The Political Reform Act of 1974 regulates the receipt of gifts by public officials and also regulates the activities of members of the lobbying industry, including lobbyist employers. Under existing law, public officials are prohibited from accepting gifts from any single source in any calendar year with a total value of more than $250, as adjusted biennially by the Fair Political Practices Commission. Existing law also prohibits a lobbyist or lobbying firm from giving gifts to a public official aggregating more than $10 in a calendar month or from acting as an agent or intermediary in the making of any gift or arranging for the making of any gift by any other person. This bill would prohibit a lobbyist, lobbying firm, or lobbyist employer from giving to an elected state officer or a member of that officer's immediate family, and would prohibit an elected state officer from accepting from a lobbyist, lobbying firm, or lobbyist employer, certain gifts, including spa treatments, recreational trips, and gift cards. However, under the bill, these prohibitions would not apply to a fundraising event for a bona fide charitable organization. This bill would also prohibit a lobbyist employer from giving to an elected state officer, or a lobbyist, lobbying firm, or lobbyist employer from giving to a member of that officer's immediate family, specified entertainment tickets with face values exceeding $25, including theater, concert, and amateur sporting event tickets. Existing law makes a violation of the Political Reform Act of 1974 subject to administrative, civil, and criminal penalties. This bill would impose a state-mandated local program by creating additional crimes. 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. The Political Reform Act of 1974, an initiative measure, provides that the Legislature may amend the act to further the act's purposes upon a 23 vote of each house and compliance with specified procedural requirements. This bill would declare that it furthers the purposes of the act.
Sponsored bills
The Political Reform Act of 1974 prohibits, for a period of one year after the official leaves his or her position, elected and other specified local officials who held positions with a local government agency, as defined, from acting as agents or attorneys for, or otherwise representing, for compensation, any other person, by appearing before, or communicating with, that local government agency, or any committee, subcommittee, or present member of that local government agency, or any officer or employee of the local government agency, if the appearance or communication is made for the purpose of influencing administrative or legislative action, as specified, or influencing any action or proceeding involving the issuance, amendment, awarding, or revocation of a permit, license, grant, or contract, or the sale or purchase of goods or property. This bill, in addition, would apply this prohibition to other public officials serving as members of local governing boards or commissions with decisionmaking authority. Existing law makes a knowing or willful violation of the Political Reform Act of 1974 a misdemeanor and subjects offenders to criminal penalties. This bill would impose a state-mandated local program by creating an additional crime. 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. The Political Reform Act of 1974, an initiative measure, provides that the Legislature may amend the act to further the act's purposes upon a 23 vote of each house and compliance with specified procedural requirements. This bill would declare that it furthers the purposes of the act.
This measure would proclaim June 2012 as Scleroderma Awareness Month.
Existing law, the Medical Practice Act, establishes the Medical Board of California within the Department of Consumer Affairs, which licenses physicians and surgeons and regulates their practice. The Medical Practice Act restricts the employment of licensed physicians and surgeons and podiatrists by a corporation or other artificial legal entity, subject to specified exemptions. Existing law makes it unlawful to knowingly make, or cause to be made, any false or fraudulent claim for payment of a health care benefit, or to aid, abet, solicit, or conspire with any person to do so, and makes a violation of this prohibition a public offense. This bill, with respect to a business organization that provides outpatient elective cosmetic medical procedures or treatments, that is owned and operated in violation of the prohibition against employment of licensed physicians and surgeons and podiatrists, and that contracts with or employs these licensees to facilitate the offer or provision of procedures or treatments that may only be provided by these licensees, would make that business organization guilty of a violation of the prohibition against knowingly making or causing to be made any false or fraudulent claim for payment of a health care benefit. The bill would prohibit construing its provisions to alter or apply to any arrangements currently authorized by law. Because the bill would expand a public offense, it would impose a state-mandated local program. This bill would state that its provisions are declaratory of existing 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.
