Existing law provides that the Department of Transportation has full possession and control of all state highways and associated property. Existing law provides for the planning, design, and construction of a system of safety roadside rest areas on the state highway system, which is maintained by the department. Existing law authorizes up to 6 additional rest areas to be developed as joint economic development demonstration projects. This bill would authorize the department to enter into one or more agreements for the operation of safety roadside rest areas by private entities in conjunction with the development of a retail establishment, under which certain payments would be made to the state. The bill would authorize the department to seek modification of existing real estate contracts if that would be cost effective for the state. The bill would specify the requirements for these agreements and would require the department to seek any federal waivers that may be necessary to implement these provisions.
Sponsored bills
Existing law authorizes the Infrastructure and Economic Development Bank to enter into loan agreements with a sponsor or a participating party in order to finance a project related to infrastructure or economic development. Existing law provides that all money in the possession of, or collected by, any state agency or department is state money and is subject to provisions governing its deposit and handling in trust accounts. Existing law authorizes the Pooled Money Investment Board to invest surplus state money held in the Pooled Money Investment Account in accordance with certain procedures. This bill would establish the California Investment Trust within state government, and would authorize the trust to exercise various powers and duties relating to banking, including, among others, receiving and managing deposits from public funds, loaning money, engaging in financial transactions, and buying and selling federal funds. The bill would require all state money, as defined, to be deposited into the California Investment Trust. The bill would establish a California Investment Trust Board to be chaired by the Treasurer, and would establish an advisory board for purposes of advising the board. The bill would establish the California Investment Trust Fund for deposit of all state moneys, and would continuously appropriate those moneys to the board for expenditure, thereby making an appropriation of General Fund moneys. The bill would require the State Auditor to make specified audits of the trust, and require the State Auditor, Department of Finance, and the Controller to make specified reports to the Legislature with regard to the trust. The bill would exempt certain documents of the trust from public disclosure. Existing constitutional provisions require that a statute that limits the right of access to the meetings of public bodies or the writings of public officials and agencies be adopted with findings demonstrating the interest protected by the limitation and the need for protecting that interest. This bill would make legislative findings to that effect.
This measure would call upon all Californians to observe César Chávez's birthday, March 31, as a day of public service, to recognize the hard work and self-sacrifice that farmworkers go through to feed all the families in our state, and to learn from César Chávez's life and his mission of nonviolence, social justice, and selfless service to others.
This measure would designate the month of November 2012 as California Runaway and Homeless Youth Month and would recognize the need for individuals, schools, communities, businesses, local governments, and the state to take action on behalf of runaway and homeless youth in California.
This measure would proclaim California as a Purple Heart State, honoring the service and sacrifices of our nation's men and women in uniform wounded or killed by the enemy while serving to protect the freedoms enjoyed by all Americans.
Existing law imposes a gross premiums tax on insurers in lieu of other taxes, with certain exceptions. The Capital Access Company Law provides for licensing and regulation by the Commissioner of Corporations of capital access companies, which provide risk capital and management assistance to business entities. The Personal Income Tax Law and the Corporation Tax Law authorize various credits against the taxes imposed by those laws, including a credit in an amount equal to $3,000, prorated as provided, for each full-time employee hired during the taxable year by a qualified employer, as defined. Existing law caps the total amount of credit which may be allocated under those provisions to $400,000,000. This bill would enact the California Jobs Act of 2012, which would provide an investment tax credit against insurer premium tax liability to participating investors, as defined, and would provide for sale or transfer of the tax credits to other parties. The bill would provide for a maximum amount of tax credits under the act of $200,000,000, which could be claimed over specified tax years and carried forward until tax year 2037, and would also cap the total amount of the credit which may be allocated under existing law provisions authorizing a credit for the hire of full-time employees by qualified employers and the credit authorized under this act to $400,000,000. The bill would provide for the Department of Insurance, California Organized Insurance Network (DI/COIN) to, among other things, qualify applicants as qualified capital access companies, which would receive investment commitments from participating investors and make qualified investments in qualified businesses, subject to approval by DI/COIN. The bill would specify the process for qualified distributions to be made by the qualified capital access company to private investors and the state, with the state share to be deposited in the General Fund or in the Economic Development Fund, which would be created by the bill, as specified. The bill would provide for certain application and certification fees, and impose certain penalties, and provide for these revenues to be deposited in the Economic Development Fund. The bill would define various terms for purposes of the act. This bill would include a change in state statute that would result in a taxpayer paying a higher tax within the meaning of Section 3 of Article XIIIA of the California Constitution, and thus would require for passage the approval of 23 of the membership of each house of the Legislature.
This measure would proclaim April 15 through April 22, 2012, as California Holocaust Memorial Week and would urge Californians to observe these days of remembrance for the victims of the Holocaust in an appropriate manner.
Existing law provides that the Department of Transportation may enter into an agreement with a person or group to clean up litter alongside a section of state highway and to post a courtesy sign identifying the group who is providing the litter abatement services. This bill would require the department to notify and obtain the approval, as specified, of the local governing body which has jurisdiction over the area where a sign would be placed in order to post a courtesy sign identifying a group that is providing the litter abatement. The department would also be required to post the notice of the application on its Internet Web site for access by the public. The local governing body would have a specified time limit to act on the application request and the approval could not be unreasonably withheld. Because this bill would require local governments to consider for approval each application for a highway courtesy sign within their jurisdiction, it 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 California Private Postsecondary Education Act of 2009, provides, among other things, for student protections and regulatory oversight of private postsecondary educational institutions in the state. The act is enforced by the Bureau for Private Postsecondary Education within the Department of Consumer Affairs. The act provides several exemptions, including, but not limited to, an exemption for an institution that is accredited by a regional accrediting agency recognized by the United States Department of Education, and does not hold a specified accreditation, from specified provisions of the act until January 1, 2016. This bill would provide that exemption shall apply only until January 1, 2015.