Existing law authorizes Security Housing Units for segregation of certain prisoners for disciplinary or security purposes, and because of gang membership or association. This bill would require specified due process procedures for determining if an inmate is a security threat group affiliate. The bill would require the Office of the Inspector General, commencing January 1, 2016, to review every security threat group validation and revalidation completed on or after July 1, 2015, in which confidential information was used. Any documents pertaining to the review of security threat group validations would not be subject to a public records request or discovery. The bill would require an inmate subject to an indeterminate Security Housing Unit term as a result of a security threat group validation to be placed in a multistep program with the ultimate goal of returning the inmate back into the general prison population as rapidly as possible. The bill would require the department to prepare a reentry plan for every offender who will parole directly out of the Security Housing Unit or Psychiatric Services Unit into the community. The bill would require an inmate subject to a determinate Security Housing Unit term or an offender in the multistep program to be provided with promising or evidence-based programming that promotes successful assimilation back into the general prison population. The bill would require the department to prepare a reentry plan for every offender who will parole directly out of the Security Housing Unit or Psychiatric Services Unit into the community. The bill would require the Office of the Inspector General to review the department's compliance with the above provisions and to issue reports, no less than annually, to the Governor and the Legislature summarizing its review. The bill would require an inmate in a Security Housing Unit or Psychiatric Services Unit to have access to educational programming, to have access to radio or television, and the opportunity to earn additional specified privileges. The bill would require the department to employ 2 ombudsmen to act as offender resource specialists for Security Housing Units and Psychiatric Services Units, to be responsible for, among other things, assisting an inmate with concerns about the inmate's responsibilities and rights during confinement in one of those units, and responding to an inmate's family member's inquiries. The bill would require the department, commencing July 1, 2015, to the extent the data is already being collected, to collect specified data regarding inmates subject to a term in a Security Housing Unit. The bill would require the Office of the Inspector General, commencing January 1, 2017, and biennially thereafter, to use the data to prepare reports for the Legislature on specified criteria pertaining to inmates in a Security Housing Unit and a Psychiatric Services Unit. Existing law provides that an inmate placed in a Security Housing Unit for specified crimes or because of gang association or membership, or placed in a Psychiatric Services Unit, is ineligible to earn credits towards reducing his or her sentence during the time the inmate is in the Security Housing Unit. This bill would permit the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation to establish regulations to allow specified inmates to earn credits, as specified. The bill would state findings and declarations by the Legislature relative to Security Housing Units. Existing constitutional provisions require that a statute that limits the right of access to the meetings of public bodies or the writings of public officials and agencies be adopted with findings demonstrating the interest protected by the limitation and the need for protecting that interest. This bill would make legislative findings to that effect.
Sponsored bills
This bill would make appropriations for the support of state government for the 2014–15 fiscal year. This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as a Budget Bill.
Existing law, known as the Higher Education Employer-Employee Relations Act, contains provisions relating to employer-employee relations between the state and the employees of state institutions of higher education, including the University of California and the California State University, as well as the Hastings College of the Law. These provisions assign major responsibilities for implementation to the Public Employment Relations Board. Under the act, an "employee" or "higher education employee" is defined as any employee of the Regents of the University of California, the Directors of the Hastings College of the Law, or the Trustees of the California State University. The act authorizes the board to find that student employees whose employment is contingent on their status as students are employees only if the services they provide are unrelated to their educational objectives, or that those educational objectives are subordinate to the services they perform and that coverage under this act would further the purposes of the act. This bill would instead provide that student employees whose employment is contingent upon their status as students are employees and higher education employees for purposes of the act. The act excludes from the "scope of representation," for purposes of the University of California only, among other things, conditions for the award of certificates and degrees to students. This bill would specify that the requirements for students to achieve satisfactory progress toward their degrees is also outside of the scope of representation.
