Existing law authorizes a presiding judge of a superior court to request that the Chairperson of the Judicial Council order the court to take certain actions when war, an act of terrorism, public unrest or calamity, epidemic, natural disaster, or other substantial risk to the health and welfare of court personnel or the public, or the danger thereof, threatens the orderly operation of the courts or makes court facilities unsafe, including, but not limited to, holding court sessions anywhere within the county, transferring civil cases to another county, or extending the time periods for bringing an action to trial, as specified. Existing law further authorizes the Chairperson of the Judicial Council to issue an order of their own accord authorizing multiple courts to implement some or all of that relief if the chairperson determines that emergency conditions threaten the orderly operation of superior court locations in more than one county, or render presence in, or access to, affected facilities unsafe. Existing law, until January 31, 2022, authorizes the Judicial Council or its Chairperson to take action, via emergency order or statewide rule, necessary to maintain the safe and orderly operation of the courts in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, as specified. Existing law requires the Judicial Council to submit a report to the Legislature and the Governor by January 1, 2023, on the use of remote technology in civil actions by the trial courts. Existing law additionally requires the Judicial Council to convene a working group for the purpose of recommending a statewide framework for remote civil court proceedings that addresses equal and fair access to justice, as specified, and to submit a report with the working group's recommendations to the Legislature and the Governor by January 1, 2023. This bill would express the intent of the Legislature to help facilitate the successful operation of civil trials in the courts during the COVID-19 pandemic.
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This measure would designate the month of October 2021 as California Hindu American Awareness and Appreciation Month. The measure would also recognize and acknowledge the significant contributions made by Californians of Hindu heritage to the state and seek to increase awareness and understanding of the Hindu American community.
Existing law provides for the Medi-Cal program, administered by the State Department of Health Care Services and under which qualified low-income individuals receive health care services. The Medi-Cal program is, in part, governed and funded by federal Medicaid program provisions. Existing law requires the department to provide presumptive Medi-Cal eligibility to pregnant women and children. Existing law authorizes a qualified hospital to make presumptive eligibility determinations if it complies with specified requirements. Existing law authorizes the department, on a regional pilot project basis, to issue an identification card to a person who is eligible for Medi-Cal program benefits, but does not possess a valid California driver's license or identification card issued by the Department of Motor Vehicles. Existing law requires the department, in consultation with the board governing the California Health Benefit Exchange, to develop a single paper, electronic, and telephone application for insurance affordability programs, including Medi-Cal. This bill would require the department to implement a program of presumptive eligibility for persons experiencing homelessness, under which a person would receive full-scope Medi-Cal benefits without a share of cost. The bill would require the department to authorize an enrolled Medi-Cal provider to issue a temporary Medi-Cal benefits identification card to a person experiencing homelessness, and would prohibit the department from requiring a person experiencing homelessness to present a valid California driver's license or identification card issued by the Department of Motor Vehicles to receive Medi-Cal services if the provider verifies the person's eligibility. This bill would authorize an enrolled Medi-Cal provider to make a presumptive eligibility determination for a person experiencing homelessness. The bill would require the department to reimburse an enrolled Medi-Cal provider who bills the Medi-Cal program for Medi-Cal services provided off the premises to a person experiencing homelessness, as specified. The bill would require a Medi-Cal managed care plan to allow a beneficiary to seek those services and to reimburse a provider for providing those services, but would authorize a Medi-Cal managed care plan to establish reasonable requirements governing network participation. The bill would require a Medi-Cal managed care plan to reimburse a participating Medi-Cal provider providing covered services, without requiring the provider to obtain prior approval, as specified. The bill would authorize an enrolled Medi-Cal provider to refer a Medi-Cal beneficiary who is experiencing homelessness for specialist care and diagnostics. The bill would require the department to seek any necessary federal approvals to implement the above provisions, and would condition their implementation on receipt of those federal approvals and the availability of federal financial participation. The bill would require the insurance affordability program's application to include information collection means for the applicant to indicate if they are experiencing homelessness at the time of application. If Medi-Cal covered health care services covered by a Medi-Cal managed care plan are not provided within the first 60 calendar days of enrollment to a Medi-Cal beneficiary who has indicated that they are a person experiencing homelessness at the time of application, the bill would require the department to deduct the capitation payments made by the department to the plan from subsequent payments due to the plan for the time period from when the person was initially enrolled into a plan until the first receipt of plan-covered services. If a person experiencing homelessness who is assigned a primary care provider (PCP) receives services by another provider off the premises of the assigned PCP, the bill would require the department or the Medi-Cal managed care plan to notify the assigned PCP that their patient was seen by another provider.
