Under existing law, the Public Utilities Commission has regulatory authority over public utilities, including electrical and gas corporations, as defined. Existing law authorizes the commission to fix the rates and charges for every public utility, and requires that those rates and charges be just and reasonable. Existing law requires the commission to designate a baseline quantity of electricity and gas necessary to supply a significant portion of the reasonable energy needs of the average residential customer and requires that electrical and gas corporations file rates and charges, to be approved by the commission, providing baseline rates. Existing law requires the commission, in establishing the baseline rates, to avoid excessive rate increases for residential customers. Existing law requires the commission to establish a program of assistance to low-income electric and gas customers, referred to as the California Alternate Rates for Energy (CARE) program. The CARE program provides lower rates to low-income customers that are financed through a separate rate component, which is required to be a nonbypassable element of the local distribution service and collected on the basis of usage. Eligibility for the CARE program is for those electric and gas customers with annual household incomes that are no greater than 200% of the federal poverty guideline levels. Existing law revises certain prohibitions upon raising residential electrical rates adopted during the energy crisis of 2000–01, to authorize the commission to increase the rates charged residential customers for electricity usage up to 130% of the baseline quantities by the annual percentage change in the Consumer Price Index from the prior year plus 1%, but not less than 3% and not more than 5% per year. Existing law additionally authorizes the commission to increase the rates in effect for CARE program participants for electricity usage up to 130% of baseline quantities by the annual percentage increase in benefits under the CalWORKs program, as defined, not to exceed 3%, and subject to the limitation that the CARE rates not exceed 80% of the corresponding rates charged to residential customers not participating in the CARE program. Existing law states the intent of the Legislature that CARE program participants be afforded the lowest possible electric and gas rates and, to the extent possible, be exempt from additional surcharges attributable to the energy crisis of 2000–01. This bill would repeal the limitations upon increasing the electric service rates of residential customers, including the rate increase limitations applicable to electric service provided to CARE customers, but would require the commission, in establishing rates for CARE program participants, to ensure that low-income ratepayers are not jeopardized or overburdened by monthly energy expenditures and to adopt CARE rates in which the level of discount for low-income electricity and gas ratepayers correctly reflects their level of need, as determined by a specified needs assessment. The bill would require that this needs assessment be performed not less often than every 3rd year. The bill would revise the CARE program eligibility requirements to provide that for one-person households, program eligibility would be based on 2-person household guideline levels. The bill would require the commission, when establishing the CARE discounts for an electrical corporation with 100,000 or more customer accounts in California, to ensure that the average effective CARE discount be no less than 30% and no more than 35% of the revenues that would have been produced for the same billed usage by non-CARE customers and that the entire discount be provided in the form of a reduction in the overall bill for the eligible CARE customer. The bill would require that increases to rates and charges in rate design proceedings, including any reduction in the CARE discount, be reasonable and subject to a reasonable phase-in schedule relative to the rates and charges in effect prior to January 1, 2014. The bill would authorize the commission to approve new, or expand existing, fixed charges, as defined, for an electrical corporation for the purpose of collecting a reasonable portion of the fixed costs of providing service to residential customers. The bill would require the commission to ensure that any new or expanded fixed charges reasonably reflect an appropriate portion of the different costs of serving small and large customers, do not unreasonably impair incentives for conservation and energy efficiency, and do not overburden low-income and moderate-income customers. The bill would impose a $10 limit per residential customer account per month for customers not enrolled in the CARE program, would impose a $5 per month limit per residential customer account per month for customers enrolled in the CARE program, and would, beginning January 1, 2016, authorize the commission to adjust this maximum allowable fixed charge by no more than the annual percentage increase in the Consumer Price Index for the prior calendar year. The bill would authorize the commission to consider whether minimum bills are an appropriate substitute for any fixed charges. Existing law prohibits the commission from requiring or permitting an electrical corporation to do any of the following: (1) employ mandatory or default time-variant pricing, as defined, with or without bill protection, as defined, for residential customers prior to January 1, 2013, (2) employ mandatory or default time-variant pricing, without bill protection, for residential customers prior to January 1, 2014, or (3) employ mandatory or default real-time pricing, without bill protection, for residential customers prior to January 1, 2020. Existing law authorizes the commission to authorize an electrical corporation to offer residential customers the option of receiving service pursuant to time-variant pricing and to participate in other demand response programs. Existing law requires the commission to only approve an electrical corporation's use of default time-variant pricing for residential customers, beginning January 1, 2014, if those residential customers have the option to not receive service pursuant to time-variant pricing and incur no additional charges, as specified, as a result of the exercise of that option. Existing law exempts certain customers from being subject to default time-variant pricing. This bill would delete these provisions and instead prohibit the