This measure would proclaim the Legislature's support for the extension of the Emergency Unemployment Compensation program and would memorialize the United States Congress to promptly renew the extension of unemployment benefits.
This measure would designate April 2014 as Autism Awareness Month and would encourage residents to show support for autism awareness by lighting their homes, businesses, schools, and places of worship with blue light bulbs.
This measure would recognize the week of March 23, 2014, to March 29, 2014, inclusive, as National Agriculture Week, and would designate March 19, 2014, as California Agriculture Day.
Existing law requires, when a witness is incapable of understanding the English language or expressing himself or herself in the English language so as to be understood directly by counsel, court, and jury, an interpreter to be sworn to interpret for him or her. Existing law requires the Judicial Council to conduct a study of language and interpreter use and need in court proceedings, with commentary, and to report its findings and recommendations to the Governor and to the Legislature every 5 years. Existing law requires that this study serve as the basis for determining the need to establish interpreter programs and certification and for establishing these programs and examinations through the normal budgetary process. This bill would require the Judicial Council, by March 1, 2014, to establish a working group to review, identify, and develop best practices to provide interpreters in civil actions and proceedings, as specified. The bill would require the Judicial Council to select up to 3 courts to participate in a pilot project, to commence on July 1, 2014, to provide interpreters in civil proceedings and would require the Judicial Council to report to the Legislature findings related to the pilot project by July 1, 2018. The pilot project would be funded by an amount not to exceed $6 million dollars from the Trial Court Trust Fund, upon allocation by the Judicial Council pursuant to the Judicial Council's existing expenditure authority, or upon appropriation by the Legislature, from unexpended funds previously allocated for court interpreter services. The bill would also require the working group to act as an advisory body to any Judicial Council committee, advisory board, or joint committee charged with developing a comprehensive statewide Language Access Plan (LAP) for use by courts to address the needs of all limited-English-proficient individuals in conformance with state and federal law. The bill would require the working group to make recommendations relating to the establishment of standards for meaningful and timely provision of language services in all court proceedings and at all public points of contact within the courts, and the establishment of a statewide plan to provide for the translation of court documents using competent and qualified interpreters. The bill would require the Judicial Council and its advisory bodies to submit an interim report to the Legislature on the status of the LAP by September 1, 2014. The bill would repeal these provisions on January 1, 2020.
(1) Existing law authorizes a county board of education to establish and maintain one or more community schools into which the county board of education may enroll specified pupils, including, but not limited to, pupils who are expelled for specified reasons, referred as the result of the recommendation by a school attendance review board, probation referred, or homeless children. This bill would revise the list of pupils who may be involuntarily enrolled in a county community school to limit the kind of probation referrals and remove homeless children. The bill, with regard to pupils referred as the result of a recommendation by the school attendance review board, would require that the school district and the county office of education determine that the county community school has space available to enroll the pupil, the pupil's educational needs will be met by the county community school, and that the parent, guardian, or responsible adult does not expressly object to the referral. The bill would require the school attendance review board to include a school option that is geographically accessible, as defined, to the pupil, if the county community school is not geographically accessible, as specified. The bill would also provide that the pupil has the right to return to his or her previous school, or other appropriate school, at the end of the semester following the semester when the acts leading to referral occurred. The bill would allow enrollment of certain other pupils in a county community school with the consent of the pupil's parent, guardian or responsible adult. The bill would authorize, with respect to certain probation referrals to a county community school, certain persons, including the attorney for a pupil who is under the jurisdiction of a delinquency court, to take specified actions related to the enrollment of a pupil in a county community school. (2) Existing law requires a county community school to prescribe an individually planned educational program based on an educational assessment for each pupil. Existing law requires the course of study of a county community school to be adopted by the county board of education to enable each pupil to continue academic work leading to the completion of a regular high school program. This bill would require county boards of education operating county community schools to ensure, among other things, that appropriate services and programs specified in a pupil's individualized education program are provided. (3) Existing law authorizes the governing board of a school district to establish one or more community day schools for pupils in any of kindergarten and grades 1 to 12, inclusive. Existing law authorizes the governing board of a school district to assign a pupil to a community day school only if the pupil meets specified conditions, including, but not limited to, being expelled, being referred by a school attendance review board or other district-level referral process, and being probation referred pursuant to specified law. This bill would revise the list of