Sen. Darrell Steinberg

This measure would recognize the week of March 23, 2014, to March 29, 2014, inclusive, as National Agriculture Week, and would designate March 19, 2014, as California Agriculture Day.

(1) Existing law, for purposes of regulation, defines a shotgun as a weapon designed or redesigned, made or remade, and intended to be fired from the shoulder and designed or redesigned and made or remade to use the energy of the explosive in a fixed shotgun shell to fire through a smooth bore either a number of projectiles or a single projectile for each pull of the trigger. This bill would revise the definition of a shotgun to delete the requirement that it be intended to be fired from the shoulder, and would clarify that the projectile may be fired through either a rifled bore or a smooth bore. The bill would state that this definition does not include handguns, except as specified. The bill would also delete an erroneous cross-reference. (2) Existing law requires that, with specified exceptions, any person who, prior to January 1, 2001, lawfully possessed an assault weapon prior to the date it was defined as an assault weapon, and which was not specified as an assault weapon at the time of lawful possession, register the firearm with the Department of Justice. Existing law defines a shotgun with a revolving cylinder as an assault weapon. Existing law permits the Department of Justice to charge a fee for registration of up to $20 per person but not to exceed the actual processing costs of the department. Existing law, after the department establishes fees sufficient to reimburse the department for processing costs, requires fees charged to increase at a rate not to exceed the legislatively approved annual cost-of-living adjustment for the department's budget or as otherwise increased through the Budget Act. Existing law, the Administrative Procedure Act, establishes the requirements for the adoption, publication, review, and implementation of regulations by state agencies. This bill would require that those fees do not exceed the reasonable processing costs of the department. The bill would require any person who, from January 1, 2001, to December 31, 2013, inclusive, lawfully acquired a shotgun with a revolving cylinder, as defined, including those firearms subject to the revised definition of "shotgun," to register the firearm before July 1, 2015, with the department pursuant to those procedures that the department may establish. The bill would prohibit an individual from being penalized for a violation of that requirement prior to July 1, 2015. The bill would require registrations to be submitted electronically via the Internet, as specified. The bill would require the registration to contain specified information, including, but not limited to, a description of the firearm that identifies it uniquely and specified information about the registrant. The bill would authorize the department to adopt regulations for the purpose of carrying out those provisions and would exempt those regulations from the Administrative Procedure Act. The bill would authorize the department to charge a fee for registration of each assault weapon of up to $20 per firearm but not to exceed the reasonable processing costs of the department, as specified. The bill would require payment be made by debit or credit card, as specified. The bill would also make technical and conforming changes. By changing the definition of an existing crime, this bill imposes 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.

Existing law regulates the sale, carrying, and control of firearms, including assault weapons, and requires assault weapons to be registered with the Department of Justice. Violation of these provisions is a crime. Existing law defines a semiautomatic, centerfire rifle that has the capacity to accept a detachable magazine and other specified features, and a semiautomatic weapon that has a fixed magazine with a capacity to accept 10 or more rounds as an assault weapon. This bill would, instead, classify a semiautomatic centerfire rifle that does not have a fixed magazine with the capacity to accept no more than 10 rounds as an assault weapon. The bill would require a person who, between January 1, 2001, and December 31, 2013, inclusive, lawfully possessed an assault weapon that does not have a fixed magazine, including those weapons with an ammunition feeding device that can be removed readily from the firearm with the use of a tool, and who, on or after January 1, 2014, possesses that firearm, to register the firearm by July 1, 2015. By expanding the definition of a crime, this 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.

