, 2024
Golden State Republican Women
Janet Price, President
Submitted by the GSRW Legislative Analyst Committee
Valerie Evans, Lou Ann Flaherty, Valerie Emick and Elaine Freeman,
SB 1182, as introduced, Gonzalez. Master Plan for Healthy, Sustainable, and Climate-Resilient Schools.
Existing law requires the State Energy Resources Conservation and Development Commission to develop contingency plans to deal with possible shortages of electricity or fuel supplies to protect public health, safety, and welfare. Existing law establishes the Clean Energy Job Creation Program for purposes of funding projects for, among other things, energy efficiency retrofits and clean energy installations, and related improvements and repairs that contribute to reduced operating costs and improved health and safety conditions, on public schools.
Existing law requires certain moneys appropriated for purposes of the program to be allocated to local educational agencies, as specified. Existing law authorizes the commission to adjust the funding allocation to local educational agencies and requires the commission, in allocating grants to local educational agencies, to give priority to certain local educational agencies, as provided.
This bill would require the commission to develop a Master Plan for Healthy, Sustainable, and Climate-Resilient Schools on or before March 31, 2026. The bill would require the commission to consult with specified state agencies and engage with a diverse group of stakeholders and experts regarding the development of the master plan, as provided.
The bill would require the master plan to include specified elements, including, but not limited to, assessments of a representative sample of the state’s public elementary and secondary school buildings and grounds, as provided, and a set of priorities, benchmarks, and milestones for health, resilience, and decarbonization of public-school campuses and support facilities.
Hearing: Apr 3 @ 9:00 am in 1021 O Street, Room 2100
IN THE NEWS
AB 2751, as amended, Haney. Employer communications during nonworking hours.
Existing law, including statutory provisions and orders of the Industrial Welfare Commission, as enforced by the Division of Labor Standards Enforcement, regulates the wages, hours, and working conditions of employees. Existing law makes it a crime for an employer to require or cause any employee to work for longer hours than those fixed or under conditions of labor prohibited by an order of the commission or to violate or refuse or neglect to comply with specified statutes on wages, hours, and working conditions or any order or ruling of the commission.
This bill would require a public or private employer to establish a workplace policy that provides employees the right to disconnect from communications from the employer during nonworking hours, except as specified. The bill would define the “right to disconnect” to mean that, except for an emergency or for scheduling, as defined, an employee has the right to ignore communications from the employer during nonworking hours. The bill would require nonworking hours to be established by written agreement between an employer and employee. The bill would authorize an employee to file a complaint of a pattern of violation of the bill’s provisions with the Labor Commissioner, punishable by a specified civil penalty.
SHOULD THE GOVERNMENT GET INVOLVED IN THESE EMPLOYER/EMPLOYEE INTERACTIONS??
SB 1128, as amended, Portantino. Sex offender registration: unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor.
Existing law, the Sex Offender Registration Act (the Act), requires a person convicted of specified crimes to register with law enforcement as a sex offender while residing in California or while attending school or working in California, as specified. Existing law establishes 3 tiers of registration based on specified criteria, for periods of at least 10 years, at least 20 years, and life, respectively, for a conviction of specified sex offenses. A willful failure to register, as required by the act, is a misdemeanor or felony, depending on the underlying offense.
This bill would require offenders guilty of engaging in an act of unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor who is more than 3 years younger than the offender, or, if the offender was 21 years of age or older, engaging in an act of unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor who is under 16 years of age, to register for 10 years as a tier one offender under the Act.
The bill would require an individual who was required to register for a violation described above, to register for life under the Act if they are subsequently convicted in a separate proceeding of engaging in an act of unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor who is more than 3 years younger than the offender, or, if the offender was 21 years of age or older, engaging in an act of unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor who is under 16 years of age.
Hearing: Apr 9 @ 8:30 am in 1021 O Street, Room 2200
SB 1061 (Limon D) Consumer Debt, Medical Debt –
Existing law defines and regulates consumer credit reports and consumer reporting agencies. The act prohibits a consumer credit reporting agency from making any consumer credit report containing specified items of information, including accounts placed for collection or charged to profit and loss and antedate the report by more than 7 years.
This bill would prohibit a consumer credit reporting agency from making a consumer credit report containing information about medical debt. The bill would prohibit a holder of medical debt from furnishing any information regarding a patient’s medical debt to a consumer credit reporting agency. It would prohibit a person who uses a consumer credit report in connection with a credit transaction from using medical debt listed on the report as a negative factor when making a credit decision.
It would also prohibit a person from furnishing information regarding a medical debt to a consumer credit reporting agency, make a medical debt void and unenforceable if information regarding the medical debt is furnished to a consumer credit reporting agency, require a contract creating a medical debt to include a term describing these requirements, and make a violation of these provisions by a person holding a license or permit issued by the state to be deemed to be in violation of the law governing that license or permit.
Hearing: Apr 2 @ 1:30 pm in 1021 O Street, Room 2100
Update on SB 1013, amended on 3/21/2024
WAS
SB 1013, as introduced, Bradford. Housing: property tax relief: grant program.
Existing law establishes the Department of Housing and Community Development in the Business, Consumer Services, and Housing Agency and requires the department to administer various housing programs, including various financial assistance programs related to housing.
This bill would establish the Property Tax Assistance for Descendants of Enslaved Persons Program for purposes of making, upon appropriation by the Legislature, grants available to persons who currently live in a formerly redlined neighborhood in the state and are descendants of a person enslaved in the United States. The bill would require the department to develop and administer the program and to provide grants to qualified applicants it selects to receive the grant. The bill would set forth procedures for administering the program.
AMENDED TO
SB 1013, as amended, Bradford. Taxation: Property Tax Assistance for Descendants of Enslaved Persons.
The Gonsalves-Deukmejian-Petris Senior Citizens Property Tax Assistance Law authorizes individuals who meet specified criteria, including that they either be 62 years of age or older or blind or disabled, as defined, to file with the Franchise Tax Board a claim for assistance. That law authorizes assistance in an amount equal to a percentage, determined as provided, of either the property taxes accrued and paid by the claimant on their residential dwelling or, with respect to a claimant renting their residence, the applicable statutory property tax equivalent.
This bill would establish the Property Tax Assistance for Descendants of Enslaved Persons Program for purposes of making, upon appropriation by the Legislature, grants moneys available to persons who meet specified criteria, including that the person currently live in a formerly redlined neighborhood in the state and are descendants is a descendant of a person enslaved in the United States. States, for purposes of providing financial assistance equal to a percentage of property taxes on a residential dwelling, as defined.
The bill would, for purposes of determining a person’s eligibility for moneys under the program, require the person to provide an affidavit, under penalty of perjury, containing specified information, if the residential dwelling is owned by the person on property owned by a nonprofit incorporated association. By expanding the crime of perjury, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program.
The bill would require the department Franchise Tax Board to develop and administer the program and to provide grants to qualified applicants it selects to receive the grant. moneys to eligible claimants. The bill would set forth procedures for administering the program.
This bill was re-referred to the Senate Rules Committee. We will keep our eye on it.
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