Under existing law, the Public Utilities Commission has regulatory authority over public utilities, including telephone corporations. Existing law establishes the California High-Cost Fund-A Administrative Committee Fund, the California High-Cost Fund-B Administrative Committee Fund, the Universal Lifeline Telephone Service Trust Administrative Committee Fund, the Deaf and Disabled Telecommunications Program Administrative Committee Fund, the Payphone Service Providers Committee Fund, the California Teleconnect Fund Administrative Committee Fund, and the California Advanced Services Fund (CASF) in the State Treasury and provides that moneys in the funds are held in trust and may be expended only to accomplish specified telecommunications universal service programs, upon appropriation in the annual Budget Act or upon supplemental appropriation. This bill would prohibit the commission from collecting, for deposit into any universal service fund, any revenues derived from charges upon the provision of a communications service that the Federal Communications Commission has determined is an information service, as specified. Existing law establishes the Public Utilities Commission Utilities Reimbursement Account and authorizes the commission to annually determine a utility reimbursement fee to be paid by every public utility providing service directly to customers or subscribers and subject to the jurisdiction of the commission, except for a railroad corporation. The commission is required to establish the fee, with the approval of the Department of Finance, to produce a total amount equal to that amount established in the authorized commission budget for the same year, and an appropriate reserve to regulate public utilities, less specified sources of funding. This bill would prohibit the commission from imposing a utility reimbursement fee that is applicable to the provision of a communications service that the Federal Communications Commission has determined is an information service, as specified.
Sponsored bills
Existing law establishes the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation and charges it with certain duties and powers, including, among other things, the operation of prisons and other specified institutions. This bill would require the department to establish a Peace Officer Peer Support Labor Management Committee tasked with crafting, updating, and monitoring the implementation of a standardized statewide peace officer policy for the department's peer support program to provide substantive assistance to the peace officers employed by the department. The bill would require the committee to be composed of an equal number of representatives of the employer and peace officer employees, and would require the members of the committee to be selected and hold their first meeting on or before July 1, 2020. The bill would require the policy to address, among other things, the selection process and training for peer support team members, and guidelines for the types of communication that would remain confidential within the peer support program. The bill would require the policy to be fully implemented by January 1, 2022. The bill would require the department to submit, beginning July 1, 2020, an annual report to the Legislature that contains data pertaining to the utilization rates of the peace officer peer support program statewide.
Existing law vests the Department of Transportation with full possession and control of the state highway system and associated property. Existing law generally requires proceeds from the sale of excess state highway property to be made available for other highway purposes. Existing law generally provides for the California Transportation Commission to program available funding for transportation capital improvement projects, other than state highway rehabilitation projects, through the State Transportation Improvement Program process, with available funds subject to various fair share distribution formulas. Existing law, in certain cases, requires the commission to instead reallocate funds from canceled state highway projects to a local alternative transportation improvement program within the same county and exempts those funds from the fair share distribution formulas that would otherwise apply. This bill, with respect to planned state transportation facilities over the Feather River in the City of Yuba City and the Counties of Sutter and Yuba, which facilities are no longer planned to be constructed, would authorize the affected local agencies, acting jointly with the transportation planning agency having jurisdiction, to develop and file with the commission a local alternative transportation improvement program that addresses transportation problems and opportunities in the area that was to be served by the canceled state facilities. The bill would provide that the commission has the final authority regarding the content and approval of the local alternative, and would prohibit the commission from approving the local alternative if it is submitted after July 1, 2022. The bill would require all proceeds from the sale of certain excess properties acquired by the department for the canceled state facilities, less any reimbursements due to the federal government and costs incurred in the sale of those excess properties, to be allocated by the commission to fund the approved local alternative and would exempt those funds from the fair share distribution formulas that would otherwise apply to state transportation funds.
Existing law establishes the Department of Community Services and Development and requires the department to administer, among other things, the federal Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program. Existing law requires the department to develop and administer the Energy Efficiency Low-Income Weatherization Program and to expend moneys appropriated by the Legislature for the purposes of the program. This bill would require the department to develop and administer the Agricultural Working Poor Energy Efficient Housing Program and to expend moneys appropriated by the Legislature for the purposes of the program to improve energy efficiency in farmworker-owned housing. The bill would require the department to report to the Legislature on the program with respect to balances and expenditures, households reached, demographics of the households reached, measures funded, and energy savings. Existing law requires the Public Utilities Commission (PUC) to supervise certain low-income targeted energy efficiency programs administered by electrical corporations, gas corporations, or 3rd-party administrators, and requires the State Energy Resources Conservation and Development Commission (Energy Commission) to undertake various activities and administer various programs to promote energy efficiency. This bill would require the department, in developing the Agricultural Working Poor Energy Efficient Housing Program, to consult with the PUC and the Energy Commission in order to ensure compatibility with the state's energy policies and goals and to avoid duplication of the energy efficiency programs supervised by those commissions.
