Existing law provides for the establishment and operation of certain state-owned and operated veterans' cemeteries. Existing law authorizes honorably discharged veterans and their spouses and children to be interred at these cemeteries, and provides for a fee to be charged for each spouse or child interred at the cemetery, as specified. This bill would authorize the fee for the interment of the spouses and children of honorably discharged veterans in these cemeteries to be waived if the cemetery administrator determines that the families of the spouses or children do not have sufficient means to pay for the costs of interment, and would require any costs for these interments to be paid from nonstate funds. This bill would require the cemetery administrator to seek reimbursements, as specified, and would authorize the cemetery administrator to solicit private donations, to offset any fees lost as a result of this fee waiver.
Sponsored bills
Existing law provides for the licensure and regulation of accountants by the California Board of Accountancy. Existing law sets forth the duties of the board in that regard, and requires all board meetings to be open and public. Existing law authorizes the board to receive and investigate complaints against an accountant licensee or any person acting as an accountant without a license. This bill would require the board to post the finalized minutes from those board meetings on its Internet Web site within a specified time period. The bill would also require the board to provide a live audio or video broadcast, on its Internet Web site, of its board meetings and would specify that a technical failure prohibiting a live broadcast would not prohibit the board from meeting and taking actions. The bill would require the posted minutes and broadcasts or a link to the minutes or broadcasts to remain on the Internet Web site for at least 3 years. The bill would also require the board to post on its Internet Web site notice of all formal accusations filed by the board against a licensee, as specified, and would require the notice to contain a link where a person may request, among other things, a copy of the formal accusation and alleged violations. The bill would require the board to develop and provide a statement, as specified, that informs any person requesting or receiving a copy of an accusation that these allegations are not a final determination of wrongdoing and are subject to specified adjudication and final review.
Existing law requires that an oocyte retrieval summary be provided to the donor of oocytes for research purposes. Existing law requires that a health care professional in the course of fertility treatment provide prescribed information to an embryo donor relating to donation of remaining embryos for research purposes. This bill would, with certain exceptions, establish similar requirements for donors of oocytes for fertility treatment, and would require an advertisement seeking oocyte donation associated with the delivery of fertility treatment that includes assisted oocyte production and a financial payment, or compensation of any kind, to contain a prescribed notice relating to the potential health risks associated with human egg donation. The bill would declare that it shall not be construed to amend Proposition 71, approved by the voters at the November 2, 2004, general election.
Existing law requires all tissue banks, with certain specified exceptions, to be licensed by the State Department of Public Health. This bill would add to the list of licensure exceptions the storage of a human cell, tissue, or cellular- or tissue-based product that is either a medical device or a biologic product, as defined, by a licensed physician or podiatrist acting within the scope of his or her license and practicing in a lawful practice setting, as specified. The bill would also require, to be eligible for this exemption, that the entity where the physician or podiatrist practices notify the department of specified information.
The Public Safety Officer Medal of Valor Act authorizes the Governor to annually award and present in the name of the State of California a Medal of Valor to one public safety officer, as defined, who is cited by the Attorney General, upon the recommendation of the board, for extraordinary valor above and beyond the call of duty. This bill would require the Governor to additionally annually award and present in the name of the State of California a Golden Shield Award to the next of kin of, or immediate family members of, every public safety officer who, while serving in any capacity under competent authority, has been killed in the line of duty.
Existing law establishes the University of California (UC) as a public trust administered by the Regents of the University of California. Employees of the UC provide instruction to students and conduct research at each of the 10 campuses of the UC, which are located in Berkeley, Davis, Irvine, Los Angeles, Merced, Riverside, San Diego, San Francisco, Santa Barbara, and Santa Cruz. Existing law establishes the California State University (CSU) , under the administration of the Trustees of the California State University, as one of the other segments of public postsecondary education in this state. This bill would require the Department of General Services, to negotiate and establish a model contract with standard contract provisions with both the regents and the trustees by July 1, 2010. The trustees would be required to, and the regents would be urged to, negotiate and establish with the Department of General Services the model contract applicable to their university by July 1, 2010. The bill would define the term contract to mean a research, training, or service agreement between the state and the UC or CSU, or a grant from the state to the UC or CSU for research, training, or service. The bill would require that, to the extent feasible, these standard contract provisions include, but not necessarily be limited to, provisions relating to specified legal issues. The bill would require that the standard provisions in a model contract agreed upon under the bill be used in contracts entered into between the UC or CSU and the state, unless both contracting parties mutually determine that a specific standard contract provision is inappropriate or inadequate for a specific contract. The bill would authorize the Department of General Services to use the services of any state agency, defined to include every state office, officer, department, division, bureau, board, and commission, in implementing the bill. The bill would make the CSU and UC responsible for the Department of General Services' facilitation and associated support costs required to implement the bill.
