(1) Under existing law, when the Department of Motor Vehicles determines that an applicant is lawfully entitled to a driver's license, the department is required to issue that license to the applicant. Existing law specifies the contents of a driver's license and requires the application for a driver's license or identification card to contain a space for an applicant to indicate whether he or she has served in the Armed Forces of the United States and to give his or her consent to be contacted regarding eligibility to receive state or federal veterans' benefits. This bill would, commencing November 11, 2015, allow an applicant for a driver's license or identification card to allow a person to request the driver's license or identification card be printed with the word "VETERAN." The applicant would be required to present to the Department of Motor Vehicles, on a form developed jointly by the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Department of Motor Vehicles, proof of veteran status. The bill would require county veterans service offices to verify an applicant's veteran status for these purposes, as specified. The department would be required to print the word "VETERAN" on the face of a driver's license or identification card issued to a person who makes that request and presents that verification to the department. (2) Existing law establishes certain fee amounts for the applications for, and renewal of, driver's licenses and identification cards. This bill would authorize the department to charge an additional fee in an unspecified amount to a person who requests that the person's driver's license or identification card be designated as provided above.
Sponsored bills
Existing law establishes the California Alternative Energy and Advanced Transportation Financing Authority to provide financial assistance for projects that promote the use of alternative energies. Existing law authorizes the authority to approve a project for financial assistance in the form of the sales and use tax exclusion. This bill would expand projects eligible for the sales and use tax exclusion to include projects that process or utilize recycled feedstock, as defined, that is intended to be reused in the production of another product or soil amendment, but would not include a project that processes or utilizes recycled feedstock in a manner that constitutes disposal, as defined.
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.
Existing law requires the State Department of Education to ensure that the nutrition levels of meals served to schoolage children pursuant to the federal National School Lunch Act be of the highest quality and greatest nutritional value possible. This bill would establish the Farm to School Program within the Department of Food and Agriculture, to provide for the allocation of grants and technical assistance to school districts and county offices of education for specified purposes, including serving healthy meals in school cafeterias. The bill would authorize the Secretary of Food and Agriculture to distribute grants of up to $5,000 per schoolsite to eligible school districts and county offices of education for specified purposes, including, among others, food literacy education. The bill would require a school district or county office of education that receives a grant pursuant to those provisions to comply with specified reporting requirements. The bill would require the secretary to convene an interagency working group on increasing the provision of fresh and nutritious school meals to pupils that includes representatives of the Department of Food and Agriculture, the State Department of Education, and the State Department of Public Health. The bill would make the implementation of the Farm to School Program contingent upon appropriation by the Legislature for those purposes.
Existing law requires that a vote by mail ballot be received by the issuing elections official or the precinct board no later than the close of polls on election day. This bill would make an exception for military or overseas voters, as defined, and would instead require that their vote by mail ballots be postmarked by the United States Postal Service or the Military Postal Service Agency on or before election day and received by their elections officials no later than 3 days after election day. Because the bill would impose additional duties on local elections officials, 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.
The Personal Income Tax Law and the Corporation Tax Law authorize various credits against the taxes imposed by those laws, including a hiring credit for qualified taxpayers who hire qualified employees, as defined, within enterprise zones and local agency military base recovery areas, subject to specified criteria and requirements. Those laws require that a taxpayer obtain a certification from the Employment Development Department, as permitted by federal law, the local county or city Job Training Partnership Act administrative entity, the local county GAIN office or social services agency, or the local government administering a specified area or zone that provides that a qualified employee meets the specified eligibility requirements. Existing law authorizes any local entity formerly authorized to issue a certification that provides that a qualified employee, qualified disadvantaged individual, or qualified displaced employee meets specified eligibility requirements, to continue to accept applications for certification and to issue the certifications up to but no later than January 1, 2015. This bill would instead authorize those local entities to continue to accept applications for the certification up to but no later than January 1, 2015, and would provide that a local entity has until January 1, 2016, to issue the certifications. This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.
Existing law, the California Residential Care Facilities for the Elderly Act, provides for the licensure of residential care facilities for the elderly by the State Department of Social Services. Existing law requires any person seeking a license for a residential care facility for the elderly to file an application with the department, as specified. Among other required application information, if the applicant is a firm, association, organization, partnership, business trust, corporation, or company, evidence of reputable and responsible character is required to be submitted as to the members or shareholders thereof, and the person in charge of the residential care facility for the elderly for which the application for issuance of license or special permit is made. This bill would, among other things, delete the above requirement to submit evidence of reputable and responsible character as to members or shareholders of a firm, association, organization, partnership, business trust, corporation, or company and the person in charge of the facility, and instead would require the applicant to disclose whether the licensee is a for-profit or not-for-profit provider, the names and license numbers of other facilities owned, managed, or operated by the same licensee, and the names and addresses of any persons or organizations listed as owner of record in the real estate, including the buildings and grounds appurtenant to the buildings. The bill would require an applicant to provide additional information, including, but not limited to, the applicant's history of compliance with the requirements imposed under specified facility licenses or a similarly licensed facility, applicable state and federal laws and regulations, and requirements governing the operators of those facilities. The bill would also require that specified applicant information be cross checked with the State Department of Public Health to determine if the applicant has a prior history of operating, holding a position in, or having ownership in, specified licensed facilities. Existing law requires the Director of Social Services to establish an automated license information system on licensees and former licensees of licensed residential care facilities for the elderly. The system is required to maintain a record of any information that may be pertinent for licensure. A violation of the provisions of the act is a crime. This bill would require the department, among other things, by July 1, 2015, to post on its Internet Web site residential care facility for the elderly profiles, with specified data. The bill would require, upon completion of a new community care licensing data system, or as soon as the current data system permits, each licensee of a residential care facility for the elderly to submit a profile of resident characteristics to the department on an annual basis, including, but not limited to, the number of residents in the facility who are bedridden, nonambulatory, receiving hospice care, have one or more allowable health conditions, have one or more restricted or prohibitive health conditions, or who have dementia. The bill would also require the department to develop and implement a ratings system by July 1, 2019, as provided. Because the bill would create a new crime, it would impose a state-mandated local program. Existing law authorizes the department to deny any application for a residential care facility for the elderly license or to suspend or revoke those licenses on certain grounds, including, but not limited to, a violation by the licensee of applicable provisions or of the rules and regulations adopted under those provisions, conduct that is inimical to the health, morals, welfare, or safety of either an individual in or receiving services from the facility or the people of the state, or engaging in acts of financial malfeasance concerning the operation of a facility. This bill would require the department to deny an application for licensure or authorize it to subsequently revoke a license on the grounds that the applicant knowingly made a false statement of fact with regard to information that was required by the application for licensure, and would authorize the department to deny an application for licensure or subsequently revoke a license on the grounds that the applicant did not disclose enforcement actions on the application as required. The bill would also authorize the department to deny an application for licensure on the grounds that the applicant has a history of noncompliance with the requirements imposed under specified facility licenses or a similarly licensed facility in another state, applicable state and federal laws and regulations, and the requirements governing the operators of those facilities. 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.
