March 2nd Legislation Report

State Senator Hollingsworth

State Senator Dennis Hollingsworth has introduced legislation for this year on a number of topics. Some of the bills presented by Senator Hollingsworth are listed here and others will be listed next month.:

Taxes:

* SB 57 State Personal Income Tax Repeal - This bill would gradually repeal the State Personal Income Tax over a period of several years until it is completely repealed. With a State Legislature that wants every penny you make, the Senator admits this will be hard to get passed but many applaud his attempt to advance forward looking legislation for the taxpayer. This is how much of his sexual predator legislation ultimately made it to become Jessica’s Law.

Crime:

* SB 149 Impersonating a peace officer - Adds sentencing enhancements for certain crimes committed while impersonating a peace officer, or committed by an actual peace officer while in uniform and under color of authority

* SB 477 Burglary/ Attempt to Commit Assault - This bill would make it an automatic felony to intentionally enter a home to purposely assault someone.

Sex Offender Legislation

* SB 501 Sex Offenders - This bill would require sex offenders to register under penalty of perjury.

* SB 502 Sexually Violent Predators, GPS - This bill would require any person who has ever been found to be a SVP to be monitored by GPS for life upon being unconditionally released

* SB 503 Sexually Violent Predators - This bill would provide that during a hearing on whether to conditionally release or unconditionally discharge and SVP, the SVP’s failure to engage in treatment shall be considered evidence that his or her condition has not changed.

* SB 505 High Risk Sexually Violent Predators - This bill would require all transient high risk sex offenders to wear GPS devices for life and to register with authorities every 5 days

* SB 506 Sexually Violent Predators - This bill would prohibit anyone ever declared a SVP from registering as a transient under Megan’s Law.

* SB 913 - Sex offenders Parole - Existing law prohibits a person released on parole for violation of a registerable sex offense from residing in a single-family dwelling with any other person required to register as a sex offender, unless they are related by blood, marriage, or adoption. Existing law, however, excludes a residential facility serving 6 or fewer persons from the definition of a single-family dwelling. this bill would make the prohibition applicable to a group home, including one that serves 6 or fewer persons

Freeze Relief legislation for farmers has been given an opportunity to

move faster through the process because of the immediate needs of the

farmers.

SB 148 Freeze Relief: property tax exemption - Exempts immature (between 0-4 years old) trees that were severely damaged by the January freeze from property taxation. This legislation and SB 114, another freeze relief bill that Senator Hollingsworth has co-authored, have already passed the Revenue and Tax Committee and are going on to the Appropriations Committee. Farmers are watching these bill closely as estimates of crop loss continue to rise.

Congresswoman Mary Bono:

After decades of litigation and negotiations surrounding water rights between the Soboba Band of Luiseno Indians and leading Southern California water agencies, Congresswoman Mary Bono (CA-45) today introduced historic legislation that puts to rest this long-standing dispute.

The bill, The Soboba Band of Luiseno Indians Settlement Act, which is co-sponsored by Congressmen Joe Baca (CA-43) and Jerry Lewis (CA-41), codifies an agreement made between the Soboba Band of Luiseno Indians, the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California (MWD), Eastern Municipal Water District (EMWD), and Lake Hemet Water District (LHWD).

February 2007 - As the nation’s medical emergency rooms grapple with record numbers of admitted patients, Congresswoman Mary Bono (CA-45) today introduced critical legislation that will amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 and allow doctors to partially offset the cost of providing uncompensated care that is required under the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act (EMTALA).

The Mitigating the Impact of Uncompensated Service and Time Act of 2007 (MUST Act) is designed to alleviate the financial burden placed on physicians, who are federally mandated to provide emergency medical care; which is seldomly reimbursed.

Congressman Darrell Issa:

Rep. Darrell Issa who represents the Congressional District that contains Camp Pendleton, California - the home of the 1st Marine Division, today voted “no” on H.Con.Res. 63, the non-binding Democratic Iraq War Resolution opposing President George W. Bush’s decision to augment U.S. forces in Iraq.

“This is, in fact, a debate by people who are not military experts,” said Issa on the floor of the House of the four day debate on the resolution that offers no direction for either victory or withdrawal. “I am not a military expert, and I do not pretend to play one on television and before the American people and yet that’s what we’re doing here for four solid days. We’re in fact pretending to be military experts.”

“This resolution offers no alternative course for America in Iraq - no plan for victory and no plan for withdrawal,” added Issa. “Their resolution lacks the courage to take a position on what America should do in regard to our involvement in Iraq.”

“Less than one-third of the Members who voted on this resolution are veterans and less than one-third traveled to Iraq in the last Congress,” said Issa. “General Petraeus has said that additional troops are necessary, he was approved unanimously by the Senate. This Congress lacks the expertise to challenge his judgment while offering no alternative.”

The resolution was passed by a vote of 246 to 182.

Assemblyman Kevin Jeffries:

Freshman Assemblyman Kevin Jeffries (R-Lake Elsinore) publicly released his first complete bill package today. The legislation is dominated by issues of public safety and disaster response (4 bills), transportation improvements (3 bills), and tax relief (2 bills), reflecting the Assemblyman’s personal and political priorities.

“I have worked very closely with private citizens, community groups, and local governments to develop a legislative package that reflects the interests of my district,” said Assemblyman Jeffries. “Public safety, transportation, and tax relief are among the most important issues to me and to our region, and I believe this package reflects those priorities in a reasonable and practical way.”

The most ambitious proposal (AB 791) would take a page from the Governor’s California Performance Review by combining all state government’s various first responder police and fire agencies and merging them into a single “California Public Safety Agency.” “Right now, the largest police department in state government is managed by the Department of Business, Transportation, and Housing. The largest fire department is in the Department of Forestry. Additionally, there are over a dozen other state police and fire departments operating within the museums, universities, and state hospitals,” remarked the Assemblyman. “Uniting them in one agency will improve our state’s ability to train, equip, and manage our public safety assets for responding to natural disasters, wildfires, and homeland security threats.”

An example of a local transportation bill is AB 291. The bill will permit the City of Lake Elsinore to take over portions of Highway 74 that pass through the city. As Assemblyman Jeffries explains, “the City of Lake Elsinore asked for my assistance in helping them gain control of this highway that passes through their community. They want the opportunity to more pro-actively improve, maintain, and manage Highway 74, much like Temecula has been able to do with portions of Highway 79. With the passage of this bill, they will be one step closer to accomplishing that goal.”

AB 1485 was brought to Assemblyman Jeffries by Michele Linn, a constituent who lives in Bonsall. Her husband was killed while on active duty in Iraq, and while trying to adjust to the sudden loss of a husband, father, and primary breadwinner in the family, she noticed that current military survivor benefits in California were inadequate for modern living. “While some states and counties provide 100% property tax exemption for spouses of those killed in action, California only offers an exemption for the first $100,000 of a home, which doesn’t get you very far in this state,” said Michele. “I have many friends in a similar situation, and we want to continue to live in California, but housing prices make it very difficult. Fortunately, Assemblyman Jeffries agreed, and has introduced AB 1485 to try to help military widows such as myself.”

Full text and status of all legislation is available on the internet at

http://www.Leginfo.Ca.Gov