in Environmental, Gun Violence, Health Policy, Legislative Action, Policy Work, Uncategorized
November 13, 2019

The following list shows the pieces of legislation supported and opposed in the 2019 legislative session.

Toxics/environmental health/pesticides

AB 495 (Muratsuchi) Two-year bill.

Bans certain dangerous chemicals in cosmetics including toluene, formaldehyde, DBP, asbestos, lead. Sponsored by EWG and Cal PIRG.

AB 958 (Aguiar) Died in appropriations committee.

Create grant program to fund organic food pilot program in underserved schools.

SB 1 (Atkins) Vetoed by governor.

Would have stopped Trump rollbacks of federal environmental and other protections in California by authorizing appropriate state agencies to adopt federal regulations as they existed as of January 2017 if a federal rollback is initiated.

SB 392 (Allen) Two-year bill.

Bill calls for certain improvements to the state’s Safer Consumer Products Program (SCP) to ensure that the program functions more efficiently, thereby better protecting Californians from toxic chemicals in consumer products. For instance, SB 392 requires product manufacturers to provide information regarding their products’ ingredients when requested by DTSC and provides for penalties when the information is not forthcoming.

SB 458 (Durazo) On suspense file.

Ban chlorpyrifos in CA. Note: has become moot given that a ban was announced by Governor Newsom on October 9, 2019.

SB 647 (Mitchell) Signed by the governor.

Would reduce the lead content limits for electroplated metal, unplated metal, and dye or surface coating to 0.05% of lead by weight, and would reduce the lead content limit for plastic or rubber to 0.02% of lead by weight in children’s jewelry.

Energy/climate change/waste

SB 44 (Skinner) Signed by the governor.

Will lead to significantly reducing or phasing out completely diesel fuel in trucks.

SB 54 (Allen)/AB 1080 (Gonzalez et al) Two-year bills.

The bill would require, by 2030, a 75% reduction of the waste generated from single-use packaging and priority single-use plastic products offered for sale or sold in the state through source reduction, recycling, or composting, and would establish a policy goal to achieve, by 2030, a 75% reduction of the waste generated from all other single-use products offered for sale or sold in the state through source reduction, recycling, or composting.

SB 210 (Leyva) Signed.

Among others, would require the state board to develop and implement a Heavy-Duty Vehicle Inspection and Maintenance Program for non-gasoline heavy-duty on-road motor vehicles. Would ensure that heavy duty vehicles are compliant with California clean air rules by inspection programs similar to those required of passenger cars.

SB 386 (Caballero) Didn’t make it to the first senate policy committee.

Allows existing large-scale hydro-power projects to count toward the Renewable Portfolio Standards goal in 2030, interfering with achieving 60 percent renewables by 2030. This bill would allow a set of irrigation districts to take credit for existing large hydro-power projects, thereby weakening the signal for procurement of new renewable power sources. OPPOSED

SB 526 (Allen) Died in committee.

Implement AB 375. Addresses the key conclusions of the Progress Report and requires the creation of an interagency working group to develop and implement a State Mobility Action Plan (MAP) for Healthy Communities to ensure the state’s environmental, equity, climate, health and housing goals are being met. The bill would also create a review and data collection process to ensure that CARB has adequate information to evaluate regional plans and whether transportation investments made within those plans result in increased or decreased vehicle miles traveled.

Health/right-to-know

AB 4 (Arambula) Inactive. May be extended to a two-year bill.

Expand Medi-Cal to all otherwise eligible individuals, regardless of age, immigration status.

AB 35 (Kalra) Signed.

Requires the State Department of Public Health’s Occupational Lead Poisoning Prevention Program (OLPPP) to report to the Division of Occupational Safety and Health (Cal/OSHA) any instance where a worker’s blood level is at or above 20 micrograms (μg) per deciliter (dl) and requires Cal/OSHA to take investigative action, as defined, against the employer.

AB 647 (Kalra) Signed.

Requires (M)SDSs for cosmetics and disinfectants to be posted on manufacturers’ websites and translated into Spanish, Vietnamese, Chinese, and Korean.

AB 739 (McCarty)/SB 38 (Hill) In inactive file; may be a two-year bill.

Prohibits any flavored tobacco product from being sold in California. While the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has banned the sale of flavored cigarettes (other than menthol) because of their appeal to youth, other tobacco products like cigars, cigarillos, smokeless tobacco, hookah tobacco, and e-liquids (used in e-cigarettes) have not been.

AB 762 (Quirk) Signed.

Requires postings at waterways when water/fish are contaminated—not just up to local health official discretion.

SB 24 (Leyva) Signed.

Make medical abortions available at public university campuses.

SB 207 (Hurtado) Stuck in committee.

Asthma prevention and remediation to be covered by Medi-Cal.

SB 574 (Leyva) Stuck in committee.

Cosmetic manufacturers, for the first time in the U.S., would be required to disclose cosmetic fragrance ingredients.

Gun violence

Assembly Joint Resolution 4 (Aguiar-Curry) Passed both houses. Doesn’t need governor’s approval.

Resolution calling for congress to support bills to requiring background checks by sellers even in private transactions like at gun shows.

AB 18 (Levine) Stuck in committee.

Impose a gun excise tax.

AB 165 (Gabriel) Stuck in committee.

Require police training on Gun Violence Restraining Orders (GVRO) be incorporated into basic police training by January 2021.

AB 166 (Gabriel) Vetoed.

Requires, no later than January 1, 2021, the state Department of Health Care Services to establish a violence intervention pilot program that is hospital-based or hospital-linked. The pilot program is to be at eight sites, and at least one site shall be located in each of the following counties among others: Alameda, San Francisco, Contra Costa, Santa Clara. Requires Medi-Cal coverage of violence prevention/recidivism.

AB 521 (Berman) Signed.

Require the UC Davis violence prevention center to develop and outreach on violence prevention training curriculum for doctors. We also supported the budget request to fund.

SB 61 (Portantino) Governor didn’t veto; becomes law.

Limits numbers of new guns purchased to only 1 gun/30days—includes all guns, not just handguns—with specified exemptions.

Justice

SB 160 (Jackson) Signed.

Requires cultural competency being taken into account in emergency preparedness plans.

SB 645 (Monning) Signed.

Limits hours mesothelioma patient can be deposed to 7 (in some cases, 10) hours.