(1) Existing law requires the Legislature to provide for a system of common schools by which a free school is required to be kept up and supported in each district. Existing law prohibits a pupil enrolled in school from being required to pay a fee, deposit, or other charge not specifically authorized by law. This bill would prohibit a pupil enrolled in a public school from being required to pay a pupil fee, as defined, for participation in an educational activity, as defined, as specified. The bill would provide that this prohibition is not to be interpreted to prohibit solicitation of voluntary donations, voluntary participation in fundraising activities, or school districts, schools, and other entities from providing pupils prizes or other recognition for voluntarily participating in fundraising activities. The bill would specify that these provisions apply to all public schools, including, but not limited to, charter schools and alternative schools, are declarative of existing law, and should not be interpreted to prohibit the imposition of a fee, deposit, or other charge otherwise allowed by law. The bill would require a superintendent of a school district, county superintendent of schools, or chief executive officer, or a person in the equivalent position, of a charter school, commencing with the 2011–12 fiscal year, and each fiscal year thereafter, to determine, within the first 8 weeks after the first day pupils attend school for that school year, or during a specified time period for the 2011–12 fiscal year, whether an unlawful pupil fee has been, or is being, charged in the current fiscal year, or on or after January 1, 2012, for the 2011–12 fiscal year. If the superintendent of a school district, county superintendent of schools, or chief executive officer, or a person in the equivalent position, of a charter school makes this determination, the bill would require him or her to present the determination at a public hearing or meeting of the applicable governing board or body at which the governing board or body would be required to identify the nature of the violation and take action to provide full reimbursements to all affected pupils, parents, or guardians within a specified time period. The bill would require the hearing or meeting to meet specified requirements. By imposing additional duties on local educational agencies, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program. (2) Existing law requires the Controller, in consultation with the Department of Finance and the State Department of Education, to develop a plan to review and report on financial and compliance audits, and with representatives of other entities, to recommend the statements and other information to be included in the audit reports filed with the state by local educational agencies, and to propose the content of an audit guide. This bill would require a compliance audit, commencing with audits of the 2011–12 fiscal year, to include the verification of compliance with the prohibition against the imposition of pupil fees for participation in educational activities in violation of specified law. Notwithstanding specified law, the bill would require this verification to be added to the audit guide commencing with audits of the 2011–12 fiscal year. The bill also would allow for the adoption of emergency regulations to achieve this goal and would require charter schools to be subject to those audits to ensure compliance with the prohibition against the imposition of unlawful pupil fees. (3) Existing law requires a school district to use its uniform complaint process to help identify and resolve any deficiencies related to instructional materials, emergency or urgent facilities conditions that pose a threat to the health and safety of pupils or staff, teacher vacancy or misassignment, and intensive instruction and services provided to pupils who have not passed one or both parts of the high school exit examination after the completion of grade 12. Existing law provides certain complainants the right to file an appeal to the Superintendent of Public Instruction, who is required to provide a written report to the State Board of Education that describes the basis for the complaint and, as appropriate, proposes a remedy. A notice regarding the appropriate subjects of a complaint is required to be posted in each classroom in each school in the school district and a complaint regarding those deficiencies is required to be filed with the principal of the school or his or her designee, except as specified. This bill also would require a school district and a charter school to use its uniform complaint process to help identify and resolve any deficiencies related to the imposition of pupil fees for participation in educational activities, as those terms are defined. The bill also would provide persons with a complaint regarding the imposition of pupil fees the right to file an appeal to the Superintendent and would require the Superintendent to provide the written report to the state board and the