Existing law provides that, in addition to any other remedy authorized by law, when a spouse is convicted of attempting to murder the other spouse or of soliciting the murder of the other spouse, the injured spouse shall be entitled to 100% of the community property interest in his or her retirement and pension benefits, and a prohibition of specified support or insurance benefits from the injured spouse to the convicted spouse. Existing law defines "injured spouse" for these purposes. Under existing law, a family court is required to consider specified factors in ordering spousal support, including the criminal conviction of an abusive spouse. This bill would expand the above-described provisions to apply when a spouse is convicted of a specified violent sexual felony against the other spouse, and would require the court to consider the convicted spouse's criminal conviction for a violent sexual felony in ordering spousal support, as specified. The bill would also require the court to order the attorney's fees and costs to be paid from the community assets if warranted by economic circumstances. Under the bill, the injured spouse, as defined, would not be required to pay any of the convicted spouse's attorney's fees out of his or her separate property. The bill would further, at the request of the injured spouse, define the date of the parties' legal separation as the date of the incident giving rise to the conviction, or earlier if the court finds that the circumstances justify an earlier date, for community property purposes.
Sponsored bills
(1) Existing law authorizes, until January 1, 2014, a school district governing board or community college district governing board to enter into a design-build contract for both the design and construction of a school facility or community college facility, respectively, if specified requirements are met. This bill would extend this design-build authority until January 1, 2020. (2) Existing law states the intent of the Legislature that design-build procurement by a school district or community college district not be construed to extend, limit, or change in any manner the legal responsibility of public agencies and contractors to comply with existing law. This bill would also state the intent of the Legislature that design-build procurement does not replace or eliminate competitive bidding. (3) Existing law requires design-build projects by a school district or community college district to progress in a specified manner, including, among other things, requiring the school district governing board or community college district governing board to prepare a request for proposal setting forth the scope of the project and authorizing the request for proposal to include, but not be limited to, specified information. This bill would require the request for proposal not to include a design-build-operate contract for educational facilities.
Existing law establishes various programs for the prevention of disease and the promotion of health to be administered by the State Department of Public Health, including, but not limited to, the licensure and regulation of health facilities, including general acute care hospitals. Violation of these provisions is a crime. This bill would require every licensed general acute care hospital with an emergency department to determine the range of crowding scores, as defined, that constitute each category of the crowding scale, as provided, for its emergency department. The bill would require every licensed general acute care hospital with an emergency department to calculate and record a crowding score every 4 hours, except as specified, to assess the crowding condition of its emergency department. The bill would require, by January 1, 2014, every licensed general acute care hospital with an emergency department to develop and implement a full-capacity protocol for each of the categories of the crowding scale. This bill would require every licensed general acute care hospital with an emergency department to file its full-capacity protocol with the Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development, and to annually report revisions to its protocol. The bill would repeal its provisions on January 1, 2017. By changing the definition of an existing 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 the State Board of Education to adopt at least 5 basic instructional materials in specified subject areas for use in kindergarten and grades 1 to 8, inclusive, for district boards, as defined. Existing law also requires the governing board of each school district maintaining one or more high schools to adopt instructional materials that meet specified criteria for use in the high schools under its control. Existing law prohibits the state board from adopting instructional materials until the 2015–16 school year. Existing law requires a publisher or manufacturer of instructional materials to provide to the state, at no cost, computer files or other electronic versions of each state-adopted literary title and the right to transcribe, reproduce, modify, and distribute the material in braille, large print if the publisher does not offer a large print edition, recordings, American Sign Language videos for the deaf, or other specialized accessible media exclusively for use by pupils with visual or other disabilities that prevent use of standard instructional materials. This bill would require a publisher or manufacturer that offers printed instructional materials in an equivalent digital format to offer the digital format at the same cost as, or lower cost than, the cost of the purchased printed format, and would require a publisher or manufacturer of printed supplemental instructional materials to offer the supplemental instructional materials in an equivalent digital format at the same cost as, or lower cost than, the cost of the purchased printed format. The bill would, if the publisher or manufacturer cannot obtain copyright due to a 3rd-party contract conflict, authorize an equivalent digital format to be substituted with comparable digital materials. The bill also would authorize a school district to use instructional materials in digital format that were purchased by the school district to create a districtwide online digital database for classroom use, as specified. The bill would exempt from these requirements small publishers and small manufacturers of instructional materials, as defined, and would specify that these provisions be implemented in accordance with specified provisions suspending the adoption of instructional materials by the state board. The bill would become operative only if AB 1790 of the 2011–12 Regular Session is enacted.
