Bills on Brown’s desk
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Here's a look at a few of the approximately 700 bills – the vast majority authored by Democrats who control the Legislature – on Gov. Jerry Brown’s desk. He has until Sept. 30 to act.
– Dan Smith, Jim Sanders, Kevin Yamamura and Laurel Rosenhall of The Bee Capitol Bureau -
Transportation
Texting
Vetoed by Gov. Brown on Sept. 28
SB 1310
Sen. Joe Simitian, D-Palo Alto
What it would have done: Increase penalties for motorists who violate state's texting or cellphone-while-driving law.
Analysis: The Assembly removed part of the bill banning handheld cellphone use while bicycling. Most Republicans opposed the measure. -
Transportation
Bicycles
Vetoed by Gov. Jerry Brown on Sept. 28
SB 1464
Sen. Alan Lowenthal, D-Long Beach
What it would have done: Require motorists to give bicyclists traveling the same direction a three-foot margin.
Analysis: The Automobile Club of Southern California supported the bill, along with bicycle advocates and some legislative Republicans. -
Law and order
Murder
Signed by Gov. Brown on Sept. 30
SB 9
Sen. Leland Yee, D-San Francisco
What it will do: Allow some juvenile murderers to seek resentencing to receive 25 years to life.
Analysis: By narrowing its scope, Yee revived a bill that many Democrats opposed a year ago. Brown will have to decide between religion-based supporters and law enforcement, district attorneys and victims' groups, who oppose the bill. -
Law and order
Dog hunting
Signed by Gov. Brown on Sept. 26
SB 1221
Sen. Ted Lieu, D-Torrance
What it will do: Restrict the use of dogs to hunt bears and bobcats.
Analysis: One of the most ferocious lobbying battles of the year played out between hunting enthusiasts and the Humane Society of the United States, which seeks to end a practice it believes is cruel. -
Law and order
Guns
Signed by Gov. Brown Sept. 28
AB 1527
Assemblyman Anthony Portantino, D-La Cañada-Flintridge
What it will do: Ban, with some exceptions, openly carrying unloaded rifles in public.
Analysis: The bill extends to long guns a ban for handguns signed by Brown last year.
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Health
Immunizations
Signed by Gov. Brown on Sept. 30
AB 2109
Assemblyman Richard Pan, D-Sacramento
What it will do: Require parents to receive information from a health-care provider before exempting their child from immunizations because of their beliefs.
Analysis: Pan, a doctor, said the bill is intended to help make sure parents are aware of health risks associated with not vaccinating their children. But Republicans and some parents groups said the bill is burdensome, bureaucratic and discriminatory. -
Health
Reparative therapy
Signed by Gov. Brown on Sept. 30
SB 1172
Sen. Ted Lieu, D-Torrance
What it will do: Prohibit anti-gay therapy for minors.
Analysis: The California Catholic Conference remained opposed, but Lieu was able to defuse opposition from groups representing psychiatrists and psychologists. -
Health
Health plans
Vetoed by Gov. Brown on Sept. 30
AB 1461/SB 961
Assemblyman Bill Monning, D-Carmel; Sen. Ed Hernandez, D-West Covina
What they would do: Require health plans and insurers to guarantee coverage regardless of pre-existing medical conditions. Prohibit higher premiums based on health factors. Prevent insurers from charging higher rates for smokers.
Analysis: The bills enable California to carry out one of the most significant parts of the 2010 federal health care overhaul - requiring insurers to ignore pre-existing medical conditions. The legislation is backed by labor unions and consumer organizations but opposed by health insurers, who want to charge higher rates for smokers.
Signed by Gov. Brown on Sept. 30
AB 1453/SB 951
Assemblyman Bill Monning, D-Carmel; Sen. Ed Hernandez, D-West Covina
What they would do: Set the minimum standard for medical services that California health plans and insurers must offer starting in 2014, based on the 2010 federal health care overhaul. These include emergency treatment, maternity and newborn care, mental health services and lab work, among others.
Analysis: The bills are backed by health consumer advocates, who say individuals sign up for coverage they believe to be comprehensive only to learn that many services are excluded. Chiropractors are concerned that the California standard will not cover their care.
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Health
Abortion
Signed by Gov. Brown on Sept. 11
SB 623
Sen. Christine Kehoe, D-San Diego
What it will do: Expand an ongoing pilot program allowing nurse practitioners, midwives and physician assistants to perform non-surgical abortions.
Analysis: Planned Parenthood and other supporters believe an extended study will provide more accurate data in the effort to make a permanent change. Abortion rights opponents say the policy is not safe. -
Immigration
Deportation
Vetoed by Gov. Brown on Sept. 30
AB 1081
Assemblyman Tom Ammiano, D-San Francisco
What it would have done: Ensure that illegal immigrants arrested for minor offenses will not be deported.
Analysis: Supporters say the measure would build trust between immigrant communities and local police. The state sheriff's association, meanwhile, says the bill would create liability by forcing them to ignore federal requests to hold undocumented immigrants.
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Immigration
Signed by Gov. Brown on Sept. 30
AB 2189
Driver's licenses
Assemblyman Gil Cedillo, D-Los Angeles
What it would do: Ensure that DMV will accept Deferred Action documents and grant driver's licenses to undocumented immigrants who meet the criteria to participate in that federal program.
