This measure would designate April 24, 2009, as "California Day of Remembrance for the Armenian Genocide of 1915–1923." It would memorialize the Congress and the President of the United States to act likewise to commemorate the Armenian Genocide.
This measure would designate the month of May 2009 as Public Service Recognition Month, and encourage all Californians to recognize the crucial role of public employees in this state.
This measure would recognize March 31, 2009, as the anniversary of the birth of César Chávez, and would call upon all Californians to participate in appropriate observances to remember César Chávez as a symbol of hope and justice to all persons.
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.
This measure would designate a specified portion of State Highway Route 15 in Temecula as the Deputy Kent Hintergardt Memorial Highway. The measure would also request the Department of Transportation to determine the cost of appropriate signs showing this special designation and, upon receiving donations from nonstate sources covering those costs, to erect those signs.
Existing law provides that any person who in good faith, and not for compensation, renders emergency medical care at the scene of an emergency shall not be liable for any civil damages resulting from any act or omission. This bill would instead provide that medical, law enforcement, and emergency personnel who in good faith, and not for compensation, render emergency medical or nonmedical care at the scene of an emergency shall not be liable for any civil damages resulting from any act or omission. This bill would also provide that any person, not including medical, law enforcement, and emergency personnel, who in good faith, and not for compensation, renders emergency medical or nonmedical care or assistance at the scene of an emergency shall not be liable for any civil damages resulting from any act or omission, as long as that act or omission does not constitute gross negligence or willful or wanton misconduct. This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.
Existing law provides for the licensure of long-term health care facilities by the State Department of Public Health. Under existing law, the Long-Term Care, Health, Safety, and Security Act of 1973, the department may assess penalties for violation of prescribed state and federal requirements. Moneys collected as a result of the penalties imposed pursuant to these provisions are required to be deposited into either the State Health Facilities Citation Penalties Account or the Federal Health Facilities Citation Penalties Account, and used, upon appropriation by the Legislature, for the protection of health or property of residents of long-term health care facilities, including reimbursing residents for personal funds lost and costs associated with informational meetings. Existing law establishes the Office of the State Long-Term Care Ombudsman in the California Department of Aging. Under existing law, the office is responsible for, among other things, investigating and resolving complaints and concerns communicated by or on behalf of patients, residents, or clients of long-term care facilities, as defined. Existing law authorizes the California Department of Aging to allocate all federal and state funds for local ombudsman programs according to a specified distribution schedule. This bill would appropriate $1.6 million from the Federal Health Facilities Citation Penalties Account to the California Department of Aging for use in funding local ombudsman programs pursuant to the aforementioned distribution schedule, before the end of the 2009–10 fiscal year. This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.
Existing law provides that no disaster worker who is performing disaster services during a state of war emergency, a state of emergency, or a local emergency shall be liable for civil damages on account of personal injury to or death of any person or property, as provided. This bill would provide that disaster service workers shall not be liable when acting within the scope of their responsibilities under the authority of the governmental emergency organization, as provided. This bill would provide that these provisions apply exclusively to any legal action filed on or after the effective date of this bill. This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.
(1) Existing law provides for the regulation of underground storage tanks by the State Water Resources Control Board. Existing law requires the board to take specified actions with regard to unauthorized releases from petroleum underground storage tanks, including, among other things, adopting regulations requiring the owners of those tanks to undertake certain actions. Existing law provides for a grant and loan program for small businesses to pay specified costs of complying with the underground storage tank regulations adopted by the board. Existing law contains various eligibility criteria for grant funds, including a requirement that the grant applicant, the applicant's family, or an affiliated entity, has owned and operated the project tank since January 1, 1997. This bill would delete that ownership requirement from the grant eligibility criteria. (2) Under existing law, the grant and loan program is funded through the Petroleum Underground Storage Tank Financing Account. Existing law allows not more than 33% of the available funds to be used for the purpose of providing grants. Existing law requires the interest and other increments resulting from the investment of the funds in the account to be placed in a separate subaccount to be expended for the administration of the program. This bill would make a one time transfer of $8,000,000 from the administrative subaccount to be appropriated for the purpose of making grants and loans in the 2008–09 and 2009–10 fiscal years. The bill would establish specified criteria for the grants and loans awarded from funds made pursuant to this transfer. (3) Existing law, the Barry Keene Underground Storage Tank Cleanup Trust Fund Act of 1989, provides for the establishment of an Underground Storage Tank Cleanup Fund to pay for various costs of corrective action and abatement for the unauthorized release of hazardous materials from underground storage tanks. The provisions of this act will expire January 1, 2016. Under existing law, upon the expiration of the Petroleum Underground Storage Tank Financing Account on January 1, 2011, the funds remaining in that account revert to the Underground Storage Tank Cleanup Fund. The grant and loan program provisions would be repealed on January 1, 2011. This bill would extend the repeal date of the grant and loan program as well as the Petroleum Underground Storage Tank Financing Account to January 1, 2016. Additionally, it would make provisions for the payment of loans and grants, conditions of which were effective prior to January 1, 2016, from the Underground Storage Tank Cleanup Fund and the Petroleum Underground Storage Tank Financing Account, as specified. (4) This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.
Existing law allows taxpayers, until January 1, 2010, to contribute amounts in excess of their personal income tax liability for the support of the California Fund for Senior Citizens. Existing law repeals the contribution provisions for this fund either on the September 1 following the calendar year for which the Franchise Tax Board estimates that the minimum contribution amount will be less than a prescribed amount or on January 1, 2010, whichever occurs first. This bill would, under this latter limit, extend the operation of those contribution provisions until January 1, 2015.
