The Public Employees' Retirement Law (PERL) creates the Public Employees' Retirement System (PERS) for the purpose of providing pension and other benefits to public employees, which are funded by employee and employer contributions and investment returns. PERS provides defined benefits to its members based on their final compensation, credited service, and age at retirement, subject to certain variations. Existing law provides a member with an absence due to military service or service with the uniformed services with the right to receive credit for service for the period of that absence and requires the member's employer to contribute both the employee and employer contributions for that period if specified conditions are met. This bill would require the Board of Administration of the Public Employees' Retirement System to provide a separate and unique form to be used by a member to receive credit for his or her military service and would require the form to clearly state that the member has no obligation to pay for any portion of the employer contribution if eligibility is determined pursuant to certain provisions, as specified. The bill would require employers to both provide the member with that form and inform the member of his or her rights to receive that credit with employer-paid contributions within 30 days of the member's return to state service and until April 1, 2017, would further require state appointing authorities to provide letters or electronic communications to all employees informing them of those rights. Existing law authorizes a member to elect at any time prior to retirement, in accordance with regulations of the Board of Administration of the Public Employees' Retirement System, to receive credit for public service, in addition to his or her current and prior service credit. This bill would require an employer to inform a new employee at the time of hire of his or her rights to purchase service credit for certain active service, prior to the person's first employment with that employer or entrance into the retirement system, in the Armed Forces of the United States or in the Merchant Marine of the United States, as specified.
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Existing law requires the State Department of Health Care Services to perform various health functions, including providing breast and cervical cancer screening and treatment for low-income individuals. Existing law defines "period of coverage" as beginning when an individual is made eligible for a covered condition and not to exceed 18 or 24 months, respectively, for a diagnosis of breast cancer or a diagnosis of cervical cancer. This bill would provide that an individual of any age who is symptomatic, as defined, or an individual whose age is within the age range for routine breast cancer screening, as specified, and who meets all other eligibility requirements is eligible for breast cancer screening and diagnostic services pursuant to these provisions. The bill would also provide that if an individual is diagnosed with a reoccurrence of breast cancer or cervical cancer, whether at the original cancer site or a different cancer site, and meets all other applicable eligibility requirements, the individual shall be eligible for an additional period of treatment coverage, as described above.
Existing law, the Mental Health Services Act, an initiative measure enacted by the voters as Proposition 63 at the November 2, 2004, statewide general election, funds a system of county mental health plans for the provision of mental health services, as specified. Existing law provides for the operation and administration of various mental health programs at a statewide and county level, as specified. This bill, until January 1, 2022, would require the Mental Health Services Oversight and Accountability Commission, subject to appropriation by the Legislature, to create a grant program for public community colleges, colleges, and universities for purposes of improving access to mental health services on those campuses, as specified. The bill would require campuses that have been awarded grants under these provisions to report annually on the use of those grant funds and to post that information on their Internet Web sites. The bill would also require the commission to submit a report to the Legislature evaluating the impact of the program, as specified. The bill would require that evaluation to be conducted by a public or private research university or institute in this state and would require the Department of Finance to assist the commission in issuing a request for proposal for that contract.
Existing law regulates the existence and disclosure of specified chemicals and components in consumer products, including phthalates and bisphenol A. Existing law also provides for the licensing and regulation of nail salons and manicurists by the State Board of Barbering and Cosmetology within the Department of Consumer Affairs. This bill would require the Department of Toxic Substances Control to publish guidelines for cities, counties, and cities and counties to voluntarily implement local healthy nail salon recognition (HNSR) programs. The bill would allow the guidelines to include, but not be limited to, specified criteria, such as the potential for exposure of nail salon workers and customers to chemicals. The bill would also require the department to develop a consumer education program, present the guidelines to local health officers, local environmental health departments, and other local agencies, and post specified information on its Internet Web site.
