Lawmakers reveal their work
We invited the five state legislators representing our region to provide a brief recap of bills they have introduced this session. The wording of some of the bills is still being finalized. The descriptions below were provided by the legislators' offices, although some were edited for space reasons. For more information on any bill, go to www.sen.ca.gov and click on "Legislation." Type in the bill number or author.
SEN. TOM BERRYHILL
Republican — 14th DistrictTerm: First
E-mail: senator.berryhill@sen.ca.gov
Address: 4671 Spyres Way, Suite 2, Modesto 95356
Phone: 576-6470 or 916-651-4014; fax: 599-8547
BILLS
SB 361 — Ensures that the highly successful Center for Advanced Research and Technology is able to continue preparing high school students for post-secondary education and careers by continuing the school's current funding structure.
SB 362 — Provides greater training opportunities for Californians seeking career technical education through state-approved apprenticeship programs. SB 452 — Ensure appropriate local funding for each student in a charter school.
SB 572 — Addresses the disproportionate cost share that agricultural processors and other industrial businesses pay in natural gas taxes. This tax funds several programs at no direct benefit to industrial users and can exceed $1 million a year for some businesses.
SB 603 — Strengthens the ability for businesses to defend themselves against non-meritorious, harassing litigation. The proposed legislation would amend the vexatious litigant statute, aimed at plaintiffs bringing unreasonable claims, to allow a person to be designated a "vexatious litigant" whether they are self-represented or have an attorney. Current law requires that a "vexatious litigant" be self-represented.
SB 648 — Encourage the important discussion of feasible alternative funding sources in order to sustain the Williamson Act program, which provides tax break to keep farmland in production.
SB 727 — Allows local governments to set their own local prevailing wage policies for locally funded projects, as the city of Modesto does. It would save money for taxpayers on government construction and encourage private owners to pursue commercial and industrial developments, thus spurring economic growth and job creation.
SB 752 — Permits hunters purchasing a hunting license, stamp or tag to make a donation to the game conservation or hunting- related organization of their choice.
SEN. ANTHONY CANNELLA
Republican — 12th District Term: First
E-mail: senator.cannella@sen.ca.gov
Address: State Capitol Room 3048, Sacramento 95814
Phone: 916-651-4012 or 577-6592; fax: 916-445-0773 or 577-4963.
BILLS
SB 241 — Establishes a pilot program designed to protect 25 environmentally responsible, job-creating projects from frivolous lawsuits every year. The projects will be chosen based in part on number of jobs created, capital invested and regional distribution.
SB 260 — Strengthen provisions to control the manufacturing of methamphetamine.
SB 297 — Allows electrical utilities to count all forms of hydroelectric power — a form of clean energy that produces no waste — towards the renewable energy requirement in the Renewable Portfolio Standards program.
SB 308 — Helps ensure law enforcement agents have adequate time to pursue and prosecute people involved in murder cases by extending the statute of limitations for being an accessory to murder from three to 10 years.
SB 338 — Makes it easier for law enforcement agents to target places where known street gang members gather.
SB 358 — Provides companies greater incentives to fulfill our state's air quality regulations ahead of schedule and in excess of the minimum requirements by exempting from state income taxes grant funding provided by the state Air Resources Board.
SB 407 — Suspends temporary disability benefit payments for city and county inmates, bringing local incarceration policies in line with existing practices at state prisons and creating cost savings for local governments.
SB 438 — Codifies existing practices in order to protect prevailing wages for on-site workers and contractors.
SB 513 — Creates a rendering advisory board at the California Department of Food and Agriculture and continues pre-existing, self-imposed industry fees in order to ensure the safe and proper disposal of animal byproducts, as well as to prevent the theft of valuable kitchen grease. The bill also allows farmers markets to continue self-imposed fees to help coordinate the activities of farmers markets statewide.
SB 639 — Ensures the process by which regulations are adopted, amended or repealed by the California Environmental Protection Agency and the Division of Occupational Safety and Health takes into consideration the economic impact, total cost of compliance and job loss potential of each regulation.
