Friday, September 13 was the deadline for the legislature to send bills to the Governor for his consideration. We have been following 21 bills this session and we’ve got great news and good news!

First, the great news!

The governor has already signed two of our priority bills:

• AB 392 (Weber) – Redefines the circumstances in which use of police use of deadly force would be considered justifiable to be in self-defense
• SB 200 (Monning) – Ensures that every Californian has the right to safe, clean, affordable, and accessible drinking water

Six of our priority bills have passed both houses of the legislature and are on the way to the Governor’s desk for his review. He has until October 13 to either sign these bills into law or to veto them. If he does not take any action, the bill will become law by default.

• AB 32 (Bonta) – Prohibits California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation from entering into or renewing contracts with private, for-profit detention centers
• AB 857 (Chiu) – Gives municipalities and the power to create their own public bank
• AB 1482 (Chiu) – Prevents rent gouging and protects people who rent from unfair evictions by requiring landlords to have a “just cause” for any eviction
• SB 47 (Allen) – Requires ballot initiative, referendum, or recall signature gatherers to disclose top funders/endorsers
• SB 136 (Wiener) – Fights mass incarceration by repealing an ineffective and unnecessary sentencing enhancement for people with a prior prison conviction
• SB 139 (Allen) – Requires counties with more than 250,000 residents to establish an independent redistricting commission, ensuring a more fair, nonpartisan system for drawing the lines of county supervisorial districts

Now for the good news!

None of our priority bills that we support have died by being voted down in a committee or floor vote or by a veto by the Governor. These bills may not have passed through the legislature this year, but, because this is the first year of the two-year session, these bills may be revived in January.

• AB 4 (Bonta) – Expands Medicaid to undocumented immigrants of all ages
• AB 177 (Low) – Create a statewide holiday for election day
• AB 363 (Gonzalez) – Requires voting centers in all counties to be open the Saturday, Sunday, & Monday before an election.
• ACA 6 / AB 646 (McCarty) – Restores voting rights to people on parole
• AB 1080 (Gonzalez) / SB 54 (Allen) – Requires a 75% reduction by 2030 of waste generated from single-use packaging and single-use plastic products in the state
• AB 1217 (Mullin) – Requires issue ads to disclose top funders/endorsers
• AB 1276 (Bonta) – Develop and implement the Green New Deal with the objective of reaching specified environmental outcomes within 10 years
• AB 1332 (Bonta) – Prohibits localities from entering into new contracts or investing in with entities that work with ICE/CBP by sharing data or providing detention facilities
• AB 1611 (Chiu) – Prohibits surprise bills from “out-of-network” ERs, and caps prices to bring down health costs
• SB 29 (Durazo) – Expands Medicaid to undocumented immigrant seniors
• SB 386 (Caballero) – OPPOSE – Undermines our clean energy future by allowing large hydro to count toward our Renewable Energy Portfolio Standard (RPS) for 2 districts

So, what are your legislators doing now? They are on a recess until the legislature reconvenes on January 6, 2020. This would be a great time to set up an office visit and let them know how well they did this year and what you expect them to do next year! Here is our guide to make your visit a success.

UPCOMING LEGISLATIVE HEARINGS!

Upcoming committee hearings

AB 1217 – Senate Elections and Constitutional Amendments Committee – August 12, 2019 9:30 AM (Requires issue ads to disclose top funders/endorsers)

UPCOMING LEGISLATIVE HEARINGS!

Upcoming hearings of our priority bills

AB 32 – Senate Judiciary Committee – July 2, 2019 8:30 AM (Prohibits California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation from entering into or renewing contracts with private, for-profit prisons)

AB 1217 – Senate Elections and Constitutional Amendments Committee – July 2, 2019 9:30 AM (Requires issue ads to disclose top funders/endorsers)

SB 200 – Assembly Environmental Safety and Toxic Materials Committee – July 2, 2019 1:30 PM (Ensure that every Californian has the right to safe, clean, affordable, and accessible drinking water)

SB 47 – Assembly Elections and Redistricting Committee – July 3, 2019 9:30 AM (Requires ballot initiative, referendum, or recall signature gatherers to disclose top funders/endorsers)

SB 29 – Assembly Health Committee – July 9, 2019 1:30 PM (Expands medicaid to undocumented immigrants of all ages)

AB 4 – Senate Health Committee – July 10, 2019 1:30 PM (Expands medicaid to undocumented immigrants of all ages)

UPCOMING LEGISLATIVE HEARINGS!

