(1) Existing law authorizes a peace officer to impound for 30 days a vehicle driven by a person who had never been issued a driver's license. Existing law subjects to forfeiture, and requires the impoundment of, a vehicle driven by an unlicensed driver who is a registered owner of the vehicle and who has a previous misdemeanor conviction of operating a vehicle without a driver's license. This bill would prohibit a peace officer from towing and impounding, or causing the towing and impoundment of, a vehicle driven by a person who does not have a valid driver's license, as specified, if the vehicle is, or could be, legally parked at a location near the scene of the traffic stop or if control of the vehicle is, or could be, relinquished to a licensed driver. If a licensed driver is not present at the time of the traffic stop, the bill would require the peace officer to inform the driver that the vehicle will not be towed and impounded if a licensed driver can retrieve the vehicle within a reasonable amount of time of the traffic stop. The bill would require a peace officer to obtain the approval of a supervisory officer before the towing and impoundment of a vehicle subject to these provisions. By requiring a higher level of service by a local law enforcement agency, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program. The bill would require the release of the impounded vehicle upon the presentation of the registered owner's, or his or her agent's, currently valid driver's license and proof of current vehicle registration, or upon order of a court. This bill would also make conforming changes. (2) 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.
Existing law governs the business of insurance, and defines various types of insurance for these purposes, including life insurance and disability insurance. Existing law generally makes the requirements imposed on disability insurance contracts inapplicable to life insurance, endowment, and annuity contracts, or supplemental contracts thereto, that provide additional benefits in case of death or dismemberment or loss of sight by accident, operate to safeguard contracts against lapse, or give a special surrender value, a special benefit, or an annuity if the insured or annuitant becomes totally or permanently disabled. This bill would specify that the term "special benefit" for purposes of those provisions includes an accelerated death benefit if some of all of the death benefit of a life insurance contract is paid to the insured upon the occurrence of certain qualifying events, including if the insured requires continuous confinement in an eligible institution. Existing law requires supplemental contracts or, if a supplemental contract is an integral part of a life insurance contract, life insurance contracts to be submitted for approval by the Insurance Commissioner before the contracts are delivered or issued for delivery in this state. This bill would require a life insurance contract or supplemental contract that includes an accelerated death benefit that is submitted for approval by the Insurance Commissioner to be submitted for approval with specified additional information, including a statement of the types of policy forms with which the benefit will be offered.
(1) Existing law authorizes a bus operated by a publicly owned transit system on regularly scheduled service to be equipped with illuminated signs that display information directly related to public service and include, among other things, destination signs, route-number signs, run-number signs, public service announcement signs, or a combination of those signs, visible from any direction of the vehicle, that emit any light color, other than the color red emitted from forward-facing signs, pursuant to specified conditions. Existing law authorizes, until January 1, 2017, a pilot program allowing up to 25 buses operated by the City of Santa Monica's publicly owned transit system for the first 2 years of the pilot program, and up to 30 buses thereafter, to be equipped with illuminated signs that display advertising subject to certain conditions. Existing law also requires the City of Santa Monica to submit a specified report by July 1, 2016, on roadway and pedestrian safety to the Legislature and the Department of the California Highway Patrol. This bill would authorize, until January 1, 2018, the University of California, Irvine (university) to operate a pilot program similar to the one operated by the City of Santa Monica. The bill would require the university to submit a report by July 1, 2017, on the viability of advertisement sales relating to illuminated signs on public buses to the Legislature. (2) This bill would make legislative findings and declarations as to the necessity of a special statute for the University of California, Irvine.
Existing law vests the Department of Parks and Recreation with control over the state park system. Existing law creates the State Parks and Recreation Fund into which are deposited revenues received by the department, which are available for expenditure for state park purposes upon appropriation by the Legislature. This bill would authorize the department, until January 1, 2020, to assist a park district or unit of the state park system in establishing specified numbers of innovation working groups for the purpose of developing innovative revenue proposals for the district or the park unit, as prescribed. The bill would require the department, in addition to evaluating revenue-generating ideas submitted by innovation working groups, to consider specified factors relating to ways to generate revenues for state parks. The bill would require each innovation team working group to perform specific duties and to make recommendations to the department on innovative revenue proposals, or ideas about how to make those districts or units more self sufficient, increase visitation, and generate new revenues.
Existing law establishes the Biennial Inspection of Terminals Program (BIT) to ensure the safe operation of certain vehicles by a motor carrier through the inspection of these vehicles at the motor carrier's terminal by the Department of the California Highway Patrol. Existing law defines a motor carrier, for this purpose, as the registered owner of, and in some cases the lessee or person exclusively authorizing and directing the operation of, specified vehicles. Existing law requires, within 30 days of establishing a terminal, a motor carrier to schedule an inspection by submitting to the department an application for a terminal inspection accompanied by the payment of a fee the amount of which is based on the number of vehicles in a terminal or the "terminal fleet size." Existing law requires the department to inspect every terminal at least once every 25 months and defines a terminal as the location or locations designated by the motor carrier where subject vehicles and specific records are available for inspection. This bill would revise and recast these provisions as the Basic Inspection of Terminals (BIT) program. The bill would define motor carrier for this purpose as the registered owner, lessee, licensee, or bailee of specified vehicles. The bill would make it unlawful to operate a new terminal unless an inspection is conducted within the first 18 months of operation. The bill would instead authorize the department to conduct terminal inspections at any time. The bill would require the department, on or before January 1, 2015, to implement a performance-based truck terminal inspection priority system similar to that used by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration that would require the department to place an inspection priority on motor carrier terminals never previously inspected by the department. Nonpriority terminals would not be required to be inspected less than 4 years since their last inspection. The bill would require a motor carrier to make vehicles and records available for inspection upon request by the department and to pay a carrier inspection fee, the amount to be based on the size of the motor carrier's fleet. The bill would impose a penalty for failure to pay the fee. The bill would make other technical and conforming changes to the BIT program.
