanced technology partial zero-emission vehicles (enhanced AT PZEVs) , or transitional zero-emission vehicles (TZEVs) , as specified, that display a valid identifier issued by the Department of Motor Vehicles to use these HOV lanes. Existing law makes it a crime to drive one of those vehicles in an HOV lane without properly displaying the issued identifier and having the vehicle registration with the vehicle, or to operate or own a vehicle displaying an identifier if the identifier was not issued for that vehicle. Existing law makes identifiers for ULEVs valid until January 1, 2019, and makes identifiers for SULEVs, enhanced AT PEZEVs, and TZEVs valid until January 1, 2019, January 1, 2022, or January 1 of the 4th year after the year in which they were issued, as specified. Existing law, except as specified, prohibits a vehicle from being issued an identifier more than once. This bill would authorize an identifier to be issued commencing January 1, 2020, until January 1, 2024, to SULEVs, enhanced AT PEZEVs, and TZEVs for a vehicle that had previously been issued an identifier and would make that identifier valid until January 1, 2024, if the applicant for the identifier has a household income at or below 80% of the state median income. The bill would require the Department of Motor Vehicles to report to the Legislature the number of identifiers issued pursuant to those provisions, and would require the report to be issued after January 1, 2023, but before June 1, 2023. The bill would prohibit a person who obtained an identifier for a vehicle prior to January 1, 2017, from obtaining another identifier pursuant to those provisions, notwithstanding the person's qualifying income. The bill would also make a conforming change and technical, nonsubstantive changes.

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 proclaim September 24, 2018, to September 30, 2018, inclusive, as Military and Veteran Suicide Prevention Awareness Week in California.

Existing law requires the Governor's Office of Business and Economic Development (GO-Biz) to develop and implement an International Trade and Investment Program that serves specified purposes. Existing law authorizes the Director of GO-Biz to establish and terminate international trade and investment offices outside of the United States if certain conditions are met. Existing law also authorizes GO-Biz to designate a nonprofit entity to operate international trade and investment offices outside of the United States. This bill would require the Director of GO-Biz to establish a process for accepting letters of interest from public and private entities that are interested in partnering with the state to operate an international trade and investment office in a foreign country. The bill would require the office to review the letters of interest and determine whether they are complete within 30 days of submittal. The bill would also require the director to make a determination, within 90 days of receipt of a complete letter of interest, as to whether to request a full proposal, as specified, for the operation of the office. Existing law authorizes GO-Biz to accept nonstate moneys for the purposes of operating an international trade and investment office. Existing law requires private sector moneys for these purposes to be deposited in the Economic Development and Trade Promotion Account, which is continuously appropriated to the Director of GO-Biz for these purposes. This bill would additionally authorize the moneys in the account to be used for the support of the operation of an international trade and investment office. By expanding the purposes of a continuously appropriated fund, this bill would make an appropriation.

This measure would urge the federal government and the United States Section of the International Boundary and Water Commission to take immediate action to adequately address cross-border pollution in the Tijuana River Valley.

This measure would, among other things, call upon stakeholders in the health professions to foster the well-being of children born with variations of sex characteristics through the enactment of policies and procedures that ensure individualized, multidisciplinary care, as provided.