Existing federal law permits certain aliens to engage in employment in the United States under specified conditions. Existing state law regulates the services of foreign labor contractors, as defined, with regard to contracts, recruitment procedures and representations, and information as to terms and conditions of employment. Existing law provides that any person who violates or induces a violation of the latter provisions is guilty of a misdemeanor. Existing law also permits any person aggrieved by a violation of these provisions to bring an action for injunctive relief or damages, or both, and authorizes recovery of damages, costs, and reasonable attorney's fees, in an amount not less than $500, if the aggrieved person prevails on the action. Under existing state law, the Division of Labor Standards Enforcement in the Department of Industrial Relations, under the direction of the Labor Commissioner, enforces and administers the licensing and supervision of farm labor contractors, as defined. This bill would change the definition of a foreign labor contractor to mean a person who performs foreign labor contracting activity, as defined, and would require a foreign labor contractor to register with the Labor Commissioner and pay a specified fee, upon satisfying specified conditions. The bill would require the commissioner to enforce and administer the registration and supervision of foreign labor contractors, and would authorize the commissioner to adopt regulations or policies and procedures to implement these provisions. The bill would prohibit a person from knowingly entering into an agreement for the services of a foreign labor contractor that is not registered with the commissioner. The bill would also require foreign labor contractors to disclose specified information and deposit with the commissioner a surety bond in a specified amount, for payment of any amount adjudicated against the foreign labor contractor, as a condition of registration, as specified. The bill would further require persons knowingly using the services of foreign labor contractors to obtain foreign workers to disclose specified information to the commissioner. The bill would require a foreign labor contractor to disclose in writing to each foreign worker who is recruited for employment certain information, as specified. The bill would prohibit a foreign labor contractor and its agent from assessing a fee or cost to a foreign worker for foreign labor contracting activities. The bill would also prohibit charging a foreign worker with any costs or expenses not customarily assessed against similarly situated workers, and would limit the amount of housing costs charged to the foreign worker to the market rate for similar housing. The bill would prohibit requiring a foreign worker to pay any costs or expenses prior to commencement of work. The bill would prohibit additional requirements or changes to the terms of the contract originally provided to and signed by the foreign worker, unless the foreign worker is provided at least 48 hours to review and consider the additional requirements or changes, and would require the specific consent of the foreign worker, as provided, to each additional requirement or change. The bill would authorize a civil penalty for violations of these provisions, would authorize the commissioner or a person aggrieved by a violation of these provisions to bring an action for injunctive relief or damages, or both, and would authorize recovery of damages, costs, and reasonable attorney's fees, as specified, including enforcement of liability against the bond deposited with the commissioner. The bill would exempt a person from joint and several liability for an act or omission by a foreign labor contractor if the person is using a registered foreign labor contractor's services. The bill would also exempt a person who uses the services of a registered foreign labor contractor from misdemeanor liability for an act or omission by the foreign labor contractor. Because this bill would expand the scope of the provisions regulating foreign labor contractors, a violation of which is a misdemeanor, this 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.

Existing law includes provisions that govern arbitration and conciliation proceedings for international commercial disputes. Existing law authorizes the parties in a conciliation proceeding to appear in person or be represented or assisted by any person of their choice, and provides that a person representing or assisting a party is not required to be a member of the legal profession or licensed to practice law in California. This bill would make these provisions regarding representation and assistance of parties applicable to any arbitration or conciliation proceeding conducted pursuant to the statutory provisions that govern arbitration and conciliation of international commercial disputes The bill would encourage the Judicial Council and the State Bar of California to revise specified rules to conform to these provisions. The bill also would encourage the State Bar to form a California International Commercial Dispute Resolution Council to perform certain promotional and informational functions, and would prohibit the State Bar from using annual membership fees or other state funds for this purpose.

Existing sales and use tax laws impose taxes on retailers measured by the gross receipts from the sale of tangible personal property sold at retail in this state, or on the storage, use, or other consumption in this state of tangible personal property purchased from a retailer for storage, use, or other consumption in this state. This bill would impose a tax upon retailers for the privilege of selling ammunition, as defined, at the rate of $0.05 per item of ammunition sold at retail in this state on or after January 1, 2014. It would also impose a complemental excise tax on the storage, use, or other consumption in this state of ammunition purchased from a retailer for storage, use, or other consumption in this state, as provided. The tax would be collected pursuant to the procedures set forth in the Fee Collection Procedures Law. This bill would require that revenues collected pursuant to these taxes be allocated to the School-Based Early Mental Health Intervention and Prevention Services Matching Grant Program. Because this bill would expand the scope of the Fee Collection Procedures Law, the violation of which is a crime, 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 no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason. 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 bill would take effect immediately as a tax levy.