AB 269 - Public health: COVID-19 testing and dispensing sites
AB 269 continues to allow any person who meets federal requirements for high complexity laboratory testing to perform an analysis of samples to test for the virus that causes COVID-19. The bill also extends the “test-to-treat” program’s authority to acquire, store, and dispense COVID-19 oral therapeutics at a designated testing site until 2024.
This bill was signed into law by Governor Gavin Newsom on March 3, 2023. Chapter 1, Statutes of 2023.
AB 537 - Cracking Down on Short-Term Lodging Hidden Fees
AB 537 would prohibit hidden fees by ensuring that the advertised or offered cost of the stay be disclosed in the upfront price. Consumers should know what they are getting and the complete price when they decide when and where they want to travel.
This bill was signed into law by Governor Gavin Newsom on October 13, 2023. Chapter 805, Statutes of 2023.
AB 578 - Updating Affordable Housing Fees
AB 578 would update the monitoring fee that the California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) charges affordable housing developers, which could unlock over $10 million dollars in private financing for desperately needed affordable housing.
This bill was held in the Senate Appropriations Committee.
AB 612 - Expand Access to Pacifica State Beach and the Coastal Trail
AB 612 would facilitate the City of Pacifica’s acquisition of an excess Caltrans property near Pacifica State Beach. The property will provide additional public beach parking for Pacifica State Beach and will eventually serve as the trailhead parking lot for the California Coastal Trail, which is being constructed through the Pedro Point Headlands.
Two year bill.
AB 643 - Enforcing Interconnection Timelines for New Rooftop Solar
AB 643 establishes enforcement mechanisms for existing solar interconnection timelines.
This bill was held in the Assembly Appropriations Committee.
AB 735 - Building Up the Utility Workforce
AB 735 would create a High Road Utility Careers program at the California Workforce Development Board to address workforce needs of electric, gas, water, wastewater water, and telecommunication industries (the utility sector).
This bill was held in the Assembly Appropriations Committee.
AB 789 - Preserving Financial Aid for California Students
AB 789 would remove barriers that limit students’ ability to keep their financial aid. Specifically, this bill would establish a common set of standards for satisfactory academic progress to ensure that all California students, regardless of the higher education institution they attend, are provided with the flexibility already allowed under federal law.
This bill was signed into law by Governor Gavin Newsom on October 8, 2023. Chapter 544, Statutes of 2023.
AB 841 - Industrial Heat Electrification Roadmap
AB 841 would direct the California Energy Commission to develop an industrial heat electrification roadmap that assesses the potential for industrial electrification, which is currently the second largest source of greenhouse gas emissions in California.
This bill was held in the Senate Appropriations Committee.
AB 873 - Media Literacy Instruction
AB 873 would ensure that all students in California receive instruction in media literacy throughout Kindergarten through 12th Grade. Specifically, the bill directs the Instructional Quality Commission (IQC) to incorporate media literacy curriculum content into the core subject curriculum frameworks when those frameworks are next revised.
This bill was signed into law by Governor Gavin Newsom on October 13, 2023. Chapter 815, Statutes of 2023.
AB 948 - Keeping Prescription Drugs Affordable
AB 948 would make the existing $250 co-pay cap for a 30-day prescription permanent, which is set to expire next year. This would ensure that Californians can continue to access the medication that they need and focus on their health, not whether they can afford their prescription.
This bill was signed into law by Governor Gavin Newsom on October 13, 2023. Chapter 820, Statutes of 2023.
AB 1037 - Vote by Mail Ballots: Signature Verification
AB 1037 would authorize county elections officials to offer the option for California voters to fix or cure their ballot electronically if the elections official determines that the signatures do not match, or if the identification envelope does not contain a signature.
This bill was signed into law by Governor Gavin Newsom on October 10, 2023. Chapter 673, Statutes of 2023.
AB 1054 - Computer Science Education for All
AB 1054 would guarantee access to computer science education by requiring all public high schools in California to offer at least one computer science education course with a phased in approach beginning in the 2025-26 school year with final implementation by the 2027-28 school year. California has fallen behind 27 other states when it comes to prioritizing access to computer science education, exacerbating educational inequities and the diversity gaps in tech.
This bill was held in the Senate Appropriations Committee.
AB 1130 - Substance Use Disorder Code Modernization
AB 1130 replaces the term “addict” with “person with substance use disorder” in state legal codes. This will modernize our laws to reflect the appropriate use of person-first language in regards to individuals with substance use disorders. As this epidemic has continued to grow toward a crisis point in California, there is a consensus among experts that vilifying the afflicted is not an effective public health strategy.
This bill was signed into law by Governor Gavin Newsom on June 29, 2023. Chapter 21, Statutes of 2023.
AB 1219 - Improving Ballot Design
AB 1219 would implement the recommendations of the Ballot Design Advisory Committee, which was created by a prior bill authored by Assemblymember Berman. The changes would update and improve the ballot design for voters while providing county elections officials with additional flexibility to reflect the diversity of counties and election systems.
This bill was signed into law by Governor Gavin Newsom on October 10, 2023. Chapter 676, Statutes of 2023.
AB 1341 - Public Health COVID-19 Treatments
AB 1341 ensures that vulnerable communities retain access to life-saving medications for the treatment of COVID-19 by extending the current authority of local pharmacists to provide therapeutic treatments for COVID-19 without a prescription until 2025.
This bill was signed into law by Governor Gavin Newsom on September 30, 2023. Chapter 276, Statutes of 2023.
AB 1380 would strengthen California’s law against revenge porn by closing the loopholes in the current law ensuring individuals that distribute a secretly recorded or stolen image fall under revenge porn statute.
This bill was held in the Assembly Appropriations Committee.
AB 1420 - Firearm Inspection Authority
AB 1420 would ensure that the Department of Justice has the authority to inspect and write citations for any violations related to the governing of the sale, transfer, and storage of firearms.
This bill was signed into law by Governor Gavin Newsom on September 26, 2023. Chapter 245, Statutes of 2023.
AB 1539 would prohibit multi-state double voting by providing that is it a crime for a person who votes or attempts to vote both in an election held in California and in another state on the same date. This bill would ensure that California does not have to rely on another states’ laws to address the issue of multi-state double voting.
This bill was signed into law by Governor Gavin Newsom on October 10, 2023. Chapter 692, Statutes of 2023.
AB 1598 - Firearm Safety Certificate Pamphlet
AB 1598 would expand what is covered on the firearm safety certificate test to ensure that potential firearm purchases are aware of the risks associated with owning and bringing a firearm into the home.
This bill was signed into law by Governor Gavin Newsom on September 26, 2023. Chapter 248, Statutes of 2023.
Proclaims the month of April each year as California Native Plant Month.