Sen. Marty Block

Existing law requires elections officials to provide a registered voter with a sample ballot, voter pamphlet, directions to the nearest polling place, and other ballot materials by mail within designated timeframes before a primary or general election. This bill would authorize county and city elections officials, if specified conditions and deadlines are met, to establish procedures to allow a voter to opt out of receiving his or her sample ballot and other ballot materials by mail and instead obtain them via electronic means such as e-mail or accessing them from a county's or city's Internet Web site.

Existing law provides for the award of attorney's fees and costs, and damages to a plaintiff when it is proven by a preponderance of the evidence that the defendant is liable for financial abuse of an elder or dependent adult. Existing law authorizes the remedy of attachment against a defendant's property to secure the amount of the claimed indebtedness to the plaintiff in connection with cases involving financial abuse of an elder or dependent adult. This bill would require the court to issue an earnings withholding order for elder or dependent adult financial abuse, as defined, for a defendant who has been found liable for financial abuse of an elder or dependent adult, as specified. Existing law provides that, except for earnings assignment orders for support, the provisions governing earnings withholding orders provide the exclusive procedure by which a judgment creditor can execute against the wages of a judgment debtor. Existing law provides that if an employer is served with 2 or more earnings withholding orders, the employer is required to comply with the order issued pursuant to the judgment first entered. This bill would require that earnings withholding orders for elder or dependent adult financial abuse be given priority over any other earnings withholding orders, as provided. The bill would also require, however, that earnings withholding orders for support or for taxes be given priority over earnings withholding orders for elder or dependent adult financial abuse. The bill would require that the application for issuance of an earnings withholding order and the earnings withholding order include how much of the judgment arises from that claim.

Existing law provides that, in addition to any other remedy authorized by law, when a spouse is convicted of attempting to murder the other spouse, as specified, the injured spouse shall be entitled to 100% of the community property interest in his or her retirement and pension benefits, and a prohibition of specified support or insurance benefits from the injured spouse to the other spouse, as specified. Existing law defines injured spouse for these purposes. Existing law also authorizes a court to award attorney's fees and costs in the form of a sanction in these cases, as specified. This bill would expand these provisions to also apply when a spouse is convicted of soliciting the murder of the other spouse, as specified.

This measure would call upon the National Governors Association and the Council of Chief State School Officers to develop common core state standards in the core academic disciplines of English-language arts, mathematics, history-social science, and science, request that they replicate the process used to develop English-language arts and mathematics common core state standards to now develop common core state standards for social studies and science, and examine the viability of developing common standards in foreign language, visual and performing arts, physical education, career technical education, and other subject areas.

This measure would memorialize the United States Senate to ratify, and the President to sign, the United Nations Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women, and would memorialize the Congress of the United States and the President to enact appropriate legislation that addresses the concerns expressed in this measure.

This measure would urge the Congress of the United States to include the Reuniting Families Act and the Uniting American Families Act in comprehensive immigration reform or to pass, and President Obama to sign, the Uniting American Families Act as stand-alone legislation and support the removal of legal barriers to immigration by permanent same-sex partners.

This measure would proclaim the 3rd Monday of each September as California Memorial Project Remembrance Day in California, to honor and restore dignity to individuals who lived and died in California institutions.

This measure would urge the United States Congress to pass the International Violence Against Women Act, and establish the offices and policies therein.

This measure would recognize May 10, 2010, and each May 10 thereafter, as Asian Pacific American Mental Health Day, and acknowledge the importance of raising awareness about mental health in the Asian Pacific American community.

This measure would continue the existence and set forth the membership of the California Task Force on Youth and Workplace Wellness, to perform duties to promote fitness and health in schools and workplaces. It would permit the task force to accept private funds and in-kind donations, require the task force to submit a report on its work to the Legislature on or before June 30, 2012, and provide that the task force would cease to exist on July 1, 2014, unless its existence is extended by a later enacted resolution.