Sen. Nancy Skinner

Existing law authorizes local agencies, upon making specified findings, to provide low-interest loans to owners of buildings within their jurisdiction for the purpose of making seismic safety upgrades to eligible buildings, as defined, in order to meet current earthquake safety codes. Existing law authorizes these local entities to issue bonds in order to finance these loans which are secured by a lien on the subject property. This bill would appropriate the sum of $20,000,000 from the General Fund to the Department of Housing and Community Development to provide financing to local agencies for the purpose of funding low-interest loans made by those agencies to building owners, who meet specified eligibility requirements, in order to rehabilitate eligible buildings, as defined, and bring them up to current building standards for occupancy. The bill would provide that financing under this program, along with other liens on the subject property, could not exceed 80% of the appraised value of the property. The bill would make findings and declarations in support of these provisions.

The Lempert-Keene-Seastrand Oil Spill Prevention and Response Act generally requires the administrator for oil spill response, acting at the direction of the Governor, to implement activities relating to oil spill response, including emergency drills and preparedness, and oil spill containment and cleanup, and to represent the state in any coordinated response efforts with the federal government. Existing law requires the Governor to establish a California oil spill contingency plan that provides for an integrated and effective state procedure to combat the results of major oil spills within the state and that specifies state agencies to implement the plan. Existing law requires the administrator to submit to the Governor and the Legislature an amended California oil spill contingency plan that addresses marine oil spills, by January 1, 1993, and to submit revised plans every 3 years thereafter. Beginning January 1, 2017, and every 3 years thereafter, the administrator is required to submit an amended California oil spill contingency plan that addresses both marine and inland oil spills. Existing law requires the administrator to adopt and implement regulations governing the adequacy of oil spill contingency plans to be prepared and implemented and requires the regulations to provide for the best achievable protection of coastal and marine waters. Existing law requires an owner or operator of a facility, small marine fueling facility, or mobile transfer unit, or an owner or operator of a tank vessel, nontank vessel, or vessel carrying oil as secondary cargo, while operating in the waters of the state or where a spill could impact waters of the state, to have an oil spill contingency plan that complies with the rules, regulations, and policies established by the administrator, that meets specified minimum requirements, and that has been submitted to, and approved by, the administrator. This bill would define "nonfloating oil" for purposes of the act. The bill would require the administrator, by January 1, 2020, to conduct and complete an independent scientific study on the best achievable protection of state waters from spills of nonfloating or potentially nonfloating oils, including criteria for oil spill contingency plans and oil spill response organizations (OSROs) responsible for remediating those spills. The bill would require that the scientific study evaluate the hazards and risks and potential hazards and risks that nonfloating or potentially nonfloating oils pose to natural resources and public, occupational, and environmental health and safety. The bill would require the administrator to post the results and recommendations of the completed scientific study on an Internet Web site maintained by the administrator. The bill would require the administrator, by January 1, 2019, to identify those oils transported into or through the state that place waters of the state at risk from an oil spill that are composed in whole or in part of nonfloating or potentially nonfloating oil and, through a public process, to establish criteria to identify specific characteristics of nonfloating and potentially nonfloating oil. The bill would require the administrator to periodically update and publicly release this list as the sources and types of nonfloating or potentially nonfloating oil change. The bill would, if nonfloating or potentially nonfloating oil is present, require that the oil spill contingency plan that is filed with and approved by the administrator identifies one OSRO capable of oil spill response activities related to that nonfloating or potentially nonfloating oil. The bill would additionally require the oil spill contingency plan to describe spill location-specific procedures, techniques, and demonstrated technologies effective for responding to a spill of the nonfloating or potentially nonfloating oil. The bill would require that the 3-year update to the California oil spill contingency plan that addresses marine and inland oil spills that is to be revised and submitted to the Governor and the Legislature by January 1, 2020, and every 3 years thereafter, include consideration of nonfloating or potentially nonfloating oils. Existing law authorizes an OSRO to apply to the administrator for a rating of that OSRO's response capabilities. Upon receiving a completed application for rating, the administrator is required to review the application and rate the OSRO based on the OSRO's satisfactory compliance with criteria established by the administrator, including specified elements. This bill would require that those elements include the type of oil, including nonfloating or potentially nonfloating oil, the OSRO is capable of recovering and containing. The bill would require any OSRO seeking a nonfloating or potentially nonfloating oil response capability rating to explain, in detail, the tools, technologies, and techniques it will deploy, including how these tools, technologies, and techniques will overcome identified challenges in remediating spills of nonfloating or potentially nonfloating oils, in order to meet the criteria developed for remediating a nonfloating or potentially nonfloating oil spill necessary to protect state waters. The Lempert-Keene-Seastrand Oil Spill Prevention and Response Act prohibits a person from operating a marine facility, as defined, unless the owner or operator of the marine facility has obtained a certificate of financial responsibility. To receive a certificate of financial responsibility from the administrator for oil spill response, the act requires the owner or operator of a marine facility to make a specified showing of financial resources to the satisfaction of the administrator. The act authorizes the administrator to issue a certificate of financial responsibility on a lesser showing of financial resources for a period of not longer than 3 years if the administrator makes specified findings. This bill would require that the administrator, when determining whether to issue a certificate of financial responsibility on a lesser showing of financial resources, to consider the particular risks posed by the type of oil proposed to be carried and to differentiate the risk based upon whether the oil is floating oil or nonfloating or potentially nonfloating oil.

