Existing law makes it a misdemeanor to sell equipment, supplies, or services to any person with knowledge that the equipment, supplies, or services are to be used in the performance of a service or contract in violation of the licensing requirements provided by law. Existing law excludes cash sales of less than $100 from these provisions. Existing law provides that a violation of these provisions is punishable by a fine of not less than $1,000 and by imprisonment in the county jail not exceeding 6 months. This bill would instead exclude cash sales of less than $200 from these provisions. The bill would also provide that a violation of these provisions is punishable by a fine of not less than $2,000 and by imprisonment in the county jail not exceeding 6 months. This bill would also make nonsubstantive changes to these provisions.
Existing law establishes the California Conservation Camp program to provide for the training and use of inmates and wards assigned to conservation camps to perform public conservation projects, including, but not limited to, forest fire prevention and control, forest and watershed management, recreation, fish and game management, soil conservation, and forest and watershed revegetation. Existing law requires the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection to utilize inmates and wards assigned to conservation camps in performing fire prevention, fire control, and other work of the department, as provided. This bill would require the department, by January 1, 2026, to modify its training program for inmate firefighters serving as members of a hand crew through the California Conservation Camp program to provide participants the opportunity to earn a specified list of certifications related to firefighting, or the department's equivalents of those certifications, while incarcerated. The bill would, commencing January 1, 2027, require the department to update its application process for Type 1 Hand Crew positions to recognize certifications earned by formerly incarcerated individuals through participation in the California Conservation Camp program. The bill would also require the department to establish rules that provide eligibility priority rankings in the application, interview, and hiring process to formerly incarcerated individuals who earned certifications through participation in a California Conservation Camp program.
The California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) requires a lead agency, as defined, to prepare, or cause to be prepared, and certify the completion of an environmental impact report on a project that it proposes to carry out or approve that may have a significant effect on the environment or to adopt a negative declaration if it finds that the project will not have that effect. CEQA also requires a lead agency to prepare a mitigated negative declaration for a project that may have a significant effect on the environment if revisions in the project would avoid or mitigate that effect and there is no substantial evidence that the project, as revised, would have a significant effect on the environment. This bill would specify that population growth, in and of itself, resulting from a housing project and noise impacts of a housing project are not an effect on the environment for purposes of CEQA.
Existing law requires the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation to supply a form to designated agencies in order to enable persons to request and receive notification from the department of the release, escape, scheduled execution, or death of the violent offender. Existing law requires the agency to give the form to the victim, witness, or next of kin of the victim for completion, explain to that person or persons the right to be notified, and forward the completed form to the department. This bill would require the designated agencies to also give the form to the immediate family members of the victim, and to inform them of their right to request and receive a notification from the department. The bill would also require the department or the Board of Parole Hearings to notify the immediate family members of the victim of a violent offender's release or scheduled execution. By requiring a higher level of service from local agencies, 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, 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.
Existing law generally prohibits disclosure of a drug test result to a patient by internet posting or other electronic means unless the health care professional has first discussed the result with the patient. Existing law requires a health practitioner or medical social worker to perform a needs assessment for a substance-exposed infant to identify needed services and determine the level of risk to the newborn upon release to the home. This bill would prohibit medical personnel from performing a drug or alcohol test or screen on a pregnant person, perinatal person, or newborn without the prior written and verbal informed consent of the pregnant person, perinatal person, or person authorized to consent for a newborn, and would require the test or screen to be medically necessary to provide care. The bill would authorize performing a drug or alcohol test or screen on a pregnant person, perinatal person, or newborn without consent if, in the physician's judgment, an emergency exists, the person is in immediate need of medical attention, and an attempt to secure consent would result in a delay of treatment that would increase the risk to the person's life or health. If a test or screen is performed without consent, the bill would require that the pregnant person, perinatal person, or person authorized to consent for a newborn receive verbal and written notification, as specified. The bill would prohibit medical personnel from refusing to treat a pregnant person, perinatal person, or newborn due to the refusal to consent to a drug or alcohol test or screen.
The California Constitution, whenever the Legislature or a state agency mandates a new program or higher level of service on any local government, including school districts, requires the state to provide a subvention of funds to reimburse the local government, unless an exception applies. Statutory provisions that establish procedures for making that reimbursement include a requirement that no claim shall be made or paid unless it exceeds $1,000. This bill would change the minimum claim amount to $800.
Existing law limits the civil liability of a space flight entity, as defined, if the entity had a participant in space flight activities sign a warning statement, as specified. Existing law does not limit a space flight entity's civil liability, even if a participant signed the warning statement, if the entity had actual knowledge or reasonably should have known of a dangerous condition on the land or in the facilities or equipment used in the space flight activities and the dangerous condition proximately causes injury, damage, or death to the participant. Existing law does not limit the liability of a manufacturer of a part or component used in space flight activities if a defective part or component proximately causes injury to a participant. This bill would define a "space flight entity" to mean a public or private entity that holds, either directly or through a corporate subsidiary or parent, a license, permit, or other authorization issued under federal law, as specified. The bill would limit civil liability of a space flight entity if the space flight entity had a participant or crewmember in space flight activities sign a warning statement, as specified. The bill would not limit a space flight entity's civil liability, even if a participant or crewmember signed the warning statement, if the space flight entity had actual knowledge or reasonably should have known of an extraordinarily dangerous condition that is not inherent to space flight activities and the extraordinarily dangerous condition proximately causes injury, damage, or death to the participant. The bill would provide that a space flight entity is not strictly liable for personal injury or wrongful death resulting from space flight activities.
