Existing law requires the Superintendent of Public Instruction to establish the capacity to provide transition services such as employment and academic training, strategic planning, interagency coordination, and parent training for a broad range of individuals with exceptional needs, including autism spectrum disorders and other disabilities. This bill, contingent upon the availability of federal funds for this purpose, would authorize a county office of education or consortium of county offices of education to establish pilot programs for the purposes of providing combined academic and occupational training to secondary school pupils with autism spectrum disorders and other exceptional needs. The bill would require a county office of education or consortium of county offices of education that establishes a pilot program pursuant to these provisions to submit an evaluation containing specified information about the program to the State Department of Education, the Assembly Committee on Education, and the Senate Committee on Education on or before January 1, 2014. These provisions would be repealed on January 1, 2015.
Sponsored bills
Existing law requires the Director of General Services, when acting on behalf of the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, to provide notice to certain public officials whose districts may be affected, including Members of the Legislature, when the director decides to construct a building, expand a building, or lease an existing building. This bill would make nonsubstantive, technical changes to these provisions.
Existing law prescribes the course of study a pupil is required to complete while in grades 9 to 12, inclusive, in order to receive a diploma of graduation. Existing law authorizes the governing board of a school district to adopt rules specifying additional coursework requirements. Existing law requires each school district maintaining any of grades 7 to 12, inclusive, to offer to all otherwise qualified pupils in those grades a course of study that provides an opportunity for those pupils to attain entry-level employment skills in business or industry upon graduation from high school. This bill would prohibit a school district from adopting a graduation requirement that commences with the 2010–11 school year and requires the completion of additional coursework to meet or exceed the requirements and prerequisites for admission to a 4-year California public university unless the district also requires the completion of a sequence of at least 3 career and technical education courses. However, this provision would not apply to a school district that, by June 30, 2009, has adopted graduation requirements that require the completion of all minimum coursework necessary to meet the requirements and prerequisites for admission to a 4-year California public university. The bill also would make conforming and clarifying changes.
Existing law authorizes the Governor to appoint and fix the salaries of assistants and other personnel as the Governor deems necessary for his or her office. This bill would require the Governor to create, within the Office of the Governor, the position of Director of California Biotechnology Retention and Recruitment, as specified. The bill would make the director responsible for serving as an informational resource for biotechnology, life science, and medical companies, as specified.
The Sales and Use Tax Law imposes a tax on retailers measured by the gross receipts from the sale of tangible personal property sold at retail in this state, or on the storage, use, or other consumption in this state of tangible personal property purchased from a retailer for storage, use, or other consumption in this state. That law provides various exemptions from those taxes. The bill would exempt from those taxes, on or after January 1, 2011, the gross receipts from the sale of, and the storage, use, or other consumption of, tangible personal property purchased by a qualified person for use in the manufacturing process, as specified, or to be used primarily in qualified research, as specified. This bill would also exempt the gross receipts from the sale of, and the storage, use, or other consumption of, tangible personal property purchased for use by a contractor for specified purposes. The Personal Income Tax Law and the Corporation Tax Law authorize various credits against the taxes imposed by those laws. Both laws, in specified conformity to federal income tax laws, allow a credit for increasing research expenses, as defined. In general, the amount of the credit under both laws is equal to 15% of the excess of the qualified research expenses, as defined, for the taxable year over the base amount, as defined, and, in addition, for purposes of the Corporation Tax Law, 24% of the basic research payments, as defined. The term "base amount" means the product of the average annual gross receipts of the taxpayer for each of the specified years preceding the taxable year and the fixed-base percentage, as defined, but in no event less than 50% of the qualified research expenses for the taxable year. A taxpayer may elect an alternative incremental credit for increasing research expenses in modified conformity to federal income tax laws. This bill would increase the credit for increasing research expenses to 20% of the excess of the qualified research expenses over the base amount. This bill would also provide complete conformity to the alternative incremental credit provided under those federal income tax laws. The Personal Income Tax Law and the Corporation Tax Law authorize a credit for taxable years beginning on or after January 1, 2009, and before January 1, 2011, in an amount equal to $3,000, prorated as provided, for each full-time employee hired during the taxable year by an employer that employed a specified number of employees. Those laws contain a specified cut-off date for the credits and require those sections to be repealed as of a specified date. This bill would delete the requirement related to the number of employees employed by the employer and the specified cut-off date and repeal date. This bill would, for taxable years beginning on or after January 1, 2010, also allow a credit under both laws in an amount equal to specified percentages of wages paid by a taxpayer to a qualified employee. The Personal Income Tax Law and the Corporation Tax Law authorize a taxpayer to depreciate property, determined by an applicable depreciation method, an applicable recovery period, and an applicable convention. This bill would reduce the recovery period for depreciating property to one-half of the period authorized by existing law. The Personal Income Tax Law and the Corporation Tax Law provide that a net operating loss attributable to a taxable year beginning on or after January 1, 2008, shall be a net operating loss carryback to each of the 2 taxable years preceding the taxable year of loss. Those laws allow a net operating loss carryback in an amount that shall not exceed specified percentages of the net operating loss. This bill would, commencing in 2015, extend the net operating loss carryback to each of the 5 taxable years preceding the taxable year of the loss and would increase the percentage of net operating loss carryback to 100% of the net operating loss for taxable years beginning on or after January 1, 2012. The Personal Income Tax Law and the Corporation Tax Law provide that gain or loss upon the disposition of a capital asset is determined by reference to the specified adjusted basis of that asset. This bill would provide under both laws that the gross income of a taxpayer does not include any gain from the sale or exchange of any capital asset. This bill would take effect immediately as a tax levy.
