Existing federal law, the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1985, and known as COBRA, requires that certain employers provide former employees with continuation of benefits. COBRA requires that an employee be notified of the continuation of coverage for which the employee may be eligible upon certain qualifying events, including termination. Existing law requires all employers, whether public or private, to provide employees, upon termination, notification of all continuation, disability extension, and conversion coverage options under any employer-sponsored coverage for which the employee may remain eligible. This bill would require all employers, whether public or private, to provide a notice to employees, following termination or reduction in hours, as specified, stating that the employee may be eligible for coverage under COBRA and that the employee will receive an election notice from the plan administrator or group health plan, as provided. The bill would authorize an employer to provide the notification via hard copy or via email to an employee's email account if the employee elects to receive electronic statements or materials, as prescribed. The bill would prohibit an employer from discharging or taking other adverse action against an employee who does not elect to receive electronic statements or materials.
Existing law establishes the Office of Information Security, within the Department of Technology, to, among other things, ensure the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of state systems and applications. Existing law requires the Chief of the Office of Information Security to establish an information security program that includes, among other things, creating, updating, and publishing information security and privacy policies, standards, and procedures for state agencies, and requires state agencies, as described, to certify to the office that the agency is in compliance with those policies, standards, and procedures. Existing law authorizes the office to, among other things, conduct or require to be conducted an independent security assessment of every state agency, department, or office, as specified. This bill would require the office, on or before January 1, 2026, to develop a Baseline Information Security Score metric to estimate the information security status of applicable state agencies, departments, and offices, and would require the metric to utilize readily available information, including, among other things, compliance certifications submitted to the office and results of relevant independent security assessments completed as described above. The bill would also require the office, beginning January 1, 2027, and annually on or before January 1 thereafter, to calculate a Baseline Information Security Score based on the above-described metric for each applicable state agency, department, and office. The bill would make related findings and declarations.
Existing law provides that no person shall, whether or not acting under color of law, by force or threat of force, willfully injure, intimidate, interfere with, oppress, or threaten any other person in the free exercise or enjoyment of any right or privilege secured to them by the California Constitution or laws of this state or by the United States Constitution or laws of the United States because of the other person's race, religion, national origin, disability, gender, or sexual orientation, or because they perceive that the other person has one or more of those characteristics. This bill would state that it is the policy of the state to protect individuals and organizations against transnational repression and would define that term to mean the actions of a foreign government or agents of a foreign government involving the transgression of national borders in order to intimidate, silence, coerce, harass, or harm members of diaspora and exile communities or organizations that advocate for individuals in diaspora and exile communities in order to prevent their exercise of their human rights, as defined. The bill would specify that it is the policy of the state to pursue criminal prosecutions against those who engage in transnational repression and to provide support services to victims who are targeted by transnational repression, among other things. Under existing law, the California Specialized Training Institute is overseen by the Office of Emergency Services and is required to assist the Governor in providing training to state agencies, cities, and counties in their planning and preparation for natural and man-made disasters. Existing law also establishes the Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training to adopt and amend rules establishing and upholding minimum standards relating to training for peace officers. This bill would require the Office of Emergency Services through the California Specialized Training Institute and in cooperation with the Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training, on or before July 1, 2026, to develop a transnational repression recognition and response training that would include how to identify different tactics of transnational repression and best practices for appropriate local and state law enforcement prevention, reporting, and response tactics, among others.
Existing law establishes the State Air Resources Board consisting of 14 members with 12 members appointed by the Governor, with the consent of the Senate. Existing law provides that, of the 12 members appointed by the Governor, 6 of those members are to be from certain air quality management districts or air pollution control districts, as provided. In addition to the 14 members of the state board, existing law provides that 2 Members of the Legislature serve on the state board as ex officio, nonvoting members of the state board. Existing law provides that members appointed as members from the air districts serve on the state board without compensation. Existing law provides that the elected official members of the state board receive $100 for each day, or a portion of that amount, but not to exceed $1,000 in any month, attending meetings of the state board or its committees, or upon authorization of the state board while on official business of the state board (per diem amount) . Existing law specifies the annual salary of each member of the state board. This bill would repeal the prohibition on compensation of the members of the state board from air districts and would specify that those members are to receive the annual salary provided to other members of the state board. The bill would repeal the per diem amount provided to elected official members of the state board.