pupils who may be involuntarily transferred to a community day school to limit the kind of probation referrals. The bill would impose certain conditions on the involuntary transfer of a pupil referred by the school attendance review board or other district-level referral process and would require the school attendance review board or other district-level referral process to include a geographically accessible school option if the community day school is not geographically accessible. The bill would allow enrollment of certain other pupils in a community day school with the consent of the pupil's parent or guardian. The bill would authorize, with respect to certain probation referrals to a community day school, certain persons, including the attorney for a pupil who is under the jurisdiction of a delinquency court, to take specified actions related to the enrollment of a pupil in a community day school. (4) Existing law states the intent of the Legislature that community day schools include specified program components, including, but not limited to, individualized instruction and assessment. This bill would state the intent of the Legislature that, if an individualized assessment shows that the pupil requires additional educational services that are not offered at the community day school, the parent, guardian, or responsible adult of the pupil shall be informed, and that the probation officer relative to a pupil ordered placed in a community day school by court order shall also be informed. The bill would require school districts operating community day schools to ensure that appropriate services and programs, as provided, are provided to certain pupils, as specified. The bill would authorize a school district to require a pupil, with the consent of his or her parent or guardian, to enroll in a county-supported drug rehabilitation program pursuant to a specified provision. (5) This bill would provide a pupil who has been involuntarily enrolled in a county community school or a community day school the right to reenroll in his or her former school or another comprehensive school immediately after being readmitted from an expulsion order or court-ordered placement. The bill would provide that only the governing board of the school district that issued the initial order or subsequent order to expel may extend the duration of an expelled pupil's placement in a county community school or a community day school. (6) Existing law requires the governing board of each school district to establish rules and regulations governing procedures for the expulsion of pupils. Existing law requires the adopted rules and regulations to require, if a hearing officer or administrative panel decided not to recommend expulsion, the expulsion proceedings to be terminated and the pupil to be immediately reinstated and permitted to return to a classroom instructional program, any other instructional program, a rehabilitation program, or any combination of these programs. This bill would require the adopted rules and regulations to instead require that the pupil be permitted to return only to the classroom instructional program from which the expulsion referral was made, unless a parent, guardian, or responsible adult requests another school placement in writing. The bill would, before the placement decision is made by the parent, guardian, or responsible adult, require the superintendent of schools or the superintendent's designee to consult with school district personnel, including the pupil's teachers, and the parent, guardian, or responsible adult regarding any other school placement options for the pupil in addition to the option to return to his or her classroom instructional program from which the expulsion referral was made. By requiring the governing board of a school district to establish or revise the rules and regulations governing procedures for the expulsion of pupils, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. (7) 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.
The California Integrated Waste Management Act of 1989, which is administered by the Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery, requires each city, county, and regional agency, if any, to develop a source reduction and recycling element of an integrated waste management plan. With certain exceptions, the source reduction and recycling element of that plan is required to divert 50% of all solid waste, through source reduction, recycling, and composting activities. Existing law allows the 50% diversion requirement to include not more than 10% through transformation or "biomass conversion," as defined, if specified conditions are met. This bill would revise the definition of the term "biomass conversion" to include, in addition to controlled combustion used for producing heat or electricity, the conversion technology used in a biomass conversion technology facility, as defined by this bill. The bill would require a biomass conversion technology facility to meet specified requirements. The bill would require the department to notify an air district within 48 hours of determining there is a specified violation so the air district can investigate and begin any necessary enforcement action. The bill would require an air district, prior to issuing a permit to a biomass conversion technology facility, to determine whether a facility meets all the requirements for best available control technology, as specified. The bill would also require a biomass conversion technology facility to submit specified documents to the city or county, including a city and county, with land use permitting authority over the proposed facility that demonstrate the design and operation of the facility. Because the bill would impose additional duties on an air district, cities, and counties, 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 with regard to certain mandates no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason. With regard to any other mandates, this bill would provide that, if the Commission on State Mandates determines that the bill contains costs so mandated by the state, reimbursement for those costs shall be made pursuant to the statutory provisions noted above.