SB 707 — Adds oil olive trees to the California Department of Food and Agriculture's Foundation Plant Services Program at UC Davis, which will help provide disease-free, virus-tested, true-to-type certification for oil olive trees.
SB 736 — Streamlines the California State University's systemwide financial audit practices, achieving significant taxpayer and campus savings.
ASSEMBLYWOMAN CATHLEEN GALGIANI
Democrat, 17th DistrictTerm: Third
E-mail: assemblymember.galgiani@asm.ca.gov
Address: 806 W. 18th St., Merced 95340 or State Capitol, Room 5155, Sacramento 95814
Phone: 726-5465 or 916-319-2017; fax: 726-5469 or 916-319-2117
BILLS
AB 257 — Requires the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation to make changes to its parole and-or inmate release notification process.
AB 297 — Establishes a labor apprenticeship program in order to ensure that veterans have opportunity for training which would qualify them for jobs related to the high-speed rail project.
AB 347 — Requires the California Air Resources Board to ensure that the cement, glass manufacturing, soda ash manufacturing, and steel production sectors receive offset credits for early action on energy efficiency or energy reduction projects which reduced carbon dioxide emissions prior to the passage of the Global Warming Act.
AB 386 — Require the Department of Corrections to establish a program for providing health care to inmates through telemedicine, which will save hundreds of millions of dollars annually.
AB 566 — Ensures that the Office of Planning and Research consider the need of metropolitan planning organizations when providing guidance to the state geologist in selecting areas which should be prioritized for the classification or reclassification of construction aggregate resources.
AB 715 — Extends the sunset contained in AB 1872 indefinitely to ensure hospitals receive more adequate reimbursement for providing high-cost services to seriously ill children enrolled in CCS.
AB 755 — Require convicted sex offenders to register their e-mail addresses and online identifiers and service providers with the California Department of Justice. That information is then made available to social networking sites to assist them in removing sexual predators from their sites.
AB 836 — Hold pawn shops accountable to the victims of stolen property and not require payment from the victims upon proof such property has in fact been stolen.
AB 906 — Improves a program that offers victims of domestic violence, stalking and sexual assault anonymity and a new start towards a brighter future. The California Secretary of State's Office administers Safe at Home, an address confidentiality program that offers participants the use of a free post office box instead of their home address to help them maintain their privacy.
AB 1113 — Establishes a program for those converting biomass, including livestock and poultry waste, to provide power. This measure will provide a waste disposal option for animal agriculture, thereby protecting surface and ground water and air quality.
AB 58 — Allows the governor to appoint up to six additional exempt staff positions for project control and risk management of the California High Speed Rail Authority.
AB 133 — Assures that funds received by the California High Speed Rail Authority from the Passenger Rail Investment and Improvement Act of 2008 shall be used for planning and engineering of high-speed rail service on certain corridors approved by the Federal Railroad Administration.
AB 145 — Establishes a new Department of High Speed Trains in the Business, Transportation and Housing Agency to implement the policy decisions of the High Speed Rail Authority and the provisions of Proposition 1A and related statutes.
AB 277 — Requires the California Research Bureau to coordinate with the California High-Speed Rail Authority to determine the power supply requirements for the operation of California's high-speed rail system and that proper actions are taken to ensure a responsible power supply will be available.
AB 292 — Requires the California High Speed Rail Authority to develop a policy that addresses the preservation of farmland where high-speed rail lines are proposed for construction in and around farmland.
AB 492 — Authorizes the California High Speed Rail Authority to consider the creation of California jobs as an additional factor when awarding contracts for the high-speed train project.
AB 365 — Requires the California High Speed Rail Authority to submit an annual report to the Legislature on the level of participation by business enterprises by number of employees, race, ethnicity, and gender of owner, in specified contracts.
AB 1206 — Requires the California High-Speed Rail Authority to develop and adopt a program to encourage use of small local businesses for high-speed rail contracting jobs.
