September 7, 2023
Golden State Republican Women
Janet Price, President
Submitted by the GSRW Legislative Analyst Committee
Karen Contreras, Lou Ann Flaherty and Elaine Freeman,
AB 799, as amended, Homelessness: financing plan.
This is called the Homelessness Accountability and Results Act and specifies that the California Interagency on Homelessness to develop a financing plan to solve homelessness by the year 2035, establish and update statewide performance metrics by 1/1/25, and create a streamlined funding application for specified state housing and homelessness programs.
Existing law establishes the California Interagency Council on Homelessness to identify mainstream resources, benefits, and services that can be accessed to prevent and end homelessness in California by creating partnerships between federal, state, local, and nonprofit entities. Existing law requires the coordinating council to conduct, or contract with an entity to conduct, a statewide assessment to identify state programs that provide housing or services to persons experiencing homelessness or at risk of homelessness, as defined, and collect and analyze data to provide a comprehensive view of the homeless response system.
This bill would require the council, in collaboration with continuums of care, counties, and big cities, as defined, and other stakeholders, to establish and regularly update a financing plan to solve homelessness by the year 2035. The bill would require the council to establish and update statewide performance metrics to reduce racial and ethnic disparities in homelessness and to increase successful exits from homelessness to permanent housing by updating the Statewide Action Plan for Preventing and Ending Homelessness in California, no later than January 1, 2025, and would require the council to publish these goals on its internet website, as specified. The bill would additionally require the council, in collaboration with other departments, to create a unified funding application aligning the timeline and application requirements for various state funding programs, including the Homeless Housing, Assistance, and Prevention Program, no later than January 1, 2026, as specified.
Passed Assembly 05/30/2023. In Senate 09/01/2023
AB 528, as amended, Regulation of cemeteries: pet burial.
Existing law establishes the Cemetery and Funeral Act and authorizes the Cemetery and Funeral Bureau, under the direction of the Department of Consumer Affairs, to establish necessary rules and regulations for the administration and enforcement of the act.
Existing law authorizes the local regulation of cemeteries, including the standards governing burial, inurnment, and entombment, and standards regarding cemetery maintenance and upkeep, as necessary to protect the health or safety of the public.
This bill would authorize a public or private cemetery to designate a separate, clearly marked section of the cemetery where deceased pets could be buried with their deceased owners. The bill would require, if the cemetery designated such a space, that the pet and human remains be in separate remains containers, but authorizes them to be placed in the same plot, niche, crypt, or vault. The bill would require, if the cemetery designated such a space, the cemetery authority to develop and adopt rules and regulations for human and pet coburials, as specified.
In Committee 09/01/2023
SB 626, Smoking tobacco in the workplace: transient lodging establishments.
Existing law, the California Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1973, prohibits smoking of tobacco products inside an enclosed space, as defined, at a place of employment. The violation of the prohibition against smoking in enclosed spaces of places of employment is an infraction punishable by a specified fine. Existing law establishes specified exemptions from “place of employment” that allow smoking in certain work environments, including an exemption for up to 20% of the guestroom accommodations in a hotel, motel, or similar transient lodging establishment.
This bill would eliminate the exemption for up to 20% of guestroom accommodations in transient lodging establishments.
Enrolled and presented to the governor on 08/30/2023.
Update on AB 446, covered in Capitol Update #9:
AB 446, as amended, Pupil instruction: handwriting.
(1) Existing law requires the adopted course of study for grades 1 to 6, inclusive, to include certain areas of study, including, among others, English, mathematics, social sciences, science, and visual and performing arts, as specified. With respect to the study of English, existing law requires that instruction to include knowledge of, and appreciation for, literature and the language, as well as the skills of speaking, reading, listening, spelling, handwriting, and composition.
This bill would require handwriting instruction for grades 1 to 6, inclusive, to include instruction in cursive or joined italics in the appropriate grade levels.
Enrolled, In Senate.
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