Existing law authorizes a city or county, by ordinance or resolution, to find and declare that there are privately owned and maintained offstreet parking facilities within the city or county that are generally held open for use of the public for purposes of vehicular parking and requires, upon enactment of the ordinance or resolution, that specified traffic laws apply, including those related to basic speed law, reckless driving, and speed contests and exhibitions of speed, except as specified. This bill would authorize a city or county to include in that ordinance or resolution authorization for the operator of privately owned and maintained offstreet parking facility to regulate unauthorized parking in that facility. The bill would, if a city or county has exercised that authority and unauthorized parking is regulated in a privately owned and maintained offstreet parking facility, require the owner or operator of the facility to include in a notice of parking violation instructions that describe the manner in which to contest the notice of parking violation and prohibit the owner or operator from filing with, or transmitting to, the department a notice of parking violation, as specified.
Existing law, the Electronic Waste Recycling Act of 2003, requires a retailer selling a covered electronic device in this state to collect a covered electronic waste recycling fee from the consumer, as specified. These fees are deposited in the Electronic Waste Recovery and Recycling Account, and the Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery is continuously appropriated the money in the account to, among other things, make electronic waste recovery payments and recycling payments. This bill would require the department, in consultation with the Department of Toxic Substances Control, to make CRT glass, as defined, market development processing payments or CRT glass market development manufacturing payments to a CRT glass processor, a CRT glass manufacturer, or an electronic waste recycler who processes eligible CRT glass for use in a product or in a manufacturing process, or utilizes eligible CRT glass in a product or in a manufacturing process, pursuant to a specified claims procedure. The bill would repeal the requirement to make these payments on January 1, 2020. The bill would additionally authorize the expenditure of not more than $10,000,000 each year of the continuously appropriated funds for the purpose of making those market development payments until January 1, 2020.
Existing federal law provides for allocation of federal funds through the federal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) block grant program to eligible states. Existing law provides for the California Work Opportunity and Responsibility to Kids (CalWORKs) program for the allocation of federal funds received through the TANF program, under which each county provides cash assistance and other benefits to qualified low-income families. Under existing law, for purposes of determining a family's maximum aid payment under the CalWORKs program, the number of needy persons in the same family is not increased for any child born into a family that has received aid under the CalWORKs program continuously for the 10 months prior to the birth of the child, with specified exceptions. This bill would repeal that exclusion for purposes of determining the family's maximum aid payment and would expressly prohibit the denial of aid or denial of an increase in the maximum aid payment if a child on whose behalf aid, or an increase in aid, is being requested was born into an applicant's or recipient's family while the applicant's or recipient's family was receiving aid under the CalWORKs program. The bill would specify that an applicant or recipient is not entitled to an increased benefit payment for months prior to January 1, 2014, as a result of the repeal of that exclusion or the enactment of that express prohibition. The bill would also prohibit the department from conditioning an applicant or recipient's eligibility for aid on the applicant or recipient's disclosure of specified information regarding rape, incest, or contraception, as specified. The bill would make related findings and declarations. Existing law continuously appropriates moneys from the General Fund to defray a portion of county aid grant costs under the CalWORKs program. This bill would declare that no appropriation would be made for purposes of the bill. To the extent that this bill affects eligibility under the CalWORKs program, the bill would create 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 these statutory provisions.
The Pharmacy Law provides for the licensure and regulation of pharmacists and pharmacy establishments by the California State Board of Pharmacy. Existing law required the Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery, pursuant to provisions repealed on January 1, 2013, to develop, in consultation with appropriate state, local, and federal agencies, model programs for the collection and proper disposal of drug waste. The Medical Waste Management Act, administered by the State Department of Public Health, regulates the management and handling of medical waste, including pharmaceutical waste, as defined. This bill would, upon the enactment of federal regulations, require the California State Board of Pharmacy, in consultation with the Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery and the State Department of Public Health, to adopt regulations to implement California drug takeback programs for the collection and destruction of home-generated pharmaceutical waste, as defined. The bill would provide that the regulations adopted pursuant to these provisions only apply to licensees of the board.
