Current Legislation

In an effort to keep my constituents informed of the policies being discussed in Sacramento, the following is a brief description of the bills being heard in Senate Policy Committees next week. This is for informational purposes only and does not represent my position on any of the bills described. Please note that this information is being sent in advance of the Senate Policy Committees scheduled to meet next week. To learn more or monitor the progress of any of these bills, please visit California Legislative Information. If you have additional questions, please feel free to reach out to my office through any of the methods listed here: https://sr23.senate.ca.gov/my-offices

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A Look Ahead

Week of July 1, 2024

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Agriculture
Tuesday, July 2
 
AB 1864 (Connolly) Requires county agricultural commissioners to require a notice of intent before certain agricultural pesticides are applied within 1/4 mile of a school or daycare facility. Requires the Department of Pesticide Regulation (DPR) to require additional information on the methods and timing of pesticide application within 1/4 mile of a school. Requires DPR to update existing regulations on pesticide application so they apply within 1/4 mile of private schools.
 
AB 1963 (Friedman) Starting January 1, 2026, bans the sale, use, or possession of a pesticide that contains paraquat dichloride as an active ingredient.
 
AB 2324 (Alanis) For avocados that are seized by law enforcement or the CA Department of Food and Agriculture – as a result of a suspicion that the avocados are being unlawfully possessed – increases the amount of time that they must be held from 48 hours to 72 hours. Provides that they cannot be returned to the rightful owner. They may be donated to charity or to an on-campus food pantry for students enrolled in an institution of public postsecondary education.
 
AB 2436 (Alanis) Adjusts the statutory fees for brand and carcass inspection levied by the CA Department of Food and Agriculture to fund California's brand registration and inspection program.

Business, Professions & Economic Development
Monday, July 1
 
AB 2164 (Berman) Prohibits the Medical Board of California (MBC) or the Osteopathic Medical Board of California (OMBC) from requiring an applicant – for a physician's license or a postgraduate training license – from disclosing a condition or disorder that does not impair the applicant's ability to practice medicine safely. Allows the MBC or the OMBC to require an applicant to disclose participation in a mental health or substance use disorder treatment program resulting from an accusation or disciplinary action brought by a licensing board in or outside of California.
 
AB 2231 (Gipson) Creates the California Pawnbroker Education Council that is governed by a board of directors. Requires the Council to develop and establish a standard course and curriculum in pawnbroker transactions that includes pre-licensing education and continuing education, which must be completed before a pawnbroker license is issued or renewed.
 
AB 2578 (Flora) Authorizes a student – who is a California resident and enrolled in an out-of-state distance education nursing program that is not approved by the Board of Registered Nursing – to render nursing services in California for the purpose of gaining clinical experience. Prohibits a clinical facility from offering clinical experience placements to an out-of-state institution if the placements are needed to fulfill the clinical experience requirements of in-state nursing students.
 
AB 2622 (Juan Carrillo) Raises the aggregate contract price for work or projects that do not require a contractor’s license from $500 to $1000. Specifies that the licensure exemption does not apply if the work requires a building permit, involves certain trades, makes changes to load-bearing structures, or alters electrical, mechanical, or plumbing systems.
 
Education
Monday, July 1
 
AB 247 (Muratsuchi) This is a multi-billion dollar education bond that will be amended and heard in committee. It is scheduled to appear on the November 2024 general election ballot.
 
Wednesday, July 3
 
AB 2104 (Soria) Requires the Chancellor of the CA Community Colleges to develop a Baccalaureate Degree in Nursing Pilot Program that allows up to 10 community college districts to offer the Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree.
 
AB 2193 (Holden) Establishes a number of anti-hazing policies aimed at eliminating hazing incidents in K-12 and all institutions of higher education, both public and private.
 
AB 2441 (Kalra) Eliminates the requirement that schools notify law enforcement regarding incidents involving the possession of narcotics or a controlled substance by a student if it does not include a firearm. Removes the requirement that schools notify law enforcement if an employee is attacked, assaulted, or physically threatened by a student. Exempts currently enrolled students from being charged with a misdemeanor or being fined up to $500 for willful disturbance at a public school or public school meeting.
 
AB 2586 (Alvarez) States that public colleges can hire undocumented students with limited exceptions.
 
