March 23, 2023
Golden State Republican Women
Janet Price, President
Submitted by the GSRW Legislative Analyst Committee
Karen Contreras, Lou Ann Flaherty and Elaine Freeman,
AB 1078, Instructional materials: removing instructional materials and curriculum: diversity.
Existing law prescribes substantive requirements and particular processes that the State Board of Education, the Instructional Quality Commission, local educational agencies, and the Superintendent of Public Instruction are required to follow when adopting or evaluating instructional materials or curriculum frameworks, as defined.
This bill would require the state board to develop, by July 1, 2024, a policy for local educational agencies to follow before removing any instructional materials or ceasing to teach any curriculum.
Existing law requires the state board to adopt standards, rules, and regulations for school library services and authorizes the governing board of a school district to exclude from schools and school libraries all books, publications, or papers of a sectarian, partisan, or denominational character.
This bill would also require the governing board of a school district to receive approval from the state board and comply with any other applicable policies adopted by the state board before removing any books, publications, or papers from schools and school libraries.
Existing law requires governing boards of school districts, when adopting instructional materials for use in the schools, to include materials that accurately portray the cultural and racial diversity of our society, including the contributions of both men and women and the role and contributions of culturally and racially diverse groups, including, among others, Mexican Americans, lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender Americans.
This bill would revise the list of culturally and racially diverse groups to instead include materials that accurately portray the contributions of people of all gender expressions and the role and contributions of LGBTQ+ Americans. The bill would also require that every instructional material adopted by a governing board include proportional and accurate representation of California’s diversity in the categories of race, gender, socioeconomic status, religion, and sexuality.
Set for Hearing March 29, 2023
SB 15, Oil imports: air quality emissions data.
Existing law, the Petroleum Industry Information Reporting Act of 1980, requires refiners, as defined, to report monthly to the State Energy Resources Conservation and Development Commission (Energy Commission), for each of their refineries, specified information, including the origin of petroleum receipts and the source of imports of finished petroleum products.
This bill would express the intent of the Legislature that the Energy Commission monitor foreign countries that export oil to California and identify on its internet website which of those countries have demonstrated human rights abuses, as documented by the United States Department of State or by human rights organizations, and which of those countries have lower environmental standards for the production of oil than California.
This bill would require the state board to annually produce an assessment of the greenhouse gas emissions associated with the transportation of oil in California, as specified, and to include that assessment on the board’s internet website. The bill would also require the Energy Commission to annually provide data collected pursuant to the Petroleum Industry Information Reporting Act of 1980 to the state board for the purposes of the assessment.
Under existing law, the Geologic Energy Management Division in the Department of Conservation regulates the drilling, operation, maintenance, and abandonment of oil and gas wells in the state. This bill would require the division to provide a link on its internet website to air quality emissions data associated with the transportation of oil imported into the state.
Set for hearing March 29, 2023
AB 17, Personal income tax: rate.
The Personal Income Tax Law, in modified conformity with federal income tax law, imposes taxes on taxable income, as provided.
This bill, for taxable years beginning on or after January 1, 2023, and before January 1, 2028, would revise the income tax rates and taxable income brackets by imposing an income tax rate of 4% instead of 6% or 8%, as applicable, on specified taxable income.
Set for Hearing March 20, 2023
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