Existing law vests the Public Utilities Commission with regulatory jurisdiction over public utilities, including electrical corporations. The commission, through a general order, prohibits an electrical corporation from beginning construction in this state of any electrical line facilities or substations meeting certain requirements without the commission having first authorized the construction of those facilities by issuing a permit to construct. This bill would require the commission, on or before January 1, 2026, to update the above-described general order to provide an exemption that would instead authorize an electrical corporation to seek the commission's approval of advanced reconductoring, as defined, of its existing electrical transmission facilities through the commission's informal advice letter process, as specified. The bill would require an electrical corporation to seek that commission approval by filing a Tier 2 Advice Letter that follows existing advice letter processes and requirements, and would require the commission, on or before January 1, 2026, to update its Tier 2 Advice Letter process to authorize that filing by an electrical corporation, as specified. Under existing law, a violation of the Public Utilities Act or any order, decision, rule, direction, demand, or requirement of the commission is a crime. Because the provisions of this bill would be a part of the act and a violation of a commission action implementing its requirements would be 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.
Existing law establishes the Expanded Learning Opportunities Program. Existing law authorizes a local educational agency that elects to operate an expanded learning opportunity program to operate a before school component of a program, an after school component of a program, or both, as specified. This bill would require, on or before February 1, 2025, the Superintendent of Public Instruction to convene an Expanded Learning Opportunities Program stakeholder working group, or leverage an existing expanded learning workgroup in the State Department of Education, to provide recommendations on the Expanded Learning Opportunities Program to the relevant fiscal and policy committees of the Legislature no later than November 1, 2025, as provided. The bill would require the working group or workgroup to include, but not be limited to, department staff, expanded learning providers, representatives of school districts, charter schools, and county offices of education, parents, pupils, and community partners. The bill would repeal these requirements related to the working group or workgroup on January 1, 2026.
Existing law requires all law enforcement agencies to maintain a use of force policy, as specified, and requires the Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training to implement courses of instruction for the training of law enforcement officers in the use of force. This bill would require the commission, on or before July 1, 2026, to develop guidelines, as specified, for the use of canines by law enforcement. The bill would authorize the commission to periodically update these guidelines. The bill would require law enforcement agencies with a canine unit, on or before July 1, 2027, to adopt a policy for the use of canines that, at a minimum, complies with the guidelines developed by the commission. Because the bill would impose additional requirements on local law enforcement agencies, 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, 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 the statutory provisions noted above. This bill would make the operation of its provisions contingent upon the enactment of AB 3241 of the 2023–24 Regular Session.
Existing law, the California Uniform Controlled Substances Act (the act) , classifies controlled substances into 5 designated schedules, with the most restrictive limitations generally placed on controlled substances classified in Schedule I, and the least restrictive limitations generally placed on controlled substances classified in Schedule V. The act restricts the prescription, furnishing, possession, sale, and use of controlled substances, and makes a violation of those laws a crime, except as specified. Existing law also defines drug paraphernalia and prohibits, among other things, the manufacture, sale, and possession, as specified, of drug paraphernalia. Existing law excludes from these prohibitions any testing equipment that is designed, marketed, used, or intended to be used to analyze a substance for the presence of fentanyl, ketamine, gamma hydroxybutyric acid, or any analog of fentanyl. This bill would add xylazine, as specified, to Schedule III of the act, except in certain circumstances relating to veterinary use, only after xylazine is placed on Schedule III of the federal Controlled Substances Act. The bill would also exclude from the prohibitions on paraphernalia any testing equipment to analyze a substance for the presence of xylazine and other emerging adulterants as determined by the State Department of Public Health. By creating a new crime, the bill would establish 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.