Existing law prohibits the smoking of a cigarette, cigar, or other tobacco product, and the disposal of tobacco-related waste, within 25 feet of any playground or tot lot sandbox area, as defined. Existing law prohibits a person from intimidating or retaliating against another person seeking compliance with these prohibitions. These prohibitions do not apply to the use of tobacco on private property. A violation of these prohibitions is an infraction, punishable by a fine of $250 for each violation. Existing law expressly does not preempt the authority of any county, city, or city and county to regulate smoking around playgrounds or tot lot sandbox areas. This bill would prohibit a person located in the same park or facility where a youth sports event is taking place from using a tobacco product, as defined, within 250 feet of the youth sports event, as defined, and make a violation an infraction punishable by a fine of $250 for each violation. The bill would make the use of tobacco on private property subject to those prohibitions. The bill would state that its provisions do not preempt the authority of any county, city, or city and county to regulate the use of tobacco products around a youth sports event. By establishing a new crime, this bill would create 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 establishes the various campuses of the California State University under the administration of the Trustees of the California State University. Existing law provides for the membership of the Trustees of the California State University to include 5 specified ex officio members, 16 members appointed by the Governor and subject to confirmation by the Senate, one representative of the alumni associations, 2 student members appointed by the Governor, and a faculty member appointed by the Governor. This bill would require the Governor to appoint a permanent nonfaculty employee of the university as one of the 16 appointive members of the board, as specified. The bill would require a systemwide staff council, as specified, to provide to the Governor a list of 2 nominees for the Governor's consideration, and would require the Governor to appoint one of the nominees to fill a vacancy in an appointive position on the board. The bill would require that this appointive position on the board thereafter be filled only by permanent nonfaculty employees appointed in accordance with this bill. The bill would provide that the permanent nonfaculty employee member of the board shall receive for board service only actual and necessary travel expenses and $100 for each day he or she is attending to official business of the trustees.
Existing law requires the State Department of Public Health to establish a program for the development, provision, and evaluation of genetic disease testing. Existing law establishes the continuously appropriated Genetic Disease Testing Fund (GDTF) , consisting of fees paid for newborn screening tests, and states the intent of the Legislature that all costs of the genetic disease testing program be fully supported by fees paid for newborn screening tests, which are deposited in the GDTF. Existing law also authorizes moneys in the GDTF to be used for the expansion of the Genetic Disease Branch Screening Information System to include cystic fibrosis, biotinidase, severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID) , and adrenoleukodystrophy (ALD) and exempts the expansion of contracts for this purpose from certain provisions of the Public Contract Code, the Government Code, and the State Administrative Manual, as specified. This bill would require the department to expand statewide screening of newborns to include screening for any disease that is detectable in blood samples as soon as practicable, but no later than 2 years after the disease is adopted by the federal Recommended Uniform Screening Panel (RUSP) , or enrollment of this bill, whichever is later. By expanding the purposes for which moneys from the GDTF may be expended, this bill would make an appropriation.
The Urban American River Parkway Preservation Act adopts the American River Parkway Plan to provide coordination among governmental agencies in the protection and management of the natural land, water, native wildlife, and vegetation of the American River Parkway and requires actions of state and local agencies with regard to land use decisions be consistent with the plan, as provided. Existing law establishes the Wildlife Conservation Board within the Department of Fish and Wildlife and requires the board to investigate, study, and determine areas in the state that are most suitable for certain wildlife-related purposes. This bill would require the board to implement and administer the Lower American River Conservancy Program to receive and expend moneys for the benefit of the Lower American River and related lands by, among other things, providing grants to local public agencies and nonprofit organizations for projects benefiting the Lower American River. The bill would require the board to establish an advisory committee, as specified. The bill would establish the Lower American River Conservancy Program Fund in the State Treasury and would make moneys in the fund available, upon appropriation by the Legislature, for purposes of the program. The bill would authorize the board to accept moneys, grants, goods or services contributed to it by public agencies, or private entities or persons and would require those moneys be deposited in the Donation Account, which the bill would establish in the fund. The bill would continuously appropriate the moneys in the account to the board for purposes of the program, thereby making an appropriation. The bill would authorize the board to use goods and services contributed by public agencies or private entities or persons.
Existing law, the Teachers' Retirement Law, establishes the State Teachers' Retirement System and creates the Defined Benefit Program of the State Teachers' Retirement Plan, which provides a defined benefit to members of the program, based on final compensation, credited service, and age at retirement, subject to certain variations. The Defined Benefit Program is funded by employer and employee contributions, investment returns, and state appropriations, which are deposited or credited to the Teachers' Retirement Fund. Existing law prescribes methods for calculating the amounts of employer and employee contributions as well as state appropriations for support of the system. For the 2017–18 fiscal year, and each fiscal year thereafter, existing law requires the board to increase or decrease certain percentages relating to the state appropriation to reflect the contribution required to eliminate the unfunded actuarial obligation of the system. Existing law prohibits these requirements from being construed as applicable to any unfunded actuarial obligation resulting from any benefit increase or change in member or employer contribution rate under this part that occurs after July 1, 1990. This bill would qualify this prohibition to clarify that specified state contributions made in this regard be allocated to reduce any unfunded actuarial obligation resulting from the benefits and contribution rates in effect as of July 1, 1990.
This measure would urge the State Department of Public Health to endorse the "Screen at 23" campaign to screen all adult Asian Americans with a body mass index of 23 or higher for type II diabetes.