Existing law, as amended by Proposition 83 of the November 7, 2006, statewide general election, the Sexual Predator Punishment and Control Act: Jessica's Law, provides that in the case of sex offenders who have received a life sentence for the commission of certain sex offenses the period of parole shall be 10 years. Existing law provides that the Board of Parole Hearings shall have the power to allow prisoners imprisoned in the state prisons for an indeterminate sentence to go upon parole outside the prison walls and enclosures. This bill would provide that prisoners who are required to register pursuant to the Sex Offender Registration Act and who are sentenced to an indeterminate sentence shall be ineligible for parole unless the prisoner has been evaluated by 2 practicing psychiatrists or practicing licensed psychologists, or one practicing psychiatrist and one practicing licensed psychologist, appointed as specified, and both of these professionals have determined that the prisoner poses no danger to society based on an interview and the administration of the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory. The bill would require any psychiatrist or licensed psychologist performing an evaluation pursuant to these provisions to take into consideration that prisoner's initial sentencing memorandum that was issued when the prisoner was sentenced in court. The bill would provide qualification requirements for the psychiatrists or licensed psychologists performing this evaluation. The bill would provide that in the event that the evaluating psychiatrists or licensed psychologists conclude that their assessments affirmatively support the prisoner's release on parole, the board shall nonetheless retain discretion to deny parole based on any other criteria considered by the board.
Existing law requires the Franchise Tax Board to prepare wage withholding tables to be used by employers for purposes of withholding taxes on wages paid. Existing law requires, for wages paid on or after November 1, 2009, the wage withholding tables to produce a sum that is equal to 10% more than the sum specified for purposes of the withholding tables. This bill would limit the requirement for the additional 10% wage withholding to wages paid on and after November 1, 2009, and before January 1, 2011.
Existing law establishes various student financial aid programs under the administration of the Student Aid Commission, and establishes eligibility requirements for the receipt of awards under those programs for participating students attending qualifying institutions. Existing law establishes the Military Department, which includes the California National Guard, the State Military Reserve, and the Naval Militia, to perform various duties regarding the state militia. This bill would establish the California National Guard Education Assistance Award Program on behalf of qualifying members of the California National Guard, the State Military Reserve, and the Naval Militia under the administration of the commission. The bill would require the Student Aid Commission, in consultation with the Military Department, to adopt emergency rules and regulations for the purpose of implementing the program. The bill would require the Student Aid Commission to report annually to the Legislature regarding program participation. The bill would require the Legislative Analyst, on or before January 1, 2016, to prepare and submit to the Legislature a report on the program. The bill would provide that the program would become operative only if funds are appropriated for the purposes of the program. The bill would also provide that implementation of the program would be contingent upon the receipt of federal funds. The program would become inoperative on July 1, 2019, and would be repealed on January 1, 2020.
Existing law provides for the Medi-Cal program, which is administered by the State Department of Health Care Services, under which qualified low-income individuals receive health care services. This bill would prohibit the expansion, as defined, of the Medi-Cal program pursuant to any provision of the federal Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, or any amendment thereto, requiring expansion of the program unless the federal government fully funds the expansion.
Existing law provides punishments for sex crimes. This bill would change the punishment for various sex crimes from a determinate sentence to an indeterminate sentence with a life term, as specified. The bill would require the court to impose any applicable enhancements consecutive to the life term for these crimes. Because this bill would change the penalty for certain sex 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.