Existing law provides for the licensure and regulation of health facilities, including skilled nursing facilities, as defined, by the State Department of Public Health. Violation of these provisions is a crime. This bill, until January 1, 2020, would establish the Small House Skilled Nursing Facilities Pilot Program within the department for the purposes of providing skilled nursing care in a homelike, noninstitutional setting. The bill would require that pilot facilities, as defined, meet specified requirements and pay specified fees. The bill would require the department to submit a report to the Legislature on the results of the pilot program at least 24 months prior to the termination of the pilot program. By expanding the scope of a crime, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program. This bill would incorporate additional changes in Section 1250 of the Health and Safety Code, proposed by SB 135 to be operative only if SB 135, and this bill are both chaptered and become effective on or before January 1, 2013, and this bill is chaptered last. 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 Donahoe Higher Education Act authorizes the activities of the 4 segments of the postsecondary education system in the state. These segments include the 3 public postsecondary segments: the University of California, which is administered by the Regents of the University of California, the California State University, which is administered by the Trustees of the California State University, and the California Community Colleges, which is administered by the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges. Private and independent postsecondary educational institutions constitute the other segment. Provisions of the Donahoe Higher Education Act apply to the University of California only to the extent that the regents act, by resolution, to make them applicable. Existing law urges textbook publishers to take specified actions aimed at reducing the amounts that students pay for textbooks, including providing to faculty and departments considering textbook orders a list of all the different products the publisher sells. Existing law requires the Trustees of the California State University and the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges, and requests the Regents of the University of California, to take specific actions with their respective academic senates, college and university bookstores, and faculty to promote the selection of textbooks that will result in cost savings to students. This bill would express legislative findings and declarations relating to the cost of college and university textbooks. The bill would add provisions to the Donahoe Higher Education Act to establish the California Digital Open Source Library, under the administration of the California State University, in coordination with the California Community Colleges, for the purpose of housing open source materials while providing an Internet Web-based way for students, faculty, and staff to easily find, adopt, utilize, or modify course materials for little or no cost. The bill would provide that the California State University would also act in coordination with the University of California in administering the California Digital Open Source Library if the regents act, by appropriate resolution, to authorize the university to participate in the administration of the library. The bill would require that the materials in the library bear a creative commons attribution license that allows others to use, distribute, and create derivative works based upon the digital material while still allowing the authors or creators of the material to receive credit for their efforts. The bill would provide that the provisions added to the Donahoe Higher Education Act by the bill would become operative only if funding for the purposes of this bill is provided in an appropriation in the annual Budget Act or another statute, or through federal or private funds, or through a combination of state, federal, and private funds. The bill would become operative only if SB 1052 becomes operative on or before January 1, 2013, and establishes the California Open Education Resources Council.
