FLOOR SESSION AGENDA - Regular Session: 9:00 a.m.

SB 577, as it passed the Senate, authorized the State Fire Marshal to establish and collect admission fees and other fees associated with the California Fire Service Training and Education Program, and to establish fees to implement the California Fire and Arson Training Act, as specified.

The Assembly amendments delete the contents of SB 577 and, instead, clarify that specified training provisions apply to life agents selling individual life insurance policies, and authorize service of legal process, notices, and other papers to be made in specified circumstances to the Insurance Commissioner, their deputy, or their designated agent, accompanied by a substituted service fee.

The Assembly amendments authorize the commissioner to proceed with a civil action for violation of a prohibition against employing runners and other persons to procure clients, services, or benefits under workers’ compensation coverage or a contract of insurance if the district attorney elects not to pursue the matter, eliminate a requirement for the district attorney or the commissioner to give reasons for consenting to dismissal of such an action, and clarify that a civil complaint for a violation of this prohibition is required to remain under seal for at least 60 days from the date of service on the district attorney and commissioner.

The Assembly amendments require certain first responder benefit and relief associations to renew their certificate of authority within 30 days after a change in name or address or before a merger.

The Assembly amendments exempt an enforcement action brought in the name of the people of the State of California by the commissioner from specified procedures for a special motion to strike in a civil cause of action arising from an act in furtherance of a person’s right of petition or free speech and for offers to compromise before commencement of a civil trial or arbitration.

Vote: 21. Substantial substantive change: yes.

SB 1369, as it passed the Senate, required a health care service plan contract or health insurance policy issued, amended, or renewed on and after January 1, 2025, that provides payment directly or through a contracted vendor to a dental provider to have a non-fee-based default method of payment, required a plan, insurer, or contracted vendor to obtain a signed authorization or electronic signature from a dental provider opting in to a fee-based payment method before the plan, insurer, or vendor provides a fee-based payment method to the provider, and authorized the dental provider to opt out of the fee-based payment method at any time by providing written or electronic authorization to the plan, insurer, or vendor.

The Assembly amendments delay these requirements until April 1, 2025, specifically require written authorization, as defined, and require a plan, insurer, or vendor that obtains written authorization to opt in or opt out of fee-based payment to apply the decision to include both the dental provider’s entire practice and all products or services covered pursuant to a contract with the dental provider.

Vote: 21. Substantial substantive change: yes.

SB 336, as it passed the Senate, required a state agency or other state entity administering a state grant program, as defined, to use, for grants awarded to a nonprofit grantee on or after October 1, 2024, one of specified methods selected by the nonprofit grantee for reimbursement of direct and indirect costs. SB 336, as it passed the Senate, required the Department of General Services to establish, by July 1, 2024, a process by which nonprofits may negotiate a state standard negotiated cost agreement, as defined, for state grants awarded on or after October 1, 2024.

The Assembly amendments recast these provisions to instead require, when awarding a grant, a state agency administering a grant program, as described, to reimburse the grantee’s indirect costs at one of specified rates, as requested by the grantee, if the grantee disclosed the requested rate amount in their grant program application. The Assembly amendments provide any applicant for a grant administered by a state agency to opt, when applying for the grant, to be reimbursed for those indirect costs. The Assembly amendments set forth parameters for the establishment of indirect cost pools, if necessary.

Vote: 21. Substantial substantive change: yes.

SB 689, as it passed the Senate, provided that an application by a local government to convert an existing motorized vehicle travel lane into a dedicated bicycle lane shall not require a traffic study for the processing of either a coastal development permit or an amendment to a local coastal program. SB 689, as it passed the Senate, required, if a proposal to create a dedicated bicycle lane within the developed portion of an existing right-of-way requires an amendment to a local coastal program, the amendment be processed according to specified law, if the executive director of the California Coastal Commission makes specified determinations.

The Assembly amendments would add dedicated transit lanes and pedestrian walkways as items that are part of an application by a local government to convert an existing motorized vehicle travel lane that would not require a traffic study for the processing of either a coastal development permit or an amendment to a local coastal program. The Assembly amendments would instead require, if a proposal to convert an existing motorized vehicle travel lane into a dedicated bicycle lane, dedicated transit lane, or a pedestrian walkway within the developed portion of an existing road right-of-way requires an amendment to a local coastal program, that the amendment be processed in accordance with the procedures applicable to de minimus local coastal program amendments if the executive director of the California Coastal Commission makes specified determinations.

Vote: 21. Substantial substantive change: yes.

SB 909, as it passed the Assembly, removed the maximum limit for loan repayments provided to a Steven M. Thompson Physician Corps Loan Repayment Program participant who has completed 3 consecutive years of providing services as a physician in a medically underserved area.

The Senate amendments additionally remove the requirement for the Department of Health Care Access and Information to establish an advisory committee on the above-described program, update the definition of the practice setting in which a physician or surgeon may practice for purposes of the program, decrease the service obligation of the program to 2 years in a medically underserved area, and authorize the department to award funds to applicants from additional specialties using separate funds.

Vote: 27. Substantial substantive change: yes.

SB 1022, as it passed the Senate, made various changes related to unlawful practice enforcement proceedings under the California Fair Employment and Housing Act, including changes to Section 12926 of the Government Code.

