A number of key RCRC issues were addressed on the Suspense files this week, including medical marijuana, groundwater issues, mining, and medi-cal reimbursement rates.
AB 46 (Lackey): Controlled Substances. Assembly Bill 46 would restore the criminal penalties for possession of “date rape” substances (commonly referred to as GHB) that were in place prior to the passage of Proposition 47. Status: AB 46 failed passage in the Assembly Appropriations Committee. RCRC Position: Support
AB 150 (Melendez): Theft: Firearms. Assembly Bill 150 would restore criminal penalties associated with stealing a firearm that were in place prior to the passage of Proposition 47. Status: AB 150 failed passage in the Assembly Appropriations Committee. RCRC Position: Support
AB 171 (Irwin): Veteran Services. Assembly Bill 171 would continuously appropriate $5.1 million per year for County Veterans Service Officers (CVSOs). Status: AB 171 gained passage in the Assembly Appropriations Committee, with amendments. RCRC Position: Support
AB 247 (Waldron): Animal Control Officers. Assembly Bill 247 would require animal control officers to complete a course in the exercise of powers of arrest/serving warrants as well as require continuing education requirements. Status: AB 247 failed passage in the Assembly Appropriations Committee. RCRC Position: Concerns
AB 288 (Holden): Public Schools: College and Career Access Pathways. Assembly Bill 288 would establish the Career Access Pathways Act and expand access to concurrent enrollment programs for students by allowing college courses to be offered on high school campuses. Status: AB 288 gained passage in the Assembly Appropriations Committee. RCRC Position: Support
AB 325 (Wood): Community Development Block Grant Program: Funds. Assembly Bill 325 would require the Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) to respond to completed Community Development Block Grant applications within 60 days, and if the applicant is denied by the state agency, requires HCD to list the reasons for denial and what steps need to be taken for approval. Status: AB 325 gained passage in the Assembly Appropriations Committee, with amendments. RCRC Position: Support
AB 366 (Bonta): Medi-Cal Reimbursement: Provider Rates. The 2011-12 State Budget cut rates to a variety of Medi-Cal providers including Distinct Part/Skilled Nursing Facilities (DP/SNFs), pharmacies, and other fee-for-service Medi-Cal activities by 10 percent off of the 2008 reimbursement rates. Assembly Bill 366 would repeal the implementation of prior year Medi-Cal provider rate reductions, including the 10 percent reduction. Status: AB 366 gained passage in the Assembly Appropriations Committee, with amendments. RCRC Position: Support
AB 590 (Dahle): Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund. Assembly Bill 590 would establish the Biomass State Cost Share Account within the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund (GGRF). Status: AB 590 gained passage in the Assembly Appropriations Committee, with amendments. RCRC Position: Support
AB 707 (Wood): Agricultural Lands: Williamson Act Contracts: Cancellation. Assembly Bill 707 would remove the ability of a land owner and the California Department of Conservation to negotiate Williamson Act cancellation fees, if the land in an Act contract is within a county that has a local cancellation assessment for Act contract lands. Status: AB 707 gained passage in the Assembly Appropriations Committee. RCRC Position: Support
AB 851 (Mayes): Local Government: Organization: Disincorporation. Assembly Bill 851 would establish procedures for a disincorporation, which includes the city providing a written statement which certifies information regarding its indebtedness and revenues available, and provides procedures for the successor agency including land use guidelines, financial responsibilities, and other governmental procedures to ensure an orderly transition of services and responsibilities. Status: AB 851 gained passage in the Assembly Appropriations Committee. RCRC Position: Support
AB 889 (Chang): Concurrent Enrollment in School and Community Colleges. Assembly Bill 889 would allow students to concurrently enroll in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) courses at the community college level provided certain requirements are met. AB 889 will open up more options for rural high school students who choose to study within the STEM fields, allowing them greater access to educational opportunities and helping to strengthen California’s technology workforce. Status: AB 889 failed passage in the Assembly Appropriations Committee. RCRC Position: Support
AB 896 (Wagner): Counties: Search or Rescue: Costs. Assembly Bill 896 would authorize a county to seek reimbursement for costs incurred for any extraordinary methods used in search and rescue operations from a resident within their jurisdiction. Status: AB 896 gained passage in the Assembly Appropriations Committee. RCRC Position: Support
AB 936 (Salas): Groundwater Monitoring. Assembly Bill 936 would authorize the Department of Water Resources (Department) to exempt an entity from the water loan and grant eligibility restriction if the entity submits to the Department for approval documentation demonstrating that there are special circumstances justifying the entity’s noncompliance, including that a significant portion of the entity’s service area qualifies as a disadvantaged community, and that the water grant or loan project includes those actions needed to comply with groundwater monitoring functions. Status: AB 936 failed passage in the Assembly Appropriations Committee. RCRC Position: Support