The Elder Abuse and Dependent Adult Civil Protection Act establishes various procedures for the reporting, investigation, and prosecution of elder and dependent adult abuse. The act requires certain persons, called mandated reporters, to report known or suspected instances of elder or dependent adult abuse. The act requires a mandated reporter, and authorizes any person who is not a mandated reporter, to report the abuse to the local ombudsman or the local law enforcement agency if the abuse occurs in a long-term care facility. Failure to report physical abuse and financial abuse of an elder or dependent adult under the act is a misdemeanor. This bill would require that, if the suspected abuse results in serious bodily injury, as defined, a mandated reporter make a telephone report to report suspected or alleged physical abuse, as defined, that occurs in a long-term care facility, to the local law enforcement agency, immediately, and no later than within 2 hours of the reporter observing, obtaining knowledge of, or suspecting the physical abuse. The bill would require that a written report be made to the local ombudsman, the corresponding licensing agency, and the local law enforcement agency within 2 hours of the reporter observing, obtaining knowledge of, or suspecting the physical abuse. The bill would require that, if the suspected abuse does not result in serious bodily injury, a mandated reporter make a report by telephone and in writing within 24 hours of the reporter observing, obtaining knowledge of, or suspecting the physical abuse, as specified. Existing law authorizes a mandated reporter who has knowledge, or reasonably suspects, that types of elder or dependent adult abuse for which reports are not mandated occurred in a state mental hospital or a state developmental center to report to the designated investigator of the State Department of State Hospitals or the State Department of Developmental Services or to a local law enforcement agency or to the local ombudsman. This bill would delete the local ombudsman from the list of persons to whom the mandated reporter may report under these circumstances. This bill would authorize a person who is not a mandated reporter to report suspected or alleged abuse that occurred in a long-term care facility to both a long-term care ombudsman program or local law enforcement agency. This bill would incorporate additional changes to Section 15630 of the Welfare and Institutions Code proposed by SB 1051, to be operative only if SB 1051 and this bill are both enacted, both bills become effective on or before January 1, 2013, and this bill is enacted last. By changing the scope of an existing crime, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program. By increasing the duties of local officials, 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 with regard to certain mandates no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason. With regard to any other mandates, this bill would provide that, if the Commission on State Mandates determines that the bill contains costs so mandated by the state, reimbursement for those costs shall be made pursuant to the statutory provisions noted above.
Existing law authorizes use of the Emergency Alert System to inform the public of local, state, and national emergencies. Existing law requires a law enforcement agency to activate the Emergency Alert System within the appropriate area if that agency determines that a child 17 years of age or younger, or an individual with a proven mental or physical disability, has been abducted and is in imminent danger of serious bodily injury or death, and there is information available that, if disseminated to the general public, could assist in the safe recovery of that person. This bill would require that if a person is reported missing to a law enforcement agency, and that agency determines that certain requirements are met, including, among others, that the missing person is 65 years of age or older, the law enforcement agency shall request the California Highway Patrol to activate a Silver Alert. The bill would require the California Highway Patrol to activate a Silver Alert upon request if it concurs with the law enforcement agency that specified requirements are met. The bill would require the California Highway Patrol to, upon activation of a Silver Alert, take certain actions to assist the agency investigating the disappearance. The bill would repeal these provisions on January 1, 2016.
(1) The Donahoe Higher Education Act authorizes the activities of the 4 segments of the postsecondary education system in the state. These segments include the 3 public postsecondary segments: the University of California, which is administered by the Regents of the University of California, the California State University, which is administered by the Trustees of the California State University, and the California Community Colleges, which is administered by the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges. Private and independent postsecondary educational institutions constitute the other segment. Provisions of the Donahoe Higher Education Act apply to the University of California only to the extent that the regents act, by resolution, to make them applicable. Existing law urges textbook publishers to take specified actions aimed at reducing the amounts that students pay for textbooks, including providing to faculty and departments considering textbook orders a list of all the different products the publisher sells. Existing law requires the Trustees of the California State University and the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges, and requests the Regents of the University of California, to take specific actions with their respective academic senates, college and university bookstores, and faculty to promote the selection of textbooks that will result in cost savings to students. This bill would express legislative findings and declarations relating to the cost of college and university textbooks. The bill would add provisions to the Donahoe Higher Education Act to establish the California Open Education Resources Council under the administration of the Intersegmental Committee of the Academic Senates of the University of California, the California State University, and the California Community Colleges, or a successor group. The bill would specify that the council would have 9 members, including 3 faculty members from each of the public postsecondary segments, selected by the respective faculty senates of each segment. The bill would require the