The Planning and Zoning Law prohibits the legislative body of a city or county within the Sacramento-San Joaquin Valley, after specified general plan amendments have been made, and corresponding zoning ordinances adopted, from taking specified actions regarding property located within a flood hazard zone unless the city or county makes specified findings including, among other requirements, that the local flood management agency has made adequate progress on the construction of a flood protection system that will result in a specified level of flood protection in urban or urbanizing areas or the national Federal Emergency Management Agency standard of flood protection in nonurbanized areas, as specified. That law defines adequate progress as meaning that, among other conditions being met, critical features of the flood protection system are under construction, and each critical feature is progressing as indicated by the actual expenditure of the construction budget funds. This bill would instead require the city or county to make a finding that the local flood management agency is making adequate progress towards a flood protection system. This bill would authorize the Central Valley Flood Protection Board to determine, in its sole discretion, that preconstruction planning or design activities of a flood protection system by the local flood management agency are sufficient to constitute adequate progress. This bill would require this determination by the board to expire 18 months after it is made unless the flood protection system has progressed to construction or the local flood management agency submits a report to the board showing that adequate progress continues to be made. If the board determines that adequate progress is continuing, the bill would require this subsequent determination to expire 18 months after it is made. This bill would also revise the definition of adequate progress to include the critical features of the flood protection system being planned or designed and this determination by the board, if any, has not expired. Existing law prohibits a city and county within the Sacramento-San Joaquin Valley from approving a discretionary permit or other discretionary entitlement for a project that is located within a flood hazard zone, unless the city or county finds, based on substantial evidence in the record, that certain criteria is met. This bill would instead only prohibit a city or county from approving a discretionary permit or other discretionary entitlement for a building that would result in more than a 50% increase in allowed occupancy.
Existing law, the Ortiz-Pacheco-Poochigian-Vasconcellos Cal Grant Program (Cal Grant Program) , establishes the Cal Grant A and B Entitlement awards, the California Community College Transfer Entitlement awards, the Competitive Cal Grant A and B awards, the Cal Grant C awards, and the Cal Grant T awards under the administration of the Student Aid Commission (commission) , and establishes eligibility requirements for awards under these programs for participating students attending qualifying institutions, as defined. Existing law requires the Student Aid Commission to certify by October 1 of each year a qualifying institution's latest 3-year cohort default rate as most recently reported by the United States Department of Education. Existing law provides that, for purposes of the 2012–13 academic year, and every academic year thereafter, an otherwise qualifying institution with a 3-year cohort default rate that is equal to or greater than 15.5% is ineligible for initial and renewal Cal Grant awards at the institution. Existing law also requires that an otherwise qualifying institution is ineligible for an initial or renewal Cal Grant award at the institution if the institution has a graduation rate of 30% or less for students taking 150% or less of the expected time to complete degree requirements, as specified, with certain exceptions. If an otherwise qualifying institution has a student body composed of at least 23 students who are receiving federal Pell grants, and a default rate that exceeds the existing statutory maximum for eligibility or a graduation rate less than the existing statutory minimum for eligibility, as prescribed, this bill would deem the institution eligible if the commission certifies that the institution satisfies specified conditions. The bill would require the commission to adopt any rules or regulations necessary to implement these provisions by March 1, 2015, and to report to the Legislature, by January 1, 2016, on its review and recommendations regarding additional criteria that would be appropriately considered in determining eligibility.
Existing law, the Electronic Waste Recycling Act of 2003, requires a retailer selling a covered electronic device in this state to collect a covered electronic waste recycling fee from the consumer, as specified. These fees are deposited in the Electronic Waste Recovery and Recycling Account, and the Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery is continuously appropriated the money in the account to, among other things, make electronic waste recovery payments and recycling payments. This bill would require the department, in consultation with the Department of Toxic Substances Control, to make CRT glass, as defined, market development processing payments or CRT glass market development manufacturing payments to a CRT glass processor, a CRT glass manufacturer, or an electronic waste recycler who processes eligible CRT glass for use in a product or in a manufacturing process, or utilizes eligible CRT glass in a product or in a manufacturing process, pursuant to a specified claims procedure. The bill would repeal the requirement to make these payments on January 1, 2020. The bill would additionally authorize the expenditure of not more than $10,000,000 each year of the continuously appropriated funds for the purpose of making those market development payments until January 1, 2020.