AB 2711 (Ramos) Requires that a pupil who possesses, uses, or is under the influence of a controlled substance, alcohol, or an intoxicant – or  possesses or uses tobacco products – be offered access to available supportive interventions, prior to a suspension. Prohibits suspension of a pupil for these acts, unless other documented means of correction fail to bring about proper conduct or it is determined that the pupil presents an imminent risk of harm to other pupils or school staff. Removes possession of drug paraphernalia from the offenses subject to suspension or expulsion.
 
AB 2999 (Schiavo) Requires local educational agencies to develop and implement a homework policy to ensure consistency and clarity in assigning homework.
 
Elections & Constitutional Amendments
Monday, July 1
 
AB 440 (Robert Rivas) Pushes ACA 13 (Ward, 2023) from the November 2024 general election and places it on the November 2026 general election ballot.
 
Tuesday, July 2
 
AB 270 (Lee) Asks voters to amend the Political Reform Act to allow state and local governments to adopt schemes that require the taxpayers to fund the campaigns of politicians.
 
AB 996 (Low) Requires any committee that provides a deposit to cover the cost of the recount – including a committee that is registered only with the Federal Election Commission – to identify the source of any contribution to that committee of at least $10,000 that is received the week before the recount and through the week after the recount ends. Requires the Governor or Secretary of State to order a state-funded manual recount of all votes cast for federal or state elective offices, if either 1) the official canvass of returns for a primary election shows that the difference in the number of votes received by the second and third place candidates is less than the greater of 25 votes or 0.25% of the number of all votes cast for that office, OR 2) the official canvass of returns for a general election shows that the difference in the number of votes received by the two candidates receiving the greatest number of votes is less than the greater of 25 votes or 0.25% of the number of all votes cast for that office.
 
AB 1784 (Pellerin) Provides that a person shall not file nomination papers for more than one office at the same primary election. Provides that a candidate may withdraw his or her nomination documents by delivering a statement of withdrawal to the county elections official, until the deadline for candidates to file nomination documents for that office. In that event, the candidate may then file nomination documents for any other office at the same primary election for which the person is eligible to be a candidate.
 
AB 2803 (Valencia) Prohibits campaign funds from being used to pay or reimburse a fine, penalty, judgment, or settlement relating to a conviction for a felony or an offense that involves bribery, fraud, embezzlement, and related crimes.
 
AB 2911 (McKinnor) Increases from $250 to $1500 the existing limit on contributions to local officials who participate in decisions related to licensing, permitting, and similar entitlements.
 
AB 3239 (Wendy Carrillo) Allows candidates or elected officials to use campaign funds to pay for the airfare of their emotional support animal.
 
Energy, Utilities & Communications
Tuesday, July 2
 
AB 1588 (Wilson) Requires the CA Public Utilities Commission to annually determine a fee to be paid by every interconnected Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) service provider. Extends the lifeline subsidies program to include standalone and bundled internet access service.
 
AB 2054 (Bauer-Kahan) Prohibits a state energy or utility regulator from accepting employment with a regulated entity within one year of leaving office. Allows the CA Public Utilities Commission to allocate costs above the authorized forecast of authorized cost to ratepayers and shareholders.
 
AB 2239 (Bonta) Defines “digital discrimination of access” and requires the CA Public Utilities Commission to ensure grant applicants and recipients comply with the prohibition.
 
AB 2666 (Boerner) Requires the CA Public Utilities Commission to review the actual past costs that a utility records following each general rate case (GRC) test year and to adjust the authorized revenue requirement in the subsequent GRC, as appropriate.
 
AB 2672 (Petrie-Norris) Requires that the low-income rate assistance program be extended to include public housing authority owned or administered Homekey housing facilities.
 
AB 2797 (McKinnor) Allows a telephone corporation to be relieved of its obligations as a carrier of last resort, subject to specified conditions.
 
AB 2847 (Addis) Requires a utility – in their request for recovery of capital expenditures – to provide their best estimation (with supporting documentation) of the impact of the proposed expenditure on the utility’s authorized revenue for each year of the life of the capital asset.
 
Environmental Quality
Wednesday, July 3
 
AB 2085 (Bauer-Kahan) Requires local governments to ministerially approve an application for a community clinic that provides reproductive health services and meets specified criteria. Establishes that the development of a community clinic shall not be considered a "project" for purposes of the CA Environmental Quality Act.
 
