Assemblymember Marc Berman proudly authored the following legislation in 2017:
AB 184 – Planning for Sea Level Rise Database
Assembly Bill 184 continues the statewide online Planning for Sea Level Rise Database, which expired on January 1, 2018, ensuring California remains vigilant in our efforts to prepare and adapt to sea level rise.
Signed into law by Governor Brown on September 28, 2017. Chapter 338.
AB 323 – County Human Services Information and Referral Modernization Act
Assembly Bill 323 connects families with the resources they need to fight food insecurity. Specifically, this bill allows counties the option to refer CalFresh applicants and recipients to 2-1-1 services, which provide families with a robust list of up-to-date emergency food providers, including child nutrition programs.
Signed into law by Governor Brown on July 18, 2017. Chapter 68.
AB 606 – State Voter Information Guide Modernization
Assembly Bill 606 modernized and made more useful the state election information provided to voters. Specifically, this bill shortened the mandated state voter information guide, allowed active links in the electronic state voter information guide, and directed the Secretary of State to develop a program to electronically communicate with voters, including providing electronic nonpartisan information to voters about upcoming elections.
Signed into law by Governor Brown on October 11, 2017. Chapter 656.
AB 644 – Civil Procedure Efficiencies
Assembly Bill 644 extends a recently enacted and already successful court efficiency process in use before filing a demurrer. Specifically, this bill extends a meet and confer requirement to litigants before filing motions to strike and motions for judgment on the pleadings.
Signed into law by Governor Brown on September 25, 2017. Chapter 273.
AB 669 – Freight Vehicle Platooning Testing
Assembly Bill 669 continues the successful testing of Driver Assistive Truck Platooning technologies by Caltrans, CHP, and stakeholders until January 1, 2020. This bill requires Caltrans to report to the Legislature on findings related to the technology's potential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and increase driver safety by July 1, 2019.
Signed into law by Governor Brown on October 4, 2017. Chapter 472.
AB 733 – Enhanced Infrastructure Financing Districts: Financing Tool to Adapt to Climate Change
Assembly Bill 733 expands the types of projects that Enhanced Infrastructure Financing Districts can finance to include projects that enable communities to adapt to the impacts of climate change.
Signed into law by Governor Brown on October 11, 2017. Chapter 657.
Assembly Bill 868 provides an exemption for a small population of nonprofit community-based organizations from regulation by the Bureau for Private Postsecondary Education. This bill allows organizations such as JobTrain, a 52-year old nonprofit training and career development support center for low income individuals, to continue serving individuals in Silicon Valley who receive federal Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act funding.
Signed into law by Governor Brown on September 23, 2017. Chapter 260.
AB 976 – Omnibus Electronic Filing and Service Act
Assembly Bill 976 modernizes, updates, and clarifies the law governing electronic filing and electronic service in various civil, criminal, juvenile, and probate proceedings.
Signed in law by Governor Brown on September 27, 2017. Chapter 319.
AB 1141 – Autonomous Freight Vehicles
Assembly Bill 1141 would have required the DMV to develop regulations, in coordination with CHP and Caltrans, for the testing of autonomous freight vehicles. This bill would have also required that an operator be present in the driver’s seat at all times and that any hours of operation during “autonomous mode” count towards the total time that an individual is allowed to operate a vehicle to ensure the safety of autonomous freight vehicles during testing.
AB 1261 – Pupil Suicide Prevention
Assembly Bill 1261 would have required schools with mandatory expulsion or zero tolerance policies for the use, possession, or being under the influence of alcohol, an intoxicant, or a controlled substance, to consider whether the expulsion policy is deterring students from seeking help for substance abuse. This bill highlighted the nexus between substance use and suicidal behavior to further prevent tragedies from occurring.
Vetoed.
AB 1294 – Plastic Food Containers: Truth in Marketing
Assembly Bill 1294 eliminated the sunset on a truth in marketing law applicable to plastic food containers that make environmental claims. This bill ensures that consumers can continue to trust and rely on these marketing claims.
Signed into law by Governor Brown on October 11, 2017. Chapter 664.
Assembly Bill 1312 created the Sexual Assault Survivors’ Bill of Rights which, among other things, mandates rape kit preservation lengths, and mandates law enforcement and medical professionals to provide victims of sexual assault with a card that identifies all of the victim’s rights and provides additional support information such as the name and contact information of local rape counseling centers.
Signed into law by Governor Brown on October 12, 2017. Chapter 692.
AB 1367 – Improper Signature-Gathering Tactics
Assembly Bill 1367 expands penalties to any person, company, organization, company official, or other organizational officer who knowingly directs or permits a signature gatherer to make a false claim about an initiative, referendum, or recall petition or their respective, attached signatures. Inequitably, those who oversee the signature gatherers can knowingly direct or permit them to make false declarations without consequence under existing law. This bill levels the playing field and brings further accountability.
Signed into law by Governor Brown on October 15, 2017. Chapter 848.
AB 1404 – CEQA Categorical Infill Exemption for Counties
Assembly Bill 1404 would have allowed counties to utilize the existing Class 32 categorical infill exemption for projects within urbanized areas under the same narrow conditions. This bill would have encouraged infill development more effectively in urbanized areas in our counties and thus help foster economic and smart growth in California without adversely impacting the environment.
Held in Senate Appropriations Committee.
AB 1531 – Renewable Energy Self-Generation Bill Credit Transfer Program
Assembly Bill 1531 would have expanded the Renewable Energy Self-Generation Bill Credit Transfer Program, which allows local governments and public colleges to credit their excess renewable energy generated at one site against their energy consumption at another site. For instance, a city could locate solar panels over the parking lot at a public park but use the electricity to benefit city hall. In keeping with the state’s broader climate, environmental, and clean energy goals, AB 1531 would have expanded the program by allowing state departments and agencies to participate, increase locational opportunities, and eliminate existing generation caps.
AB 1591 – Access to Mental Health Care Services: Licensed Professional Clinical Counselors
Assembly Bill 1591 would have added licensed professional clinical counselors (LPCCs) to the list of health care professionals whose services are reimbursed through Medi-Cal to federally qualified health centers (FQHCs) or rural health clinics (RHCs). Adding LPCCs would help span gaps in workforce capacity by providing clinics with funding to employ LPCCs. Moreover, this bill would have increased access to meet the demand for mental health services, particularly in rural or remote areas that have difficulty attracting and retaining health care providers.
Vetoed.
AB 1619 – Federal Gainful Employment Student Protections
Assembly Bill 1619 would have brought the federal gainful employment regulation to California law to prevent the Trump administration from undoing important student protections. This federal regulation established debt-to-earnings ratios to objectively determine whether students are able to repay their federal student loans and has increased accountability of low-performing career training programs.
AB 1678 – Public Campaign Finance Conformity
Assembly Bill 1678 would have conformed provisions of the Education Code and Government Code with recently enacted authorization for local public campaign financing programs. Specifically, this bill would have clarified that local agencies, school districts, and community college districts may establish public campaign financing programs in accordance with existing law.
ACR 37 – California Holocaust Memorial Day
Assembly Concurrent Resolution 37 proclaimed April 24, 2017, as California Holocaust Memorial Day and would urge all Californians to observe this day of remembrance for the victims of the Holocaust.
Passed by the Legislature. Res. Chapter 51.
ACR 73 – Moyamoya Disease Awareness Day
Assembly Concurrent Resolution 73 declared May 6, 2017 as Moyamoya Disease Awareness Day in California in an effort to bring this treatable disease to light and to prevent unnecessary suffering by those affected by Moyamoya.
Passed by the Legislature. Res. Chapter 63.