The California Constitution prohibits the state, including any political subdivision or government instrumentality of or within the state, from discriminating against, or granting preferential treatment to, any individual or group on the basis of race, sex, color, ethnicity, or national origin in the operation of public employment, public education, or public contracting. Existing law establishes in state government various commissions and committees, including, among others, the California Commission on Disability Access, the Healthy California for All Commission, the Commission on the Status of Women and Girls, and the Committee on Revision of the Penal Code to study and recommend reforms on certain topics, including issues related to equality and justice. This bill would establish in state government the California Commission on Human Rights, as an advisory commission, and would require it to, among other things, identify and evaluate California's successes and failures in protecting human rights of individuals living within the state, determine statutory, regulatory, or budgetary solutions to better protect human rights, and report, at least annually, on the status of human rights to the Legislature and the Governor with statutory and regulatory recommendations. The bill would require the commission to consist of 17 members, including, among others, Members of the Assembly and the Senate. The bill would also create the California Commission on Human Rights Fund in the General Fund to, upon appropriation by the Legislature, carry out these provisions and support the commission. The bill would make related findings and declarations. The bill would repeal these provisions on January 1, 2027.
Existing law, the California Tourism and Marketing Act, establishes a nonprofit mutual benefit corporation named the California Travel and Tourism Commission under the direction of a board of commissioners composed of 37 members, including the Director of the Governor's Office of Business and Economic Development. This bill, the California Tourism Recovery Act, would require the commission to, upon a determination by the State Department of Public Health that it is safe to resume travel in California, implement a strategic media and jobs recovery campaign known as the "Calling All Californians" program for the purpose of reversing the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the travel and tourism industry in California, as specified. The bill would require the commission to report to the Legislature, on or before January 1, 2024, regarding the cost of the program and the impact of the program on the tourism industry in California. The bill would require, only upon appropriation by the Legislature, the Controller to transfer $45,000,000 to the commission for the purpose of implementing the "Calling All Californians" program.
Existing law, the Mental Health Services Act (MHSA) , an initiative measure enacted by the voters as Proposition 63 at the November 2, 2004, statewide general election, establishes the continuously appropriated Mental Health Services Fund to fund various county mental health programs and requires counties to spend those funds as specified. As part of the MHSA, existing law requires counties to engage in specified planning activities, including creating and updating a 3-year program and expenditure plan through a stakeholder process. Existing law authorizes counties to spend 5% of MHSA money on innovative programs, upon approval of the Mental Health Services Oversight and Accountability Commission. Existing law authorizes the MHSA to be amended by a 23 vote of the Legislature if the amendments are consistent with, and further the purposes of, the MHSA. This bill would amend the MHSA by authorizing counties, until January 1, 2025, to expend unencumbered innovative program funds to expand a program implementing the full-service partnership model, including those that prioritize unserved or underserved populations that typically receive services through innovative programs. The bill would require, prior to expending the funds, that the county mental health program seek approval from the commission and that the county board of supervisors adopt specified findings. The bill would require that the commission approve or deny the request to use funds within 45 days of receiving it. The bill would require a county mental health program using funds pursuant to these provisions to report annually to the commission, as specified. This bill would state the finding and declaration of the Legislature that this change is consistent with, and furthers the intent of, the MHSA.
