Existing law provides for the Medi-Cal program, which is administered by the State Department of Health Care Services, under which qualified low-income individuals receive health care services, including, among other services, home- and community-based services. The Medi-Cal program is, in part, governed and funded by federal Medicaid Program provisions. Existing law, until July 1, 2017, requires the State Department of Health Care Services, the State Department of Social Services, and the California Department of Aging to establish a stakeholder workgroup, as prescribed, to develop a universal assessment process, including a universal assessment tool, to be used for home- and community-based services. No later than March 1, 2014, existing law requires the State Department of Health Care Services, the State Department of Social Services, and the California Department of Aging to report to the Legislature on the stakeholder workgroup's progress in developing the universal assessment process and to identify the counties and beneficiary categories for which the universal assessment process may be implemented. No sooner than January 1, 2015, upon completion of the design and development of that universal assessment tool, existing law authorizes managed care health plans, counties, and other home- and community-based services providers to test the use of the tool for certain beneficiaries in no fewer than 2, and no more than 4, specified counties if certain conditions have been met. No later than 9 months after the implementation of the universal assessment process, existing law requires the State Department of Health Care Services, the State Department of Social Services, and the California Department of Aging, to report to the Legislature on the results of the initial use of the universal assessment process. This bill would extend the operation of these provisions until September 1, 2018. The bill would instead require the State Department of Health Care Services, the State Department of Social Services, and the California Department of Aging to report to the Legislature on the stakeholder workgroup's progress no later than December 1, 2016. The bill would instead require the State Department of Health Care Services, the State Department of Social Services, and the California Department of Aging to report to the Legislature on the results of the initial use of the universal assessment process no later than 15 months after the implementation of the universal assessment process. The bill would require this report to include, among other things, findings from consumers assessed using the universal assessment tool regarding their satisfaction of the universal assessment process.
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Existing law requires the Department of Human Resources to administer the Limited Examination and Appointment Program (LEAP) to provide an alternative to the traditional civil service examination and appointment process to facilitate the hiring of persons with disabilities in the state civil services. Existing law requires the department to conduct competitive examinations to determine eligibility for appointment under LEAP and to refer the names of eligible applicants who meet the minimum qualifications of a job classification to the appointing powers for examination appointments, as specified. This bill would permit a person with a developmental disability to either complete a written examination or readiness evaluation or an internship, as specified, to qualify for service under LEAP. The bill would require that the use of an internship as a competitive examination in this context consist of a successful completion of an internship with a state agency of not less than 512 hours in duration and a specified certification by the agency. The bill would require the department to refer the names of eligible applicants who successfully complete the internship to the appointing powers for examination appointments. The bill would require the department to create that internship program in coordination with the State Department of Developmental Services and the Department of Rehabilitation, as specified. The bill would require a state agency that provides the internship or appoints a person with a developmental disability to a position under LEAP to allow that person to receive on-the-job support. The bill would authorize an agency to finance the internship or position with personnel funds or other available funds assigned to a vacant or unfilled position, as specified, but would provide that on-the-job support services are not the financial or programmatic responsibility of any state agency engaged in establishing the LEAP internship process. The bill would specify that LEAP is not a mandate on any state agency employer or job applicant except to the extent specifically directed by the State Personnel Board. The bill would repeal these provisions on January 1, 2021.
This measure would establish the California Task Force on Family Caregiving, to meet, if a nonstate organization agrees to provide administrative support to the task force, to examine issues relative to the challenges faced by family caregivers and opportunities to improve caregiver support, review the current network and the services and supports available to caregivers, and make policy recommendations to the Legislature. The task force would be required to submit an interim report to the Legislature no later than January 1, 2017, and a final report no later than July 1, 2018.
Existing law requires a petroleum refinery employer to, every September 15, submit to the Division of Occupational Safety and Health information regarding planned turnarounds, as defined, for the following calendar year and provide onsite access to the division for inspection. Existing law establishes procedures for the public disclosure of turnaround information designated a trade secret, including authorization for a petroleum refinery employer to seek a declaratory judgment to prevent disclosure. Existing law requires a court to award attorney's fees to a party that prevails in an action to compel or prohibit the division from disclosing turnaround information. This bill would delete the requirement that a person requesting the release of the above-described information, or a petroleum refinery employer seeking to prevent disclosure, name the other as a real party in interest in an applicable action. The bill would delete the requirement that a person requesting release of this information provide notice of an action to compel disclosure to the petroleum refinery employer and would instead require the division to provide that notification. The bill would instead authorize the person to intervene in a petroleum refinery employer's declaratory relief action and require the court to permit that person to intervene. The bill would also require the court to allow the petroleum refinery employer to intervene in that action. The bill would also delete the requirement that the court award attorney's fees.
