UPDATES BILLS ON THE FLOOR: AUG

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1 Aug. 27, 2012 Issue #92 UPDATES BILLS ON THE FLOOR: AUG This is the last week of the Legislative session and many of the bills the League has been tracking in committees this year are on the Senate or Assembly floor awaiting action. The Senate convened at 12 p.m. today, while the Assembly met at 1 p.m. For more, see Page 2. GUT AND AMEND REPORT: MONDAY, AUG. 27 The last week of session is typically filled with last minute gut and amends. This year is no different. The following bills are still being analyzed by League staff for potential impacts to cities. Over the next days and hours some of these bills may gather momentum and move forward, others may stall given reaction by various interest groups and legislators. The League will take positions on bills that have major impacts on cities. City officials should watch for action alerts in the next few days on priority issues. For more, see Page 2.

2 Bills on the Floor Continued from Page 1 City officials should continue to watch for action alerts on priority bills. As the final days of the session wrap up, the League will report on any last minute gut and amends as well. Also this week, the Conference Committee on Public Employee Pension is scheduled to release its pension reform proposal. The committee is scheduled to meet Tuesday. Floor sessions and most legislative hearings are available for online video or audio monitoring via the Cal Channel ( the Senate ( and the Assembly ( websites. A full listing of all Senate and Assembly hearings is also available online at Hearing times are subject to change. Monday, Aug. 27 Bills on third reading can be taken up at any time. Bills on second reading could still be amended and either taken up on the floor or referred back to a legislative policy committee. On the Assembly Floor Senate Third Reading File: SB 1024 (Committee on Budget and Fiscal Review) Community Redevelopment. League position: Oppose Unless Amended. This bill is a former budget trailer bill and is identical to AB 1484, the redevelopment trailer bill. It is not anticipated that this bill will move forward. SB 965 (Wright) State Water Resources Control Board and California Regional Water Quality Control Boards. League position: SB 1087 (Walters) Organized Camps. League position: Neutral. SB 1387 (Emmerson) Metal Theft. League position: SB 234 (Hancock) Goods Movement Emission Reduction Program. League position: SB 843 (Wolk) Energy: Electrical Corporations: City of Davis PVUSA Solar Facility: Community Based Renewable Energy Self-Generation Program. League position: SB 1002 (Yee) Public Records: Electronic Format. League position: Neutral. SB 1207 (Fuller) California Alternate Rates for Energy Program. League position: SB 1156 (Steinberg) Sustainable Communities Investment Authority. League position: Oppose Unless Amended. SB 1162 (Runner) Animal Control: Tranquilizers. League position: SB 1222 (Leno) Solar Energy: Permits. League position: Oppose. SB 214 (Wolk) Infrastructure Financing Districts: Voter Approval: Repeal. League position: Concurrence in Senate Amendments: AB 801 (Swanson) Illegal Dumping Enforcement Officers and Code Enforcement Officers. League position: Neutral. AB 1672 (Torres) Housing-Related Parks Program. League position: AB 685 (Eng) State Water Policy. League position: Oppose Unless Amended. AB 2389 (Lowenthal) Contractor Disclosure Requirements. League position: Oppose. AB 2451 (Pérez) Workers Compensation: Firefighters. League position: Oppose. AB 2515 (Hall) Indian Gaming: Local Agencies. League position: On the Senate Floor Second Reading File: AB 542 (Allen) Land Use: Housing Element. League position: Removal of Opposition. Opposition Removed based upon Aug. 24 amendments. AB 2031 (Fuentes) Probation: Community Corrections Program. League position: Oppose. AB 890 (Olsen) Environment: CEQA Exemption: Roadway Improvement. League position: 2

