Sen. Roger Niello

(1) Existing law requires a pupil to complete designated coursework while in grades 9 to 12, inclusive, in order to receive a diploma of graduation from high school. These graduation requirements include, among others, the completion of 3 courses in social studies, including a one-semester course in economics. This bill would add the completion of a separate, stand-alone one-semester course in personal finance, that is prohibited from being combined with any other course, to the graduation requirements commencing with pupils graduating in the 2030–31 school year, including for pupils enrolled in a charter school. The bill would authorize, commencing with pupils graduating in the 2030–31 school year, including for pupils enrolled in a charter school, a pupil who completes a separate, stand-alone one-semester course in personal finance, that is not combined with any other course, to elect to be exempt from the graduation requirement to complete a one-semester course in economics. The bill would require local educational agencies, including charter schools, to offer in all of its high schools a separate, stand-alone one-semester course in personal finance, that is not combined with any other course, commencing with the 2027–28 school year, as provided. By imposing new duties on local educational agencies, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program. (2) Existing law establishes the Instructional Quality Commission and requires the commission to, among other things, recommend curriculum frameworks to the State Board of Education and consider including, when revising the history-social science curriculum framework, age-appropriate information on financial literacy for kindergarten and grades 1 to 12, inclusive, as provided. This bill would revise and recast the list of financial literacy topics for the commission to consider including when revising the history-social science framework, as applied to kindergarten and grades 1 to 12, inclusive. The bill would also require, on or before May 31, 2026, the state board to adopt a curriculum guide and resources for the above-described separate, stand-alone one-semester course in personal finance based on a curriculum guide and resources developed and recommended by the commission. The bill would require the curriculum guide and resources to include all of, and only, the financial literacy topics considered by the commission as part of the history-social science framework revision, and would also require the above-described separate, stand-alone one-semester course in personal finance to include all of, and only, those topics, as provided. The bill would appropriate $300,000 from the General Fund to the commission for purposes of developing, and recommending to the state board, the curriculum guide and resources. In the event that the state board has not adopted a curriculum guide and resources for this personal finance course by May 31, 2026, the bill would require local educational agencies, including charter schools, to locally develop the curriculum and resources to offer this personal finance course, as provided. By imposing new obligations on local educational agencies, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. (3) Existing law requires the Commission on Teacher Credentialing, among other duties, to establish standards for the issuance and renewal of credentials, certificates, and permits. Existing law requires the commission to issue a single subject teaching credential only in specified subjects. Existing law authorizes the commission to grant an added or supplementary authorization to a credentialholder who has met the requirements and standards of the commission for the added or supplementary authorization. This bill would expressly authorize an individual holding a single subject teaching credential in Social Science, Business, Mathematics, or Home Economics to teach the above-described personal finance course, and would authorize the commission to additionally establish a supplementary authorization that authorizes individuals holding single subject teaching credentials in other subjects to teach the above-described personal finance course. (4) 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. (5) This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.

Maddy summaryThis Senate Concurrent Resolution designates March 2024 as Bleeding Disorders Awareness Month in California to highlight conditions such as hemophilia and Von Willebrand disease. The measure aims to increase public understanding of these rare genetic disorders, which can cause severe bleeding, chronic pain, and disability without proper treatment. By officially recognizing this month, the state seeks to foster community support and encourage engagement with medical resources for those affected. The resolution does not create new laws or funding but serves as a symbolic declaration to raise awareness among the general public.

This measure would acknowledge April 2024 as Child Abuse Prevention Month and encourage Californians to work together to support youth-serving child abuse prevention activities in their communities and schools.

Maddy summarySenate Resolution 92 officially designates May 2024 as Lupus and Fibromyalgia Awareness Month in California. This legislative measure aims to increase public understanding of these conditions by highlighting their symptoms, diagnostic challenges, and prevalence among specific demographics. The resolution does not alter laws or funding but serves to encourage education and research into these chronic health issues.

Maddy summarySenate Resolution 94 officially designates June 1, 2024, as California Adopt-a-Pet Day to encourage pet adoptions across the state. This proclamation aims to help shelters find homes for 2,024 animals during a special event organized by animal welfare groups. The resolution does not change any laws or policies but serves as a formal declaration to support a one-day campaign. It is intended to raise awareness and facilitate adoptions without altering existing regulations or funding.

