End of Session: Legislative Update

Last week, the 2022-2023 Legislative Session officially adjourned. A total of 2662 bills were introduced in the Assembly and Senate and of those, 1043 passed on to the governor’s desk where they await his action.
 
As your Senator, I want to keep you updated on the status of some of the most prominent and debated bills that passed through the legislature this year. Here is a rundown:
 
Senate Bills: 

• SB 2 (Portantino): Increases restrictions on the ability to qualify for a Concealed Carry Weapon (CCW) permit and adds layers of required provisions and training for applicants.
  Read my veto letter here.
   
• SB 14 (Grove): Adds human trafficking of a minor to the list of "serious" felonies, increasing penalties for perpetrators and making them eligible for the "three strikes" law.
  Read my support letter here.
   
• SB 19 (Seyarto): Establishes the Fentanyl Misuse and Overdose Prevention Task Force.
  Read my support letter here.
   
• SB 58 (Weiner): Decriminalizes mushrooms and other hallucinogenic substances.
  Read my veto letter here.
   
• SB 81 (Skinner): Gives certain inmates who have been denied parole eligibility to submit an appeal, which the parole board must accept unless there is evidence that the inmate presents a “current, reasonable risk of danger to others.”
   
• SB 244 (Eggman): Right to Repair Act. Requires electronic product and appliance manufacturers to provide owners and repairmen with all documents, parts, and tools necessary to make repairs to their products.
   
• SB 525 (Durazo): Increases the minimum wage for health care workers to $25.
  Read my veto letter here.
  Watch my floor speech on SB 525 here.
   
• SB 541 (Menjivar): Makes access to condoms mandatory for all 9-12 graders in public schools, and requires the HPV vaccine to be covered through the Family PACT Program health insurance.
   
• SB 760 (Newman): Requires all-gender restrooms at all schools.
   
• SB 799 (Portantino): Allows striking workers to claim unemployment benefits.
  Watch my floor speech on SB 799 here.

 
 
Assembly Bills: 

• AB 28 (Gabriel): Adds an 11% excise tax on firearms and ammunition.
  Watch my floor speech on AB 28 here.
   
• AB 251 (Ward): Directs the California Transportation Commission (CTC) to create a task force to consider imposing a new tax / fee on motorists based on passenger vehicle weight.
   
• AB 659 (Aguiar-Curry): Mandates the HPV vaccine for students in California schools grades 8+.
   
• AB 665 (Carrillo): Gives children 12 years and older the right to consent to mental health treatment without parental consent.
  Read my veto letter here.
   
• AB 957 (Wilson): Permits courts to use a parent’s affirmation of a child’s gender identity and/or expression as reason for deciding custody.
  Read my veto letter here.
  Watch my floor speech on AB 957 here.
   
• AB 1078 (Jackson): Prohibits a local school district from removing or restricting curriculum.
  Read my veto letter here.
  Watch my floor speech on AB 1078 here.
   
• AB 1228 (Holden): Requires fast food chains with more than 60 locations nationwide to pay their California workers a minimum of $20 per hour.
  
   

Constitutional Amendments (do not require governor approval): 

• ACA 1 (Aguiar-Curry): Lowers the voting threshold for local tax increases from 2/3 to 55% and allows the assessed value tax rate to go above 1% of property tax for paying off bonds.
  Watch my floor speech on ACA 1 here.
   
• ACA 13 (Ward): Lowers the voting threshold to pass statewide measures, including tax increases.
  Watch my floor speech on ACA 13 here.

 
 
Senate Joint Resolution: 

• SJR 7 (Wahab): Calls for a federal constitutional amendment allowing states to limit and regulate the sales and enforcement of gun laws despite the 2nd Amendment.
  Watch my floor speech on SJR 7 here.

 

Notable bills that did not pass: 

• SB 50 (Bradford): Would have prohibited law enforcement from initiating a traffic stop for “low-level” infractions such as a broken tail light.
   
• SB 94 (Cortese): Would have made most murderers sentenced to life without parole eligible to have their sentence reduced.
   
• AB 280 (Holden): Would have set limitations on the use of solitary confinement in jails and prisons.
   
• AB 742 (Jackson): Would have banned the use of K9 officers by law enforcement.
   
• AB 1595 (Bryan): Would have allowed convicted felons to vote.
   
• ACA 4 (Bryan): Would have allowed convicted felons to vote while still imprisoned.

 
If you would like to check on the status of any other legislation, please click HERE.

If you would like to contact the Governor's office to register your opinion on a bill, please click HERE.

I hope you found this informative and helpful. As always, it is my privilege to be your Senator.