AB 163

Bill Subjects

Abstract

(1) Existing law provides for the licensure and regulation of shorthand reporters by the Court Reporters Board of California, which is within the Department of Consumer Affairs. Existing law, until January 1, 2024, requires certain fees and revenues collected by the board from licensees to be deposited into the Transcript Reimbursement Fund, which is established as a continuously appropriated fund, to be available to provide reimbursement for the cost of providing shorthand reporting services to low-income litigants in civil cases who are unable to otherwise afford those services. Existing law requires the Transcript Reimbursement Fund to be funded by a transfer of funds from the Court Reporters' Fund in the amount of $300,000 annually and authorizes the board to transfer funds in increments of $100,000. This bill would specify that funding that is appropriated to the Transcript Reimbursement Fund from a source other than fees received by the board, as provided, are not subject to the $300,000 annual transfer limit described above. Existing law, until January 1, 2024, authorizes low-income persons appearing pro se to apply for funds from the Transcript Reimbursement Fund, subject to specified requirements and limitations, including that the maximum amount reimbursable for specified services rendered is prohibited from exceeding $20,000 per case per year and total disbursements to cover the costs of providing transcripts are prohibited from exceeding $75,000 annually and $1,500 per case. Existing law requires the board, on or before July 1, 2022, to report certain information to the Joint Legislative Budget Committee and the appropriate policy committees of the Legislature to determine the feasibility of funding the Transcript Reimbursement Fund through a distinct assessment, as specified. This bill would instead prohibit the maximum amount reimbursable for specified services rendered from exceeding $30,000 per case per year and would prohibit the disbursements to cover the costs of providing transcripts from exceeding $2,500 per case. By increasing that maximum amount reimbursable and increasing that disbursement limit from the Transcript Reimbursement Fund, the bill would make an appropriation. The bill would also eliminate the $75,000 annual limit on total disbursements to cover the costs of providing transcripts. By removing a restriction limiting the expenditure of funds from the Transcript Reimbursement Fund, the bill would make an appropriation. (2) Existing law, the Gambling Control Act, establishes the California Gambling Control Commission, which is responsible for licensing and regulating various gambling activities and establishments. Existing law requires the Department of Justice to investigate any violations of, and to enforce, the act. Existing law requires a person who deals, operates, carries on, conducts, maintains, or exposes for play any controlled game in this state, or who receives any compensation or reward, or any percentage or share of the money or property played, for keeping, running, or carrying on any controlled game in this state, to apply for and obtain a valid state gambling license, key employee license, or work permit. Existing law also requires the licensure and regulation of any party or entity that provides proposition player services at gambling establishments, known as third-party providers of proposition players. Existing law prohibits the department from collecting, and a licensee from being required to pay, any annual fees ordinarily due from a state gambling licensee between January 31, 2020, to July 31, 2021, inclusive, and requires the department to refund any annual fees already paid for a state gambling license that were due on or after January 31, 2020, and July 16, 2021. This bill would require the department to refund any annual fees already paid for a state gambling license that were due between January 31, 2020, to July 16, 2021, inclusive. Existing law also prohibits the department from collecting, and a licensee from being required to pay, any annual fees ordinarily due from a third-party provider of proposition player services between September 1, 2020, to August 31, 2022, inclusive, and requires the department to refund any annual license fees already paid by a third-party provider of proposition player services that were due between September 1, 2020, and July 16, 2021. This bill would require the department to refund any annual fees already paid by a third-party provider of proposition player services that were due between September 1, 2020, to July 16, 2021, inclusive. Existing law additionally prohibits the department from collecting, and a licensee or commission-issued work permittee from being required to pay, any renewal application fees or background deposits associated with a renewal application ordinarily due between March 1, 2020, to April 30, 2022, inclusive, and requires the department to refund any renewal application fees or deposits associated with a renewal application already paid by a licensee or commission-issued work permittee that were due between March 1, 2020, and July 16, 2021. This bill would prohibit the department from collecting, and a licensee or commission-issued work permittee from being required to pay, those fees or deposits ordinarily due between March 1, 2020, to February 28, 2022, inclusive, and would require the department to refund those fees or deposits ordinarily due between March 1, 2020, to July 16, 2021, inclusive. Existing law makes all of the above provisions relating to fee waivers and fee refunds inoperative on July 1, 2022. This bill would extend that inoperative date to September 1, 2022. This bill would make findings and declarations related to a gift of public funds. (3) The California Constitution generally prohibits the total annual