AB 2236 (Bauer-Kahan) Starting January 1, 2026, bans grocery stores from providing plastic bags to consumers at checkout. Instead, grocery stores will be allowed to charge no less than 10 cents for the purchase of a recyclable paper bag or a reusable bag made of some type of washable cloth or textile.
 
AB 2851 (Bonta) Requires metal shredding facilities to purchase, install, and monitor a facility wide fence-line air quality monitoring system before the end of 2025. Requires the Department of Toxic Substances Control to assess a fee on all metal shredding facilities.
 
AB 3007 (Hoover) Provides county clerks and the Office of Planning and Research with the discretion to maintain environmental documents in paper form, which were filed under the CA Environmental Quality Act.   
 
Health
Wednesday, July 3
 
AB 941 (Waldron) Requires the CA Health and Human Services Agency to convene a workgroup to study and make recommendations on the establishment of a framework governing psychedelic-assisted therapy.
 
AB 1895 (Weber) Requires an acute care hospital – that operates a perinatal unit and expects challenges in the next six months that may result in a reduction or loss of perinatal services – to provide specified information to the Department of Health Care Access and Information. This includes the number of medical staff and employees working in the perinatal unit and the hospital’s prior performance on financial metrics.
 
AB 2376 (Bains) Expands the definition of “chemical dependency recovery services” to include medications for addiction treatment and medically managed voluntary inpatient detoxification.
 
AB 2490 (Petrie-Norris) Upon appropriation by the Legislature, establishes the Reproductive Health Emergency Preparedness Program for the purpose of expanding and improving access to reproductive and sexual health care in emergency departments across California.
 
AB 2670 (Schiavo) Requires the CA Department of Public Health to develop an awareness campaign to publicize the internet website “abortion.ca.gov” to the general public and various health care entities. 
 
AB 2843 (Petrie-Norris) Requires a health care service plan or health insurance policy – that is issued, amended, renewed, or delivered on or after January 1, 2025 – to provide coverage without cost-sharing for emergency room medical care and follow-up health care treatment for an enrollee or insured who is treated following a rape or sexual assault.
 
AB 3047 (McCarty) Until January 1, 2028, requires the Surgeon General to convene a Commission on Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy and Youth Tackle Football.  Its purpose is to investigate issues related to the risks of brain injury associated with participation in youth tackle football and provide recommendations to the Governor and Legislature on strategies to reduce those health risks.
 
AB 3156 (Joe Patterson) Exempts from mandatory enrollment in a Medi-Cal managed care (MMC) plan specified disabled or elderly Medi-Cal beneficiaries whose provider for covered benefits is not participating in a MMC plan’s provider network, if specified conditions are met.
 
Housing
Tuesday, July 2
 
AB 1817 (Alanis) Requires the CA Interagency Council on Homelessness to set the goals of decreasing the number of young people experiencing homelessness in California, who struggle with food insecurity, and decreasing the unemployment rate among young people experiencing homelessness.
 
AB 2117 (Joe Patterson) Excludes the time when litigation over a permit approval is pending, from counting towards the period of time before a permit or project approval issued by a city, county, or state agency expires.
 
AB 2550 (Gabriel) Requires the Building Standards Commission to adopt building standards to permit restaurants to have more flexibility with restroom and drinking fountain requirements and other buildings standards. Modifies requirements pertaining to grease traps and pass-through windows in restaurants.
 
AB 3057 (Wilson) Expands an existing CA Environmental Quality Act exemption – for city or county adoption of an ordinance – to include adoption of an ordinance facilitating junior accessory dwelling units.
 
AB 3068 (Haney) Enacts the Office to Housing Conversion Act, which creates a streamlined, ministerial approval process for adaptive reuse projects. Provides certain financial incentives for the adaptive reuse of existing buildings.
 
AB 3177 (Wendy Carrillo) Prohibits a local agency from imposing a land dedication requirement on a housing development for the purpose of mitigating vehicular traffic impacts or achieving an adopted traffic level of service related to vehicular traffic.
 
Human Services
Monday, July 1
 
AB 1961 (Wicks) Requires the Strategic Growth Council – in consultation with specified entities – to appoint and convene the End Hunger in California Master Plan Task Force. They are to make recommendations for future comprehensive strategies aimed at addressing access to healthy and culturally relevant food for all Californians.
 