Existing law generally regulates county recorders, and requires recorders to, upon payment of proper fees and taxes, accept for recordation any instrument, paper, or notice that is authorized or required by statute, or court order to be recorded, or authorized or required to be recorded by a local ordinance that relates to the recordation of any instrument, paper, or notice that relates to real property, as specified. Existing law requires the county recorder or each county to establish a social security number truncation program in order to create a public record version of each official record, as specified. This bill would, except as specified, require a county recorder or other county official who manages a county's property records to establish a procedure that, among other things, redacts personal identifying information from property records and only allows access to an unredacted property record in person at the office of the county recorder or other county official who manages the county's property records. By mandating a new program and higher level of service on county recorders and other county officials who manage a county's property records, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program. The bill would define "personal identifying information" as a property address, a home address, an assessor's parcel number, and a property legal description. The bill would make related findings and declarations. 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 creates in the California Health and Human Services Agency the State Department of Health Care Services, which is vested with specified powers of the former State Department of Health Services. Existing law authorizes the director of the department, with the approval of the Department of Finance, and for use in the furtherance of the work of the department, to accept grants of interest in real property, and gifts of money from public agencies or from organizations or associations organized for scientific, educational, or charitable purposes. This bill would make technical, nonsubstantive changes to that provision.
Existing law authorizes each county to establish an interagency child death review team to assist local agencies in identifying and reviewing suspicious child deaths and facilitating communication among persons who perform autopsies and the various persons and agencies involved in child abuse or neglect cases. Existing law requires each child death review team to, no less than once each year, make available to the public findings, conclusions, and recommendations of the team, including aggregate statistical data on the incidences and causes of child deaths. This bill would instead require each child death review team to meet these requirements no later than July 1 of each year and to post this report on the internet website of the county. Existing law requires the Attorney General, subject to available funding, to develop a protocol for the development and implementation of interagency child death teams that could be used by counties. This bill would require the Attorney General to complete and publish the protocol on their internet website and to update it every 4 years no later than January 1, regardless of the available funding. Existing law requires multiple state departments to share data and other information necessary to establish accurate information on the nature and extent of child abuse- or neglect-related fatalities in California as those documents relate to child fatality cases. Existing law also requires the California State Child Death Review Council, among other things, to oversee the statewide coordination and integration of state and local efforts. This bill would require the Department of Justice and other agencies and organizations involved to collaborate on allocating statewide responsibilities for these provisions between, at a minimum, the State Department of Public Health, the State Department of Social Services, and the Department of Justice. The bill would require the Attorney General to submit a budget to the Governor and the Legislature that is sufficient to fund the council, among other things.
(1) The Motor Vehicle Fuel Tax Law, administered by the California Department of Tax and Fee Administration, imposes a tax upon each gallon of motor vehicle fuel removed from a refinery or terminal rack in this state, entered into this state, or sold in this state, at a specified rate per gallon. Existing law requires the department to adjust the tax on July 1 each year by a percentage amount equal to the increase in the California Consumer Price Index, as calculated by the Department of Finance. Article XIX of the California Constitution restricts the expenditure of revenues from the Motor Vehicle Fuel Tax, Diesel Fuel Tax Law, and other taxes imposed by the state on fuels used in motor vehicles upon public streets and highways to street and highway and certain mass transit purposes. This bill would authorize the Governor to suspend an adjustment to the motor vehicle fuel tax, as described above, scheduled on or after July 1, 2025, upon making a determination that increasing the rate would impose an undue burden on low-income and middle-class families. The bill would require the Governor to notify the Legislature of an intent to suspend the rate adjustment on or before January 10 of that year, and would require the Department of Finance to submit to the Legislature a proposal by January 10 that would maintain the same level of funding for transportation purposes as would have been generated had the scheduled adjustment not been suspended. (2) The California Constitution provides for the establishment of the State Board of Equalization, which, before July 1, 2017, had primary responsibility for most of the state's duties, powers, and responsibilities regarding the administration of taxes and fees. Existing law, on July 1, 2017, transferred to the California Department of Tax and Fee Administration various duties, powers, and responsibilities of the State Board of Equalization, including administration of the Motor Vehicle Fuel Tax Law and the Diesel Fuel Tax Law, as specified. This bill would also change references in these provisions of law from the "State Board of Equalization" to the "California Department of Tax and Fee Administration" or "department", as applicable, to reflect the transfer of the board's duties, powers, and responsibilities to the department. (3) This bill would take effect immediately as a tax levy.
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, and makes a willful violation of the act a crime. Existing law provides for the regulation of health insurers by the Department of Insurance. Existing law prohibits a health care service plan or health insurer from employing marketing practices or benefit designs that discriminate based on an individual's race, color, national origin, present or predicted disability, age, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, expected length of life, degree of medical dependency, quality of life, or other health conditions. Existing law requires a plan or insurer to notify enrollees and insureds that it does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, ancestry, religion, sex, marital status, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, or disability. This bill would prohibit a health care service plan or health insurer from discriminating on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age, or disability through the use of clinical algorithms in its decisionmaking. Because a willful violation of these provisions by a health care service plan 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.
