Existing law requires the Treasurer to convene the CalAccount Blue Ribbon Commission and requires the commission, on or before July 1, 2024, to conduct a market analysis to determine if it is feasible to implement a CalAccount Program, which, if implemented, would have certain characteristics, including offering Californians access to a voluntary, zero-fee, zero-penalty, federally insured transaction account known as a CalAccount, and related payment services at no cost to accountholders.

This bill would repeal those provisions and would establish the CalAccount Program, which would provide every Californian with access to a voluntary, zero-fee, zero-penalty, federally insured transaction account and related payment services at no cost to accountholders. The bill would require the CalAccount Commission, which would continue in existence the former CalAccount Blue Ribbon Commission, to administer the program. The bill would require the commission to, among other things, enter into contracts with financial institutions to ensure access to ATM networkers and locations where accountholders can deposit funds. The bill would require the commission to solicit proposals for and select a financial services network administrator and establish their duties and functions, and establish a mechanism by which an accountholder may deposit funds into or withdraw funds from a CalAccount account. The bill would allow for participation in the program by providers of in-home supportive services, subject to specified requirements. The bill would establish the CalAccount Fund in the State Treasury, and would make moneys in the fund available upon appropriation by the Legislature. The bill would require all employers and hiring entities to maintain a payroll direct deposit arrangement that enables voluntary worker participation in the program, and would require all employers and hiring entities to take specified actions in that regard, including coordinating their payroll process with the CalAccount Program to facilitate payment by direct deposit. The bill would require the commission to submit an annual report by August 1 to the Governor and the Legislature, among other entities, that contains specified information relating to the CalAccount Program. The bill would require the commission to market the program to the residents of the state if funds are available. The bill would require the Labor Commissioner to investigate complaints of employers or hiring entities failing to allow workers to participate in the CalAccount Program, and would impose a civil penalty for a violation. The bill would require those civil penalties to be deposited into the CalAccount Fund. The bill would require the commissioner to reimburse the Labor Commissioner for the costs of enforcement.

Existing law provides that if the state or a county makes or provides for a direct payment to a provider chosen by a recipient or to the recipient for the purchase of in-home supportive services, the department is required to perform or ensure the performance of all rights, duties, and obligations of the recipient related to those services as required for, among other things, unemployment compensation, workers’ compensation, and retirement savings accounts.

This bill would also require the department under those circumstances to ensure the performance of all rights, duties, and obligations of the recipients related to those services required for payroll direct deposit arrangements offered pursuant to the CalAccount Program.

Existing law regulates the hiring of real property and imposes various requirements on landlords relating to the leasing of residential real property. Existing law requires a landlord or their agent to allow a tenant to pay rent and a security deposit by at least one form of payment that is neither cash nor an electronic funds transfer.

This bill would also require a landlord to allow a tenant to pay rent and a security deposit by an electronic funds transfer from a CalAccount.