Existing law establishes procedures regarding the registration of voters. Under existing law, a person may not be registered to vote except by affidavit of registration, and a voter may not vote in an election unless his or her affidavit of registration is executed and received by the county elections official on or before the 15th day prior to the election. Existing law permits any registered voter to vote by a vote by mail ballot, and further permits any voter using a vote by mail ballot to vote the ballot at the office of the elections official beginning 29 days before the election. Existing law requires that the affidavit of registration show facts necessary to establish the affiant as an elector, as specified, and provides that if the affiant has not been issued a current and valid driver's license or social security number, he or she shall be provided a unique identification number for voter registration purposes. This bill would establish conditional voter registration, using an affidavit of registration, whereby a person would be permitted to register to vote after the 15th day prior to an election or on election day, and cast a provisional ballot to be counted if the conditional voter registration is deemed effective. This bill would provide that a conditional voter registration shall be deemed effective if the county elections official is able to determine before or during the canvass period for the election that the registrant is eligible to register to vote and that the registrant has provided information that matches specified state or federal databases. The bill would provide that if the information provided by the registrant cannot be verified by matching the information to those specified state or federal databases and the registrant is otherwise eligible to vote, the registrant shall be issued a unique identification number pursuant to the above-referenced provisions and the conditional voter registration shall be deemed effective. The bill would establish specific criminal and civil penalties for the commission of fraud in the execution of a conditional voter registration pursuant to these provisions. The bill would require the county elections official to offer conditional voter registration and provisional voting at its permanent offices, and would permit the official to offer this registration and voting at satellite offices on election day, in accordance with specified procedures. The bill would also require the county elections official to cancel, as specified, duplicate voter registrations that may arise due to conditional voter registration. The above provisions of the bill would become operative on January 1 of the year following the year in which the Secretary of State certifies that the state has a statewide voter registration database that complies with the requirements of the federal Help America Vote Act of 2002. Existing law provides that upon conviction for a crime pertaining to an election for which no fine is prescribed, the court may impose, in addition to any prescribed imprisonment, a fine on the offender of not more than $1,000 for a misdemeanor or $10,000 for a felony. This bill would increase the amount of that fine for a felony to $25,000. By creating a new crime and new duties for local elections officials, 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 with regard to certain mandates no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason. With regard to any other mandates, this bill would provide that, if the Commission on State Mandates determines that the bill contains costs so mandated by the state, reimbursement for those costs shall be made pursuant to the statutory provisions noted above.
Sponsored bills
Existing law establishes the State Controller's Office and requires the Controller to, among other duties, account for scheduled expenditures and report monthly on revenue and each department's expenditures. Existing law provides for the means by which the Controller is reimbursed for actual expenses incurred in the administering or review of certain loans, assuring state general obligation bond compliance, and other related and necessary services. This bill would require each state agency to reimburse the Controller for any costs associated with the accounting of expenditures related to revenue bonds, as specified. The bill would require the Controller to invoice the state agency, as specified, and require the state agency to pay the invoice unless disputed.
Existing law requires specified information to be provided to patients regarding their health care. Existing federal law requires a written report of the results of each mammography examination and requires a summary of that report to be sent to the patient within a specified time period. This bill, from April 1, 2013, until January 1, 2019, would require, under specified circumstances, a health facility at which a mammography examination is performed to include in the summary of the written report that is sent to the patient a prescribed notice on breast density.
Existing law, Laura's Law, until January 1, 2013, regulates designated assisted outpatient treatment services, which counties may choose to provide for their residents. In counties where assisted outpatient treatment services are available, a court may order a person to obtain assisted outpatient treatment if the court finds the requisite criteria is met, as specified. Existing law requires the State Department of Mental Health to submit a report and evaluation of all counties implementing any component of this law to the Governor and the Legislature by July 31, 2011, as specified. This bill would extend authorization for the act to January 1, 2017, and would require the State Department of Health Care Services to submit the report by July 1, 2015.
Existing law, the Sherman Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Law (Sherman Law) , requires the State Department of Public Health to regulate the manufacture, sale, labeling, and advertising activities related to food, drugs, devices, and cosmetics in conformity with the federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act. The Sherman Law prohibits the misbranding of a cosmetic. A violation of these provisions is a crime subject to, with specified exceptions, imprisonment for not more than one year in the county jail or a fine of not more than $1,000, or both imprisonment and fine. This bill would, with certain exceptions, increase the maximum criminal fine for specified violations by a nail polish manufacturer of the misbranding prohibitions of the Sherman Law to $2,000.
Existing law, the Acupuncture Licensure Act, establishes the Acupuncture Board and makes it responsible for enforcing and administering the act, including licensing persons who meet specified licensure requirements. Under the act, licensees are titled "acupuncturists," and are authorized to perform designated activities pursuant to their license. The unlawful practice of acupuncture and any other violation of the act is a crime. This bill would make it unprofessional conduct for an acupuncturist to use the title of "Doctor" or use the abbreviation "Dr." in connection with the practice of acupuncture unless he or she holds a license authorizing that use or a specified degree. This bill would also make it unprofessional conduct for an acupuncturist to use the title "Doctor" or use the abbreviation "Dr." without indicating the type of license that entitles him or her to use that title.
This measure would proclaim the Legislature's support for the investigation by the federal Department of Justice into whether state legislatures are discriminating against and suppressing the vote of minorities, senior citizens, young adults, or those with physical disabilities or limited economic means, and the measure would further denounce any law that disenfranchises society's most disadvantaged eligible voters.
This measure would designate a specified portion of State Highway Route 1, as the Ranger Patricia M. Scully Memorial Highway. This measure would also request the Department of Transportation to determine the cost of appropriate signs showing this special designation and, upon receiving donations from nonstate sources covering those costs, to erect those signs.
Existing law, the California Fair Employment and Housing Act, protects and safeguards the right and opportunity of all persons to seek, obtain, and hold employment without discrimination or abridgment on account of race, religious creed, color, national origin, ancestry, physical disability, mental disability, medical condition, genetic information, marital status, sex, gender, gender identity, gender expression, age, or sexual orientation. Specifically, an employer or other covered entity is required to reasonably accommodate the religious belief or observance of an individual unless the accommodation would be an undue hardship on the conduct of the business of the employer or other entity. This bill would include a religious dress practice or a religious grooming practice as a belief or observance covered by the protections against religious discrimination, and would specify that an accommodation of an individual's religious dress practice or religious grooming practice that would require that person to be segregated from the public or other employees is not a reasonable accommodation. This bill would further provide that no accommodation is required if an accommodation would result in the violation of specified laws protecting civil rights. This bill would incorporate additional changes in Section 12926 of the Government Code, proposed by AB 2386, to be operative only if AB 2386 and this bill are both chaptered and become effective January 1, 2013, and this bill is chaptered last.
Existing law requires, in any city, county, or city and county that administers a system of controls on the price at which residential rental units may be offered for rent or lease and that requires the registration of rents, upon the establishment of a certified rent level, any owner who charges rent to a tenant in excess of the certified lawful rent ceiling to refund the excess rent to the tenant upon demand. This bill would limit, notwithstanding any local law to the contrary, for those units governed by the local rent stabilization ordinance in the City and County of San Francisco, levels of compensation for the temporary displacement of a tenant household for less than 20 days to temporary housing and living expenses, of $275 per day per tenant household, and actual moving expenses, as specified. This bill would make legislative findings and declarations as to the necessity of a special statute for the City and County of San Francisco.