Sen. Roger Niello

Existing law establishes various commissions within state government. This bill would, until January 1, 2028, establish the California Commission on the United States Semiquincentennial in state government to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence and the founding of the United States of America. The bill would require the commission to plan and coordinate commemorations and observances of the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence and the American Revolution. The bill would require the commission to be solely supported by private or federal funds made available for the purpose of supporting the commission. The bill would require that these funds be deposited in the Semiquincentennial Fund, and would create that fund in the State Treasury. The bill would require funds in the Semiquincentennial Fund to be available, upon appropriation by the Legislature, as specified. The bill would require the records, files, and other memoranda of the commission, other than any private possessions, to be deposited and filed with the State Archives before January 1, 2028, and would require the State Archives to receive those materials. These provisions would become operative only if the Treasurer determines that sufficient private or federal funds have been made available.

Existing law, the Sex Offender Registration Act (the Act) , requires a person convicted of specified crimes to register with law enforcement as a sex offender while residing in California or while attending school or working in California, as specified. Existing law establishes 3 tiers of registration based on specified criteria, for periods of at least 10 years, at least 20 years, and life, respectively, for a conviction of specified sex offenses. Existing law exempts from mandatory registration under the Act a person convicted of certain offenses involving minors if the person is not more than 10 years older than the minor and if that offense is the only one requiring the person to register. A willful failure to register, as required by the Act, is a misdemeanor or felony, depending on the underlying offense. This bill would require offenders guilty of engaging in an act of unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor who is more than 3 years younger than the offender, or, if the offender was 21 years of age or older, engaging in an act of unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor who is under 16 years of age, to register for 10 years as a tier one offender under the Act, unless the offender was not more than 10 years older than the minor and if that offense is the only one requiring the offender to register. By expanding the scope 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.

Under existing law, the California Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA) , it is an unlawful employment practice for an employer, unless based upon a bona fide occupational qualification or applicable security regulations established by the United States or the State of California, to refuse to hire or employ a person or to refuse to select a person for a training program leading to employment, or to bar or discharge a person from employment or a training program leading to employment, or to discriminate against a person in compensation or in terms, conditions, or privileges of employment because of the race, religious creed, color, national origin, ancestry, physical disability, mental disability, medical condition, genetic information, marital status, sex, gender, gender identity, gender expression, age, sexual orientation, or military and veteran status of that person. FEHA provides that nothing in that act relating to discrimination on account of sex affects the right of an employer to use veteran status as a factor in employee selection or to give special consideration to Vietnam-era veterans. FEHA is enforced by the Civil Rights Department, which is in the Business, Consumer Services, and Housing Agency, and is under the direction of an executive officer known as the Director of Civil Rights. This bill would enact the Voluntary Veterans' Preference Employment Policy Act to authorize a private employer to establish and maintain a written veterans' preference employment policy, to be applied uniformly to hiring decisions, to give a voluntary preference for hiring a veteran over another qualified applicant. The bill would require a private employer with a veterans' preference employment policy to annually report to the Civil Rights Department the number of veterans hired under the preference policy and any demographic information about those veterans that the employer obtained in response to the department's reporting requirements. Under the bill, failure to submit that report would render any preference granted by the employer ineligible for the protections provided by this bill. The bill would require the department to report that information, in addition to the number of discrimination claims received based on an employer's veterans' preference employment policy, to specified legislative policy committees by July 1, 2026, and July 1, 2028. This bill would provide that the granting of a veterans' preference pursuant to the bill, in and of itself, shall be deemed not to violate any local or state equal employment opportunity law or regulation, including, but not limited to, the antidiscrimination provisions of FEHA. The bill would require the Department of Veterans Affairs to assist any private employer in determining if an applicant is a veteran, to the extent permitted by law. The bill would prohibit a veterans' preference employment policy from being established or applied for the purpose or with the effect of unlawfully discriminating against an employment applicant on the basis of a protected classification, as specified. The bill would repeal these provisions on January 1, 2029.