The California Healthy Youth Act requires school districts, defined to include county boards of education, county superintendents of schools, the California School for the Deaf, the California School for the Blind, and charter schools, to ensure that all pupils in grades 7 to 12, inclusive, receive comprehensive sexual health education and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) prevention education, as specified. The act authorizes a school district to provide that education earlier than grade 7 with age-appropriate and medically accurate information. The act requires each school district to notify parents and guardians of pupils about its plan to provide sexual health education and HIV prevention instruction for the upcoming school year and to inform them, among other things, that the written and audiovisual educational materials used in comprehensive sexual health education and HIV prevention education are available for inspection. This bill would require the governing board of a school district to adopt a policy at a publicly noticed meeting specifying how parents and guardians of pupils may inspect the written and audiovisual educational materials used in comprehensive sexual health education and HIV prevention education, including that the materials, including updates or changes to the materials, are made available, within prescribed timeframes, at each schoolsite and, except as provided, publicly posted on the school district's internet website or, if applicable, on a school district's parent or guardian portal, as specified. By imposing additional duties on local educational agencies, 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, 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 generally requires certain public disclosures by state agencies, including the Grant Information Act of 2018, which requires the California State Library to create a funding opportunities internet web portal that provides a centralized location for grant seekers to find state grant opportunities, as prescribed. This bill would require a state agency that has an internet website to post, in a conspicuous place on the home page, a brief disclosure in clear, legible table form of its total personnel, both full and part time, its total authorized budget, and the source, whether General Fund, Special Fund, or federal funds, of all funds appropriated to it for the current and previous 3 fiscal years.

Existing law establishes the Government Operations Agency, which consists of several departments including the Office of Administrative Law (OAL) . Existing law, the Administrative Procedures Act, governs the procedure for the adoption, amendment, or repeal of regulations by state agencies and for the review of those regulatory actions by the OAL. Existing law requires the OAL to provide for the publication of the California Regulatory Notice Register and to include specified information in the register, including notices of proposed action prepared by regulatory agencies, a summary of regulations filed with the Secretary of State, and a summary of regulation decisions issued, as specified. This bill, until January 1, 2035, would establish the Office of Regulatory Counsel in state government within the Governor's office, under the direction and control of a director. The bill would require the director to be appointed by the Governor, subject to confirmation of the Senate and for the director's term to be coterminous with that of the appointing power, except as provided. This bill would require the office to draft and assist in the preparation, consideration, amendment, and repeal of regulations for a state agency, before the state agency submits a proposed action regarding that regulation to the OAL for publication in the California Regulatory Notice Register.

The Alcoholic Beverage Control Act, administered by the Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control, regulates the sale and distribution of alcoholic beverages and the granting of licenses for the manufacture, distribution, and sale of alcoholic beverages within the state. The act imposes a limitation on the amount of on-sale general licenses that may be issued by the department based on the population of the county in which the licensed premises are located, as provided. This bill would authorize the department to issue up to 10 additional new original on-sale general licenses for bona fide public eating places in the first calendar year following any year in which the county reaches the limit on on-sale general licenses, subject to specified provisions. The bill would authorize the county board of supervisors, by resolution submitted to the department on or before July 1, to limit the maximum number of additional licenses issued in the county pursuant to the bill's provisions in that year, as specified. The bill would authorize the department to designate licenses issued pursuant to the bill's provisions as on-sale general for special use.

Existing law vests the Public Utilities Commission (PUC) with regulatory authority over electrical corporations. Existing law prohibits the State Energy Resources Conservation and Development Commission from certifying a nuclear fission thermal powerplant, except for specified powerplants, and provides that a nuclear fission thermal powerplant, except those specified powerplants, is not a permitted land use in California, unless certain conditions are met regarding the existence of technology for the construction and operation of nuclear fuel rod processing plants and of demonstrated technology or means for the disposal of high-level nuclear waste, as specified. This bill would require the PUC to conduct a feasibility study on the use of small modular reactors, as defined, for energy generation in the state, including, among other things, an evaluation of the benefits of small modular reactors in comparison with other renewable resources used, or planned for use, in the state. The bill would require the PUC to submit a report on the results of the feasibility study to the Legislature on or before January 1, 2027.