Existing law provides for the regulation and licensing of pilots for Monterey Bay and the Bays of San Francisco, San Pablo, and Suisun, and the payment of specified pilotage rates and charges imposed on vessels piloted in those bays. Existing law also establishes in the Business, Transportation and Housing Agency, a Board of Pilot Commissioners for Monterey Bay and the Bays of San Francisco, San Pablo, and Suisun, and prescribes the membership of, and functions and duties of the board. Existing law establishes the Board of Pilot Commissioners' Special Fund, a continuously appropriated fund, for the purposes of receiving moneys received by the board in the implementation of the above provisions. This bill would, on January 1, 2022, eliminate the board and transfer the board's functions and duties to the Secretary of Business, Transportation and Housing, and would recast and reenact certain provisions that regulate pilots for those bays, as provided. The bill would rename the Board of Pilot Commissioners' Special Fund as the Bar Pilot Special Fund.
(1) The Z'berg-Nejedely Forest Practice Act of 1973 prohibits a person from conducting timber operations on timberland unless a timber harvesting plan has been prepared by a registered professional forester and has been submitted to the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection and approved by the Director of Forestry and Fire Protection or the State Board of Forestry and Fire Protection. A violation of the act is a crime. This bill would authorize a working forest tree farmer, as defined, to file a working forest management plan prepared by a registered professional forester with the department and would require the director to review the submitted plan to determine if it is in compliance with the act, and rules and regulations of the board, and to return the plan if the director determines that it is not in compliance. The bill would require an amendment that is a substantial deviation from the approved plan to be approved by the director or the board. The bill would require a working forest tree farmer to file a working forest harvest notice in any year in which there are plans to harvest timber on timberland covered by the working forest management plan. If it is determined that certain objectives are not being met or that there are persistent violations of an approved plan's requirements, the bill would require that the previously approved working forest management plan be canceled by the department and that any further timber operations under the plan be terminated. The bill would require the board, no later than December 31, 2015, to adopt regulations to implement these provisions. Because a violation of these provisions is a crime, this bill would imposed a state-mandated local program. (2) 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 within state government the Commission on the Status of Women, consisting of 17 members, including certain Members of the Legislature. Existing law sets forth the powers and duties of the commission, and requires the commission to study certain topics. This bill would authorize the members of the commission who are also Members of the Legislature to vote by proxy. The bill would require the commission to study additional topics. The bill would authorize the Legislature to recommend that the commission study additional topics relevant to women. The bill would authorize the commission to review the implementation of any law to ensure that the law is not discriminating against women or creating an inequitable environment for women.
Existing law prohibits, except in specified circumstances, a state agency, political subdivision, municipal corporation, district, or public officer responsible for letting a public works contract from drafting bid specifications for that contract in a manner that limits the bidding to any one concern or product, unless the specification is followed by the words "or equal." Existing law requires that these bid specifications provide a period of time prior to or after, or prior to and after, the award of the contract to allow the contractor to submit data that demonstrates that a concern or product to be provided under the contract is equal to the concern or product identified in the bid specification. This bill would instead require these bid specifications to provide a period of time after the award of the contract for the submission of data substantiating a request for a substitution of "an equal" item, but would allow a solicitation for bids to require the submission of data substantiating a request for substitution of an equal item prior to the bid submission deadline only if the solicitation establishes a procedure for submission, evaluation, and determination, as provided. This bill would require the proponent of a proposed equal item submitted under that procedure to bear the burden of proof that the proposed item is equal to what is required by the bid specifications.
Existing law authorizes the Director of General Services to dispose of state surplus property, subject to specified conditions, including authorization by the Legislature. This bill would authorize the director to enter into an agreement with the City of Carlsbad for the exchange of specified parcels of real property subject to certain conditions.
(1) Existing law provides for licensing and regulation of health care service plans by the Department of Managed Health Care. A willful violation of these provisions is a crime. Existing law provides for the regulation of health insurers by the Insurance Commissioner. Existing law requires health care service plan contracts and health insurance policies to provide coverage for the diagnosis and treatment of severe mental illnesses, including pervasive developmental disorder or autism, under the same terms and conditions applied to other medical conditions, as specified. Commencing July 1, 2012, and until July 1, 2014, existing law requires health care service plan contracts and health insurance policies to provide coverage for behavioral health treatment, as defined, for pervasive developmental disorder or autism. This bill would require health care service plan contracts and health insurance policies to provide coverage for the screening, diagnosis, and treatment, other than behavioral health treatment, of pervasive developmental disorder or autism. The bill would, however, provide that no benefits are required to be provided that exceed the essential health benefits that will be required under specified federal law. The bill would prohibit health care service plans and health insurers from denying, terminating, or refusing to renew coverage solely because the individual is diagnosed with or has received treatment for pervasive developmental disorder or autism. Because the bill would change the definition of a crime with respect to health care service plans, it would thereby impose a state-mandated local program. (2) 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 imposes requirements on the Department of Water Resources in connection with the preparation of a Bay Delta Conservation Plan (BDCP) . The Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta Reform Act of 2009 requires the Delta Stewardship Council to consider the BDCP for inclusion in a specified Delta Plan, and requires the incorporation of the BDCP into the Delta Plan if the BDCP meets certain requirements, including a requirement that the BDCP include a comprehensive review and analysis of a range of Delta conveyance alternatives, including through-Delta, dual conveyance, and isolated conveyance alternatives and capacity and design options of specified canals and pipelines. This bill would require that the department's development of certain Delta conveyance facilities be completed on or before February 15, 2013, and would require that the construction of those facilities be completed by December 31, 2025.