This measure would urge the United States Congress to require the United States Postal Service to take all appropriate measures to restore service standards in effect as of July 1, 2012, would urge Congress to place a moratorium on planned shutdowns of mail sorting centers, and would urge Congress to oppose any postal reform legislation that does not continue the mandate for 6-day delivery service or protect door-to-door delivery as it currently exists. The measure would also urge the Secretary of State to publicly oppose changes in the United States Postal Service that negatively impact the rights of California voters who vote by an absentee ballot.
Existing law authorizes a court to issue a protective order to restrain any person for the purpose of preventing the abuse of an elder or dependent adult. Under existing law, certain persons are authorized to file a petition for these protective orders on behalf of the elder or dependent adult, including a conservator or trustee, an attorney-in-fact, a person appointed as a guardian ad litem, or other person legally authorized to seek the order. This bill would, commencing July 1, 2016, additionally authorize a county adult protective services agency to file a petition for a protective order on behalf of an elder or dependent adult who has suffered abuse and has an impaired ability to appreciate and understand the circumstances that place him or her at risk of harm, or who has provided written authorization for the agency to act on his or her behalf. The bill would impose specified requirements on an adult protective services agency that files the petition, including, among others, assisting the elder or dependent adult to attend the hearing and, if a petition to appoint a conservator has not already been filed, referring the elder or dependent adult to the public guardian, as specified. The bill would also recast and clarify the definition of "abuse of an elder or a dependent adult." This bill would incorporate additional changes to Section 15657.03 of the Welfare and Institutions Code, proposed by AB 494 and AB 1081, that would become operative only if this bill and either or both of those bills are chaptered and become effective January 1, 2016, and this bill is chaptered last.
(1) The existing Municipal Utility District Act authorizes the formation of a municipal utility district. The act authorizes a district to acquire, construct, own, operate, control, or use works for supplying the inhabitants of the district and public agencies with light, water, power, heat, transportation, telephone service, or other means of communication, or means for the collection, treatment, or disposition of garbage, sewage, or refuse matter. The act authorizes a municipal utility district, by resolution or ordinance, to require the owner of record of privately owned real property within the district to pay the fees, tolls, rates, rentals, or other charges for certain utility services rendered to a lessee, tenant, or subtenant, and provides that those charges that have become delinquent, together with interest and penalties, are a lien on the property when a certificate is filed by the district in the office of the county recorder and that the lien has the force, effect, and priority of a judgment lien. The act, in addition to the above-described methods, establishes procedures, until January 1, 2016, for a municipal utility district to collect delinquent fees, tolls, rates, rentals, or other charges, together with interest and penalties thereon, for services rendered to a lessee, tenant, or subtenant, through the tax roll, in the same manner as property taxes. The act, until January 1, 2016, authorizes a municipal utility district to collect delinquent fees, tolls, rates, rentals, or other charges, together with interest and penalties thereon, for services rendered to a lessee, tenant, or subtenant, by recording in the office of the county recorder of the county in which the affected parcel is located, a certificate declaring the amount of the delinquent charges, together with interest and penalties thereon, which would then constitute a lien against the affected real property of the delinquent property owner in that county and have the force, effect, and priority of a judgment lien. The act, until January 1, 2016, requires a municipal utility district that exercises these collection measures to reimburse the county for the reasonable expenses incurred by the county. This bill would extend the operation of these provisions indefinitely. By requiring county auditors and recorders to undertake certain actions in response to the exercise of collection measures by a municipal utility district, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. (2) The act prohibits a municipal utility district from collecting delinquent fees or charges using the above-described collection measures for the furnishing of electrical services and, beginning January 1, 2016, for the furnishing of water or sewer service to residential property. This bill would permanently authorize a municipal utility district to collect delinquent fees or charges using the above-described collection measures for the furnishing of water or sewer service to residential property. (3) The act requires any district that places a lien on a property for water or sewer service on or before December 31, 2014, pursuant to the above-described collection measures, to submit a report containing certain information to the Assembly and Senate Committees on Judiciary and to the Assembly and Senate Committees on Local Government on or before January 1, 2015. This bill would delete this provision. (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 no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason.
This measure would urge the Supreme Court of the United States to uphold the federal constitutional principle of "one person, one vote" and not deny California's children and immigrants equal protection under the law.
Existing law requires all moneys, except for fines and penalties, collected by the State Air Resources Board from the auction or sale of allowances as part of a market-based compliance mechanism relative to reduction of greenhouse gas emissions to be deposited in the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund. Existing law continuously appropriates 10% of the annual proceeds of the fund to the Transit and Intercity Rail Capital Program and 5% of the annual proceeds of the fund to the Low Carbon Transit Operations Program. This bill would instead continuously appropriate 20% of those annual proceeds to the Transit and Intercity Rail Capital Program, and 10% of those annual proceeds to the Low Carbon Transit Operations Program, thereby making an appropriation.