The Assembly amendments make nonsubstantive changes to incorporate additional changes to Section 12926 of the Government Code proposed by SB 1137 and AB 1815 to be operative only if SB 1022 and SB 1137 or AB 1815, or all three bills, are enacted and SB 1022 is enacted last.

Vote: 21. Substantial substantive change: no.

SB 1137, as it passed the Senate, revised a definition within the Unruh Civil Rights Act of “sex, race, color, religion, ancestry, national origin, disability, medical condition, genetic information, marital status, sexual orientation, citizenship, primary language, or immigration status” to include any intersection or combination of those characteristics. SB 1137, as it passed the Senate, also revised a definition within educational equity provisions of “disability, gender, gender identity, gender expression, nationality, race or ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, or any other characteristic that is contained in the definition of hate crimes” to include any intersection or combination of those characteristics. SB 1137, as it passed the Senate, additionally revised a definition within the California Fair Employment and Housing Act on “race, religious creed, color, national origin, ancestry, physical disability, mental disability, medical condition, genetic information, marital status, sex, age, sexual orientation, reproductive health decisionmaking, or veteran or military status” to include any intersection or combination of those characteristics.

The Assembly amendments delete references to “intersection” within the above provisions. The Assembly amendments incorporate additional changes to Section 51 of the Civil Code proposed by AB 1815 to be operative only if this bill and AB 1815 are enacted and this bill is enacted last. The Assembly amendments also incorporate additional changes to Section 12926 of the Government Code proposed by AB 1815 and SB 1022 to be operative only if this bill and either or both of those bills are enacted and this bill is enacted last. The Assembly amendments also add an additional coauthor.

Vote: 21. Substantial substantive change: yes.

SB 1210, as it passed the Senate, required each utility, as defined, to publicly post on its internet website, among other things, the schedule of fees for a service connection, capacity, or other point of connection charge for new housing construction and by housing development type, and exempted from that requirement an independent special district that does not maintain an internet website due to hardship, as specified.

The Assembly amendments instead require each utility to publicly post on its internet website a schedule of estimated fees for typical service connections for new housing construction and by housing development type, exempt from that requirement a utility with fewer than 4,000 service connections that does not establish or maintain an internet website due to a hardship, and authorize a utility to establish that a hardship exists by taking specified actions.

Vote: 21. Substantial substantive change: yes.

SB 1251, as it passed the Senate, required an electrical corporation to enter into a vector management agreement with a mosquito abatement or vector control district or city or county health department within 180 days of a request to do so, and required the agreement to contain specified provisions, including specifying a reasonable time for the electrical corporation to provide access to its electrical vaults.

The Assembly amendments instead place the above requirements on an electrical utility, authorize the mosquito abatement district or vector control district or city or county health department to seek a vector management agreement with an electrical utility only if efforts to obtain a voluntary cooperation agreement from the electrical utility have failed, and require the above agreement to specify a reasonable time for the electrical utility to provide supervised access to its electrical vaults.

Vote: 21. Substantial substantive change: yes.

SB 1357, as it passed the Senate, required the Housing Authority of the County of Alameda to, by January 1, 2026, conduct an evaluation and review of its internet website to, among other things, ensure high visibility of information regarding the administration of housing programs, including COVID-19 HUD policy waivers. SB 1357, as it passed the Senate, required the authority to, by March 31 of each year, develop and post on its internet website a data-driven annual report for the preceding calendar year that includes certain information, including data regarding the effectiveness of the programs administered by the authority and data regarding properties managed by the authority.

The Assembly amendments remove the reference to the COVID-19 HUD policy waiver. The Assembly amendments require the authority to develop and post the report by September 30 of each year for the preceding fiscal year, rather than March 31 for the preceding calendar year. The Assembly amendments make various changes to the information regarding the effectiveness of the programs administered by the authority. The Assembly amendments remove the requirement to include data regarding properties managed by the authority from the report.

Vote: 21. Substantial substantive change: yes.

SB 1458, as it passed the Senate, defined “agent” for purposes of the Revised Uniform Fiduciary Access to Digital Assets Act to mean an attorney-in-fact granted authority under a durable or nondurable power of attorney. SB 1458, as it passed the Senate, authorized the court to grant a conservator access to the digital assets of a conservatee after an opportunity for a hearing. SB 1458, as it passed the Senate, authorized a conservator with general authority to manage the assets of a conservatee to request a custodian of the conservatee’s digital assets to suspend the conservatee’s account for good cause. SB 1458, as it passed the Senate, authorized a fiduciary of a user to request that a custodian terminate the user’s account.

The Assembly amendments clarify that an “agent,” for these purposes, is an attorney-in-fact who is granted authority over financial matters under a durable or nondurable power of attorney. The Assembly amendments require the hearing to grant a conservator access to the digital assets of a conservatee to be noticed. The Assembly amendments delete the authorization to request a custodian suspend the conservatee’s account. The Assembly amendments make the Revised Uniform Fiduciary Access to Digital Assets Act subject to specific provisions of law that enumerate the powers and duties of a guardian or conservator. The Assembly amendments authorize an affiant to request that a custodian terminate a user’s account and specify that a request to terminate a conservatee’s account requires a court order authorizing the termination.

Vote: 21. Substantial substantive change: yes.