2021 Legislation
Digital Inclusion and Tech Equity
SB 4 – Broadband for All
Signed into law
Secures continuous funding and implements a number of critically needed reforms to the California Advanced Services Fund program administered by the California Public Utilities Commission to help close the digital divide and meet the connectivity needs of Californians.
SB 378 - Broadband Deployment Best Practices
Signed into law
Promotes the deployment of broadband infrastructure and internet connectivity for all Californians by requiring local jurisdictions to allow fiber cables to be installed using cost-effective techniques.
Environment, Transportation, Air Quality, and Clean Water
SB 342 - South Coast Air Quality Management District Board Environmental Justice Representation
Two-year bill
Empowers community involvement and promotes equity by adding two environmental justice representatives to the South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD) governing board.
SB 403 - Consolidation of At-Risk Water Districts
Signed into law
Prevents water contamination and water system failures in disadvantaged communities throughout California by authorizing the State Water Resources Control Board to mandate the consolidation of a water system that is at-risk of failing.
SB 635 - Cleaning California’s Roads
Held in committee
Addresses the root problems causing the buildup of roadside litter and debris on California’s roadways by requiring the Department of Transportation (Caltrans), in collaboration with the Office of the Inspector General, to develop a comprehensive assessment on the state’s roadside cleanup activities. SB 635 will also require Caltrans to create an advisory board in coordination with state and local entities that will develop strategies to reach cleanup targets.
SB 635 Bill Language
SB 635 Fact Sheet
Addresses the root problems causing the buildup of roadside litter and debris on California’s roadways by requiring the Department of Transportation (Caltrans), in collaboration with the Office of the Inspector General, to develop a comprehensive assessment on the state’s roadside cleanup activities. SB 635 will also require Caltrans to create an advisory board in coordination with state and local entities that will develop strategies to reach cleanup targets.
SB 635 Bill Language
SB 635 Fact Sheet
SB 671 – Clean Freight Corridor Assessment
Signed into law
Requires the California Transportation Commission (CTC) to collaborate with relevant state agencies to develop a Clean Freight Corridor Assessment. The assessment will develop clean freight guidelines,
considering alternative fueling infrastructure, road safety and congestion for onboarding cleaner emission freight vehicles for the five most polluting freight corridors in California.
considering alternative fueling infrastructure, road safety and congestion for onboarding cleaner emission freight vehicles for the five most polluting freight corridors in California.
SB 726 - Revitalizing the Clean Transportation Program
Two-year bill
Reauthorizes and revitalizes the state’s Clean Transportation Program (CTP) by prioritizing equity and aligning the program with the state’s current environmental targets. The CTP generates millions annually to fund projects advancing thirteen different clean transportation goals, ranging from demonstration and deployment projects that optimize alternative fuels and vehicles, to alternative fuel infrastructure projects.
SB 776 - Safe and Affordable Drinking Water
Signed into law
Enhances the State Water Resources Control Board’s ability to effectively and efficiently implement the Safe and Affordable Drinking Fund Program and other safe drinking water efforts.
Economic Development, Women, Children, and Working Families
SB 338 - Protecting Port Truck Drivers
Signed into law
Protects essential port drayage truck drivers from wage theft, employment misclassification, and other systemic business model structures that deny disability benefits, PPE, and other health and safety protections to workers.
SB 452 - Establishment of the Immigration and Refugee Affairs Agency
Two-year bill
Establishes a permanent governmental structure, the California Immigrant and Refugee Affairs Agency, tasked with addressing the needs of California’s immigrant and refugee population.
SB 606 – Workplace Safety Enforcement
Signed into law
Implements stronger enforcement measures for egregious and flagrant employer violations in order to keep workers safe as California continues to fight the spread of COVID-19. In addition, SB 606 protects workers from employer retaliation by establishing a rebuttable presumption of retaliation to ensure that workers feel safe to come forward and report unsafe working conditions.
Health Access and Affordability
SB 245 - The Abortion Accessibility Act
Two-year bill
Requires all state-licensed health care service plans or disability insurance policies issued after 2022, to cover abortion services without a co-payment, deductible, or any type of cost-sharing requirement.
SB 245 Bill Language
SB 245 Fact Sheet
Requires all state-licensed health care service plans or disability insurance policies issued after 2022, to cover abortion services without a co-payment, deductible, or any type of cost-sharing requirement.
SB 245 Bill Language
SB 245 Fact Sheet
SB 283 - Strengthening the Equal Insurance HIV Act of 2020
Signed into law
Strengthens the Equal Insurance HIV Act of 2020 (Act) by clarifying and making technical changes to the provisions set forth in the Act, which prohibit an insurer from declining an insurance application or enrollment solely based on a positive HIV test.