appropriations subject to limitation of the state and each local government from exceeding the appropriations limit of the entity of government for the prior fiscal year, adjusted for the change in the cost of living and the change in population, and prescribes procedures for making adjustments to the appropriations limit. Existing statutory provisions implementing these constitutional provisions establish the procedure for establishing the appropriations limit of the state and of each local jurisdiction for each fiscal year. Existing law, if the proceeds of taxes of a city, county, or city and county exceed its appropriations limit for any fiscal year, beginning with the 2020–21 fiscal year, requires the governing body of the city, county, or city and county to calculate specified amounts, and authorizes the governing body to increase its appropriations limit for the applicable fiscal year based on those calculations. This bill would renumber that provision. (4) Existing law requires the State Department of Social Services, in consultation with the Commission on Asian and Pacific Islander American Affairs, to administer a grant program that provides support and services to victims and survivors of hate crimes and their families and facilitates hate crime prevention measures, as provided. Existing law repeals these provisions on June 30, 2026. This bill would additionally require the grant program to provide support and services to victims and survivors of hate incidents. The bill would require the grant program to prioritize victims, survivors, and vulnerable populations with high or increasing levels of hate incidents or hate crimes who have historically faced barriers to accessing appropriate care and services. (5) Existing law, known as the State Capitol Building Annex Act of 2016, authorizes the Joint Rules Committee to pursue the construction of a state capitol building annex or the restoration, rehabilitation, renovation, or reconstruction of the existing State Capitol Building Annex, as provided. In accordance with specified provisions of the California Constitution, the act also expressly appropriates an amount up to $20,000,000 from the State Project Infrastructure Fund to cover the costs of the design and construction of components of the project or projects authorized by the act that will modify portions of the west wing of the State Capitol in order to facilitate a fully functional State Capitol. This bill would increase the amount appropriated from the State Project Infrastructure Fund for modifications to the west wing of the State Capitol, as described above, from $20,000,000 to $37,000,000. By increasing the amount of moneys continuously appropriated for these purposes, the bill would make an appropriation. The bill would also clarify that the amount appropriated for the costs of the design and construction of components of the project or projects that will modify portions of the west wing of the State Capitol are determined by an agreement required under the act, including any amendments to that agreement. Existing law requires that the transfer of the funds appropriated under the State Capitol Building Annex Act of 2016 to occur at the same time that funds are transferred from the State Project Infrastructure Fund to the Operating Funds of the Assembly and Senate for specified captial outlay projects. This bill would alternatively authorize the transfer of funds appropriated under the State Capitol Building Annex Act of 2016 to occur at a time determined by a specified agreement entered into between the Joint Rules Committee, the Department of Finance, and the Department of General Services. (6) Existing law establishes, within the Government Operations Agency, the Department of Technology under the supervision of the Director of Technology, who also serves as the State Chief Information Officer. Under existing law, the Department of Technology is responsible for the approval and oversight of information technology projects, as specified. Existing law requires that a state agency service contract, which would otherwise not be reviewed by the Department of Technology, be subject to review, approval, and oversight by the department if the contract contains an information technology component that would be subject to oversight by the department if it were a separate information technology project. Existing law requires the Department of Technology to identify, assess, and prioritize high-risk, critical information technology services and systems across state government, as determined by the Department of Technology, for modernization, stabilization, or remediation. Existing law requires state agencies and state entities to submit information relating to their information technology service contracts to the Department of Technology before February 1, 2022, and annually thereafter. Existing law requires the department to analyze and report this information to the Legislature, as specified. Existing law also requires the Department of Technology to implement a plan to establish centralized contracts for identified shared services, as defined. This bill would require the Department of Technology to create a plan, and to coordinate with and assist state agencies and state entities in the implementation of a plan, to establish centralized contracts for identified shared services, as defined. The bill would authorize the plan to include a list of existing service contracts of state agencies and state entities that may be replaced with centralized service contracts managed by the department, as specified. The bill would require the Department of Technology to submit the plan to the Joint Legislative Budget Committee no later than February 1, 2023. (7) This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as a bill providing for appropriations related to the Budget Bill.