Existing law governs the provision of child welfare services, which is defined to mean public social services that are directed toward the accomplishment of specified purposes, including protecting and promoting the welfare of all children, preventing the unnecessary separation of children from their families, and restoring to their families children who have been removed. This bill would require the State Department of Social Services, on or before July 1, 2022, to convene a workgroup to examine the nexus between child welfare and domestic violence and the impacts of child welfare policy on families experiencing domestic violence. The bill would require the membership of the workgroup to include interested parties and stakeholders, as specified, and would require the workgroup, among other things, to examine policies and procedures related to child welfare engagement in cases in which domestic violence is present in a child's home, review best practices and recommendations from research related to child welfare and domestic violence, and identify gaps in the child welfare system in which additional training, oversight, or policy changes may be needed to achieve improved outcomes for children and families experiencing domestic violence. The bill would require the department, on or before December 31, 2022, and based on the findings of the workgroup, to submit a report to the Legislature containing recommendations on ways to improve outcomes for children and families referred to the child welfare system who are experiencing domestic violence.
Sponsored bills
Existing law establishes the California Statewide Housing Plan to serve as a state housing plan for all relevant purposes. Existing law requires that the plan incorporate, among other things, a statement of housing goals, policies, and objectives and that the Department of Housing and Community Development update and provide a revision of the plan to the Legislature every 4 years. Existing law establishes the California Housing Finance Agency (CalHFA) within the Department of Housing and Community Development, administered by a board of directors, with the primary purpose of meeting the housing needs of persons and families of low or moderate income. Existing law requires the Governor, subject to confirmation by the Senate, to appoint an executive director of CalHFA and requires the executive director, subject solely to supervision by the board of directors, to administer and direct the day-to-day operations of CalHFA. This bill would establish the Legislative Task Force on the California Master Plan on Homeownership. The bill would require the Executive Director of CalHFA to serve as the chair of the task force and to appoint a homeownership advisory committee, as provided. The bill would require the task force to evaluate policy and regulatory impediments to increasing the rate of homeownership for Californians and, no later than October 31, 2022, to develop a final report that includes specified information and recommendations and submit that report to the Legislature. The bill would make findings in this regard.
(1) The California Integrated Waste Management Act of 1989, administered by the Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery, generally regulates the disposal, management, and recycling of solid waste, including, among other solid waste, single-use plastic straws. The Sustainable Packaging for the State of California Act of 2018 prohibits a food service facility located in a state-owned facility, operating on or acting as a concessionaire on state property, or under contract to provide food service to a state agency from dispensing prepared food using a type of food service packaging unless the type of food service packaging is on a list that the department publishes and maintains on its internet website that contains types of approved food service packaging that are reusable, recyclable, or compostable. Existing law makes a legislative declaration that it is the policy goal of the state that not less than 75% of solid waste generated be source reduced, recycled, or composted by 2020. This bill would enact the California Circular Economy and Plastic Pollution Reduction Act, which would establish a comprehensive regulatory scheme for producers, retailers, and wholesalers of single-use packaging, as defined, and single-use products, as defined, made partially or entirely of plastic, to be administered by the department. The bill would require producers, within 6 months of the department's adoption of regulations to implement the act, to individually, or to collectively form or join a stewardship organization that will, develop, finance, and implement a convenient and cost-effective program to source reduce, recover, and recycle single-use packaging and single-use products discarded in the state, and develop and submit to the department a stewardship plan, annual report, and budget, as prescribed. The bill would require the stewardship plan to include funding to support, among other things, mechanisms necessary to achieve a 75% recycling rate of single-use packaging and single-use products by 2032 and annually thereafter. The bill would require, starting in 2025, a stewardship organization to collect from its member producers funding for the purposes of paying the administrative and operational costs of the stewardship program. The bill would require, on or before the end of the 2022–23 fiscal year, and once every 3 months thereafter, a stewardship organization to pay to the department an administrative fee to cover the department's full costs of administering and enforcing the act, not to exceed the department's actual and reasonable regulatory costs. This bill would authorize the department to impose an administrative civil penalty, except as specified, not to exceed $50,000 per day per violation on an entity that is not in compliance with the act's requirements. The bill would require the department to deposit those administrative civil penalties into the Circular Economy Penalty Account, which the bill would create. The bill would provide that the moneys in the account shall be available to the department, upon appropriation by the Legislature, for purposes that further the act. This bill would require the department, no later than July 1, 2022, to post a list of packaging categories, as defined, and