Past Legislative Successes
Leg Year - 2017-2018
Extends the sunset date for the Emergency Food for Families Voluntary Tax Contribution Fund to January 1, 2026. Allows taxpayers to donate money to this fund that provides food and funding for the provision of emergency food to food banks.
Allows the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) to begin approving applications for deployment of autonomous vehicles on public streets 30 days after adopting regulations (currently 120 days), and deletes a separate requirement that DMV notify the Legislature and wait six months before approving an application for the testing or deployment of vehicles operating without the presence of a driver. Promotes the development of autonomous technologies that can improve safety, increase mobility options, and reduce congestion.
Improves the mandatory human trafficking notice specified businesses must post by adding a phone number a person may text to in order to report possible human trafficking.
Appropriates $9,616,000 from the Citrus Disease Management Account to the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) for operating expenses necessary for the prevention and management of citrus diseases.
SB 339: Veterans Treatment Courts: Judicial Council Assessment And Survey
Requires the Judicial Council, if certain funding is provided, to assess and report on veteran treatment courts (VTCs) currently in operation, and to identify barriers to implementation in counties that do not currently operate veteran treatment courts.
SB 410: Civil Service: Veterans’ Hiring Preference: Active Duty Members
Allows a veteran to apply for the Veterans’ Preference for state employment prior to separating from military service by submitting a letter from the commanding officer verifying military service while waiting to obtain a DD-214 form.
SB 495: Endangered Species: Blunt-Nosed Leopard Lizard: Taking Or Possession
Authorizes the Department of Fish and Wildlife (DFW) to allow the taking of a fully protected species resulting from impacts attributable to the construction of a new water well conducted by the Allensworth Community Services District (CSD) for the community of Allensworth.
Provides that the statute of limitations for the crime of actively wrongfully concealing, or attempting to conceal, an accidental death is one year after the person is initially identified by law enforcement as a suspect in the commission of that offense, but not more than four years after the commission of the offense.
Provides that a person who is a veteran whose offense is a misdemeanor offense of driving under the influence or driving under the influence with injury is eligible for pre-trial diversion if the person has post-traumatic stress disorder or substance abuse problems stemming from his or her military service. Provides that the diversion authorization does not limit the authority of the Department of Motor Vehicles to take administrative action concerning the driving privileges of a person arrested for driving under the influence or driving under the influence with injury.
SB 920: Engineering, Land Surveying, And Architecture: Limited Liability Partnerships
Extends the authorization for persons licensed to engage in the practice of engineering, land surveying, or architecture to form limited liability partnerships (LLPs) until January 1, 2026.
Establishes, upon a majority vote of producers, the California Cattle Council to promote the collective interests of California’s beef and cattle producers as a research and market advisory agency. Establishes a $1 per head refundable fee on cattle sold by California beef and dairy producers.
SB 1007: Sales And Use Taxes: Exemption: Military And Veteran Medical Facilities
Provides a sales tax exemption for materials and supplies donated by charitable organizations to build medical or residential facilities on a U.S. military base or U.S. Veterans Affairs medical center located in California. Applies prospectively to purchases made on and after January 1, 2019.
Requires information on the addiction risks associated with opioids to be disseminated through various specified means, including continuing education for prescribers, federal fact sheets provided to schools and youth sports organizations, and discussion with a minor or the minor’s parent/guardian before an initial prescription.
Provides that when leaving a handgun in an unattended truck, a person has the option of leaving the handgun in a “locked toolbox or utility box.” Defines a “locked toolbox or utility box” as a “fully enclosed container that is permanently affixed to the bed of a pickup truck or vehicle that does not contain a trunk, and is locked by a padlock, keylock, combination lock, or other similar locking device.”