I want to share an update about the status of each of my bills, as I work to get them over the finish line and to Governor Newsom for his signature. I’m proud to report that we have 13 bills still under consideration this year, as well as eight bills that will resume their journey during the 2024 legislative session:
Housing and Homelessness:
AB 1657 - The Affordable Housing Bond Act of 2024
Authorizes $10 billion in general obligation bonds to fund the construction of affordable housing, supportive housing for people experiencing homelessness, homeownership opportunities, farmworker housing, affordable housing on tribal lands, and other programs to address the state’s housing crisis. The bill will next be heard in the Senate Appropriations Committee.
AB 1285 - Homelessness and Encampments
Will help address the difficulties in ensuring that residents of homeless encampments are transitioned not just into temporary shelter, but into permanent housing. The bill will next be heard in the Senate Appropriations Committee.
AB 1307 - No CEQA on Noise from Residents
Would reverse the ‘people as pollution’ precedent of a recent court ruling by declaring that noise from residents in a residential project does not constitute a significant environmental effect under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). It would also facilitate the development of nearly 1,400 affordable units in Berkeley. The bill is pending a vote on the Assembly Floor.
AB 1319 - Housing Finance Improvements
Provides the Bay Area Housing Finance Authority (BAHFA) with more tools to address the interlinked challenges of providing affordable housing, strengthening tenant protection, and reducing homelessness in the greater Bay Area region. The bill is pending a vote on the Senate Floor.
Support for Working Families:
AB 518 - Paid Family Leave for Chosen Family
Expands the definition of "family member" for purposes of the Paid Family Leave program to allow workers to take time off to care for a designated person. The bill will next be heard in the Senate Appropriations Committee.
AB 524 - The Family Caregiver Anti-Discrimination Act
Prohibits discrimination against employees based on their status as a family caregiver, making it unlawful for employers to fire, demote, refuse to hire, or take other adverse employment action against workers because of their family responsibilities. The bill will next be heard in the Senate Appropriations Committee.
Protecting Our Kids Online:
AB 1394 - Social Media Liability for Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM)
Provides survivors of child sexual exploitation the ability to sue a social media platform for deploying features that were a factor in causing harm against them, and requires the platforms to provide a mechanism for victims to report CSAM in which they are depicted. The bill will next be heard in the Senate Appropriations Committee.
Public Health/Safety:
AB 1465 - Refinery Penalties
Requires that air district civil penalties be tripled if a refinery or other polluter discharges toxic air contaminants that cause injury, detriment, nuisance, or annoyance; or endanger the comfort, health or safety of the public. The bill will next be heard in the Senate Appropriations Committee.
AB 762 - CalVIP Extension
Makes permanent the California Violence Intervention and Prevention Grant Program (CalVIP), and changes/updates its grant eligibility requirements. The bill will next be heard in the Senate Appropriations Committee.
AB 1021 - Prescription of FDA & DEA Reclassified Substances
Authorizes doctors and other medical professionals to prescribe currently restricted substances if they are approved for medical use by the federal government. While 31 other states have a framework in place to automatically permit a new prescription if it gains FDA approval, California does not. The bill will next be heard on the Senate Floor.
AB 1048 - Dental Insurance Transparency
Adds important patient protections to dental insurance plans, which are conceptually similar to health insurance but not regulated with the same attention to detail. This bill will next be heard in the Senate Appropriations Committee.
Consumer Protection and Financial Justice:
AB 1119 - Prohibiting Civil Arrest of Debtors
Bans the use of civil arrest warrants as a debt collection tool. The proposal takes away the threat of imprisonment that some debt collectors use while preserving the power of the courts to hold an individual in contempt. This bill will next be heard in the Senate Appropriations Committee.
AB 472 - Fair Compensation for School Employees
Will ensure that school and community college districts provide full compensation to employees if they are placed on involuntary leave and a case is resolved with the dismissal or acquittal of charges. This bill will next be heard in the Senate Appropriations Committee.
Additionally, the following bills are now two-year bills, and will pick up next year where they left off in the legislative process.
AB 886 - The California Journalism Preservation Act (CJPA)
Directs big tech companies to pay publishers a “journalism usage fee” each time they use local news content and sell advertising against it. In turn, the bill requires news publishers to invest 70% of the profits from the usage fee back into journalism jobs.
AB 1337 - Water Curtailments
Authorizes the State Water Board to limit water diversions from all rights holders, in both drought and non-drought years. This will ensure that all parties are fairly participating in our water rights system, to protect public trust resources, to promote conservation, and to prevent waste and unreasonable use.
AB 1072 - Water Efficiency Funds to Low-Income Households
Requires urban water suppliers and wholesalers to offer technical assistance and financial incentives to low-income customers for water conservation and efficiency.
AB 598 - Sex Education/Reproductive Health Care Survey
Would update sex education requirements in schools to include more information about reproductive care, including abortion, and require school districts to participate in the California Healthy Kids Survey. The age-appropriate questions about abortion and reproductive health would provide educators and policymakers with anonymized data about what school-aged youth know about these topics.
AB 1094 - Informed Consent - Drug Testing Pregnant Persons
This bill would prohibit medical personnel from performing a drug or alcohol test or screen on a pregnant person, perinatal person, or newborn without their prior written and verbal informed consent, and would require the test or screen to be medically necessary to provide care.
AB 540 - Social Service Transportation Improvement Act
Would help seniors and people with disabilities by raising new, dedicated revenue to provide long-overdue improvements to California’s accessible transportation services.
AB 922 - Prepared Meals Delivery Program
Establishes the Prepared Meals Delivery Program (PMDP) in Alameda County to provide food sourced from local restaurants to unhoused Californians.
AB 1252 - Office of Gun Violence Prevention
Establishes in statute the Office of Gun Violence Prevention (OGVP) within the Department of Justice.
(Last Updated 8/22/23)