AB 2075 (Alvarez) Provides a resident of a long-term care facility with the right to in-person, onsite access to a visitor or a health care and social services provider during a public health emergency, in which visitation rights of residents are curtailed by a state or local order.
 
AB 2263 (Friedman) Establishes the Guaranteed Income (GI) Study and Funding Act Coordinating Council, consisting of 7 representatives, appointed on or before July 1, 2026. Requires the council to seek to attain the objective of examining the feasibility, benefits, and challenges of scaling up permanent GI programs to reach a larger proportion of California’s socially and economically vulnerable populations.
 
AB 2423 (Mathis) Commencing on July 1, 2025,  requires the CA Department of Developmental Services –  subject to appropriation and the approval of federal funds – to annually review and update the rate models for community-based services for individuals with developmental disabilities.
 
AB 2476 (Bonta) Requires the CA Department of Social Services to ensure that childcare providers are reimbursed at the applicable regional market rate ceiling.
 
AB 2752 (Calderon) Creates a rebuttable presumption that visits between a parent and their child in foster care are unsupervised, unless there is a determination that the child's safety is in danger.
 
AB 2903 (Hoover) Commencing September 1, 2025, requires a state agency or department – that administers one or more state homelessness programs – to annually report to the CA Interagency Council on Homelessness the cost and outcome data for each program that the entity administers.
 
Judiciary
Tuesday, July 2
 
AB 1333 (Ward) Provides that a developer of residential properties containing one to four dwelling units shall not conduct a bundled sale of multiple properties to an institutional investor, if the occupancy permit was issued on or after January 1, 2025.
 
AB 1780 (Ting) Prohibits private colleges and universities from granting an admission preference to a student due to their relationship to a former student (legacy admission) or a donor.
 
AB 1949 (Wicks) Prohibits a business from selling or sharing the personal information of a consumer less than 18 years of age, unless the consumer – or  the consumer’s parent/guardian – has affirmatively authorized the sale or sharing of the consumer’s personal information.
 
AB 1950 (Wendy Carrillo) Requires the City of Los Angeles to create a task force to identify the former residents of the Chavez Ravine area of the City of Los Angeles who were forcibly displaced by the City between 1950 to 1961, and develop a public education effort of the region’s history in this process.
 
AB 2319 (Wilson) Revises the California Dignity in Pregnancy and Childbirth Act (currently enforced by the California Department of Public Health), which requires hospitals and alternative birth centers to implement an implicit bias program for all health care providers involved in the perinatal care of patients. This includes specifying what providers are subject to training requirements, and adding deadlines for compliance with the training requirements.
 
AB 2481 (Lowenthal) Requires a social media platform to establish a mechanism within its internet-based service that allows an individual – whether or not that individual has a profile on the social media platform – to report a social media-related threat or any content that violates the social media platform’s terms of service.
 
AB 2584 (Lee) Provides that a business entity, that has an interest in more than 1,000 single-family residential properties, may not acquire or otherwise obtain an interest in another single-family residential property and subsequently lease the property.  Authorizes the Attorney General (AG) to bring a civil action for penalties of $100,000 per violation, and to obtain reasonable attorney’s fees if the AG prevails.
 
AB 2741 (Haney) Permanently authorizes a rental company to activate electronic surveillance technology (i.e. GPS) if a rental car is not returned within 24 hours after the contracted return date or within 24 hours following the end of an extension of that return date.
 
AB 2839 (Pellerin) During the 120 days before an election and up to 60 days after an election, prohibits a person or entity from knowingly distributing an election ad or communication containing materially deceptive content with malice.
 
AB 3218 (Wood) Requires the Attorney General (AG) to establish and maintain on its website a list of tobacco product brand styles that lack a characterizing flavor, known as the “Unflavored Tobacco List” (UTL). Requires the AG to publish the UTL by December 31, 2025. Requires any “brand style” not on the UTL to be deemed a flavored tobacco product. Defines “brand style” as a style of tobacco product within a brand that is differentiated from other styles of that brand by weight, volume, size, Universal Product Code, Stock Keeping Unit, nicotine content, characterizing flavor, logo, symbol, motto, labeling, marketing, materials, packaging, or other indicia of product identification.
 