The Personal Income Tax Law imposes a tax on individual taxpayers measured by the taxpayer's taxable income for the taxable year, but excludes certain items of income from the computation of tax, including an exclusion for combat-related special compensation. This bill, for taxable years beginning on or after January 1, 2024, and before January 1, 2034, would exclude from gross income retirement pay received by a taxpayer from the federal government for service performed in the uniformed services, as defined, during the taxable year. The bill, for taxable years beginning on or after January 1, 2024, and before January 1, 2034, would also exclude from gross income annuity payments received by a qualified taxpayer, as defined, pursuant to a United States Department of Defense Survivor Benefit Plan during the taxable year. The bill would make related findings and declarations. Existing law requires any bill authorizing a new tax expenditure to contain, among other things, specific goals, purposes, and objectives that the tax expenditure will achieve, detailed performance indicators, and data collection requirements. This bill also would include additional information required for any bill authorizing a new tax expenditure. The bill would require the Franchise Tax Board and the Department of Veterans Affairs to provide any data requested by the Legislative Analyst to write the report, as provided, and would make taxpayer information received by the Legislative Analyst subject to limitation on the collection and use of that information. By expanding the scope of a crime, this 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 take effect immediately as a tax levy.
Existing law provides comprehensive regulation of ticket sellers and makes violations of those provisions a misdemeanor. Existing law imposes various refund requirements on a ticket seller, including a requirement to issue a refund upon request to a ticket purchaser for canceled, postponed, or rescheduled events. Existing law also imposes various disclosure requirements on a ticket seller, including a requirement to disclose to a purchaser the location of the seat represented by the ticket, as specified. This bill would revise and recast those provisions by expanding the definition of a ticket seller to include a primary contractor or platform, as defined, and would instead apply the refund requirement relating to the postponement or rescheduling of an event only to primary contractors. The bill would impose various disclosure requirements on ticket sellers relating to ticket price, including that the ticket seller would be prohibited from advertising, displaying, or offering a price for a ticket that does not include all fees or charges that must be paid in order to purchase the ticket other than taxes or fees imposed by a government on the transaction. The bill would prohibit the resale of tickets that were initially offered at no charge and that were knowingly obtained using software or services that circumvent controls or measures that ensure an equitable ticket buying process for event attendees, and would require a ticket seller to provide printed tickets for a cellular telephone-free event, as defined, at the same price that a mobile or electronic ticket is sold. By expanding the scope of existing provisions regulating ticket sellers and imposing new requirements on ticket sellers and primary contractors, the violation of which would be a crime, this 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.
Existing law requires a defendant who appears and demurs to the plaintiff's complaint in a summary proceeding for obtaining possession of real property to serve and file all moving and supporting papers at least 16 court days before the hearing, except as specified. This bill would provide that in a summary proceeding for obtaining possession of real property, if a tenant in a commercial real property, as defined, demurs to the complaint, the notice of hearing on the demurrer must designate a hearing date not more than 20 court days following the filing of the demurrer. The bill would also make a technical, nonsubstantive change.
Existing federal law, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) , requires each state to establish an American Health Benefit Exchange to facilitate the purchase of qualified health benefit plans by qualified individuals and qualified small employers. Existing state law creates the California Health Benefit Exchange, also known as Covered California, to facilitate the enrollment of qualified individuals and qualified small employers in qualified health plans as required under PPACA. Existing law requires the Exchange to apply for a federal waiver to allow persons otherwise not able to obtain coverage through the Exchange because of their immigration status to obtain coverage from the Exchange. This bill would delete that requirement and would instead require the Exchange, no sooner than January 1, 2026, and upon appropriation by the Legislature for this purpose, to administer a program to allow persons otherwise not able to obtain coverage by reason of immigration status to enroll in health insurance coverage in a manner as substantially similar to other Californians as feasible, consistent with federal guidance and given existing federal law and rules. The bill would require the Exchange to undertake outreach, marketing, and other efforts to ensure enrollment, which would begin on October 1, 2027. The bill would also require the Exchange to adopt an annual program design for each coverage year to implement the program, provide appropriate opportunities for stakeholders, including the Legislature, and the public to consult on the design of the program, and report to the Department of Finance and the Legislature on progress toward implementation, as specified. The bill would establish the Covered California for All Fund in the General Fund, to be administered by the Exchange, into which user fees, appropriations, and other funds would be deposited to be used upon appropriation to pay for the administration of the program.