The California Constitution generally limits ad valorem taxes on real property to 1% of the full cash value of that property. For purposes of this limitation, "full cash value" is defined as the assessor's valuation of real property as shown on the 1975–76 tax bill under "full cash value" or, thereafter, the appraised value of that real property when purchased, newly constructed, or a change in ownership has occurred. Existing law defines "newly constructed" and "new construction" to mean any addition to real property since the last lien date and any alteration of land or of any improvement since the last lien date that constitutes a major rehabilitation thereof or that converts the property to a different use. Existing law, where real property has been damaged or destroyed by misfortune or calamity, excludes from the definition of "newly constructed" and "new construction" any timely reconstruction of the real property, or portion thereof, where the property after reconstruction is substantially equivalent to the property prior to damage or destruction. This bill would define the term "substantially equivalent" for purposes of the provisions described above to mean the size of the improvement after reconstruction does not exceed 120% of the size of the improvement prior to damage or destruction or the full cash value of the improvement after reconstruction does not exceed 120% of the full cash value of the improvement prior to damage or destruction. The bill would apply this definition to real property damaged or destroyed by misfortune or calamity on or after January 1, 2017. By imposing new duties upon local government officials, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program. This bill would make legislative findings and declarations regarding the public purpose served by the bill. 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 the statutory provisions noted above. Existing law requires the state to reimburse local agencies annually for certain property tax revenues lost as a result of any exemption or classification of property for purposes of ad valorem property taxation. This bill would provide that, notwithstanding those provisions, no appropriation is made and the state shall not reimburse local agencies for property tax revenues lost by them pursuant to the bill.
This measure would designate October 23, 2020, as Chinese American Day in California to highlight the important historical contributions of Chinese Americans to California and to the United States of America.
Existing law establishes the Medi-Cal program, administered by the State Department of Health Care Services, under which health care services that are medically necessary are provided to qualified, low-income persons through various health care delivery systems, including managed care pursuant to Medi-Cal managed care plan contracts. The Medi-Cal program is, in part, governed and funded by federal Medicaid program provisions. Existing law generally requires Medi-Cal managed care plan contractors to be licensed pursuant to the Knox-Keene Health Care Service Plan Act of 1975. Under the act, a health care service plan is required to provide access to medically necessary health care services to its enrollees who have been displaced by a state of emergency, and existing law enumerates actions that a plan may be required to take to meet the needs of its enrollees during the state of emergency. This bill would require a Medi-Cal managed care health plan to ensure that an enrollee who remains in a general acute care hospital continues to receive medically necessary postacute care services at the general acute care hospital if specified requirements are met, including that the Medi-Cal managed care health plan is unable to locate a postacute care facility within the plan's network, as a result of a state of emergency, for purposes of transferring the enrollee to the postacute care facility. The bill would condition the implementation of these requirements to the extent that federal financial participation is available and not otherwise jeopardized, and any necessary federal approvals have been obtained.
Existing law establishes the Medi-Cal program, which is administered by the State Department of Health Care Services and under which qualified low-income persons receive health care benefits. The Medi-Cal program is, in part, governed and funded by federal Medicaid program provisions. Existing law establishes a schedule of benefits under the Medi-Cal program and provides for various services, including various behavioral and mental health services. Existing law, the Mental Health Services Act (MHSA) , an initiative measure enacted by the voters as Proposition 63 at the November 2, 2004, statewide general election, establishes the continuously appropriated Mental Health Services Fund to fund various county mental health programs. The act also requires funds to be reserved for the costs of the State Department of Health Care Services, the California Behavioral Health Planning Council, the Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development (OSHPD) , the Mental Health Services Oversight and Accountability Commission, the State Department of Public Health, and any other state agency to implement all duties pursuant to certain programs provided for by the act, subject to appropriation in the annual Budget Act. The act provides that it may be amended by the Legislature by a 23 vote of each house as long as the amendment is consistent with, and furthers the intent of, the act, and that the Legislature may also clarify procedures and terms of the act by majority vote. This bill would require the State Department of Health Care Services to establish, no later than July 1, 2020, a statewide peer support specialist certification program, as a part of the state's comprehensive mental health and substance use disorder delivery system and the Medi-Cal program. The certification program's components would include, among others, defining responsibilities, practice guidelines, and supervision standards, determining curriculum and core competencies, specifying training and continuing education requirements, establishing a code of ethics, and determining a certification revocation process. The bill would require an applicant for the certification as a peer support specialist to meet specified requirements, including successful completion of the curriculum and training requirements. This bill would require the department to consult with OSHPD and other stakeholders in implementing the certification program, including requiring quarterly stakeholder meetings. The bill would authorize the department to use funding provided through the MHSA, upon appropriation, to develop and administer the certification program, and would authorize the use of these MHSA funds to serve as the state's share of funding to claim federal financial participation under the Medicaid program. This bill would authorize the department to establish a certification fee schedule and to require remittance of fees as contained in the schedule, for the purpose of supporting the department's activities associated with the ongoing administration of the certification program. This bill would require the department to amend the Medicaid state plan to include a certified peer support specialist as a provider type for purposes of the Medi-Cal program and to include peer support specialist services as a distinct service type for purposes of the Medi-Cal program. The bill would require Medi-Cal reimbursement for peer support specialist services to be implemented only if, and to the extent that, federal financial participation is available and the department obtains all necessary federal approvals. The bill also would authorize the department to implement, interpret, or make specific its provisions by means of informal notices, plan letters, plan or provider bulletins, or similar instructions, without taking regulatory action, until regulations are adopted. The bill would require the department to adopt regulations by July 1, 2022, and, commencing July 1, 2020, would require the department to provide semiannual status reports to the Legislature until regulations have been adopted. This bill would declare that it clarifies terms and procedures under the Mental Health Services Act.
