Sen. Marty Block

Existing law generally regulates insurance transactions with persons 65 years of age and older. Under existing law, the Insurance Commissioner has the administrative authority to bring actions against insurers who violate those provisions and the Attorney General, district attorney, and city attorney have the authority to bring actions for injunctive relief, damages, and penalties, as specified, against insurers who violate those provisions. This bill would state that any person who is harmed as a result of a violation of those provisions may bring a civil action for compensatory damages and any other remedies otherwise provided by law.

Existing law, the California International Trade and Investment Act, specifies that the Governor is the primary state officer representing the state's interest in international affairs and the Business, Transportation and Housing Agency is the primary state agency responsible for international trade and investment activities in the state. Existing law requires the Office of Planning and Research to maintain, and update, a full and comprehensive list of all state agreements made with foreign governments, as provided. This bill would require the Governor to establish a memorandum of understanding to formalize a relationship between the state and Israel to foster technology development, business development, and educational opportunities in solar energy and environmental technology industries.

Existing law establishes the California Community Colleges, under the administration of the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges, as one of the segments of public postsecondary education in this state. Existing law establishes community college districts throughout the state, and authorizes these districts to provide instruction at community college campuses. Existing law requires that 50% of each district's current expense of education, as defined, be expended for payment of salaries of classroom instructors, as defined. This bill would define classroom instructors to include counselors. This bill would require that, commencing with the 2010–11 fiscal year, 52% of each district's current expense of education be expended for payment of salaries of classroom instructors.

Existing law imposes various duties on the county welfare department at any hearing to terminate jurisdiction over a dependent child who has reached the age of majority. Among other duties, the county must submit a report verifying that certain information, documents, and services have been provided to the child including written information concerning the child's dependency case that includes any known information regarding the child's Indian heritage or tribal connections, if applicable, his or her family history and placement history, and any photographs of the child or his or her family in the possession of the department, except as specified. The documents provided must also include a letter prepared by the county welfare department that includes specified information regarding the child, including the dates the child was within the jurisdiction of the juvenile court, and, if applicable, a social security card, a certified birth certificate, a health and education summary, an identification card, a death certificate of parent or parents, and proof of citizenship or residence. The court is authorized to continue jurisdiction if it finds that the county welfare department has not met these requirements and that termination of jurisdiction would be harmful to the best interests of the child. This bill would require the county welfare department to fulfill these duties at the court hearing closest to and before a dependent child's 18th birthday, or at the hearing to terminate jurisdiction over a dependent child who has reached the age of majority, whichever is earlier. The bill would additionally require that the report verifying the information, documents, and services provided to the child include the date when the child entered the jurisdiction of the juvenile court and the date when that jurisdiction is expected to terminate, all addresses of residency while under the jurisdiction of the juvenile court, a voter registration form, and, if applicable, a United States Selective Service registration form. The bill would require the county welfare department to screen the child and file for the federal Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program, if the child is likely to be eligible for benefits, and to ensure that the child has received a consumer credit report, as specified. The bill would require the court to continue jurisdiction if it finds that the county welfare department has not provided to the child the information, documents, and services described above, unless the child no longer wishes to be a dependent of the court. By imposing additional duties on local employees, 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, if the Commission on State Mandates determines that the bill contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement for those costs shall be made pursuant to these statutory provisions.

Existing law, the Lanterman Developmental Disabilities Services Act, grants persons with developmental disabilities the right to receive treatment and services to meet their needs, regardless of age or degree of handicap, at each stage of life. Existing law requires that the state pay for these services through contracts with various private nonprofit corporations for the operation of regional centers for the developmentally disabled, and requires regional centers to develop an individual program plan (IPP) for each consumer that sets forth the treatment and services to be provided for the consumer. This bill would require a provider, as defined, to report a substantiated case of abuse of a consumer by a direct service worker to the appropriate investigating agencies, as defined. The bill would also require investigating agencies to report abuse of a consumer by a direct service worker to the State Department of Developmental Services. The bill would require the department to establish a registry of direct service workers or others against whom one or more substantiated reports of abuse of a consumer have been reported, and to make the registry available, pursuant to a release protocol established by the department in consultation with program stakeholders, to specified persons. The bill would require providers to access the registry before hiring a direct service worker and would prohibit providers from hiring or contracting with a direct service worker who is included in the registry. The bill would also require the department to coordinate with the State Department of Public Health and the State Department of Social Services to share information about direct service workers, and would require the department to adopt regulations to implement the bill's provisions by July 1, 2010.