product categories, as defined, for single-use packaging and single-use products that are easily recyclable or easily compostable, hard to recycle or hard to compost, or nonrecyclable or noncompostable, and specifies the types of plastics to be included on the initial list posted by the department. The bill would require the department to develop criteria to determine if single-use packaging and single-use products are easily recyclable or easily compostable, hard to recycle or hard to compost, or nonrecyclable or noncompostable, as provided. The bill would, beginning January 1, 2023, require all single-use packaging and single-use products sold, offered for sale, distributed, or imported in or into the state to be easily recyclable or easily compostable in the state. The bill would, beginning January 1, 2035, require all single-use packaging and single-use products sold, offered for sale, distributed, or imported in or into the state to include 75% postconsumer recycled content. The bill would require the department, beginning in 2023, to impose an administrative civil penalty on producers per unit sold, offered for sale, imported, or distributed in or into the state of $0.01 for hard to recycle or hard to compost single-use packaging and single-use products, $0.02 for nonrecyclable or noncompostable single-use packaging and single-use products, and, additionally, beginning in 2035, of $0.01 for single-use packaging and single-use products that do not include 75% postconsumer recycled content. The bill would require the department to deposit those administrative civil penalties into the Single-Use Plastic Packaging and Products Penalty Account, which the bill would create. The bill would provide that the moneys in the account shall be available to the department, upon appropriation by the Legislature, for projects with demonstrated environmental or environmental health benefits, and that prioritize projects within the state. The bill would impose on producers, among other requirements, registration, reporting, and recordkeeping requirements. The bill would require reports and data provided by producers to the department to be accurate and attested to under penalty of perjury, thereby imposing a state-mandated local program by expanding the crime of perjury. (2) 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. (3) 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.
Existing law defines rape as an act of sexual intercourse accomplished with a person not the spouse of the perpetrator under certain circumstances, including where the victim is incapable of giving legal consent because of a mental disorder or developmental or physical disability, where the victim is not aware of the essential characteristics of the act due to the perpetrator's fraudulent representation that the act serves a professional purpose, and where the victim submits to the act under the belief that the perpetrator is someone known to the victim other than the perpetrator, and the perpetrator intentionally and fraudulently induces that belief. Existing law separately defines rape of a spouse as an act of sexual intercourse accomplished with the spouse of the perpetrator under similar circumstances as nonspousal rape, except that spousal rape does not include acts of sexual intercourse accomplished under the specific circumstances described above. This bill would repeal the provisions relating to spousal rape and make conforming changes, thereby making an act of sexual intercourse accomplished with a spouse punishable as rape if the act otherwise meets the definition of rape. By changing the definition of a crime, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program. Existing law authorizes an employer to request from the Department of Justice records of all convictions or any arrest pending adjudication for specified offenses for a person who applies for a license, employment, or volunteer position, in which the person would have supervisory or disciplinary power over a minor and requires the employer to notify the parent or guardian of a child if a person with specified convictions will have supervisory or disciplinary power over that child. Existing law exempts certain convictions, including spousal rape, from that notification requirement. This bill would remove the exemption for spousal rape or any other felony conviction and would instead exempt only misdemeanor convictions from that notification. The bill would make numerous conforming changes. 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 establishes the Office of Small Business Advocate within the Governor's Office of Business and Economic Development for the purpose of advocating for the causes of small business and to provide small businesses with the information they need to survive in the marketplace. This bill, the Keep California Working Act, would establish the Keep California Working Grant Program. The act would require the Small Business Advocate to administer the program and award grants, as specified, to small businesses and nonprofit entities that meet specified criteria, including that the entity has experienced economic hardship resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. The act would specify that grant money awarded pursuant to the program may be used only for specified purposes, including payroll costs, health care benefits, paid sick, medical, or family leave, and insurance premiums. The act would appropriate $2.6 billion dollars to the Office of Small Business Advocate for those purposes. The Personal Income Tax Law and the Corporation Tax Law, in conformity with federal income tax law, generally define "gross income" as income from whatever source derived, except as specifically excluded, and provide various exclusions from gross income. This bill would exclude from gross income, for state income tax purposes, the amount of a grant awarded pursuant to the Keep California Working Grant Program. Existing law requires a bill authorizing a new tax expenditure to contain, among other things, specific goals, purposes, and objectives that the tax expenditure will achieve, detailed performance indicators, and data collection requirements. The bill also would include additional information required for a bill authorizing a new tax expenditure. This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.