(1) Existing law establishes the California Community Colleges, which are administered by the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges. The governing board of any community college district is authorized, without approval of the board of trustees, to establish and maintain community service classes in civic, vocational, literacy, health, homemaking, technical, and general education, as specified. This bill would require the Office of the Chancellor of the California Community Colleges to establish a voluntary pilot program for purposes of authorizing a community college district to establish and maintain an extension program offering career and workforce training credit courses, as defined. The bill would authorize the governing board of a community college district to apply, and would require the chancellor to select no more than 5 campuses out of 5 separate community college districts, to participate in the pilot program. The bill would require applicant campuses to meet specified requirements to be eligible for selection for participation in the pilot program. The bill would require selected campuses to comply with specified requirements for participation in the pilot program. The bill would authorize the governing board of a community college district participating in the pilot program to establish fees not to exceed the actual cost, as defined, of maintaining the pilot program. The bill would encourage each community college district participating in the pilot program to offer as part of the program one or more courses that lead to a certificate or diploma that is recognized by potential employers as satisfying skill requirements necessary for employment. The bill would require each community college district participating in the pilot program to collect specified information and submit that information, and a schedule of the fees established for the pilot program, to the chancellor by August 1 of each year, and would require the chancellor to forward that information to the Legislative Analyst's Office. The bill would require the Legislative Analyst's Office to provide a report that evaluates the pilot program and includes specified information to the Legislature by June 30, 2016. The above provisions would remain in effect only until January 1, 2018. (2) Existing law authorizes the governing board of a community college district to establish contract education programs to provide specific educational programs or training, as specified. This bill would prohibit this provision from being construed to authorize the implementation of a multitiered fee system, as specified, and would prohibit a community college district from charging a per unit fee for courses that are in excess of fee amounts specifically authorized by law, except as provided for in this bill. The bill would state the intent of the Legislature that these provisions are declarative of existing law.
Existing law authorizes any person, company, or other organization that complies with specified conditions to agree to pay money or other valuable consideration, on a per-affidavit basis or otherwise, to any person who assists another person to register to vote by receiving the completed affidavit of registration. This bill would prohibit any person, company, or other organization from agreeing to pay money or other valuable consideration on a per-affidavit basis to any person who assists another person to register to vote by receiving the completed affidavit of registration, would prohibit the receipt of this per-affidavit consideration, and would make conforming changes. A violation of these prohibitions would be a misdemeanor. Existing law requires an elections official to notify the payor of a person who assists others to register to vote if 3 or more affidavits submitted by the person assisting do not comply with specified provisions. This bill would provide that this notification is required when 3 or more affidavits submitted by the person assisting each reflects a violation of one or more of those provisions. By defining a new crime, 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 no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason.
Existing law provides for the licensure and regulation of mortgage loan originators under the Real Estate Law, the California Finance Lenders Law, and the California Residential Mortgage Lending Act. Existing law defines a mortgage loan originator to mean an individual who takes a residential mortgage loan application or offers or negotiates terms of a residential mortgage loan for compensation or gain, as specified. This bill would specify that a mortgage loan originator means an individual who performs those acts habitually or repeatedly and would also specify that a mortgage loan originator does not include an individual who takes a residential mortgage loan application or offers or negotiates terms of a residential mortgage loan for no more than 5 residential mortgage loans in a calendar year where the loans are made in connection with the sale of residential property and the loan proceeds are from the seller's own funds.
(1) Existing law makes it a crime for a person who is under the influence of alcohol or any drug, or under the combined influence of alcohol and any drug, to drive a vehicle. Existing law also makes it a crime for a person to drive a vehicle with 0.08% or more, by weight, of alcohol in his or her blood. This bill would, in addition, make it a crime for a person to have a controlled substance, as defined, in his or her blood while driving a vehicle. (2) Existing law makes it a crime for a person who drives a vehicle under the influence of alcohol or any drug, or under the combined influence of alcohol and any drug, to do any act forbidden by law or neglect any duty imposed by law while driving a vehicle when that act or neglected duty is the proximate cause of bodily injury to any person other than the driver. Existing law also makes it a crime for a person who drives a vehicle with 0.08% or more, by weight, of alcohol in his or her blood to do any act forbidden by law or neglect any duty imposed by law while driving a vehicle when that act or neglected duty is the proximate cause of bodily injury to any person other than the driver. This bill would, in addition, make it a crime for a person to have a controlled substance, as defined, in his or her blood while driving a vehicle and to do any act forbidden by law or neglect any duty imposed by law while driving when that act or neglected duty is the proximate cause of bodily injury to any person other than the driver. (3) Under existing law, there is a rebuttable evidentiary presumption that a person was under the influence of alcohol at the time he or she drove a vehicle if he or she had 0.08% or more, by weight, of alcohol in his or her blood at the time of a chemical test if the chemical test was done within 3 hours after the person drove the vehicle. This bill would create a rebuttable evidentiary presumption that a person had a controlled substance in his or her blood at the time he or she drove a vehicle if the person had a controlled substance, as defined, in his or her blood at the time of the performance of a chemical test if the test is done within 3 hours after the person drove the vehicle. (4) Because this bill would create new crimes, it 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.
This measure would urge the President and the Congress of the United States to immediately enact the Achieving a Better Life Experience Act of 2011.
This measure would designate Monday, May 7, 2012, as California Peace Officers' Memorial Day, urge all Californians to use that day to honor California peace officers, and recognize specified California peace officers who were killed in defense of their communities.