Existing law provides for the civil commitment of a person who is determined to be a sexually violent predator. Existing law establishes a procedure by which a person committed as a sexually violent predator may petition for conditional release and requires the court, if it makes a specified determination, to place the person on conditional release. Existing law generally requires that a person released on conditional release pursuant to these provisions be placed in the person's county of domicile prior to their incarceration unless extraordinary circumstances exist requiring placement outside the county, as specified. Existing law also prohibits the placement of a person released on conditional release within 14 mile of any public or private school, as specified. Existing law defines a sexually violent predator as a person who has been convicted of a sexually violent offense and has a diagnosed mental disorder that makes the person a danger to others in that they are likely to engage in sexually violent criminal behavior. Existing law requires the State Department of State Hospitals to notify the sheriff or chief of police, or both, the district attorney, or the county's designated counsel under specific circumstances, including when it makes a recommendation to the court for community outpatient treatment for a person committed as a sexually violent predator. This bill, the Sexually Violent Predator Accountability, Fairness, and Enforcement Act, would require the State Department of State Hospitals to ensure department vendors consider public safety in the placement of a conditionally released sexually violent predator and approve a potential placement before a department employee or vendor signs a lease or rental agreement for the placement of a sexually violent predator, as specified. This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.

Existing law, the Parent's Accountability and Child Protection Act, requires a person or business that conducts business in California and that seeks to sell specified products or services to take reasonable steps to ensure that the purchaser is of legal age at the time of purchase or delivery, including verifying the age of the purchaser. The act provides that reasonable steps include, but are not limited to, any of specified options, including requiring the user to input, scan, provide, or display a government-issued identification, as specified. The act prohibits any person or business required to comply with the provisions of the act from retaining, using, or disclosing any information it receives from a purchaser or recipient in an effort to verify age under the provisions of the act. In an action brought by a public prosecutor, existing law subjects a business or person that violates these provisions to a civil penalty not to exceed $7,500 for each violation. This bill would expand the above-described provisions to require a person or business that conducts business in California and seeks to sell or make available products or services that are illegal to make available to minors, as specified, to take reasonable steps to ensure that the purchaser or user, as defined, is of legal age at the time of access, purchase, or delivery, as applicable. The bill would provide that reasonable steps include, but are not limited to, any of specified options, including requiring the user or purchaser to input, scan, provide, or display a government-issued identification, as specified, and would also require the Attorney General to issue regulations further defining reasonable steps pursuant to these provisions, as provided. The bill would expand the above-described prohibition against retention, use, or disclosure to apply to a person or business that conducts business in California and that seeks to make available products that are illegal to make available to minors and would require the business or person to ensure that the reasonable step is designed to anonymize a user's identity and is incapable of being used to create a record of the user's online activity. This bill would provide that the penalty described above for a violation of the bill's provisions with regard to certain products or services that are illegal to make available to minors may be assessed and recovered only in a civil action brought by the Attorney General. The bill would also delete an obsolete provision. The bill would make the bill's provisions operative on January 1, 2027.

Maddy summarySenate Resolution 108 officially designates August 8 as California Pickleball Day to honor the sport's history and growing popularity in the state. This resolution does not change laws or allocate funding but instead serves as a commemorative measure to recognize pickleball as a fun, social activity suitable for people of all ages. The text highlights the game's origins in 1965 and its rapid expansion across the United States, noting its inclusion in senior games and its status as one of the fastest-growing sports. By adopting this resolution, the Senate acknowledges the sport's cultural significance without imposing any new regulations or obligations on residents.

Maddy summaryThis Senate Resolution designates October 2024 and every subsequent October as Italian American Heritage Month in California to honor the state's significant Italian American population and their historical contributions. The measure encourages public schools to highlight Italian American achievements in social science textbooks and ethnic studies courses, aiming to increase awareness of their roles in industries like banking, agriculture, and wine. While the resolution does not mandate specific curriculum changes, it formally recognizes the group's impact on California's culture and economy and directs the Secretary of the Senate to share the text with relevant educational boards and school districts.

Maddy summaryThis Senate Resolution establishes November as Veteran Housing Insecurity Awareness Month to highlight the housing challenges faced by veterans in California. The measure recognizes that many veterans struggle with homelessness, high housing costs, and eligibility barriers for federal housing assistance due to how disability income is calculated. By formally declaring this awareness month, the resolution aims to draw attention to these specific issues without altering any existing laws or funding.

Maddy summarySenate Resolution 122 officially designates September 2024 as Childhood Cancer Awareness Month in California. This measure encourages individuals, businesses, and organizations across the state to participate in awareness activities and support families affected by the disease. The resolution also expresses gratitude to medical professionals and acknowledges the progress made by organizations fighting childhood cancer.

Maddy summaryThis bill designates Thursday, July 25, 2024, as Hire a Veteran Day in California to honor veterans and encourage their employment. The measure is a commemorative resolution that does not create new laws, regulations, or funding but serves as an official state recognition of the date. By acknowledging this day, the Legislature aims to highlight the skills veterans bring to the workforce and support efforts to reduce veteran unemployment. The resolution requires no action from businesses or individuals other than observing the designated date.