Existing law establishes the California Health and Human Services Agency, which includes the State Department of Public Health, among other state departments charged with the administration of health, social, and other human services. Under existing law, the State Department of Public Health has authority over various programs promoting public health, including genetic disease testing and newborn screenings. This bill would establish the Rare Disease Advisory Council within the California Health and Human Services Agency. This bill would specify the purposes of the Rare Disease Advisory Council, including, among others, coordinating statewide efforts for the study of the incidence of rare diseases within the state, and acting as the advisory body on rare diseases to the Legislature and state and private agencies that provide services to persons with rare diseases. Under the bill, the duties of the advisory council would include, among others, adopting implementing regulations, researching and determining the most appropriate method to collect data on rare diseases, and identifying best practices for rare disease care. The bill would specify the composition of the advisory council, including members appointed by the Secretary of California Health and Human Services and the State Public Health Officer. Before any appointments are made, the bill would require the agency to research and report to the Legislature on existing sources of funding that may be used to finance the formation and operation of the advisory council. The bill would require the advisory council to apply for, and accept, any grant of funds from the federal government, private foundations, or other sources. The bill would prohibit the advisory council from accepting funds from the employer of any sitting council member. The bill would require the advisory council to meet at least 3 times annually and to report to the agency and the Legislature every 2 years on its activities, findings, and recommendations.
(1) Existing law establishes the Governor's Office of Business and Economic Development, known as "GO-Biz," within the Governor's office to serve the Governor as the lead entity for economic strategy and the marketing of California on issues relating to business development, private sector investment, and economic growth. This bill would require the office to coordinate with other relevant state and local agencies and national organizations to explore ways to facilitate streamlining of local land use approvals and construction permit processes for projects related to broadband infrastructure deployment and connectivity. (2) Under existing law, the Public Utilities Commission has regulatory authority over public utilities, including telephone corporations. Existing law requires the commission to develop, implement, and administer the California Advanced Services Fund (CASF) to encourage deployment of high-quality advanced communications services to all Californians that will promote economic growth, job creation, and the substantial social benefits of advanced information and communications technologies. Existing law establishes 5 accounts, the Broadband Infrastructure Grant Account, the Rural and Urban Regional Broadband Consortia Grant Account, the Broadband Public Housing Account, the Broadband Adoption Account, and the Federal Funding Account, within the CASF. Existing law provides that the goal of the Broadband Infrastructure Grant Account is, by no later than December 31, 2026, to approve funding for infrastructure projects that will provide broadband access to no less than 98% of California households. Upon the accomplishment of that goal, existing law makes up to $30,000,000 remaining in the Broadband Infrastructure Grant Account available for infrastructure projects that provide last-mile broadband access to households to which no facility-based broadband provider offers broadband service at speeds of at least 10 megabits per second (mbps) downstream and one mbps upstream. Existing law authorizes the commission to impose a surcharge to collect $330,000,000 for deposit into the CASF beginning January 1, 2018, and continuing through the 2022 calendar year. Existing law specifies the amount of surcharge revenues to be deposited into each account within the CASF, subject to appropriation by the Legislature. Existing law authorizes the commission, in administering Broadband Infrastructure Grant Account, to require each infrastructure grant applicant to indicate steps taken to first obtain any available funding from the Connect America Fund program or similar federal public programs that fund broadband infrastructure. This bill would provide that the goal of the Broadband Infrastructure Grant Account is to approve funding for infrastructure projects that will provide broadband access to no less than 98% of California households by no later than December 31, 2032, rather than December 31, 2026. The bill would delete the provision making up to $30,000,000 available for infrastructure projects upon the accomplishment of that goal, as specified. The bill would authorize moneys appropriated from the CASF to be used to fund projects that deploy broadband infrastructure to unserved nonresidential facilities used for local and state emergency response activities, including