ASSEMBLYWOMAN KRISTIN OLSEN
Republican — 25th DistrictTerm: First
How to contact:
E-mail: assemblymember.olsen@assembly.ca.gov
Address: 3719 Tully Road, Suite C, Modesto 95356
Phone: 576-6425 or 916-319-2025; fax: 576-6426 or 916-319-2125
BILLS
ACA 8 — Two-year budget planning: Provides better long-term budget planning and prohibits the Legislature from adopting a budget plan that leaves a deficit in the succeeding year without a specified plan for eliminating the deficit.
AB 917 — Oversight of State Agencies: Establishes a schedule for the Legislature to conduct in-depth reviews of state agencies and departments to ensure they are operating efficiently and effectively and continuing to meet their intended purpose.
AB 830 — Allows employers and employees the flexibility of choosing to work four 10-hour days or the traditional 8-hour work days. This would give nonexempt employees the availability to choose a working schedule that is professionally and personally beneficial.
AB 991 — Uses a current Web portal to provide a one-stop shop for state-level permitting and licensing information. This measure streamlines important state resources for individuals and business owners and provides information to support applicants through the permitting and licensing process.
AB 1057 — Provides a sales tax exemption, beginning in 2014, for businesses that purchase manufacturing equipment or new equipment purchased for the purpose of air mitigation.
AB 890 — Streamlines the process for cities and counties to improve road safety by creating a statutory exemption from the California Environmental Quality Act for minor roadway improvements within existing road rights-of-way.
AB 602 — Allows cities and counties to skip one state Housing Element report starting in 2012 and ending in 2017, allowing them to save hundreds of thousands of dollars.
AB 464 — Transfers J-59 from a county maintained roadway to a state maintained roadway. Transferring the maintenance to Caltrans while the road is in excellent condition will ensure that there is not a financial burden to the state.
AB 633 — Removes the California State University from the authority of the Department of General Services for purchasing vehicles to allow them to reduce costs and improve efficiency for vehicle procurement.
AB 531 — Water code. (Details to be determined.)
ASSEMBLYMAN BILL BERRYHILL
Republican — 26th District Serving: Second term in Assembly.
E-mail: assemblymember.bill.berryhill@ asm.ca.gov
Address: 4557 Quail Lakes Drive, Suite C-3, Stockton 95207
Phone: 473-6972; fax: 473-6977
BILLS:
AB 191 – Corrects a property tax discrepancy for Stanislaus County, which currently loses $3 million a year as a result of a mistaken tax formula the state adopted in 1983 in response to Proposition 13. It is sponsored by Stanislaus County and co-authored by the entire Stanislaus County legislative delegation.
AB 569 – Establishes one-stop shop permitting process for businesses by creating the Business Master License Center, where various state agencies' licensing departments would be consolidated, making it easier for businesses to acquire all of the licenses they need to operate.
AB 763 – Improves the decision-making process at the State Water Resources Control Board. Currently applicants for a water project can be denied by staff based on faulty facts without a fair appeals process; this bill seeks to correct that.
AB 903 – Eases current restrictions on dredging in the delta that have led to restricted pumping, more invasive species and weaker levees.
AB 1046 – Protects the right to hunt in California, providing some parity with the right to fish that is written our state Constitution. Hunting is a key part of wildlife conservation, provides critical revenue for the state, and is an important part of our cultural heritage, but it has recently come under attack by extremist fringe groups like the U.S. Humane Society who have increased efforts to ban it in recent years. (Berryhill authored legislation on this issue last session. It died by one vote in committee.)
AB 1095 – Similar to AB 763, this bill would provide for an alternative dispute resolution process with the Air Resources Board. Currently businesses who are fined by the ARB have no path of recourse to fairly dispute such charges, even on factual discrepancies. This bill would provide a fair process to do so. (A similar bill last year was killed in the Assembly Appropriations Committee, where they cited a state cost for the bill being too high, even though the bill stipulated that applicants would have to pay for the process.)
AB 1256 – Intended to require the Bay Area Air Quality Management District to reimburse the Central Valley Air Quality Management District for pollution that migrates from the Bay Area to the Central Valley.
This story was originally published March 6, 2011 at 2:56 AM with the headline "Lawmakers reveal their work."