14300-14303
PENAL CODE
SECTION 14300-14303
14300. (a) The Legislature finds and declares all of the following: (1) The enforcement of California's environmental laws is essential to protect human health, the environment, and the state's economy. (2) Fair and uniform enforcement of laws and regulations governing the environment benefits law abiding businesses, firms, and individuals. (3) There is a need to better integrate enforcement of environmental laws into California's established criminal justice system. (4) Local and state enforcement agencies can play an increasingly important role in protecting human health, the environment, and the state's economy through greater involvement in the enforcement of environmental laws. (5) Prosecuting violators of environmental laws often requires special training to detect violations, understand complex laws, and prepare and present complicated enforcement cases. (6) There is a need to support programs that assist local and state enforcement officials in prosecuting violations of environmental laws through the training of peace officers, investigators, firefighters, public prosecutors, and state and local environmental regulators. (7) Fair and uniform enforcement of environmental laws is multidisciplinary and involves law enforcement, fire departments, state and local environmental regulators, and the offices of local and state public prosecutors. (b) For purposes of this title, the following definitions shall apply: (1) "Account" means the Environmental Enforcement and Training Account created pursuant to Section 14303. (2) "Commission" means the Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training. (3) "Agency" means the California Environmental Protection Agency. (4) "Secretary" means the Agency Secretary for the California Environmental Protection Agency or his or her designee. (5) "Environmental laws" means state and federal environmental laws and regulations that impact public health and the environment, including, but not limited to, those that regulate toxic and carcinogenic materials, water quality, air quality, waste management, pesticides, and wildlife resources. (6) "Public prosecutor" means district attorneys, city attorneys, city prosecutors, county counsels, and the Attorney General and his or her deputies. (7) "Environmental regulator" means an employee of any state or local agency whose jurisdiction includes implementation, enforcement, or both implementation and enforcement of environmental laws. (8) "Environmental enforcement" means the enforcement of environmental laws. (c) This title shall be known and may be cited as the Environmental Enforcement and Training Act of 2002. (d) It is the intent of the Legislature that the funds to implement this title, as specified in Section 14314, come from public and private contributions, and from the proceeds from any contributed state or federal court judgments, and that no funds be expended from the General Fund, other than from the Environmental Enforcement and Training Account, or other funds appropriated to, or authorized for expenditure by, the agency, to implement this title. It is the intent of the Legislature that the funds to implement this title shall be expended only from the account. It is the intent of the Legislature that funding provided from the account shall supplement, not supplant existing funding. 14301. (a) There is hereby established in the agency, a program of financial assistance to do all of the following: (1) Provide for statewide education and training programs in the enforcement of environmental laws for peace officers, investigators, state and local environmental regulators, and public prosecutors. (2) Establish enhanced local environmental enforcement efforts. (3) All funds made available to the agency for the purposes of this title shall be administered and distributed by the secretary. (b) Not later than 12 months after the date when this title may be implemented, as specified in Section 14314, the secretary shall prepare and issue regulations, which shall, at a minimum, describe how grants are to be allocated or awarded pursuant to this title, the procedures for applying for these grants, the criteria to be used in determining which applications will be funded, and the administrative and fiscal requirements governing the receipt and expenditure of these grants. (c) The secretary shall allocate and award funds to public agencies or private nonprofit organizations for purposes of supporting statewide environmental enforcement education and training programs for peace officers, investigators, state and local environmental regulators, and public prosecutors pursuant to Chapter 2 (commencing with Section 14304) and Chapter 3 (commencing with Section 14306), which meet the criteria established pursuant to those chapters. To ensure that these programs are coordinated with existing peace officer training, the commission shall be consulted prior to the allocation of funds to peace officer education and training programs. (d) The secretary shall allocate and award funds to support the Environmental Circuit Prosecutor Project pursuant to Chapter 4 (commencing with Section 14309) for the purpose of improving enforcement of environmental laws by enhancing the investigation and prosecution of violations of those laws. 14303. (a) There is hereby created, in the General Fund, the Environmental Enforcement and Training Account and up to two million dollars ($2,000,000) in the account may be expended annually by the agency, upon appropriation by the Legislature, for the purposes of this title. (b) The agency may accept and receive any contribution of funds from a public or private organization or an individual, including the proceeds from a judgment in state or federal court, when the funds are contributed or the judgment specifies that the proceeds are to be used to carry out the purposes of this title. Private contributors shall not have the authority to further influence or direct the use of their contributions. (c) The agency shall immediately deposit any funds contributed pursuant to subdivision (b) in the account. (d) As of January 1, 2003, all unallocated funds in the Hazardous Materials Enforcement and Training Account created pursuant to Chapter 743 of the Statutes of 1992 that derive from court judgments specifying that the funds may be used only for purposes of this title shall be transferred to the Environmental Enforcement and Training Account.