Existing law authorizes the State Energy Resources Conservation and Development Commission to administer funds appropriated by the federal American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (federal act) for the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant Program. Existing law establishes the Energy Efficient State Property Revolving Fund (fund) and continuously appropriates the moneys in the fund to the Department of General Services for loans for projects on state-owned buildings and facilities to achieve greater, long-term energy efficiency, energy conservation, and energy cost and use avoidance. This bill would, for the 2011–12 and 2012–13 fiscal years, authorize the commission to transfer an amount of money as the commission determines to be appropriate, up to a maximum of $50,000,000, from the moneys received from the federal act into the fund. By requiring the transfer of moneys into a continuously appropriated fund, this bill would make an appropriation. The bill would require the commission to provide written notice to the Controller on the amount and the timing of the transfer. The bill would require the commission to notify, in writing, the Joint Legislative Budget Committee.
Sponsored bills
(1) Existing law creates various public pension systems and requires that all state and local public retirement systems secure the services of an enrolled actuary, not less than triennially, to perform a valuation of those systems. Existing law requires all state and local public retirement systems to submit audited financial statements to the Controller who is required to compile and publish a report annually on the financial condition of the systems. This bill, until January 1, 2017, would require a state or local pension system with assets over $4,000,000,000 to provide a report to the Controller on California investments, as defined, and California emerging market investments, as defined, that it obtains on and after July 1, 2012, and holds in its portfolio, and would permit a system to modify the definition to ensure consistency with adopted investment policies and limit reporting costs. The bill would also permit the report to include an estimate of the number of jobs created and retained as a result of the system's investment activity. (2) Existing law creates the California Economic Development Fund for the purpose of receiving federal, state, local, and private economic development funds, and receiving repayment of loans or grant proceeds and interest on those loans or grants. Existing law establishes certain definitions in this regard and defines economic development as including policies and programs expressly directed at improving the business climate in business finance, marketing, neighborhood development, small business development, business retention and expansion, technology transfer, and real estate redevelopment. This bill would require, for the 2011–12 and 2012–13 fiscal years, that the Board of Administration of the Public Employees' Retirement System together with the Teacher's Retirement Board of the State Teachers' Retirement System to share with other public pension systems streamlined and cost-effective methods for identifying investments within their portfolios that meet the definitions of California investment and California emerging market investment. The bill, until January 1, 2017, would authorize the Controller to compile and publish specified investment information supplied by state and local pension systems on the Controller's Internet Web site, as provided. (3) This bill would also make a statement of legislative findings and would declare the intent of the Legislature that retirement boards with sufficiently diversified portfolios, consistent with their plenary authority and their fiduciary responsibilities, adopt specified investment policies that meet their own unique investment objectives.
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.
Under existing law, the Public Utilities Commission has regulatory authority over public utilities, including electrical, gas, water, and telephone corporations. Existing law authorizes the commission to establish rules for all public utilities, subject to control by the Legislature. Existing law directs the commission to require every electrical, gas, water, wireless telecommunications service provider, and telephone corporation with annual gross revenues exceeding $25,000,000, and their regulated subsidiaries and affiliates, to implement a program developed by the commission to encourage, recruit, and utilize minority-, women-, and disabled veteran-owned business enterprises, as defined, in the procurement of contracts from those corporations or from their regulated subsidiaries and affiliates, and to require the reporting of certain information. The commission, by its rulemaking authority, has adopted General Order 156, applicable to certain electrical, gas, and telephone corporations, to effectuate these requirements. Existing law includes the declaration by the Legislature that each electrical, gas, water, wireless telecommunications service provider, and telephone corporation that is not required to submit a plan is encouraged to voluntarily adopt a plan for increasing women, minority, and disabled veteran business enterprise procurement in all categories. This bill would additionally declare that the Legislature encourages each cable television corporation and direct broadcast satellite provider to voluntarily adopt a plan for increasing women, minority, and disabled veteran business enterprise procurement and to voluntarily report activity in this area to the Legislature on an annual basis. Existing law requires the commission to provide to the Legislature a specified report on the progress of activities undertaken by certain entities in the implementation of women, minority, and disabled business enterprise development programs. This bill would require the commission to make this report available on its Internet Web site.
Under existing law, the Public Utilities Commission has regulatory authority over public utilities, including telephone corporations. Existing law requires the commission to oversee administration of the state's universal service programs, including the deaf and disabled programs. The existing deaf and disabled universal service program, among other things, requires the commission to design and implement a program to provide a telecommunications device capable of serving the needs of individuals who are deaf or hearing impaired, together with a single party line, at no charge additional to the basic exchange rate, to any subscriber who is certified as an individual who is deaf or hearing impaired. This bill would require the commission to expand the program to include assistance to individuals with speech disabilities, including assistance to purchase speech-generating devices, accessories, and mounting systems, and specialized telecommunications equipment. The bill would require the commission to design and implement a program to provide access to a speech-generating device to any subscriber who is certified as having a speech disability at no charge additional to the basic exchange rate. The bill would require the commission to adopt rules to implement the program by January 1, 2014. The bill would require the commission to evaluate options for controlling the program costs of providing speech-generating devices, and include information on any barriers to participation in the program by eligible subscribers, as part of an existing report to the Legislature. Under existing law, a violation of the Public Utilities Act or any order, decision, rule, direction, demand, or requirement of the commission is a crime. Because the bill would require the commission to adopt rules, the violation of which would be 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.
This measure would recognize October 2011 as Domestic Violence Awareness Month and urge all Californians to take a stand against domestic violence.
This measure would urge the United States government to consider the California jobs and economic stimulus provided by the California floriculture industry when advancing free trade agreements, specifically with Colombia.
This measure would honor and recognize the service and sacrifice made by members of the Armed Forces and their families on the occasion of Armed Forces Day on May 21, 2011.
This measure would express the Legislature's apology, on behalf of the people of the state, for violations of the civil liberties and constitutional rights of Filipino Americans caused by antimiscegenation laws that precluded marriage between Filipinos and Caucasians, and its regret, on behalf of the people of the state, for the suffering and hardship endured by Filipino Americans as a result of governmental actions taken because of various policies and laws it enacted.
This resolution would recognize the contributions of Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander communities to California, and would also recognize the importance of preserving Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander communities and their traditions.