Existing law defines the ballot label as the portion of the ballot containing the names of the candidates or a statement of a measure. For statewide measures, existing law requires the Attorney General to prepare a condensed version of the ballot title and summary, including the fiscal impact summary prepared by the Legislative Analyst that is printed in the state voter information guide. This bill would additionally require the ballot label for statewide measures, and, at the option of a county, the ballot label or similar description on the ballot of county, city, district, and school district measures, to include a listing of nonprofit organizations, businesses, or individuals taken from the signers of ballot arguments printed in the voter information guide that support and oppose the measure or from the signers of the rebuttal arguments to the arguments that support and oppose the measure, as specified. The bill would require a nonprofit organization, business, or individual to meet certain criteria before being listed on the ballot label or similar description of the measure on the ballot. The bill would require the signers of the ballot arguments to submit the lists of supporters and opponents to the Secretary of State or the respective elections official and would require the Secretary of State or respective elections official to provide those lists to county elections officials as part of the ballot label. The bill would make conforming changes and related findings and declarations. The bill would include findings that changes proposed by this bill address a matter of statewide concern rather than a municipal affair and, therefore, apply to all cities, including charter cities. Because the bill would impose additional duties on local elections officials, and because it would expand the crime of perjury, 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 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 authorizes the service of documents in a civil action by electronic means pursuant to rules adopted by the Judicial Council. Existing law authorizes a court to electronically serve any document issued by the court that is not required to be personally served on a party that has agreed or consented to accept electronic service, with the same legal effect as service by mail, except as specified. This bill would, on and after July 1, 2023, instead require the court to electronically serve those documents on a party that has agreed or consented to accept electronic service.
Existing law establishes the Department of Justice, which is responsible, in part, for overseeing state summary criminal history information and overseeing statewide criminal justice programs like the California Criminalistics Institute. This bill would require the Attorney General to review any hate crimes and domestic terrorism training programs and resource programs that are provided to state, local, and tribal law enforcement agencies and ensure that those training and resource programs assist in understanding, detecting, deterring, and investigating hate crimes and acts of domestic terrorism. The bill would require an individual who provides hate crimes and domestic terrorism training to have expertise in domestic terrorism and relevant academic, law enforcement, or other experience in matters related to domestic terrorism. The bill would additionally require the Attorney General to review funding for antiterrorism from the 10 years prior to 2021, and report to the Legislature on or before January 1, 2023, with an analysis of whether California has an appropriately funded approach that focuses resources on the most pressing sources of terrorism.
Existing law, the California Judicial Branch Contract Law, requires judicial branch entities to comply with specified provisions of the Public Contract Code that are applicable to state agencies and departments, related to the procurement of goods and services, including information technology goods and services. Existing law, except as specified, requires all contracts with total cost estimated at more than $1,000,000, to be subject to the review and recommendations of the California State Auditor to ensure compliance with that law. Existing law requires all judicial branch entities to notify the California State Auditor, in writing, of the existence of any such contracts within 10 business days of entering the contract. This bill would require all judicial branch entities to also notify the members of the Legislature who serve on specified legislative committees, in writing, of the existence of any such contracts within 10 business days of entering the contract. Existing law also requires all administrative and infrastructure information technology projects of the Judicial Council or the courts with total costs estimated at more than $5,000,000 to be subject to the review and recommendations of the Department of Technology. This bill would instead require all contracts, as described above, with a total cost estimated at more than $1,000,000 to be subject to the review and recommendations of the Department of Technology. The bill would also require the judicial branch entities to notify the California State Auditor and members of the Legislature who serve on specified legislative committees, in writing, of the existence of any such contracts within 10 business days of entering the contract. The bill would require all judicial branch entities, by January 1, 2023, to have developed and instituted sufficient policies and procedures to comply with the above requirements.