Existing federal law establishes various disability benefits programs, including the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program, under which cash assistance is provided to qualified low-income aged, blind, and disabled persons. Existing federal law requires the federal Commissioner of Social Security to develop a system under which an individual can apply for SSI benefits prior to the discharge or release of the individual from a public institution. This bill would require the Secretary of the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation to establish and maintain a statewide memoranda of understanding with the federal Social Security Administration to allow a person incarcerated in a correctional institution to apply for and receive a replacement social security card and to allow the administration to process SSI claims under the prerelease program. Existing federal law provides for the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) , known in California as CalFresh, under which supplemental nutrition assistance benefits allocated to the state by the federal government are distributed to eligible individuals by each county. Existing federal law generally prohibits a resident of an institution from receiving supplemental nutrition assistance benefits. This bill would require the State Department of Social Services, on or before March 31, 2018, to request a waiver to allow for the preenrollment of otherwise eligible applicants to the CalFresh program up to one month prior to the applicants' reentry into the community from a county jail or the state prison. To the extent that any federally necessary waiver is obtained, the bill would authorize a county board of supervisors or the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation to establish a policy to facilitate applications for the CalFresh program for prisoners prior to their release from a county jail or the state prison, respectively.

This measure would urge the United States Congress to act swiftly to reauthorize the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) for at least 5 years, as specified.

Existing law requires a corporation, limited liability company, or common interest development, among others, to file a statement of information with the Secretary of State, providing specified information about the entity. Existing law regulates the terms and conditions of employment, including the payment of wages. Existing law generally prohibits an employer from paying any of its employees at rates less than the rates paid to employees of the opposite sex for substantially similar work, as specified. This bill would require, on and after July 1, 2019, and biennially thereafter, that an employer that is required to file a statement of information with the Secretary of State and that has 500 or more employees in California to collect specified information on gender wage differentials. The bill would require the employer to submit the information to the Secretary of State as specified, by July 1, 2020, and biennially thereafter. The bill would require the Secretary of State to publish the information described above on an Internet Web site available to the public upon receiving necessary funding and establishing adequate mechanisms and procedures.

Existing law prohibits a state agency from including a question regarding an applicant's race, sex, marital status, or religion in any application form for employment. This bill would prohibit a state or local agency or a public employee acting under color of law from providing or disclosing to the federal government personal information regarding a person's religious beliefs, practices, or affiliation, as specified, when the information is sought for compiling a database of individuals based on religious belief, practice, or affiliation, national origin, or ethnicity for law enforcement or immigration purposes. The bill would also prohibit a state agency from using agency resources to assist with any government program compiling such a database, or from making state databases available in connection with an investigation or enforcement under such a program. The bill would prohibit state and local law enforcement agencies and their employees from collecting personal information on the religious beliefs, practices, or affiliation of any individual, except as part of a targeted investigation, as provided, or where necessary to provide religious accommodations. The bill would also prohibit law enforcement agencies from using agency or department moneys, facilities, property, equipment, or personnel to investigate, enforce, or assist in the investigation or enforcement of any criminal, civil, or administrative violation, or warrant for a violation, of any requirement that individuals register with the federal government or any federal agency based on religion, national origin, or ethnicity. The bill would also terminate, to the extent of any conflict, any existing agreements that make any agency or department information or database available in conflict with these provisions. The bill would not prevent the collection, retention, or disclosure of personal information or documents as required by Federal law or a court order. The bill would provide that an agency or employee would only be deemed to be in violation of its provisions if the agency or employee acted with actual knowledge that the information shared would be used for purposes prohibited by these provisions. This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.