The following tech-related bills were active within the last week in the California legislature.
Entrepreneurs in Government
Entrepreneur-in-Residence Act, A.B. 1675. This bill would establish a state entrepreneur-in-residence program within the governor’s office of business and economic development to use private-sector entrepreneurs to streamline state government and make it more accessible to small businesses. On June 18 it was re-referred to the committee on appropriations.
U.C. Bidding Requirements
University of California bidding requirements, S.B. 502. The bill would require the regents of the University of California to establish procedures to qualify and rate a bidder for work to be awarded that costs between $300,000 and $750,000. The bill would also require each campus or facility to publicly post a brief description of the project, the awarded amount and contractor’s name. On June 18 it was re-referred to the committee on appropriations.
Computer Science Curricula
Model curricula: computer science, A.B. 1530. This bill would require the Superintendent of Public Instruction to consider identifying, developing, or, as needed, revising new or existing model curricula on computer science, and to submit, on or before July 1, 2017, the model curricula to the state board of education for adoption. On June 19 it was re-referred to the committee on education.
Health Care Registry
Advance health care directive registry, A.B. 2452. This bill would require the Secretary of State to transfer the contents of its Advance Health Care Directive’s Registry to the state department of public health on January 1, 2016. The bill would require the department to maintain a health care decision registry, to be referred to as the California Health Care Decisions Online Registry. On June 18 it was amended and re-referred to the committee on judiciary.
Broadband Financing
Infrastructure financing districts: broadband, A.B. 2292. Existing law authorizes an infrastructure financing district to finance only public capital facilities of communitywide significance. This bill would additionally authorize an infrastructure financing district to finance public capital facilities or projects that include broadband. On 18 June it received a "Do pass."
County Tax Website Transparency
Counties: database: information regarding general ad valorem property tax revenues, A.B. 2211. This bill would require each county to make available to taxpayers on its Internet Web site a graph visualization of how general ad valorem property tax revenues are allocated countywide at a summarized jurisdictional level, and to provide taxpayers with certain information about the types of programs and services funded, and to include a link to the final county budget document where more information about specific programs and services is detailed. By imposing new duties upon county officials, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program. On 18 June it was amended and re-referred to the committee on government and finance.
State Surcharge and Fees for Prepaid Mobile Services
Telecommunications: prepaid mobile telephony services: state surcharge and fees: local charges collection, A.B. 1717. This bill would add a surcharge on prepaid telephony services, and would require the seller to collect a prepaid MTS surcharge. On June 18 it received a "Do pass" and was re-referred to the committee on government and finance.
Unmanned Aircraft
Unmanned aircraft systems, A.B. 1327. This bill would generally prohibit public agencies from using unmanned aircraft systems, or contracting for the use of unmanned aircraft systems, with certain exceptions such as law enforcement. On June 19, it was amended and re-referred to the committee on appropriations.