(1) Existing law delegates to the Fish and Game Commission the power to regulate the taking or possession of birds, mammals, fish, amphibians, and reptiles, except as provided. Existing law provides that the accidental taking of a bird, mammal, reptile, or amphibian by collision with a motor vehicle while the vehicle is being operated on a road or highway is not a violation of law. Existing law authorizes the state or local agency having jurisdiction of a road or highway to remove an accidental take from the road or highway. A violation of the Fish and Game Code is a crime. This bill would, upon appropriation by the Legislature, authorize the commission to establish, in consultation with specified public agencies and stakeholders, a pilot program no later than January 1, 2022, for the issuance of wildlife salvage permits through a user-friendly and cell-phone-friendly web-based portal developed by the Department of Fish and Wildlife to persons desiring to recover, possess, use, or transport, for purposes of salvaging wild game meat for human consumption of, any deer, elk, pronghorn antelope, or wild pig that has been accidentally killed as a result of a vehicle collision on a roadway within California. The bill would require the commission to prescribe the requirements for applying for and receiving a wildlife salvage permit. The bill would authorize the commission to restrict the roadways where wildlife salvage may be conducted and the species subject to salvage, and to regulate any other aspect of the pilot program, as specified. The bill would, upon appropriation by the Legislature, require the department to implement the pilot program no later than 6 months after the commission establishes the pilot program. The bill would require the commission to require a person seeking to obtain a wildlife salvage permit to report certain information relating to the salvage through the department's web-based portal. The bill would require the department, beginning on the first March 1 after the department implements the pilot program, and each March 1 thereafter, to make available on its internet website data that includes the number of wildlife salvage permits issued, locations of impacts, and species of wildlife. The bill would repeal these provisions on January 1, 2029. The bill would define "roadway" and "vehicle" for these purposes and make conforming changes. By creating criteria for the accidental taking and possession of specified wild game animals, the violation of which would be a crime, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. (2) Existing law vests the Department of Fish and Wildlife with jurisdiction over the conservation, protection, and management of fish, wildlife, native plants, and habitat necessary for biologically sustainable populations of those species. This bill would, upon appropriation by the Legislature, authorize the department to develop a pilot program to collect and compile information and data on wildlife-vehicle collisions to support certain wildlife conservation efforts. The bill would require the pilot program to be at a maximum of 3 geographically dispersed sites identified by the department to be areas of high wildlife-vehicle collisions. The bill would authorize the department, in developing the pilot program, to coordinate with other state agencies that remove dead wildlife from roadways to determine the scope of data collected on wildlife-vehicle collisions and would require the department, at the conclusion of the pilot program, to report to the Fish and Game Commission on the number of wildlife-vehicle collisions identified during the study period, barriers to additional data collection, and the feasibility of creating a statewide wildlife-vehicle collision reporting system. The bill would require the report to include an estimate of the costs of implementing the statewide wildlife-vehicle collision reporting system. (3) 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.
Existing law requires the State Department of Public Health to license and regulate various health facilities, including general acute care hospitals. Existing law requires the department to issue a special permit, in addition to a license, to a health facility to offer one or more special services, such as an emergency center, if specified requirements are met, including that the department finds that the standards of care and services are adequate and appropriate. Existing regulations generally require emergency medical services and care to be provided within a hospital. Existing law provides that a special permit issued under these provisions expires on the expiration date of the license, which occurs 12 months from the date of the issuance of the license. This bill would make legislative findings relating to the impact of the Camp Fire in 2018 on the County of Butte, including the destruction of Feather River Hospital in that county. Pursuant to those provisions, the bill would require the department to issue a special permit to allow a general acute care hospital to offer emergency stabilization services at a location that is neither inside nor contiguous to the hospital if the hospital provides satisfactory evidence to the department that, among other things, the hospital has a written transfer agreement with the hospital closest to the location where emergency stabilization services will be provided, and satisfactory evidence to the department that this location meets certain requirements, including that the location is in the town of Paradise within the County of Butte and serves the same area previously served by Feather River Hospital. The bill would require that the special permit application fee be $15,000. The bill would require this special permit to expire 2 years from the date of its issuance, and would authorize the special permit to be renewed every 2 years, for a combined period not to exceed 6 years from the initial date of issuance. The bill would impose certain requirements on the hospital to renew a special permit under these provisions. The bill would authorize the department to implement these provisions through an All Facilities Letter or similar instruction, without taking regulatory action. The bill would repeal its provisions on January 1, 2028. This bill would make legislative findings and declarations as to the necessity of a special statute for the County of Butte.