complainant no later than 30 working days after the appeal was received by the Superintendent. If the report finds a violation, the bill would require the Superintendent to require the offending school district, charter school, or school to fully reimburse all affected pupils, parents, or guardians. The bill also would require the classroom notice to include certain information about the prohibition against charging pupil fees for participation in educational activities. The bill would require a school district, county office of education, and charter school to establish local policies and procedures, post notices, and implement the uniform complaint process provisions regarding the imposition of pupil fees for participation in educational activities by March 1, 2012. By imposing additional duties on local educational agencies, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program. (4) Existing law requires a county superintendent of schools to provide for an audit of all funds under his or her jurisdiction and requires the governing board of a local educational agency to either provide for an audit of the books and accounts of the local educational agency or make arrangements with the county superintendent of schools having jurisdiction over the local educational agency to provide for that auditing. Existing law requires a county superintendent of schools to be responsible for reviewing the audit exceptions contained in an audit of a local educational agency under his or her jurisdiction related to specified topics, and determining whether the exceptions were either corrected or an acceptable plan of correction was developed. Existing law requires the county office of education to review certain audit exceptions upon submission and receipt of a final audit report. Existing law requires the Superintendent of Public Instruction to be responsible for ensuring that local educational agencies have either corrected or developed plans of correction for specified audit exceptions. This bill, commencing with the 2011–12 audit of local educational agencies, would require the county superintendent of schools to also include in the review of audit exceptions those audit exceptions related to the imposition of pupil fees for participation in educational activities in violation of specified law, and to determine whether the exceptions are either corrected or an acceptable plan of correction is developed. The bill would prohibit an audit exception related to the imposition of unlawful pupil fees from being deemed corrected until the school district, county office of education, or charter school fully reimburses all affected parents, guardians, and pupils. The bill also would require the county office of education to review audit exceptions relating to the imposition of unlawful pupil fees. If, in an audit for a subsequent year, the auditor finds an uncorrected or new audit exception related to the imposition of unlawful pupil fees, the bill would require the auditor to make a specified disclosure and would require the Superintendent to withhold certain payments to the school district, county office of education, or charter school until they provide reimbursement, as specified. By imposing additional duties on local educational agencies, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program. (5) Existing law excepts certain claims from the requirement that all claims for money or damages against local public entities be presented in accordance with specified law. This bill would additionally except specified claims for reimbursement of pupil fees for participation in educational activities. (6) 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.
Sponsored bills
Existing law authorizes the Trustees of the California State University to enter into agreements for the performance of acts or for the furnishing of services, facilities, materials, goods, supplies, or equipment, under certain conditions. The trustees are required to prescribe policies and procedures for the acquisition of services, facilities, materials, goods, supplies, or equipment, subject to specified criteria. This bill would require the policies and procedures for the acquisition of food services to ensure a service contractor fully discloses to the campus, auxiliary organization, or other unit of the California State University all discounts, rebates, allowances, and incentives received by the service contractor from its suppliers, as specified, and to disclose and pay to the campus, auxiliary organization, or other unit of the university the full amount of the discount, rebate, or applicable credit, as specified. This bill would require the policies and procedures for the acquisition of services be available for review as part of any audit conducted under specified provisions. The bill would require any necessary changes to the policies and procedures for the acquisition of services be implemented upon the renewal, extension, or amendment of an existing agreement or as part of any new service agreement.