Upcoming committee hearings of our priority bills

SB 29 – Assembly Health Committee – June 25, 2019 1:30 PM (Expands medicaid to undocumented immigrants of all ages)

AB 4 – Senate Health Committee – June 26, 2019 1:30 PM (Expands medicaid to undocumented immigrants of all ages)

AB 32 – Senate Public Safety Committee – July 2, 2019 8:30 AM (Prohibits California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation from entering into or renewing contracts with private, for-profit prisons)

AB 1217 – Senate Elections and Constitutional Amendments Committee – July 2, 2019 9:30 AM (Requires issue ads to disclose top funders/endorsers)

SB 200 – Assembly Environmental Safety and Toxic Materials Committee – July 2, 2019 1:30 PM (Ensure that every Californian has the right to safe, clean, affordable, and accessible drinking water)

UPCOMING LEGISLATIVE HEARINGS!

Upcoming committee hearings of our priority bills

AB 392 – Senate Public Safety Committee – June 18, 2019 8:30 AM (Redefines the circumstances in which use of police use of deadly force would be considered justifiable to be in self-defense)

ACA 6 – Assembly Elections and Redistricting Committee – June 19, 2019 9:30 AM (Restores voting rights to people on parole)

SB 29 – Assembly Health Committee – June 25, 2019 1:30 PM (Expands medicaid to undocumented immigrants of all ages)

AB 4 – Senate Health Committee – June 26, 2019 1:30 PM (Expands medicaid to undocumented immigrants of all ages)

AB 32 – Senate Public Safety Committee – July 2, 2019 8:30 AM (Prohibits California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation from entering into or renewing contracts with private, for-profit prisons)

UPCOMING LEGISLATIVE HEARINGS!

Upcoming Committee Hearings for our priority bills!

ACA 6 – Assembly Elections and Redistricting Committee – June 19, 2019 9:30 AM (Restores voting rights to people on parole)
SB 29 – Assembly Health Committee – June 25, 2019 1:30 PM (Expands medicaid to undocumented immigrants of all ages)

UPCOMING LEGISLATIVE HEARINGS!

*Upcoming committee hearings*

*AB 4 – Assembly Appropriations Committee – May 1, 2019 9:00 AM* (Expands medicaid to undocumented immigrants of all ages)
*SB 47 – Senate Appropriations Committee – May 6, 2019 10:00 AM* (Requires ballot initiative, referendum, or recall signature gatherers to disclose top funders/endorsers)

The California legislature is on summer recess until August. But before they left, there was a flurry of activity to meet a critical deadline: policy committees had to pass all bills to either the Appropriations Committee or to the floor of the current house.

Of the priority bills that we are following, the majority passed those deadlines and are now awaiting action in the Appropriations Committees of the second house (i.e., Assembly bills are in the Senate Appropriations Committee and vice versa).

Senate Appropriations Committee

Most of these bills are scheduled for a hearing in the Senate Appropriations Committee on August 6, 2018. You can stream the gory details on The California Channel.

If your Senator is on this committee, it’s time to let them know how you want them to vote! There’s no need to call sponsors of the bill, so check the link before you call.

Police Reform

• AB 3131 – Gloria, Todd (D, AD 78) – Requires police and sheriffs to hold open public hearings and transparency reporting when acquiring military-grade equipment. We are proud to be co-sponsoring this bill with the ACLU of California Center for Advocacy & Policy, American Friends Service Committee, Friends Committee on Legislation, and Anti Police-Terror Project.
• AB 931 – Weber, Shirley N. (D, AD 79) – Permit lethal force by police only when it’s “necessary,” meaning when there’s no other way to prevent “imminent” injury

Gun Violence Prevention

• AB 3 – Bonta, Rob (D, AD 18) – Raises age to 21 for buying a gun and prohibits anyone from buying more than one gun per month

