Agenda

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LEGISLATION COMMITTEE

Meeting Date:	12/11/2014
Subject: Draft 2015 State Legislative Platform
Submitted For:	LEGISLATION COMMITTEE
Department:	County Administrator
Referral No.:	2014-42
Referral Name:	Draft 2015 State Legislative Platform
Presenter:	L. DeLaney	Contact:	L. DeLaney, 925-335-1097

Information

Referral History:

Each fall, the County Administrator’s Office initiates the development of the coming year’s State and Federal Legislative platforms by inviting members of the Board of Supervisors, Department Heads and key staff, and our federal and state advocates to provide recommended changes or additions to the current Platforms.

In October, departments were invited to provide suggested changes to the State Platform by submitting input in writing.

The Legislation Committee reviewed the first draft 2015 State Platform at its meeting in November and provided direction to staff. An amended Proposed 2015 State Platform is presented for the consideration and action by the Legislation Committee.

Referral Update:

Amendments from the first draft 2015 State Platform include for the Committee's consideration and direction the following in the Proposed 2015 State Platform for adoption by the Board of Supervisors:

1. County Sponsored Legislation: Pursue legislation to improve traffic safety around schools in an effort to increase the walk/bike rate to school. Specifically the bill would do three things –

increase the prescriptive size of the school zone to 1320 feet (a quarter mile);
authorize performance methods for further expanding the zone - essentially an agency could perform a traffic study to establish the need to further expand the zone to be reflective of actual pedestrian/bicycle access patterns around schools, and
enhance penalties for speeding violations in those newly defined zones.

2. Minor text changes to the County Advocacy Priorities.

3. Minor text change to Agricultural Policy #3 regarding revisions to State school siting policies.

4. Health Policy Addition #83: SUPPORT and encourage state, federal and/or private funding for pharmaceutical research for the development of new cannabis products which would meet Federal Drug Administration (FDA) standards of known strengths and attributes (and without unnecessary side effects) which would be dispensable through pharmacies and medical facilities consistent with State and Federal law.

5. Policy text changes to Human Services Policy #84 to increase County flexibility in the use of CalWORKs funds and in program requirements in order to better support the transition of welfare dependent families from welfare-to-work to self-sufficiency.

6. Human Services Policy Addition #95: SUPPORT efforts to increase the number of subsidized child care slots to address the shortage of over 20,000 slots serving children 0-12 years of age in Contra Costa County; and SUPPORT efforts to enhance the quality of early learning programs and maintain local Quality Rating and Improvement Systems (QRIS) for early learning providers. Affordable child care is key to low-income workers remaining employed and there is a significant dearth of subsidized child care slots. Increasing quality of early learning is important to developing skills in the next generation.

7. Human Services Policy Addition #96: SUPPORT the restoration of funding for Facility Restoration and Repair (FRR) grants by California Department of Education. Increasing the funding amounts for facility restoration of early childhood education would allow for improved facilities at Head Start sites.

8. Policy Addition #98: SUPPORT alignment of verification requirements for CAlWORKS, CalFRESH and Medi-Cal programs to simplify the customer experience and reduce the potential for error. Consider letting all programs access the Federal Hub used through CalHEERs. Currently these programs have different requirements for client verification, though they are all benefit programs. Alignment of verifications would make program administration more efficient and improve the client experience.

9. Policy Additions #100-103: 100. SUPPORT ending the student restrictions that disallow CalFresh for poor students. Students should not be penalized for getting an education.

101. SUPPORT Allowing all individuals in receipt of Unemployment Benefits UIB) to be automatically eligible for CalFresh. Applying for UI and CalFresh is duplicative because requirements of both program sis so similar. This would increase CalFresh uptake in an efficient way.

102. SUPPORT A State Earned Income Tax Credit. Developing a state earned income tax credit would incentivize work and reduce poverty. The Federal EITC program is the most effective government antipoverty program and 22 other states have a state EITC.

103. SUPPORT establishing a State funded and administered General Assistance Program. The General Assistance Program is 100% County funded. Moving it to the State would relieve pressure on the County budget and appropriately direct costs to the State.

10. Transportation Policy Addition #152: SUPPORT legislative and administrative measures to enhance rail safety, increase state oversight of railroad bridges, provide funding for the training of first responders, and implement regulations that increase tank car safety standards for cars transporting crude oil and other hazardous materials, and regulations that require railroads to share data with state emergency managers and local responders.

11. Text addition to Waste Management Policy #156: Adding "sharps, and batteries" for producer responsibility management.

Recommendation(s)/Next Step(s):

REVIEW the Proposed 2015 State Legislative Platform, provide direction to staff on any recommended changes, and RECOMMEND action to the Board of Supervisors.

Fiscal Impact (if any):

No fiscal impact to the County.

Attachments
2015 Proposed State Platform