Existing law, the Ortiz-Pacheco-Poochigian-Vasconcellos Cal Grant Program, establishes the Cal Grant A and B Entitlement awards, the California Community College Transfer Cal Grant Entitlement awards, the Competitive Cal Grant A and B awards, the Cal Grant C awards, and the Cal Grant T awards under the administration of the Student Aid Commission, and establishes eligibility requirements for awards under these programs for participating students attending qualifying institutions. Under the Cal Grant B Entitlement Program, awards may be made for access costs, defined as living expenses and expenses for transportation, supplies, and books, in an amount not to exceed $1,551 annually, as adjusted in the annual Budget Act. This bill would require the Treasurer to certify the amount of moneys available in an academic year from the College Access Tax Credit Fund for distribution, and provide that an amount determined by the Student Aid Commission would be available for expenditure, upon appropriation to the commission by the Legislature in the annual Budget Act, from the College Access Tax Credit Fund, for distribution to students to supplement Cal Grant B access cost awards to bring those students' total annual awards for access costs to not more than $5,000 and to defray the administrative costs incurred by the commission in implementing the bill. The bill would become operative only if SB 284 is enacted and becomes operative on or before January 1, 2014.
Existing law requires that an action for recovery of damages suffered as a result of childhood sexual abuse, as defined, be commenced within 8 years of the date the plaintiff attains the age of majority or within 3 years of the date the plaintiff discovers or reasonably should have discovered that psychological injury or illness occurring after the age of majority was caused by sexual abuse, whichever occurs later. Existing law provides that certain actions may be commenced on and after the plaintiff's 26th birthday if the person or entity against whom the action is commenced knew or had reason to know, or was otherwise on notice, of any unlawful sexual conduct by an employee, volunteer, representative, or agent, and failed to take reasonable steps, and to implement reasonable safeguards, to avoid acts of unlawful sexual conduct in the future by that person. For a period of one year commencing January 1, 2003, existing law revived certain actions that would otherwise be barred solely because the applicable statute of limitations had expired. This bill would provide that the time limits for commencement of an action for recovery of damages suffered as a result of childhood sexual abuse shall be applied retroactively to any claim that has not been adjudicated to finality on the merits as of January 1, 2014. This bill would revive, for a period of one year, a cause of action, as specified, that would otherwise be barred by the statute of limitations as of January 1, 2014, provided that the plaintiff's 26th birthday was before January 1, 2003, and the plaintiff discovered the cause of his or her injury on or after January 1, 2004. This bill would provide that a party shall be entitled to conduct discovery before the court may rule on a motion challenging the sufficiency of the plaintiff's showing that a person or entity knew or had reason to know, or was otherwise on notice, of any unlawful sexual conduct and failed to take reasonable steps, and to implement reasonable safeguards, to avoid those acts in the future. This bill would specify that this entitlement shall not apply to a cause of action revived pursuant to these provisions.
Existing law provides that the Department of Transportation has full possession and control of the state highway system. Existing law imposes various requirements for the development and implementation of transportation projects. This bill would impose various additional requirements on the department, or on another agency, if that agency agrees to assume responsibility as the lead agency, with respect to the I-710 corridor project in the County of Los Angeles from State Highway Route 60 in East Los Angeles to Ocean Boulevard in Long Beach. The bill would require the lead agency, in consultation with all interested community organizations, to include, within the environmental review process for the project, alternatives to address the air quality, public health, and mobility impacts the project will have on neighboring communities, including, in its entirety, Community Alternative 7, as defined, as a complete project alternative. The bill would require the final environmental document approved by the lead agency to include an investment in identified mitigation measures and community benefits for the affected communities and the Los Angeles River. The bill would require the lead agency to submit a report in that regard to the I-710 EIR/EIS Project Committee at least 90 days prior to approving the final environmental document for the project. The bill would make legislative findings and declarations.
Existing law requires that, when a witness is incapable of understanding the English language or is incapable of expressing himself or herself in the English language so as to be understood directly by counsel, court, and jury, an interpreter be sworn to interpret for him or her. This bill would require the Judicial Council, by June 1, 2014, to establish a working group to review, identify, and develop best practices to provide interpreters in civil actions and proceedings, as specified. The bill would require the Judicial Council to select up to 5 courts to participate in a pilot project, to commence on July 1, 2014, to provide interpreters in civil proceedings. The bill would provide that the initial pilot courts participate until June 30, 2016, and would require the Judicial Council to consider whether a pilot court should continue participating in the project and whether to select another court or additional courts. The bill would require the Judicial Council, by January 1, 2019, to report to the Legislature its findings and recommendations based on the experiences of the model pilot program. The bill would repeal these provisions on January 1, 2020.