The Warren-Alquist State Energy Resources Conservation and Development Act establishes the State Energy Resources Conservation and Development Commission, also known as the Energy Commission. Under existing law, the commission may apply for and accept grants, contributions, and appropriations, and award grants consistent with the goals and objectives of a program or activity the commission is authorized to implement or administer. This bill would enact the Higher Education Energy Efficiency Act. The bill would create the Higher Education Energy Efficiency Fund in the State Treasury and would make moneys in the fund available to the commission, upon appropriation, to provide financial assistance, including no-interest or low-interest loans and loan loss reserves, to University of California and California State University campuses for building retrofits to reduce the demand for energy. The bill would require the Energy Commission to consult with the Public Utilities Commission, the President of the University of California, and the Chancellor of the California State University to expand existing partnerships in order to prioritize projects based on greenhouse gas reductions and allow specified facilities to receive funds under this act. The bill would require the Energy Commission, in consultation with the President of the University of California and the Chancellor of the California State University, to establish a system to prioritize eligible campuses for this financial assistance, as specified. The bill would require the recipients of this financial assistance to report to the Energy Commission the annual energy savings achieved from projects supported by the financial assistance, as specified.
(1) Existing law authorizes a person to petition the court for an order sealing the record of conviction and other official records in a case in which that person was under 18 years of age at the time of commission of a misdemeanor and is eligible for, or has previously received, specified relief. Existing law authorizes that person to be required to reimburse the court, the county, or any city for the actual cost of services rendered, as specified. This bill would only make persons 26 years of age or older liable to reimburse the court, the county, or any city for the cost of services. (2) Existing law makes a father, mother, spouse, or other person liable for the support of a minor person, the person himself or herself if he or she is an adult, or the estates of those persons, unless indigent, liable for the cost to the county and court for any investigation related to the sealing and for the sealing of any juvenile court or arrest records pursuant to the above-mentioned provisions. Existing law also authorizes those persons to be required to reimburse the court, county, or a city for the actual cost of services rendered, as specified. This bill would only require persons 26 years of age or older who petitions for an order sealing his or her record, pursuant to specified provisions, to be liable for the investigative costs and to reimburse the costs of services rendered. (3) By permitting certain persons to receive services from local agencies free of charge, the bill would increase the level of service provided by those local agencies, thereby imposing 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 these statutory provisions.
Under existing law, there are programs providing assistance for, among other things, emergency housing, multifamily housing, farmworker housing, home ownership for very low and low-income households, and downpayment assistance for first-time homebuyers. Existing law also authorizes the issuance of bonds in specified amounts pursuant to the State General Obligation Bond Law. Existing law requires that proceeds from the sale of these bonds be used to finance various existing housing programs, capital outlay related to infill development, brownfield cleanup that promotes infill development, and housing-related parks. This bill would enact the California Homes and Jobs Act of 2013. The bill would make legislative findings and declarations relating to the need for establishing permanent, ongoing sources of funding dedicated to affordable housing development. The bill would impose a fee, except as provided, of $75 to be paid at the time of the recording of every real estate instrument, paper, or notice required or permitted by law to be recorded. By imposing new duties on counties with respect to the imposition of the recording fee, the bill would create a state-mandated local program. The bill would require that revenues from this fee be sent quarterly to the Department of Housing and Community Development for deposit in the California Homes and Jobs Trust Fund, which the bill would create within the State Treasury. The bill would provide that moneys in the fund may be expended for supporting affordable housing, administering housing programs, and the cost of periodic audits, as specified. The bill would impose certain auditing and reporting requirements. Existing law requires the Department of Industrial Relations to monitor and enforce compliance with applicable prevailing wage requirements for specified public works projects that are funded by state bond proceeds. Moneys collected for this purpose are continuously appropriated to the department from the State Public Works Enforcement Fund to cover the costs of these monitoring and enforcement duties. This bill would require the Department of Industrial Relations to monitor and enforce prevailing wage requirements for construction contracts for certain public works projects over $1,000,000, that are funded, in whole or in part, by the bill. The bill would authorize the department to charge each person or entity awarding a construction contract for the reasonable and directly related costs of the monitoring and enforcement activities, and would require the department to deposit the moneys collected into the State Public Works Enforcement Fund. The bill would exempt projects with a collective bargaining agreement with a mechanism for resolution of wage disputes from this requirement. By establishing a new source of revenue for a continuously appropriated fund, this bill would make an appropriation. 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.