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CCB Legislative Proposals


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2007-2008 Legislative Sessions

a. AB 238, as introduced, Beall. In-home supportive services: reading
services for blind and visually impaired recipients.

AB 238 Beall

AB 238 As introduced Jim Beall

Existing law provides for the county-administered In-Home
Supportive Services (IHSS) program, under which, either through
employment by the recipient, or by or through contract by the county,
qualified aged, blind, and disabled persons receive services
enabling them to remain in their own homes. Existing law permits
services to be provided under the IHSS program through the employment
of individual providers, a contract between the county and an entity
for the provision of services, a contract between the county and a
nonprofit consortium, or the creation by the county of a public
authority. Under existing law, county welfare departments are
required to provide visually impaired applicants and recipients with
information on, and referral services to, entities that provide
reading services to visually impaired persons, as specified.
This bill additionally would require the provision of designated
reading assistance services to a recipient of services under the
In-home Supportive Services program who is blind or visually
impaired, or has another disability that affects his or her ability
to read.
Contact Information-
Assembly Member BeallDistrict Office 100 Paseo De San Antonio
Suite 300
San Jose, Ca. 95113
Tel 408-282-8920


b. AB 959, Soto BEP Revolving Guaranteed Loan Account

AB 959 Soto

Background

___The 1999 “Bureau of State Audits” requested the Department of Rehabilitation who oversees the “Randolph Sheppard Federal” Business Enterprise Program, BEP, for the Blind to no longer give out loans from
the federally mandated “set aside account". The setaside account is used to purchase equipment and other program costs derived by a percentage blind vendors pay on their monthly profit and loss statements to the Department.

Currently, vendors who get their first BEP location may get their opening inventory from their rehabilitation counselors from case service fundsbut there is no way for established vendors to get a loan. The solution in SB 87 was to create a revolving loan account for the demonstrated need many vendors have so they may achieve upward mobility within the state program.

AB 959 furthers the efforts of sb 87 (2001) by using the vendor revolving fund to guarantee loans made by private financial institutions.
The bill would use similar structures to existing revolving loan funds already with the Department of Rehabilitation.

AB 959, as introduced, Soto. Blind Vendor Revolving Loan Fund.
Existing state and federal laws provide for the establishment of
vending facilities to be operated by blind vendors on state and
federal property. The program is administered by the Director of
Rehabilitation, and requires the director to establish the Business
Enterprises Program for the Blind, and to encourage and establish
these vending facilities.
Existing law also provides for the Blind Vendor Revolving Loan
Fund in the State Treasury, and continuously appropriates moneys in
the fund to the department, for the purpose of providing loans for
the purchase of inventory and equipment by existing blind vendors, in
accordance with specified criteria.
Existing law permits the department to promulgate regulations as
necessary to implement the above-mentioned provisions.
This bill would delete the provision granting authority to the
department to promulgate regulations as necessary to administer these
provisions.
The bill would, instead, require the department to serve as a
state loan guarantee agency, which would administer a guarantee loan
program to provide guarantee loans through eligible lenders, as
defined, and would make conforming technical changes. The bill would
require the department, in determining eligibility for a loan
guarantee from this fund, to make any loan guarantee contingent upon
a determination that the blind vendor reasonably can be expected to
repay the loan based on the vendor's expected income. The bill would
require the department to establish the ratio of reserve funds to
loans outstanding, and would establish the interest rate, as
specified. The bill would also require the department to prepay the
difference between the participating lender's interest rate and the
interest rate charged by the department for any loan guarantee
application approved by the department, and would permit the
department, in the event that the amount of loans applied for exceeds
the amount of the loans that may be guaranteed, to establish a
system of priorities for the approval of loans.
This bill would transfer $100,000 from the Rehabilitation-Huelsman
Trust Account in the Special Deposit Fund to the department for
deposit in the Blind Vendor Revolving Loan Fund.
Contact Information Assemblymember Nell Soto
822 North Euclid Suite A
Ontario, Ca. 91762
Tel 909-984-7741


c. SB 560 Pat Wiggins (D) Santa Rosa State Veterans Homes
adequacy of services: report.

SB 560, Wiggins

Existing law provides certain protection and benefits for
veterans, including, among other things, the establishment and
operation of the Veterans' Home of California at various sites for
aged and disabled veterans who meet certain eligibility requirements.

This bill would require the Legislative Analyst to submit a
report, as provided, that assesses the adequacy of services provided
to the blind and visually impaired residents at the various sites of
the Veterans' Home of California.
Contact Information
Senator Pat Wiggins (d) Santa Rosa
50 D. Street
Suite 120 A
Santa Rosa, Ca. 95404
Tel 707-576-2771


d. AJR 17 Accessible Currency Assembly Concurrent Resolution
Ted Lieu (d) Torrance

AJR 17 Lieu

This measure would urge the United States Department of the
Treasury to withdraw its appeal in a case relating to accessible
currency and, if that appeal continues, would urge Congress and the
President to enact legislation relating to accessible currency, as
specified.
Contact Information
Assemblymember Ted Lieu
500 Center Street
El Segundo, Ca. 90245
Tel 310-615-3515


e. Senate Concurrent Resolution George Runner (r) Lancaster
The California legislature urges the Department of Justice to adopt ada language defining service animals, their tasks and eliminating access for comfort animals, emotional support and protection animals and limiting many species access rights.
Waiting for resolution number
Contact Information
Senator George Runner
848 W. Lancaster Blvd
Suite 101
Lancaster, Ca. 93534
Tel 661-729-6239



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