Existing law authorizes the Department of Motor Vehicles to require a person applying for a driver's license or an identification card to provide any identification that it determines is necessary to ensure the identity of the applicant. This bill would require the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation to provide an offender with a Parolee Identification Card and would require the Department of Motor Vehicles to honor that card as a valid source of identification for the purposes of applying for a driver's license or an identification card. The bill would authorize the above-referenced departments to jointly adopt rules and enter into interagency agreements necessary to establish the identities of offenders for the purposes of assisting offenders in obtaining a driver's license or identification card immediately upon the offender's release. The bill would specify that it is not intended to abrogate any requirement set forth in the Vehicle Code.

Existing law establishes, within the California Automobile Assigned Risk Plan, a low-cost automobile insurance program. Existing law establishes the low-cost automobile insurance program in several specified counties and makes the expansion to all other counties in California subject to a determination of need made by the Insurance Commissioner following a public meeting, as specified. Existing law provides for the issuance of automobile liability policies pursuant to this program under specified terms and conditions, and provides that a policy so issued satisfies specified requirements regarding financial responsibility. Existing law provides that the low-cost automobile insurance program shall remain in effect only until January 1, 2011. This bill would name the program the "Martha Escutia and Jackie Speier low-cost automobile insurance program." The bill would also provide that the low-cost automobile insurance program would remain in effect until January 1, 2016.

Existing law establishes the Nurse-Family Partnership program to provide grants for voluntary nurse home visiting programs for expectant first-time mothers, their children, and their families, as specified. Existing law prohibits the use of grant moneys to match other grants administered by the State Department of Public Health. This bill would allow the use of Nurse-Family Partnership program grant moneys as a match for other grants administered by the department. Existing law establishes the California Families and Children Account in the State Treasury to accept private donations to pay for the program. The account is continuously appropriated to the department for this purpose. Existing law only allows grants to be distributed if the Director of Finance determines that there are sufficient funds from private donations available in the account. Additionally, under existing law, if there are not sufficient funds on deposit in the account by January 1, 2009, the account shall cease to exist. This bill would delete the continuous appropriation and would, instead, make those funds available for the program upon appropriation by the Legislature, and would permit the department to accept federal grants for purposes of the program. This bill would revise existing law to require the program to be implemented if the Director of the Department of Finance determines that at least $500,000 is available in the account. If this determination is not made by a specified date, it would require that the account cease to exist and funds in the account immediately be distributed to each contributor. This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.

Existing law establishes the various segments of the public higher education system in the state. These segments include the University of California, which is administered by the Regents of the University of California, the California State University, which is administered by the Trustees of the California State University, and the California Community Colleges, which is administered by the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges. This bill would require the Chancellor of the California State University to complete and submit to the trustees a study about the feasibility of a California State University satellite program, and ultimately, an independent California State University campus, at Chula Vista, within 18 months after the date that the trustees certify that sufficient funds are available to conduct the study. The bill would require funding for the study to be derived solely from nonstate sources. If the trustees decide that a new campus or off-campus center is needed at Chula Vista, the trustees would be required to submit a formal needs study to the California Postsecondary Education Commission.

(1) Existing law subjects each person between 6 and 18 years of age who is not exempted under specified statutes to compulsory full-time or continuation education. Existing law requires each person subject to compulsory full-time or continuation education who is not exempted to attend a public full-time day school or continuation school or classes for the full time designated as the length of the schoolday by the governing board of the school district in which the residency of either the parent or legal guardian is located and requires each parent, guardian, or other person having control or charge of the pupil to send the pupil to the appropriate school or classes for the designated periods of time each schoolday. Existing law prescribes truancy procedures for pupils who do not comply with these provisions. This bill would require the Superintendent of Public Instruction to produce a consequences of dropping out notice, as described, to inform pupils of the consequences of dropping out of school prior to reaching 18 years of age or completing the requirements for graduation from high school. The bill would require the Superintendent to make the notice available to school districts by posting it on the Internet Web site of the department.