(1) The Donahoe Higher Education Act sets forth, among other things, the missions and functions of California's public and independent segments of higher education, and their respective institutions of higher education. Provisions of the act apply to the University of California only to the extent that the Regents of the University of California, by appropriate resolution, act to make a provision applicable. Existing law requires that a student, other than a nonimmigrant alien, as defined, who has attended high school in California for 3 or more years, who has graduated from a California high school or attained the equivalent thereof, who has registered at or attends an accredited institution of higher education in California not earlier than the fall semester or quarter of the 2001–02 academic year, and who, if he or she is an alien without lawful immigration status, has filed a prescribed affidavit is exempt from paying nonresident tuition at the California Community Colleges and the California State University. This bill would amend the Donahoe Higher Education Act, as of January 1, 2013, to require the Trustees of the California State University and the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges, and to request the regents, to establish procedures and forms that enable students who are exempt from paying nonresident tuition under the above-described provision, or who meet equivalent requirements adopted by the regents, to apply for, and participate in, all student aid programs administered by these segments to the full extent permitted by federal law, except as provided. This provision would apply to the University of California only if the regents, by appropriate resolution, act to make it applicable. This bill would provide that students who are exempt from paying nonresident tuition under the above provision, or who meet equivalent requirements adopted by the regents, are eligible to apply for, and participate in, any student financial aid program administered by the State of California to the full extent permitted by federal law. This bill would require the Student Aid Commission to establish procedures and forms that enable those students who are exempt from paying nonresident tuition under the above provision to apply for, and participate in, all student financial aid programs administered by the State of California to the full extent permitted by federal law. This bill would prohibit students who are exempt from paying nonresident tuition under the provision described above from being eligible for Competitive Cal Grant A and B Awards unless specified conditions are met. The bill would make these provisions operative as of January 1, 2013. (2) Existing federal law requires that a state may provide that an alien who is not lawfully present in the United States is eligible for any state or local public benefit for which that alien would otherwise be ineligible under a specified federal law only through enactment of a state law that affirmatively provides for that eligibility. This bill would find and declare that the amendments to the Donahoe Higher Education Act described above are state laws within the meaning of this federal provision. (3) Existing law establishes the California Community Colleges under the administration of the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges. Existing law authorizes the establishment of community college districts under the administration of community college governing boards, and authorizes these districts to provide instruction, for prescribed fees, at community college campuses throughout the state. Existing law authorizes the waiver of these fees for, among others, students who are eligible under income standards established by the board of governors. This bill, as of January 1, 2013, would require community college districts to waive the fees of students who are exempt from nonresident tuition under the provision described in (1) above, and who otherwise qualify for a waiver under this provision, under regulations and procedures adopted by the board of governors. Because the bill would impose new duties on community college districts with respect to determining eligibility for fee waivers, the bill would constitute a state-mandated local program. (4) 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.
(1) Existing law establishes a workers' compensation system, administered by the Administrative Director of the Division of Workers' Compensation, to compensate an employee for injuries sustained in the course of his or her employment. This bill would state the intent of the Legislature to prohibit the use of risk factors and specified characteristics to deny an injured worker his or her rightful benefit when disabled in the workplace. The bill would also state the intent of the Legislature to prohibit the apportionment of risk factors and characteristics without prohibiting the apportionment of documentable preexisting nonindustrial causes of disability or holding an employer liable for any percentage of permanent disability not directly caused by an injury arising out of and occurring in the course of employment. (2) Existing law requires any physician who prepares a report addressing the issue of permanent disability due to a claimed industrial injury to address the issue of causation of the permanent disability, and requires that the report include an apportionment determination in order to be considered complete on the issue of permanent disability. Existing law requires a physician to make an apportionment determination by finding what approximate percentage of the permanent disability is caused by the direct result of injury arising out of and occurring in the course of employment and what approximate percentage is caused by other factors. This bill would prohibit the approximate percentage of the permanent disability caused by other factors from including consideration of race, religious creed, color, national origin, age, gender, marital status, sex, sexual orientation, or genetic characteristics.
Existing law requires the Department of Food and Agriculture, headed by the Secretary of Food and Agriculture, to promote and protect the agricultural industry of the state. This bill would, until July 1, 2017, create the California Healthy Food Financing Initiative. It would require, by July 1, 2012, the Secretary of Food and Agriculture to prepare recommendations, to be presented upon request to the Legislature, regarding actions that need to be taken to promote food access in the state. The bill would establish the California Healthy Food Financing Initiative Council and would require the council to implement the initiative, as specified. The bill would require the department to establish an advisory group, as specified. The bill would create the California Healthy Food Financing Initiative Fund in the State Treasury, to be comprised of federal, state, philanthropic, and private funds, for the purpose of expanding access to healthy foods in underserved communities and, to the extent practicable, to leverage other funding, as specified. Moneys in the fund would be expended upon appropriation by the Legislature.