Criminal Justice Reform

• AB 1793 – Bonta, Rob (D, AD 18) – Allows automatic expungement or reduction of a prior cannabis conviction

Healthcare and Immigration

• AB 2965 – Arambula, Joaquin (D, AD 31) – Extends Medi-Cal to all those eligible, regardless of immigration status

Women’s and Reproductive Rights

• AB 3118 – Chiu, David (D, AD 17) – Requires statewide audit of existing rapekit backlog

Environment

• AB 1775 – Muratsuchi, Al (D, AD 66) – Prohibits the development of new oil pipelines and other infrastructure in coastal waters controlled by the California State Lands Commission

Assembly Appropriations Committee

If your Assemblymember is on this committee, it’s time to let them know how you want them to vote! There’s no need to call sponsors of the bill, so check the link before you call.

Police Reform

• SB 1186 – Hill, Jerry (D, SD 13) – Requires law enforcement agencies to develop and publicise a proposed Surveillance Use Policy for the use of each type of surveillance technology
• SB 1421 – Skinner, Nancy (D, SD 09) – Permits public disclosure of records of police officers using firearms or other weapons, or involved sexual assault

Gun Violence Prevention

• SB 1100 – Portantino, Anthony J. (D, SD 25) – Raises age to 21 for buying a gun and prohibits anyone from buying more than one gun per month

Criminal Justice Reform

• SB 10 – Hertzberg, Robert M. (D, SD 18) – California Money Bail Reform. Bases a person’s eligibility for pretrial release on community safety and that person’s likelihood of showing up in court, not on their ability to post bail

Healthcare and Immigration

• SB 974 – Lara, Ricardo (D, SD 33) – Extends Medi-Cal to all those eligible, regardless of immigration status

Women’s and Reproductive Rights

• SB 320 – Leyva, Connie M. (D, SD 20) – Requires every student health center at public universities to offer abortion by medication
• SB 1449 – Leyva, Connie M. (D, SD 20) – Requires testing of rape kits

Environment

• SB 100 – de León, Kevin (D, SD 24) – Establishes a state policy that renewable and “zero-carbon” generating facilities supply all electricity procured to serve California end-use customers no later than December 31, 2045
• SB 834 – Jackson, Hannah-Beth (D, SD 19) – Prohibits the development of new oil pipelines and other infrastructure in coastal waters controlled by the California State Lands Commission

Net Neutrality

• SB 822 – Wiener, Scott D. (D, SD 11) – Net Neutrality: Prohibits internet service providers from blocking, throttling, and prioritizing paid tiers of traffic if they use state-provided funding or infrastructure, like utility poles

Passed all committees 🙂

Two bills have passed all committees and are awaiting action on the floor of the Assembly:

• SB 183 – Lara, Ricardo (D, SD 33) – Prohibits ICE from entering public schools, community college campuses, and state buildings without a warrant
• SB 1346 – Jackson, Hannah-Beth (D, SD 19) – Bans bump stocks

One bill has passed all committees and has been returned to the Assembly Rules Committee with the recommendation that it is placed on the consent calendar:

• SB 419 – Portantino, Anthony J. (D, SD 25) – Protects legislative staff and legislative advocates from retaliation for reporting all forms of harassment in the Capitol

Dead 🙁

Four of our priority bills have died in the legislature:

• AB 1745 – Ting, Philip Y. (D, AD 19) – Requires all new vehicle registrations (under 10,000 gvw) to be zero-emission by 2040
  • Never made it out of the Assembly Transportation Committee
• AB 2066 – Stone, Mark (D, AD 29) – Remove eligibility barriers to immigrants for California Earned Income Tax Credit
  • Died in the Assembly Appropriations Suspense file
• SB 562 – Lara, Ricardo (D, SD 33) – CA single-payer healthcare
  • Held in the Assembly Rules Committee (last year)
• SB 651 – Allen, Benjamin (D, SD 26) – Requires state and local initiative, referendum, and recall petitions to include a statement identifying the three largest contributors of $50,000 or more
  • Died in the Assembly inactive file