AB 1142 (Gray): Mining and Geology: Surface Mining. Assembly Bill 1142 would modify the Surface Mining and Reclamation Act of 1975 (SMARA). Status: AB 1142 gained passage in the Assembly Appropriations Committee. RCRC Position: Support
AB 1315 (Alejo): Public Contracts: Water Pollution Prevention Plans: Delegation. Assembly Bill 1315 would prohibit a public entity from delegating to a contractor the development of a plan to prevent or reduce water pollution or runoff on a public works project. The bill would also prohibit a public entity from requiring a contractor on a public works contract that includes compliance with a plan to assume responsibility for the completeness and accuracy of a plan developed by the entity. Status: AB 1315 failed passage in the Assembly Appropriations Committee. RCRC Position: Oppose
AB 1347 (Chiu): Public Contracts Claims. Assembly Bill 1347 would mandate a new claims resolution process that would require non-binding mediation to resolve a dispute on all public contracts. Status: AB 1347 was amended to address various concerns expressed by RCRC, CSAC, UCC, and public agencies through the Public Works Coalition. AB 1347 gained passage in the Assembly Appropriations Committee, with additional amendments. RCRC Position: Opposition Removed
AB 1390 (Alejo): Groundwater: Adjudication. Assembly Bill 1390 would streamline procedures used in a legal action to obtain a basin-wide adjudication of groundwater rights. Among the issues of concern to counties is that the bill makes counties automatic parties to the adjudication regardless of whether the county has an interest in the adjudication action or not, and the requirement that notice of the adjudication action and form answer be distributed via property tax bills. Status: AB 1390 gained passage in the Assembly Appropriations Committee. RCRC Position: Concerns
SB 16 (Beall): Transportation Funding. Senate Bill 16 would increase various fees and taxes associated with a variety of transportation-related funding sources to raise approximately $3 - $5 billion in overall funding for the state and local transportation system. Status: SB 16 gained passage in the Senate Appropriations Committee. RCRC Position: Watch
SB 191 (Block): School Transportation: Apportionments. Senate Bill 191 would increase state allocations for school transportation funding over a seven year period from the 2015-16 through the 2021-22 fiscal years. Status: SB 191 gained passage in the Senate Appropriations Committee. RCRC Position: Support
SB 208 (Lara): Integrated Regional Water Management Plan: Advanced Payment. Senate Bill 208 would establish a process that would require the state agency administering the Integrated Regional Water Management grant funding to provide 50 percent of the funding in advance if the project proponent is a non-profit organization or a disadvantaged community, or the project would benefit a disadvantaged community and the grant for the project is less than one million dollars. Status: SB 208 gained passage in the Senate Appropriations Committee, as amended. RCRC Position: Support
SB 239 (Hertzberg): Local Services: Contracts: Fire Protection Services. Senate Bill 239 would require a local agency to enter into a written agreement for the performance of new or extended services pursuant to a fire protection reorganization contract with each affected public agency and recognized fire protection employee organization prior to submitting to the local LAFCO a resolution of application and a plan for services. Status: SB 239 gained passage in the Senate Appropriations Committee, as amended. RCRC Position: Oppose
SB 243 (Hernandez): Medi-Cal Reimbursement: Provider Rates. The 2011-12 State Budget cut rates to a variety of Medi-Cal providers including Distinct Part/Skilled Nursing Facilities (DP/SNFs), pharmacies, and other fee-for-service Medi-Cal activities by 10 percent off of the 2008 reimbursement rates. Senate Bill 243 would repeal the implementation of prior year Medi-Cal provider rate reductions, including the 10 percent reduction. Status: SB 243 failed passage in the Senate Appropriations Committee. RCRC Position: Support
SB 321 (Beall): Motor Vehicle Fuel Taxes: Rates: Adjustments. Senate Bill 321 would revise the process used by the Board of Equalization for adjusting the price-based excise tax rate on motor vehicle fuels, which is anticipated to result in more transportation funding revenues in the short-term and more stable revenues in the long-term. Status: SB 321 awaits consideration on the Senate Floor. RCRC Position: Support
SB 345 (Berryhill): The Sport Fishing Stimulus Act of 2015. Senate Bill 345 would lower the annual license cost for residents, and create a reduced-fee junior fishing license. Status: Gained passage in the Senate Appropriations Committee, as amended. RCRC Position: Support
SB 506 (Fuller): Economic Development: Military and Aerospace. Senate Bill 506 would create the Military and Aerospace (MA) Program within the Governor's Office of Business and Economic Development (GO-Biz). Status: SB 506 failed passage in the Senate Appropriations Committee. RCRC Position: Support
SB 513 (Beall): Memorial Air Quality Standards Attainment Program. Senate Bill 513 would help reduce air pollution by making revisions to the Carl Moyer Memorial Air Quality Standards Attainment Program and the local AB 923 incentives programs. Status: SB 513 gained passage in the Senate Appropriations Committee. RCRC Position: Support