Labor, Public Employment & Retirement
Wednesday, July 3
 
AB 2499 (Schiavo) Expands existing unpaid job-protected leaves – which may be capped at 12 weeks per year – for  employees who are victims of stalking, domestic violence, sexual assault, or a crime causing/threatening physical injury by: 1) covering public employees; 2) allowing employees to take leave to assist a family member/designated person who is a victim and receive reasonable accommodation and retaliation protection; 3) covering additional activities; 4) requiring additional notices of leave protections; and 5) including victims of acts in which a person exhibits/uses a firearm or weapon. Expands the 12-week crime victims leave mandates on public employers and businesses with 25+ employees.
 
AB 2561 (McKinnor) Requires local governments to create a plan with a union whenever vacancy rates for a bargaining unit exceed 10 percent. 
 
AB 2872 (Calderon) Requires rank-and-file sworn investigators at the Department of Insurance to be paid the same as similar positions at the Department of Justice.
 
AB 3043 (Luz Rivas) Creates a new regulatory framework for artificial and natural stone slab fabricators (who, for example, shape and install custom countertops in residential homes). This includes triennial fees, licensure, inspection, documentation, worker training and certification, penalties for violations, a public database of licensees and enforcement actions, and the use of water-based dust suppression.
 
Local Government
Wednesday, July 3
 
AB 2243 (Wicks) Revises the Affordable Housing and High Road Jobs Act of 2022 to allow for developments on more sites. This includes near a freeway, near an oil and gas facility, and the conversion of a regional mall.

AB 2257 (Wilson) Prohibits taxpayers from bringing a legal action to challenge a local tax or fee increase on the basis that it violates Prop. 218 of 1996 (which requires voter approval of such tax and fee increases), unless they first submit to the local agency a written objection to that fee or assessment. Creates an "exhaustion of remedies" requirement that taxpayers must circumnavigate and overcome before they may challenge the constitutionality of a local tax or fee increase.
 
AB 2443 (Juan Carrillo) Authorizes the cities of Lancaster, Palmdale, and Victorville to impose a transactions and use tax, capped at a rate of 1 percent. In combination with other transactions and use taxes, that would exceed the 2% countywide cap, if approved by the voters.
 
AB 3198 (Garcia) Authorizes public agencies within the Coachella Valley Service area to enter into a joint powers agreement to provide retail electric service.
 
Public Safety
Tuesday, July 2
 
AB 544 (Bryan) Requires the Secretary of State to implement a grant program to provide grants to three counties to facilitate "in-person" voting at jail facilities.
 
AB 1186 (Bonta) Provides that upon the expiration of 10 years after the date of imposition of a criminal restitution fine (i.e. restitution payable to the state Restitution Fund NOT direct victim restitution), the balance shall be unenforceable and uncollectible and any portion of a judgment imposing those fines shall be vacated. Prohibits the court from imposing a restitution fine, but not “direct” restitution to a victim, against a minor. Provides that any juvenile, who is required to pay restitution, is severally liable and the court shall apportion liability based on each minor’s percentage of responsibility or fault for all economic losses included in the order of restitution.
 
AB 1799 (Jackson) Provides that a mandated reporter may – but is not required to – report a case of general neglect.  (General neglect is currently defined as the "negligent failure of a person having the care or custody of a child to provide adequate food, clothing, shelter, medical care, or supervision where no physical injury to the child has occurred but the child is at substantial risk of suffering serious physical harm or illness but does not include a parent’s economic disadvantage.")
 
AB 1978 (Sanchez) Gives law enforcement the ability to seize vehicles at the scene of motor vehicle speed contests and speed exhibitions without having to take the driver into custody or obtain a judicial warrant.
 
AB 2309 (Muratsuchi) Authorizes a city attorney of any general law or chartered city to prosecute any misdemeanor committed within the city arising out of violation of state law, provided that the legislative body of a city passes an ordinance granting that prosecutorial authority to the city attorney. This overrides the existing law which provides that this can occur with the agreement of the district attorney or in charter cities.​
 

Additional Resources:
For more information about any of the bills on this list click here.
For more information about legislative deadlines and where we are in the legislative process click here.
For more information about how to submit a position letter to committee click here.