commission from requiring or permitting an electrical corporation from employing mandatory or default time-variant pricing, as defined, for any residential customer, except that beginning January 1, 2018, the commission may require or authorize an electrical corporation to employ default time-of-use pricing to residential customers, subject to specified limitations and conditions. The bill would permit the commission to authorize an electrical corporation to offer residential customers the option of receiving service pursuant to time-variant pricing and to participate in other demand response programs. The bill would provide that a residential customer would have the option to not receive service pursuant to time-variant pricing and not incur any additional charge as a result of the exercise of that option. Unless the commission has authorized an electrical corporation to employ default time-of-use pricing, the bill would require the commission to require each electrical corporation to offer default rates to residential customers with at least 2 usage tiers and would require that the first tier include electricity usage of no less than the baseline quantity established by the commission. The bill would authorize the commission to modify the baseline seasonal definitions and applicable percentage of average consumption for one or more climate zones. Existing law requires every electric utility, defined to include an electrical corporation, local publicly owned electric utility, or an electrical cooperative, to develop a standard contract or tariff providing for net energy metering, as defined, and to make this contract or tariff available to eligible customer generators, as defined, upon request for generation by a renewable electrical generation facility, as defined. An electric utility, upon request, is required to make available to eligible customer generators contracts or tariffs for net energy metering on a first-come-first-served basis until the time that the total rated generating capacity used by eligible customer generators exceeds 5% of the electric utility's aggregate customer peak demand. Existing law authorizes a local publicly owned electric utility to elect to instead offer co-energy metering, which uses a generation-to-generation energy and time-of-use credit formula, as specified. This bill would require a large electrical corporation, defined as an electrical corporation with more than 100,000 service connections in California, to provide net energy metering to additional eligible customer-generators in its service area through July 1, 2017, or until the corporation reaches its net energy metering program limit, as specified. The bill would require the commission, no later than December 31, 2015, to develop a standard contract or tariff for eligible customer-generators with a renewable electrical generation facility that is a customer of a large electrical corporation. In developing the standard contract or tariff for large electrical corporations, the commission would be required to take specified actions. The bill would require the large electrical corporation to offer the standard contract or tariff to an eligible customer-generator beginning July 1, 2017, or prior to that date if ordered to do so by the commission because it has reached the net energy metering program limit established for the corporation. The bill would provide that there shall be no limitation on the number of new eligible customer-generators entitled to receive service pursuant to the new standard contract or tariff developed by the commission for a large electrical corporation. Existing law provides that a fuel cell electrical generation facility is not eligible for the tariff unless it commences operation before January 1, 2015. This bill would instead provide that a fuel cell electrical generation facility is not eligible for the tariff unless it commences operation before January 1, 2017. The Public Utilities Act requires each electrical corporation, as a part of its distribution planning process, to consider specified nonutility owned distributed energy resources as an alternative to investments in its distribution system to ensure reliable electric services at the lowest possible costs. This bill would require an electrical corporation, by July 1, 2015, to submit to the commission a distribution resources plan proposal, as specified, to identify optimal locations for the deployment of distributed resources, as defined. The bill would require the commission to review each distribution resources plan proposal submitted by an electrical corporation and approve, or modify and approve, a distribution resources plan for the corporation. The bill would require that any electrical corporation spending on distribution infrastructure necessary to accomplish the distribution resources plan be proposed and considered as part of the next general rate case for the corporation and would authorize the commission to approve this proposed spending if it concludes that ratepayers would realize net benefits and the associated costs are just and reasonable. The California Renewables Portfolio Standard Program requires the Public Utilities Commission to establish a rewewables portfolio standard requiring all retail sellers, as defined, to procure a minimum quantity of electricity products from eligible renewable energy resources, as defined, at specified percentages of the total kilowatthours sold to their retail end-customers during specified compliance periods. The program additionally requires each local publicly owned electric utility, as defined, to procure a minimum quantity of electricity products from eligible renewable energy resources to achieve the targets established by the program. Existing law prohibits the commission from requiring the procurement of eligible renewable energy resources in excess of the specified quantities. This bill would authorize the commission to require a retail seller to procure eligible renewable energy resources in excess of the specified quantities. Under existing law, a violation of the Public Utilities Act or any order, decision, rule, direction, demand, or requirement of the commission is a crime. Because portions of this bill are within the act and require action by the commission to implement their requirements, a violation of these provisions would impose a state-mandated local program by creating a new crime or expanding an existing crime. 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.