fairgrounds. The bill would delete the commission's authorization to collect $330,000,000 for deposit into the CASF beginning January 1, 2018, and continuing through the 2022 calendar year. The bill would authorize the commission, through imposition of a surcharge, to collect up to $150,000,000 per year. The bill would delete the commission's authorization to require each infrastructure grant applicant to indicate steps taken to first obtain any available funding from federal public programs, as specified. (3) 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 certain of the above provisions would be part of the act and a violation of a commission action implementing this bill's requirements would be a crime, the bill 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 no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason. (4) This bill would become effective only if AB 14 of the 2021–22 Regular Session is enacted and takes effect on or before January 1, 2022. (5) This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.
(1) Existing law prohibits a person subject to a protective order, as defined, from owning, possessing, purchasing, or receiving a firearm or ammunition while that protective order is in effect and makes a willful and knowing violation of a protective order a crime. Existing law requires the court, when issuing the order with both parties present, to inform the parties of this information and to order the restrained person to relinquish any firearm in the person's immediate possession or control or subject to their immediate possession or control. Existing law specifies the means of relinquishment if the law enforcement officer serving the protective order does not request the immediate surrender of the firearm, including, surrender to law enforcement, or by selling the firearm to a licensed gun dealer. This bill would require a court to order the restrained person to relinquish ammunition and to notify the parties of how any firearms or ammunition still in the restrained party's possession are to be relinquished and how to submit a receipt to the court. The bill would require the court to review the file to determine whether the receipt has been filed and inquire as to whether the person has complied with the requirement. The bill would require violations of the firearms or ammunition prohibition to be reported to the prosecuting attorney in the jurisdiction where the order has been issued within 2 business days of the court hearing unless the restrained party provides a receipt showing compliance at a subsequent hearing or by direct filing with the clerk of the court. The bill would authorize the relinquishment to occur by transferring the firearm or ammunition or relinquishing them for storage if the firearm or ammunition is not immediately surrendered to law enforcement upon service of the protective order. This bill would also require the court, at a noticed hearing relating to a domestic violence protective order in family court or juvenile court, to consider information presented that the restrained person has possession or control of a firearm or ammunition. The bill would authorize the court, upon making this finding, to set a review hearing, as specified, to determine whether the person has possession or control of a firearm or ammunition in violation of the above provisions. Existing law requires a court, prior to a hearing on the issuance or denial of a protective order, to ensure that a search has been conducted to determine if the subject of the order has been convicted of a serious or violent felony, a misdemeanor conviction involving domestic violence, weapons, or other violence, has an outstanding warrant, is currently on parole or probation, has a registered firearm, or has a prior restraining order or a violation of a restraining order. Existing law requires the court to notify law enforcement officials if some of those conditions exist, including the person being on parole or probation or having an outstanding warrant. This bill, as part of the search, would require the court to make a written record as to whether the subject has relinquished the firearm. If evidence of compliance with the prohibition on firearms or ammunition is not provided, the bill would require the clerk of the court to notify law enforcement officials and would require those law enforcement officials to take all actions necessary to obtain any firearms or ammunition owned, possessed, or controlled and to address any violation of the order with respect to firearms or ammunition, as specified. By requiring additional duties of local law enforcement officials, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program. Existing law requires a family court to determine the best interest of the child for purposes of deciding child custody in proceedings for dissolution of marriage, nullity of marriage, legal separation of the parties, petitions for exclusive custody of a child, and proceedings under the Domestic Violence Prevention Act. Existing law establishes a rebuttable presumption that an award of sole or joint physical or legal custody of a child to a person who has perpetrated domestic violence is detrimental to the best interest of a child and establishes factors to be considered in rebutting that presumption, including