Sen. Mimi Walters

This measure would designate the portion of State Route 1 that traverses the City of Laguna Beach as the Laguna Beach Police Officer Jon S. Coutchie Memorial Highway. The measure would also request the Department of Transportation to determine the cost of appropriate signs showing this special designation and, upon receiving donations from nonstate sources to cover that cost, to erect those signs.

Existing law, as added by Proposition 8, adopted June 8, 1982, among other things, abolished the defense of diminished capacity. Existing law prohibits, in a criminal action, as well as any juvenile court proceeding, evidence concerning an accused person's intoxication, trauma, mental illness, disease, or defect from being admissible to show or negate capacity to form the particular purpose, intent, motive, malice aforethought, knowledge, or other mental state required for the commission of the crime charged. This bill would make technical, nonsubstantive changes to those provisions.

Existing law generally authorizes a state employee or annuitant to enroll in an approved health benefit plan administered by the Board of Administration of the Public Employees' Retirement System pursuant to the Public Employees' Medical and Hospital Care Act. Existing law establishes percentages for levels of benefit coverage afforded under the approved health benefit plan in which the employee or annuitant is enrolled. Existing law specifies the number of years of state service a state employee needs to receive the full employer contribution payable for annuitants and the rate at which the employer contribution is required to be paid to an annuitant based on credited state service at the time of retirement. This bill would prohibit a state employee who is hired by the state for the first time on or after January 1, 2015, from receiving any portion of the employer contribution payable for annuitants unless the employee is credited with 15 years of state service at the time of retirement, at which point the employer contribution would be 50%. The bill would increase the employer contribution payable for postretirement health benefits for an employee subject to these provisions by 5% each credited year of service, reaching 100% for an annuitant with 25 years of credited state service at the time of retirement. The bill would also prohibit an annuitant subject to this section from receiving an employer contribution towards health benefits that is more generous than that provided to active state civil service employees. Existing law requires the board to pay to an employee or annuitant who is enrolled in, or whose family member is enrolled in, a Medicare health benefit plan the amount of monthly premiums, not exceeding the difference between the maximum employer contribution and the amount contributed by the employer toward the cost of premiums. This bill would require an annuitant to use medicare benefits, if he or she is eligible to receive those benefits, to the fullest extent possible.

This measure would declare the support of the Legislature for federal tax policies designed to encourage growth, incentivize corporations to remain in the United States, and reduce competitive disadvantages for companies based in the United States, particularly those in the biomedical and life sciences industry. The measure would further urge the President and Congress to enact specified tax strategies to encourage domestic economic growth.

Existing law, except in unusual cases, prohibits the granting of probation to, or the suspension of sentence for, a person who is convicted of specified sex offenses. Existing law proscribes the crime of human trafficking and imposes punishment including imprisonment in the state prison and specified fines upon a person who is convicted of that crime. This bill would prohibit the granting of probation to, or the suspension of sentence for, a person who is convicted of human trafficking.

Existing law governing the regulation of eggs and egg products authorizes the Secretary of Food and Agriculture to adopt regulations relating to the preparation for market and marketing of shelled eggs that are determined to be reasonably necessary to carry out the purposes of these provisions, including to assure that healthful and wholesale eggs of known quality are sold in the state. Existing law makes it a misdemeanor to sell or contract for sale a shelled egg for human consumption in California if the seller knows or should have known that the egg is the product of an egg-laying hen that was confined on a farm or place that is not in compliance with specified animal care standards. This bill would provide that latter provisions do not prohibit the sale of a shelled egg that is the product of an egg-laying hen confined on a farm or place in accordance with the standards in a specified regulation adopted by the secretary.