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Existing law authorizes the Supreme Court to admit an applicant as an attorney at law in all the courts of the state, upon certification by the examining committee of the State Bar of California that the applicant has fulfilled the requirements for admission to practice law, as specified. This bill would additionally authorize the Supreme Court to admit to the practice of law an applicant who is not lawfully present in the United States, upon certification by the committee that the applicant has fulfilled those requirements for admission, as specified.
Existing law provides for the licensure or registration and regulation of marriage and family therapists and interns and professional clinical counselors by the Board of Behavioral Sciences. Under existing law, the board may issue a license to an applicant who holds a valid license from another state if, among other requirements, his or her education and supervised experience requirements are substantially similar, as specified. Under existing law, for marriage and family therapist applicants who apply for licensure or professional clinical counselor applicants who apply for examination eligibility or registration, the board is required to accept education gained outside of California toward applicable requirements if it is substantially similar and the applicant completes certain coursework and training, and may accept education as substantially equivalent if it meets certain requirements, including the completion of at least 48 semester or 72 quarter units of instruction, as specified. These provisions apply to marriage and family therapist applicants who apply between January 1, 2010, and December 31, 2013, and to professional clinical counselor applicants who apply between January 1, 2011, and December 31, 2013, and are operative until January 1, 2014. This bill would extend the application of those provisions to December 31, 2015, and extend the operative date of those provisions to January 1, 2016. Under existing law, for a marriage and family therapist applicant who holds a valid license from another state and who applies for licensure on or after January 1, 2014, and a professional clinical counselor applicant who holds a valid license from another state and who applies for examination eligibility on or after January 1, 2014, the board may issue a license to that person if, among other requirements, his or her supervised experience is substantially equivalent. For an applicant who does not hold a license, the board is required to accept experience and education gained outside of California toward the licensure or registration requirements if it is substantially equivalent. Under existing law, education is substantially equivalent if it meets certain requirements, including the completion of credit level coursework from a degree-granting institution that provides specified instruction and an 18-hour course in California law and professional ethics. This bill would delay the application of those provisions to January 1, 2016.
Existing law requires the Division of Boating and Waterways to publish or cause to be published on or before July 1 of each year a directory of licensed brokers and salespersons and to charge and collect the fees prescribed by the Yacht and Ship Brokers Act in accordance with a specified schedule. Existing law authorizes the division to make rules and regulations to carry out the provisions of the act. This bill would require the division to post the directory on its Internet Web site. The bill would require the division to adopt regulations setting forth the fees to be charged and collected under the act for, among other things, exams, licensing, renewals, and other services provided by the division under the act, and would require the fees to be sufficient to reimburse the division for the reasonable costs of implementing the act. The bill would require that those fees be charged and collected under the act until such time that the division adopts those regulations.
Existing law provides that a person who is entitled to collect certain damages is also entitled to collect interest on the damages from that day, except as specified. Existing law provides that this requirement applies to the collection of interest from a public entity. Existing law prohibits, in an action to recover damages for a personal injury resulting from or occasioned by the tort of another, a public entity and a public employee whose action or condition was within the scope of employment from being liable for interest. The California Constitution requires the Legislature to set the rate of interest upon a judgment rendered in any court of this state at not more than 10% per annum. In the absence of the setting of such a rate by the Legislature, the California Constitution provides that the rate of interest on any judgment rendered in a court is 7% per annum. This bill would require, unless another provision of law provides a different interest rate, interest to accrue in a tax or fee claim against a public entity that results in a judgment against the public entity at a rate equal to the weekly average one year constant maturity United States Treasury yield, not to exceed 7% per annum. The bill would also provide that, when a tax or fee judgment against a local public entity or against the state or a state agency, except for a claim approved by the California Victim Compensation Government Claims Board, becomes enforceable pursuant to specified statutes also proposed to be amended in this bill, interest accrues at an annual rate equal to the weekly average one year constant maturity United States Treasury yield at the time of the judgment plus 2%, but not to exceed 7% per annum.
