Abortion, vaccines, transgender health: Bills to watch as California lawmakers hit crunch time
California lawmakers, back in Sacramento Monday after August recess, have one month to consider a host of bills, including measures to expand abortion access, fund transgender healthcare and allow minors to get vaccinated without parents’ consent.
Before their break, lawmakers passed a bill to put an abortion rights constitutional amendment on the November ballot, as well as several gun control measures Gov. Gavin Newsom signed in July.
Here are some of the remaining active bills legislators will consider before they bid the Capitol adieu for the session:
Reproductive healthcare access
Protections for people who experience pregnancy loss
What it is: Assembly Bill 2223 from Assemblywoman Buffy Wicks, D-Oakland, would prevent pregnant people from facing civil or criminal penalties due to “miscarriage, stillbirth, or abortion, or perinatal death due to a pregnancy-related cause.” The bill has faced a backlash from the California Family Council and other anti-abortion groups that have falsely claimed it decriminalizes infanticide.
Where it’s at: Awaiting a Monday hearing in the Senate Appropriations Committee.
Shielding pregnant people from anti-abortion laws in other states
What it is: Assembly Bill 1242 from Assemblywoman Rebecca Bauer-Kahan, D-Orinda, would prevent California law enforcement from arresting anyone performing or obtaining an abortion or cooperating with any out-of-state agency investigating an abortion in California.
Assembly Bill 2091 from Assemblywoman Mia Bonta, D-Oakland, would prohibit forcing anyone to provide information on abortion to any agencies from other states that restrict abortion.
Where it’s at: AB 1242 is awaiting a Senate Appropriations Committee hearing on Monday, and AB 2091 is schedule for a hearing on Aug. 8.
Vaccines and COVID-19
Vaccine access for minors
What it is: Senate Bill 866 from Sen. Scott Wiener, D-San Francisco, would allow teens 15 and older to get vaccines that are fully approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration without parental consent.
Where it’s at: Awaiting a full Assembly floor vote.
School COVID-19 testing plans
What it is: Senate Bill 1479 from Sen. Richard Pan, D-Sacramento, would require school districts to develop COVID-19 testing plans in cooperation with state health officials.
Where it’s at: Awaiting a Monday hearing in the Assembly Appropriations Committee.
COVID-19 misinformation in medical offices
What it is: Assembly Bill 2098 from Assemblyman Evan Low, D-Campbell, would make it “unprofessional conduct” for doctors licensed in California to share false information about COVID-19, treatments for the virus and vaccines.
Where it’s at: Awaiting a Monday hearing in the Senate Appropriations Committee.
Transgender healthcare
Protecting transgender children leaving states with discriminatory laws
What it is: Senate Bill 107, also from Wiener, would block out-of-state court judgments removing transgender children from their parents after receiving gender-affirming healthcare.
Where it’s at: Awaiting a Wednesday hearing in the Assembly Appropriations Committee.
Expanding trans-inclusive healthcare
What it is: Senate Bill 923, also from Wiener, would establish the Transgender Wellness and Equity Fund, which would focus on “coordinating trans-inclusive health care for individuals who identify as transgender, gender nonconforming, or intersex.”
Where it’s at: Awaiting a Wednesday hearing in the Assembly Appropriations Committee.
Housing and homelessness
Expediting housing production with union labor
What it is: Assembly Bill 2011, also from Wicks, would allow housing by right in infill areas zoned for office, retail and parking, as long as developers pay workers prevailing wages. Those who want to build complexes with 50 units or more would need to use apprenticeship workers and provide health benefits.
Where it’s at: Awaiting a Monday hearing in the Senate Appropriations Committee.
Gov. Gavin Newsom’s CARE Court
What it is: Senate Bill 1338 from Sen. Tom Umberg, D-Santa Ana, would enact Newsom’s Community Assistance, Recovery and Empowerment Court, which the governor has pitched as a way to compel treatment for unhoused residents who are mentally ill.
Where it’s at: Awaiting a Wednesday hearing in the Assembly Appropriations Committee.