3 Third Reading File: AB 41 (Hill) High-Speed Rail Authority: Conflicts of Interest: Disqualification. League position: SB 808 (Skinner) Workers Compensation: Hospital Employers: Presumption. League position: Oppose. AB 1687 (Fong) Workers Compensation. League position: Oppose. AB 781 (Pérez) Local Government: Counties: Unincorporated Areas. League position: Oppose. AB 1203 (Mendoza) Public School Employee Organizations: Unelected Members: Paid Leaves of Absence. League position: Oppose. Unfinished Business: SB 1090 (Committee on Governance and Finance) Local Government: Omnibus Bill. League position: SB 1268 (Pavley) Energy: Energy Conservation Assistance. League position: SB 1303 (Simitian) Vehicles: Automated Traffic Enforcement Systems. League position: Neutral. Gut and Amend Continued from Page 1 Administrative Services SB 1528 (Steinberg) Medical Services: Damages. (As Amended Aug League position: Pending. This bill provides that an injured person whose health care is provided through a public or private capitated health care service plan including Medi-Cal is entitled to recover as damages the reasonable and necessary value of medical services. Community Services AB 2592 (Williams) County Free Public Libraries: Withdrawal: Use of Private Contractors. (As Amended Aug League position: Oppose. This bill is a follow up to last year s AB 438 (Williams). The bill states that any city that withdrew from a county free library system, for which withdrawal became effective on or after Jan. 1, 2012 has to comply with AB 438 s requirements. Environmental Quality AB 1235 (Hernández) Energy: Energy Efficiency. (As amended Aug League position: Seeking Comments. This bill requires an electrical company to replace low-efficiency light bulbs with high-efficiency light bulbs at the same rate that cities and counties replace light bulbs on publicly-owned streetlights. Electrical companies would not be required to replace more than 100 light bulbs. The cost would be covered by unspecified existing collection mechanisms. Also requires the electrical company to post information on its cost-efficient energy efficiency programs and energy efficiency targets. The author has indicated that the bill fixes a problem where cities want to make streetlights more efficient, but because they do not own all the light poles, they are unable to replace the lights. AB 2529 (Wiekowski) California Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006: Electric Corporations. (As Amended Aug League position: Pending. This bill is a clean-up bill to the Budget Resources Trailer Bill AB 1018 and clarifies that funding from Cap and Trade auctions going to IOUs intended to offset rate payers costs would go back to all rate payers, including local governments. SB 568 (Lowenthal) Recycling: Polystyrene Food Containers. (As Amended Aug. 24

4 0600/sb_568_bill_ _amended_asm_v94.html) League position: Concerns. This bill establishes a statewide ban on polystyrene food containers. Recent amendments would give cities the option to offer a 1-year exemption to the ban for small businesses in their community. AB 1634 (Chesbro) Solid Waste: Large-Quantity Commercial Organics Generators. (As Amended Aug League position: Watch. This bill mandates commercial recycling for large generators of organic materials. Employee Relations SB 863 (De León) Workers Compensation. (As Amended Aug League position: Seeking Comment. This bill incorporates major workers compensation reforms. This package of reforms is intended to provide an estimated $700 million dollar permanent disability increase to be phased in over two years, but to offset this cost increase by implementing other important reforms in the system. A summary of SB 863 has been posted to the League s website at Also, the cost analysis from the Workers Compensation Insurance Rating Bureau (WCIRB) is available online at AB 2298 (Solorio) Insurance: Public Safety Employees: Accidents. (As amended Aug. 24: League position: Oppose. This bill is nearly identical to AB 1551 (Torres) which was amended into a housing bill last week. As amended, AB 2298 would exempt certain public safety officers from a requirement to report accidents that occur in a personal vehicle to a personal insurance provider and instead report those accidents to the employer. This bill unnecessarily shifts the liability for automobile accidents from the employee to the employer. Housing SB 912 (Lieu) Contractors: Fire Safety: State Fire Marshall. (As Amended Aug League position: Oppose. This bill provides the State Fire Marshall with the authority to adopt and administer the regulations and building standards, for all occupancy buildings, that it deems necessary to ensure fire safety in buildings and structures. The bill would also authorize the installation of a fire protection system for new construction of single-family or two-family dwellings to be performed by a contractor holding a fire protection contractor classification, a general building contractor, or a plumbing contractor. Public Safety AB 2225 (Perea) Courts: Video Trial Pilot Program: Infractions. (As Amended Aug League position: Watch. This bill would establish a pilot program in Fresno County to allow court proceedings for vehicle code infractions or truancy charges be conducted over two-way video feed in light of continued court facility closures and reduced hours of operation. This bill will not be moved this year but will be reintroduced for the Session. SB 1040 (Negrete McLeod) Fire Prevention: Fees. (As Amended Aug League position: Watch. This bill would repeal the $150 rural fire prevention fee imposed on private and unimproved lands within CALFIRE state responsibility areas. This issue is linked to AB 1500 (Pérez) Corporation Taxes: Apportionment: Single Sales Factor: Middle Class Scholarship Fund. Transportation 4

5 SB 1027 (Committee on Budget and Fiscal Review) Federal Transportation Funds: Allocation. (As amended Aug. 24http://ct2k2.capitoltrack.com/Bills/sen/sb_ /sb_1027_bill_ _amended_asm_v97.html) League position: Watch. This bill contains implementing language for specified sections of MAP-21 (new federal transportation authorization) as they relate to bridge funding, Safe Routes to School, regional transportation agency funding, and air quality improvement programs. The author has indicated that the bill is for discussion purposes only, as much of the work will be done over the legislative break. However, as with any bill in print, there is a chance that it could be taken up this week. Revenue and Taxation AB 2515 (Hall) Tribal Gaming. Special Distribution Fund. (As Amended Aug League Position: This bill would appropriate $9.1 million from the tribal gaming Special Distribution Fund in mitigation grants to local governments with adjacent jurisdictions to tribal-owned casinos for public safety and infrastructure services. 5