(1) Existing law establishes the Air Quality Improvement Program that is administered by the State Air Resources Board for the purposes of funding projects related to, among other things, reduction of criteria air pollutants and improvement of air quality. Existing law requires, until January 1, 2016, that a portion of the registration fees for motor vehicles and vessels be deposited into the Air Quality Improvement Fund and, upon appropriation, be expended for the implementation of the program. Pursuant to the Air Quality Improvement Program, the state board has established the Clean Vehicle Rebate Project to promote the production and use of zero-emission vehicles and the Hybrid and Zero-Emission Truck and Bus Voucher Incentive Project to provide vouchers to help California fleets to purchase hybrid and zero-emission trucks and buses. Existing law establishes the Vehicle Inspection and Repair Fund, which serves as a repository for fees collected by the Department of Consumer Affairs pursuant to the Automotive Repair Act. This bill would require the Controller to transfer, as a loan, $30,000,000 from the Vehicle Inspection and Repair Fund to the Air Quality Improvement Fund. The bill would appropriate to the state board these moneys in the Air Quality Improvement Fund to be expended only for the Clean Vehicle Rebate Project and the Hybrid and Zero-Emission Truck and Bus Voucher Incentive Project, thereby making an appropriation. (2) Existing law establishes the Capital Access Loan Program for small businesses, administered by the California Pollution Control Financing Authority, by providing loans through participating financial institutions to qualifying small businesses, including financial assistance to businesses affected by the In-Use Bus and Truck Rule through the Heavy-Duty Vehicle Air Quality Loan Program. This bill would require the Controller to transfer, as a loan, $10,000,000, from the Vehicle Inspection and Repair Fund to the Air Pollution Control Fund. The bill would appropriate to the state board these moneys in the Air Pollution Control Fund to be expended only for the Heavy-Duty Vehicle Air Quality Loan Program, thereby making an appropriation. (3) Existing law creates the Enhanced Fleet Modernization Subaccount in the High Polluter Removal and Repair Account and makes available, upon appropriation, all money in the account to establish and implement the enhanced fleet modernization program, administered by the Bureau of Automotive Repair in the Department of Consumer Affairs. This bill would appropriate $8,000,000 to the Bureau of Automotive Repair from the Enhanced Fleet Modernization Subaccount in the High Polluter Repair or Removal Account to be expended only for the purposes of the enhanced fleet modernization program, thereby making an appropriation.
This measure would honor the California Council on Science and Technology for 25 years of service and unbiased advice to the State of California.
This measure would urge the Congress of the United States to enact President Barack Obama's budget proposal to increase funding for preschool and early learning. This measure would also urge the Superintendent of Public Instruction to prepare a plan for making California competitive for future increases in federal funding to preschool and early learning programs.
This measure would designate December 4, 2013, as Keeping Kids in School and Out of Court Day.
Existing law provides for the licensure or registration and regulation of marriage and family therapists and interns by the Board of Behavioral Sciences. Under existing law, until January 1, 2019, an applicant for a marriage and family therapist licensure or registration who began graduate study before August 1, 2012, and completes that study on or before December 31, 2018, is required to complete prescribed coursework or training to be eligible to sit for a licensing examination. Under existing law, the prescribed coursework and training require, among other things, that a master's or doctor's degree qualifying for licensure include specific instruction in alcoholism and other chemical substance dependency. This bill would specify that coursework requirement may be satisfied if taken in fulfillment of other educational requirements for licensure or in a separate course, and that the applicant may satisfy the requirement by successfully completing the coursework from a master's or doctoral degree program at an accredited or approved institution or with a board-accepted provider of continuing education, as specified. The prescribed coursework and training also require that a master's or doctor's degree qualifying for licensure include coursework in spousal or partner abuse assessment, detection, and intervention, as specified. Existing law provides that those requirements may be satisfied if taken in fulfillment of other educational requirements for licensure or in a separate course, and may be satisfied by a specified certification from the chief academic officer of the educational institution from which the applicant graduated. This bill would specify that the applicant may meet this requirement by successfully completing this coursework from a master's or doctoral degree program at an accredited or approved institution or from a board-accepted provider of continuing education, as described. This bill would delete provisions that permit the board to accept as satisfaction of those coursework requirements certification from the chief academic officer of the educational institution. Existing law provides for the licensure and regulation of clinical social workers by the Board of Behavioral Sciences. Under existing law, an applicant for a clinical social worker license is required to furnish to the board evidence that he or she has, among other things, completed instruction and training in spousal or partner abuse assessment, detection, and intervention strategies, as specified, which may be satisfied by a specified certification from the chief academic officer of the educational institution from which the applicant graduated. This bill would delete provisions that permit the board to accept as satisfaction of those coursework requirements certification from the chief academic officer of the educational institution.