Analysis: The bill caps a years-long quest by Cedillo to allow licenses for some illegal immigrants. Brown has indicated, through the DMV, that he will allow this approach. -
Labor
Pensions
Signed by Gov. Brown on Sept. 12
AB 340
What it will do: Among other provisions, cap pension benefits and lower benefit formulas for state and local government employees hired after Jan. 1. Require current and future public employees to pay half the cost of their pension within five years.
Analysis: It's not everything Gov. Jerry Brown wanted, but he has praised the final package as a "bold step forward." -
Labor
Workers' compensation
Signed by Gov. Brown on Sept. 18
SB 863
Sen. Kevin de León, D-Los Angeles
What it will do: Increase benefits for workers injured on the job by creating savings through changes to the workers' compensation system that are likely to reduce lawsuits filed over treatment and compensation.
Analysis: Labor and employers agreed on the changes, and Brown called it "an extraordinary bill" the day it passed. Attorneys representing injured workers remain opposed.
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Labor
Heat rules
Vetoed by Gov. Brown on Sept. 30
AB 2676
Assemblyman Charles Calderon, D-Whittier
What it would have done: Establish criminal penalties for farmers who fail to provide farmworkers with "continuous, ready access" to shade and enough "suitably cool" water for each employee to drink one quart per hour.
Analysis: Opponents in agriculture say the bill goes beyond Cal-OSHA requirements and unfairly singles out their industry for criminal penalties while leaving out other outdoor workplaces.
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Labor
Retirement savings
Signed by Gov. Jerry Brown on Sept. 28
SB 1234
Sen. Kevin de León, D-Los Angeles
What it will do: Establish state-run retirement savings plan with a guaranteed benefit for private sector employees not otherwise covered by a retirement plan.
Analysis: Unions and de León contend the plan would provide retirement security for those without it - perhaps reducing the "pension envy" aimed at public sector workers. But employers and private sector retirement providers counter that the plan could put the state on the hook for billions in unfunded liability. -
Environment
Signed by Gov. Brown on Sept. 25
AB 845
Landfills Assemblywoman Fiona Ma, D-San Francisco
What it would do: It ensures that San Francisco can continue to haul trash to Solano County, despite local voters' approval of a ballot measure to stop it.
Analysis: Brown will weigh the arguments of environmentalists and most cities, who say local governments and their voters should make solid waste decisions, against waste haulers and others who say waste disposal is a state issue. -
Taxes
Timber
Signed by Gov. Brown on Sept. 11
AB 1492
What it will do: Impose 1 percent tax on lumber sold in California and reduce wildfire damage liability for major landowners.
Analysis: Brown pushed this measure, which was embraced by environmentalists because it would generate money for state agencies that regulate tree-cutting. Timber companies also supported the bill, which relaxes their regulatory burdon, shifts costs to consumers, and reduces fire liability. Lumber retailers, however, opposed the tax.
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Taxes
Tax breaks
Signed by Gov. Brown on Sept. 30
AB 2026
Assemblyman Felipe Fuentes, D-Sylmar
What it will do: Extend for two years a $100 million program of tax breaks for California film industry.
Analysis: Originally signed into law by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, the program targets film projects in which 75 percent of the shooting days take place in California or 75 percent of the production budget pays for services, purchases or property rental in the state. Critics have questioned its usefulness in retaining the industry. -
Education
Textbooks
Signed by Gov. Brown on Sept. 27 SB 1052/SB 1053
Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg, D-Sacramento
What they will do: Provide for development of digital textbooks for 50 of the most widely taken lower-division courses at the University of California, California State University and the state's community colleges. Establish digital open-source library.
Analysis: Intended to reduce student costs, the bills sailed through on bipartisan votes after book publishers removed their opposition. Amendments removed a requirement that publishers provide free copies of textbooks in college libraries. -
Other
Ronald Reagan
Signed by Gov. Brown on Sept. 28 AB 2358
Assemblyman Curt Hagman, R-Chino Hills
What it will do: Authorize and plan to build a Ronald Reagan statue at the Capitol with private funds.
Analysis: This bill produced a lot of debate about the virtues of the former governor and president, but no ‘no' votes. Would Brown actually veto a bill that honors the man who defeated his father in the 1966 governor's race? -
Other
Voters
Signed by Gov. Brown on Sept. 24 AB 1436
Assemblyman Mike Feuer, D-Los Angeles
What it will do: Allow qualified residents to register to vote up until and on Election Day.
Analysis: The provision would not be implemented until at least the 2014 election. The legislative debate broke sharply along partisan lines. Democrats said the move would encourage more voter participation; Republicans said it would breed more voter fraud. -
Other
Disability lawsuits
SB 1186
Signed by Gov. Brown on Sept. 19
Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg, D-Sacramento, and Sen. Bob Dutton, R-Rancho Cucamonga
What it will do: Regulate lawsuits and limit awards in some cases alleging violations of disability access laws. Analysis: Aimed at what some see as a flood of disability lawsuits, the bill won strong bipartisan support despite opposition from Disability Rights California.
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Other
Multiple parents
Vetoed by Gov. Brown on Sept. 30
SB 1476
Sen. Mark Leno, D-San Francisco
What it would have done: Allow judges to split custody, child support or visitation rights among three or more people who had acted as parents to a child.
Analysis: Supporters pushed for the change in an era of surrogate births, same-sex parenthood and assisted reproduction. But opponents, including Republicans and family law groups, countered that the courts are not prepared to deal with unintended consequences of the change.
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