that the perpetrator is restrained by a protective order and has, or has not, complied with that order. This bill, for purposes of rebutting the presumption, would require the court to also consider whether the person is a restrained person in possession or control of a firearm or ammunition in violation of the law. Existing law authorizes the court to issue an ex parte order determining the temporary custody and visitation of a minor child, on the conditions the court determines, to a party who has established a parent and child relationship with the child, based on the best interest of the child. Existing law authorizes the court to suspend or deny custody or visitation or to limit visitation or custody only to situations in which a 3rd person is present. This bill would require the court, in making that determination, to consider whether the party is a restrained person in possession or control of a firearm or ammunition. (2) Existing law requires a law enforcement agency to enter all firearms that have been reported stolen, lost, found, recovered, held for safekeeping, or under observation into the Automated Firearms System (AFS) . This bill would also require law enforcement to enter in all firearms that are relinquished as part of a domestic violence protective order. (3) Existing law specifies how firearms and ammunition may be transported and prohibits open or concealed carry in specified circumstances. Existing law requires a license to sell, lease, or transfer firearms. Existing law, the Safety for All Act of 2016, enacted by the voters as Proposition 63 at the November 8, 2016, General Election, requires a valid ammunition vendor license to sell more than 500 rounds of ammunition in any 30-day period. Proposition 63 authorizes amendments of its provisions by a vote of 55% of both houses of the Legislature if the amendments are consistent with, and further the purposes of, the act. This bill would exempt people who are complying with the firearms provisions of a protective order from those provisions, including amending Proposition 63 to exempt a person from the limitation on the sale of over 500 rounds of ammunition in a 30-day period in order to comply with the protective order. (4) This bill would incorporate additional changes to Section 3044 of the Family Code proposed by AB 1579 and AB 1171, to be operative only if this bill and AB 1579, AB 1171, or both are enacted and this bill is enacted last. The bill would also incorporate additional changes to Section 11108.2 of the Penal Code proposed by SB 715, to be operative only if this bill and SB 715 are enacted and this bill is enacted last. (5) 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 establishes the State Department of Social Services in the Health and Welfare Agency and sets forth its powers and duties relating to the administration of various programs relating to public social services. This bill would enact the Community Response Initiative to Strengthen Emergency Systems Act, or the C.R.I.S.E.S. Act, for purposes of creating, implementing, and evaluating the C.R.I.S.E.S. Grant Pilot Program, which the act would establish. The bill would require the department to administer the program if appropriate funding is made available to the department. The bill would require the department to award grants to qualified grantees, which include city, county, and tribal departments of social services, disability services, health services, public health, or behavioral health, based on grant eligibility criteria developed in partnership with a stakeholder workgroup. This bill would require each grantee to receive a minimum award of $250,000 per year under the program. The bill would require a grantee to award at least 90% of grant funds received to one or more qualifying community-based organizations, as defined. The bill would require funds awarded under the program to be utilized to create and strengthen community-based alternatives to law enforcement to lessen the reliance on law enforcement agencies as first responders to crisis situations unrelated to a fire department or emergency medical service response. This bill would require a grantee to report at least annually to the department on the use of funding awarded under the program. The bill would require the department to convene a stakeholder workgroup consisting of specified individuals to make recommendations to the department regarding the implementation of the program, as specified. This bill would establish the Community Response Initiative to Strengthen Emergency Systems Program Fund within the State Treasury, and would provide that, upon appropriation by the Legislature, the moneys may be expended by the department for purposes of the program. The bill would prohibit the department from expending more than 5% of appropriated funds on administrative costs, as specified. The bill would require the department to award all grants by January 1, 2023. This bill would authorize the department to implement, interpret, or make specific the provisions of the program without taking regulatory action, as specified. The bill would grant immunity to the state from liability resulting from the activities of a grantee or community-based organization under the program. This bill would repeal these provisions on June 30, 2026.