(1) Existing law makes it unlawful for any person to refuse to pay tolls or other charges on any vehicular crossing or toll highway and provides that it is prima facie evidence of a violation of this provision for any person to enter upon any vehicular crossing without either lawful money of the United States in the person's immediate possession in an amount sufficient to pay the prescribed tolls or other charges due from that person or a transponder or other electronic toll payment device associated with a valid Automatic Vehicle Identification account with a balance sufficient to pay those tolls. A violation of these provisions is an infraction. This bill would require an issuing agency that permits pay-by-plate toll payment to communicate, as practicable, the pay-by-plate toll amount in the same manner as it communicates other toll payment methods and provide certain publicly available information on how pay-by-plate toll payment works. The bill would additionally provide that, for vehicular crossings and toll highways where the issuing agency permits pay-by-plate toll payment of tolls and other charges in accordance with policies adopted by the issuing agency, it is prima facie evidence of a toll evasion violation for a person to enter the vehicular crossing or toll highway without at least one of the following: (A) lawful money of the United States in the person's immediate possession in an amount sufficient to pay the prescribed tolls or other charges due from that person, or (B) a transponder or other electronic toll payment device associated with a valid Automatic Vehicle Identification account with a balance sufficient to pay those tolls, or (C) valid California vehicle license plates properly affixed to both the front and rear of the vehicle in which that person enters onto the vehicular crossing or toll highway. Where electronic toll collection is the only other method of paying tolls or other charges, the bill would provide that it is prima facie evidence of a toll evasion violation for a person to enter the vehicular crossing or toll highway without either (i) a transponder or other electronic toll payment device associated with a valid Automatic Vehicle Identification account with a balance sufficient to pay those tolls, or (ii) valid California vehicle license plates properly affixed to both the front and rear of the vehicle in which that person enters onto the vehicular crossing or toll highway. (2) Existing law provides that the officer or person authorized to issue a notice of toll evasion violation is not required to participate in an administrative review of the toll evasion violation and that the issuing agency is not required to produce any evidence other than the notice of toll evasion violation or a copy thereof, information received from the department identifying the registered owner of the vehicle, and a statement under penalty of perjury from the person reporting the violations. Under existing law perjury is a crime. This bill would require instead, for a toll evasion violation that occurs on a vehicular crossing or toll highway where the issuing agency allows pay-by-plate toll payment, that the required evidence consisting of a statement be from the officer or person authorized to issue a notice of toll evasion and include a statement that the tolls or other charges and any applicable fee were not paid in accordance with the issuing agency's policies for pay-by-plate toll processing and payment. The bill would not require that this statement be made under penalty of perjury. The bill would require that any officer or person who knowingly provides false information pursuant to this provision be subject to a civil penalty for each violation in the amount of $250 up to a maximum amount of $2,500. The bill would also authorize any public prosecutor to bring an action for a civil penalty in the name of the people of the State of California. (3) Existing law requires that any information obtained through the use of automated devices shall not be used for any purpose other than to identify, and obtain the mailing address information of, toll evasion violators, to facilitate the serving of notices of toll evasion violations and notices of delinquent toll evasion violations. This bill would additionally provide that this information shall not be used for any purpose other than to identify, and obtain the mailing address information of, persons entering a vehicular crossing and toll highway where pay-by-plate toll payment is permitted by the toll operator to facilitate the collection of tolls. (4) The bill would make other technical, nonsubstantive, and conforming changes to these provisions. Because the bill would create new crimes, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. (5) 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 the pioneering work of promotores and community health workers in delivering vital and cost-effective health care services in communities throughout California and declare October 2009 as California Promotores Month.
This measure would designate the month of October 2009 as Extended Opportunity Programs and Services Month to honor the mission and purposes of the Extended Opportunity Programs and Services.
This measure would make various statements regarding the importance of New United Motor Manufacturing, Inc. (NUMMI) to the California economy and would declare the necessity for the Legislature to utilize its vested powers to keep NUMMI in California.