Under existing law, the Public Utilities Commission has regulatory authority over public utilities, including gas corporations, as defined. Existing law authorizes the commission to fix the rates and charges for every public utility, and requires that those rates and charges be just and reasonable. Existing law relative to the restructuring of the natural gas industry requires the commission to require each gas corporation to provide bundled basic gas service, as defined, to all core customers in its service territory unless the customer chooses or contracts to have natural gas purchased and supplied by another entity. Existing law requires the commission to establish a surcharge on all natural gas consumed in the state to fund certain low-income assistance programs, cost-effective energy efficiency and conservation activities, and public interest research and development. This bill would require the commission to open a ratemaking or other appropriate proceeding to reexamine the allocation of the natural gas surcharge on the different ratepayer classes and would require the commission to consider job creation, job retention, and job training as part of the reexamination.
Sponsored bills
This measure would recognize the week of April 18, 2010, through April 24, 2010, as Crime Victims' Rights Week.
This measure would proclaim the month of May to be Women Veterans Recognition Month.
Existing law, the Knox-Keene Health Care Service Plan Act of 1975, provides for the licensure and regulation of health care service plans by the Department of Managed Health Care. Existing law also provides for regulation of health insurers by the Department of Insurance. Existing law imposes certain benefit mandates on health care service plan contracts and health insurance policies. This bill would exempt a health care service plan contract or health insurance policy issued, amended, or renewed on or after January 1, 2011, from complying with those benefit mandates, as specified, until the Department of Managed Health Care or the Department of Insurance, as applicable, issues a declaration finding that the state unemployment rate has been no more than 5.5% for 4 consecutive quarters.
This measure would urge the President and the Congress of the United States to consider the removal of commercial, economic, and financial restrictions relating to agricultural sales to Cuba.
The State Assistance for Fire Equipment Act authorizes the Secretary of Emergency Management to acquire specified firefighting apparatus and equipment for resale to a local agency, as defined, that provides fire suppression services or a fire company. Existing law also establishes the State Assistance for Fire Equipment Account, a continuously appropriated fund, for purposes of the act. Existing law requires the secretary to consult with a specified committee before adopting regulations implementing the act. This bill would annually appropriate $45,600,000 of revenue received by the state from the accessing of oil and gas reserves located beneath state coastal waters, generally known as the "T-Ridge Project," for firefighting purposes, including, but not limited to, the purchase of firefighting and rescue vehicles and equipment, vegetation management and defensible space projects, and specified training courses and materials, thereby making an appropriation. This bill would also require the secretary to consult with additional specified individuals involved in firefighting before adopting certain regulations.
Existing law prohibits a person from conducting timber operations unless a timber harvesting plan, prepared by a registered professional forester, has been submitted to the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. This bill would make technical, nonsubstantive changes to that law.
Existing law, the Nursing Practice Act, provides for the licensure and regulation of registered nurses by the Board of Registered Nursing and makes a violation of the act a crime. Existing law requires a licensee renewing his or her license to submit proof to the board that during a specified time the licensee has been informed of developments in the registered nursing field either by pursuing a continuing education course offered by a provider approved by the board or by other means deemed equivalent by the board. Existing law requires the board to establish, by regulation, standards for continuing education. Existing law requires these standards to make a variety of alternative forms of continuing education available to licensees. Existing law requires the content of all courses of continuing education to be relevant to the practice of nursing. This bill would provide that continuing education courses, as specified, that advance or promote labor organizing on behalf of a union, or that advance or promote statutory or regulatory changes, political candidates, political advocacy, or political strategy shall not be considered content relevant to the practice of nursing and shall not be acceptable for meeting requirements for licensure renewal. The bill would also prohibit an approved provider from representing that such a continuing education course is acceptable for meeting requirements for licensure renewal and would require the board, subject to specified procedural requirements, to withdraw its approval of a provider that violates that requirement for no less than 5 years, as specified. Because a violation of these requirements by a provider would constitute a crime, 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 no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason. This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.
This measure would declare February 23, 2010, to be Spay Day USA 2010 in California, and would request that Californians observe that day by having their dogs and cats spayed or neutered and by providing voluntary services or other support to organizations that provide spay and neuter services.
Existing law, the Urban Water Management Planning Act, requires each urban water supplier to prepare and implement a water management plan for the efficient use of available water supplies for submission to the Department of Water Resources and other entities. The act also requires the department, in consultation with the California Urban Water Council, to convene an independent technical panel to provide information and recommendations on new demand management measures, technologies, and approaches. Existing law, the Water Conservation in Landscaping Act, requires the Department of Water Resources to update a specified model water efficient landscape ordinance by regulation and prescribes various requirements for the updated model ordinance. This bill would require the department, on or before July 1, 2011, to convene an expert scientific panel to review, and provide recommendations for, updates to the model water efficient landscape ordinance and proposed rules, regulations, and guidelines relating to urban residential water demand management. The bill would prescribe the membership of the panel and requirements for the panel's review and recommendation functions. The bill would require the department to submit specified proposed updates, rules, regulations, and guidelines to the panel and to consider the panel's findings and recommendations and take specified actions based on those findings and recommendations. The bill would authorize the department to reimburse members of the panel for expenses incurred pursuant to these provisions upon the appropriation of funds by the Legislature for that purpose.