Existing law authorizes the State Auditor to establish a high-risk government agency audit program for the purpose of identifying, auditing, and issuing reports on any agency of the state that the State Auditor identifies as being at high risk for the potential of waste, fraud, abuse, and mismanagement or that has major challenges associated with its economy, efficiency, or effectiveness. This bill would, subject to specified conditions, authorize the State Auditor to establish a high-risk local government agency audit program to identify, audit, and issue reports on any local government agency, including any city, county, or special district, or any publicly created entity that the State Auditor identifies as being at high risk for the potential of waste, fraud, abuse, or mismanagement or that has major challenges associated with its economy, efficiency, or effectiveness. The bill would also authorize the State Auditor to consult with the Controller, Attorney General, and other state agencies in identifying local government agencies that are at high risk.
Existing law requires the California State University and each community college district, and requests the University of California, with respect to each campus in their respective jurisdictions that administers a priority enrollment system, to grant priority for registration for enrollment to any member or former member of the Armed Forces of the United States, as defined, for any academic term attended at one of these institutions within 2 years of leaving active duty. This bill, until January 1, 2017, would require the California State University and each community college district, and requests the University of California, with respect to each campus in their respective jurisdictions that administers a priority enrollment system, to grant priority for registration for enrollment to foster youth or former foster youth, as defined. By revising requirements relating to student eligibility for priority registration at community college districts, 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, 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, part of the hazardous waste control law, requires the Department of Toxic Substances Control to adopt regulations to establish a process by which chemicals or chemical ingredients in products may be identified and prioritized for consideration as being chemicals of concern and to adopt regulations to establish a process by which chemicals of concern may be evaluated. The department is prohibited from duplicating or adopting conflicting regulations for regulated product categories. A violation of the hazardous waste control law is a crime. The bill would enact the Toxin-Free Infants and Toddlers Act, which would, except as specified, prohibit, on and after July 1, 2013, the manufacture, sale, or distribution in commerce of any bottle or cup that contains bisphenol A, at a detectable level above 0.1 parts per billion (ppb) , if the bottle or cup is designed or intended to be filled with any liquid, food, or beverage intended primarily for consumption by children 3 years of age or younger. This prohibition would not apply to a product subject to a regulatory response by the department, on the date that a prescribed notice is posted regarding the department's adoption of the regulatory response. The bill would also require manufacturers to use the least toxic alternative when replacing bisphenolA in containers in accordance with this bill.
Existing federal law provides for the allocation of federal funds through the federal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) block grant program to eligible states, with California's version of this program known as the California Work Opportunity and Responsibility to Kids (CalWORKs) program. Under the CalWORKs program, each county provides cash assistance and other benefits to qualified low-income families and individuals who meet specified eligibility criteria. Existing law imposes limits on the amount of income and personal and real property an individual or family may possess in order to be eligible for aid under the CalWORKs program, including specifying the allowable value of a licensed vehicle retained by an applicant for, or recipient of, that aid. This bill would delete existing requirements for assessing the value of a motor vehicle for purposes of CalWORKs program eligibility. The bill would exclude the value of a licensed motor vehicle from consideration when determining or redetermining CalWORKs eligibility. By increasing the duties of counties administering the CalWORKs program, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program. Existing law continually appropriates money from the General Fund to pay for a share of aid grant costs under the CalWORKs program. This bill would declare that no appropriation would be made for purposes of the bill pursuant to the provision continuously appropriating funds for the CalWORKs 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 property tax law generally prohibits a local jurisdiction, in the 1985–86 fiscal year and each fiscal year thereafter, from imposing a property tax rate pursuant to a specified statutory provision in excess of the rate so imposed by that jurisdiction in specified fiscal years, unless it is imposed for specified purposes, including, among others, to make payments in support of certain pension programs. This bill would, if a local jurisdiction increases or extends a property tax rate, on or after January 1, 2012, for the purpose specified above, require the county auditor to, prior to the increase or extension of the property tax rate, verify that the rate increased or extended by the jurisdiction does not exceed the maximum rate authorized by law. This bill would require the jurisdiction to provide the county auditor with any documentation that is necessary to assist the county auditor in making the verification, as provided, and to reimburse the county auditor for the actual and reasonable costs incurred by the county auditor in administering the verification. This bill would require the county auditor to reject the increase or extension of any property tax rate that exceeds the maximum rate authorized by law. 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.