(1) Existing law creates the High-Speed Rail Authority with specified powers and duties relating to the development and implementation of an intercity high-speed train system. Existing law authorizes the authority to acquire rights-of-way through purchase or eminent domain. Existing law sets forth the process for acquisition of property by eminent domain, including a requirement for adoption of a resolution of necessity. Before adopting a resolution of necessity, existing law requires a public entity to determine the fair market value of the property to be acquired and to offer that amount to the owner of the property. This bill would prohibit the authority, or the State Public Works Board acting on behalf of the authority, from adopting a resolution of necessity to commence an eminent domain proceeding to acquire a parcel of real property for the high-speed train system unless the resolution identifies the sources of all funds to be invested in the property, and the anticipated time of receipt of those funds, and declares that the authority, or the board, has offered to purchase the property at not less than the fair market value or the amount necessary to discharge the liens against the property, as described, whichever is greater. The bill would require the authority or the board to be responsible for compliance with any environmental protection laws or regulations that are applicable to the property it acquires pursuant to eminent domain. (2) This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.

Existing law requires the State Department of Public Health to establish a program for the development, provision, and evaluation of genetic disease testing. Existing law establishes the continuously appropriated Genetic Disease Testing Fund (GDTF) , consisting of fees paid for newborn screening tests. Existing law states the intent of the Legislature that all costs of the genetic disease testing program be fully supported by fees paid for newborn screening tests, which are deposited in the GDTF. Existing law authorizes moneys in the GDTF to be used for the expansion of the Genetic Disease Branch Screening Information System, as specified, to include cystic fibrosis, biotinidase, and severe combined immunodeficiency. Existing law exempts the amendment of contracts for this purpose from provisions of the Public Contract Code that establish standards for contracts and require the Department of General Services to approve these contracts. Existing law also exempts the amendment of contracts for this purpose from standards for personal services contracts and from provisions that give the California Technology Agency authority over the application of information technology for state agencies. This bill would require the department, until January 1, 2019, to expand the screening of newborns in Orange County to include screening for Krabbe disease, and would exempt the amendment of contracts for this purpose from provisions that establish standards for contracts, require the Department of General Services to approve contracts, and give the California Technology Agency authority over information technology projects, as described above. By authorizing moneys in the continuously appropriated GDTF to be used for screening newborns for this additional disease, the bill would make an appropriation.

(1) Existing law, the Safe, Clean, and Reliable Drinking Water Supply Act of 2012, if approved by the voters, would authorize the issuance of bonds in the amount of $11,140,000,000 pursuant to the State General Obligation Bond Law to finance a safe drinking water and water supply reliability program. Existing law provides for the submission of the bond act to the voters at the November 4, 2014, statewide general election. This bill would repeal these provisions. (2) Under existing law, various measures have been approved by the voters to provide funds for water supply and protection facilities and programs. This bill would enact the Clean, Safe, and Reliable Drinking Water Supply Act of 2014, which, if adopted by the voters, would authorize the issuance of bonds in the amount of $8,700,000,000 pursuant to the State General Obligation Bond Law to finance a clean, safe, and reliable drinking water supply program. This bill would provide for the submission of the bond act to the voters at the November 4, 2014, statewide general election. (3) This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.

Existing law, as added by Proposition 8, adopted June 8, 1982, and amended by Proposition 21, adopted March 7, 2000, among other things, defines a serious felony. Existing law, also added by Proposition 8, adopted June 8, 1982, and amended by Proposition 36, adopted November 6, 2012, commonly known as the Three Strikes law, requires increased penalties for certain recidivist offenders in addition to any other enhancement or penalty provisions that may apply, including individuals with current and prior convictions of a serious felony, as specified. The Three Strikes law specifies that references to code sections contained in its provisions, including references to the definition of a serious felony, are to those statutes as they existed on November 7, 2012. The Legislature may directly amend Proposition 8 and Proposition 21 by a statute passed in each house by a 23 vote, or by a statute that becomes effective only when approved by the voters. The Legislature may directly amend Proposition 36 by a statute passed in each house by a 23 vote and the Governor concurring, or with a majority vote to be placed on the next general ballot, or by a statute that becomes effective when approved by a majority of the electors. This bill would add human trafficking to the definition of a serious felony, as specified. The bill would specify that references to code sections contained in the Three Strikes law are to those statutes as they exist January 1, 2015. Because the bill would impose additional duties on local prosecutors, and because it would expand the punishments for existing crimes, it 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.