appointments to the council to be made no later than 90 days after the bill becomes operative. The bill would require the California Open Education Resources Council to determine a list of 50 lower division courses in the public postsecondary segments for which high-quality, affordable, digital open source textbooks and related materials would be developed or acquired, as specified, pursuant to the bill. The bill would also require the council to review and approve developed open source materials and to promote strategies for production, access, and use of open source textbooks to be placed on reserve at campus libraries in accordance with this section. The bill would require that the council regularly solicit and consider, from each of the statewide student associations of the University of California, the California State University, and the California Community Colleges, advice and guidance on open source education textbooks and related materials, as specified. The bill would require the council to establish a competitive request-for-proposal process in which faculty members, publishers, and other interested parties would apply for funds to produce, in 2013, 50 high-quality, affordable, digital open source textbooks and related materials, meeting specified requirements. The bill also would require the council to submit a report to the Legislature and the Governor on the progress of the implementation of these provisions by no later than 6 months after the bill becomes operative and to submit a final report by January 1, 2016. (2) Existing law requires publishers, as defined, to provide a captioned format of instructional materials, as defined, or an electronic format of those materials and a license to create a captioned format of the materials, upon request by a public postsecondary educational institution, and authorizes the public postsecondary educational institution to create a captioned format, subject to prescribed conditions, if the publisher provides a license to create the captioned format or fails to respond to a request for a captioned format. Existing law prescribes various requirements with respect to use and distribution of electronic and captioned formats of instructional materials by public postsecondary educational institutions that choose to participate in the request process. This bill would include digital open source textbooks and related materials within the definition of instructional materials for the purposes of this provision. The bill would prescribe a procedure for this request process relating to digital open source textbooks if and when the California Open Source Digital Library is established pursuant to statute. (3) These provisions would become operative only if funding for the purposes of this bill is provided in the annual Budget Act or another statute, or through federal or private funds, or through a combination of state, federal, and private funds.
(1) Existing law makes it unlawful to engage in specified practices, unfair methods of competition, and unfair or deceptive acts or practices in a transaction intended to result or that results in the sale or lease of goods or services, including making false or misleading statements concerning the existence of price reductions, or the home solicitation of a consumer who is a senior citizen where a loan is made encumbering the primary residence of that consumer for purposes of paying for home improvements. A consumer who suffers damages as a result of the use or employment of the prohibited acts or practices may bring an action to recover civil damages of at least $1,000, and, if the victim is a senior citizen and the trier of fact makes specified findings, including that the consumer has suffered substantial physical, emotional, or economic damage resulting from the defendant's conduct, to recover an additional amount of up to $5,000. This bill would expand that provision to include advertising or promoting any event, presentation, seminar, workshop, or other public gathering regarding veterans' benefits or entitlements that does not include a statement that the person disseminating the statement is not authorized to file an initial application for veterans' benefits or that the event is not sponsored by or affiliated with specified veterans' organizations, including the United States Department of Veterans Affairs. The bill would also make a conforming change. (2) Existing law provides that all insurers, brokers, agents, and others engaged in the transaction of insurance owe a prospective insured who is 65 years of age or older, a duty of honesty, good faith, and fair dealing. This duty is in addition to any other duty, whether express or implied, that may exist. This bill would make it unlawful for an insurance agent who is not licensed as an attorney to deliver to a person who is 65 years of age or older, or for an insurance agent who is licensed as an attorney to deliver to a person who is 65 years of age or older, a living trust or other legal document, other than an insurance contract or other insurance product document, except as specified. (3) Existing law requires any person who meets with a senior in the senior's home to deliver a specified notice to the senior in writing and in 14-point type no less than 24 hours prior to that individual's initial meeting in the senior's home. This bill would additionally require the notice to be delivered no more than 14 days prior to the meeting. The bill would also require that the notice be a stand-alone document in 16-point, rather than 14-point, type, that the notice include specified information regarding the agent, including his or her full name and license number, and that the notice include a specified statement. (4) Existing law sets certain standards with regard to any advertisement, as defined, or other device designed to produce leads based on a response from a potential insured that is directed to a person 65 years of age or older, including, but not limited to, disclosing certain information, not using certain language, names, letters, or symbols, and not using specified deceptive or misleading practices and materials. This bill would change the definition of advertisement to also include worksheets, questionnaires, or other materials designed to collect personal or financial information about a prospective insured or annuitant. The bill would also add veterans organizations or agencies and the United States Department of Veterans Affairs to the list of those entities that cannot be used in specified deceptive or misleading advertising practices and materials.