From the Capitol

Bills Moved to Assembly, Budget News, Nonprofit of the Year

News From the Capitol

Find Out What Bills in My 2023 Legislative Package Advanced to the Assembly, Read the Latest Budget Updates, and Get To Know SD33’s Nonprofit of the Year! 

 

 

Nonprofit of the Year

  • This year, I was honored to recognize the African American Cultural Center of Long Beach (AACCLB) at the Capitol as our 2023 Nonprofit of the Year. They became a nonprofit in 2020, but long before then, and thanks to the work and advocacy of the community and leaders behind this great effort, the center has provided a communal space to preserve, honor and celebrate the heritage and advance the culture of the Black/African American community.
  • Want to Know More? Check out the history behind the AACCLB on Long Beach’s Office of Civic Innovation, and on the AACCLB website.
     

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Budget Updates

  • Legislative Budget Agreement Reached: The Senate and the Assembly reached an agreement on the 2023-24 fiscal year budget and the budget bill was passed on Thursday, June 15, 2023.
  • Detailed Summary of the Legislature’s Version of the Budget Act of 2023: More work will be done to craft the Final Version of the Budget Act of 2023. For a more detailed document that summarizes the Legislature’s version of the State Budget plan, click here.
  • The Budget Process: If you want to learn more about the budget process and upcoming deadlines, visit the Citizen’s Guide on the Budget Process, here.
     

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What’s Going On in the Legislative Process Right Now?

  • At this stage in the legislative process, bills with a winning vote in their House of Origin are moving to the Second House. Most bills require a majority vote (it must pass by 21 votes in the Senate and 41 votes in the Assembly), while urgency measures and appropriation bills require a two-thirds vote (27 in the Senate, 54 in the Assembly).
     
  • I am proud to share that 10 bills in my legislative package have passed the Senate and have moved on to the Assembly. Next, the process repeats the same way it did in the Senate. The bills will be assigned to policy committees and scheduled for hearings, and if they pass the committee hearings, they will move to the next step, which is to be presented on the Assembly Floor for a vote and (hopefully) passage by the entire house.
     

What’s coming up next?

  • If a Senate bill is amended by the Assembly, or vice versa, the house of origin must concur with those amendments. If the house of origin refuses to concur in those amendments, the bill will go to a conference committee where three members from the Senate and three from the Assembly meet to negotiate out the differences. If they agree on a single version, it goes back to both Floors for approval. Lastly, if the house of origin does concur, the bill goes to the Governor to be signed into law.
     
  • Bills In My Legislative Package Moved to the Assembly:   
     
    • SB 252
      • What it Does: Prohibits two of the largest public pension funds in the nation and our state from investing in fossil fuel companies.
      • Latest Vote: Passed the Senate with a 23-10 vote.
      • Next Step: Assembly Public Employment and Retirement Committee.
         
    • SB 394  
      • What it Does: Protects students from climate-related threats like extreme heat and flooding and prepares schools to leverage federal infrastructure dollars to modernize schools in ways that are environmentally friendly and sustainable.   
      • Latest Vote: Passed Assembly Natural Resources with a 11-0 vote.
      • Next Step: Assembly Education Committee.
         
    • SB 435
      • What it Does: Strengthens data collection to reduce health disparities for Latino and Indigenous Californians.
      • Latest Vote: Passed the Senate with a 35-0 vote.
      • Next Step: Assembly Human Services Committee.
         
    • SB 498  
      • What it Does: Promotes stronger enforcement and greater compliance with existing laws that prohibit the sale of alcohol to a person under the age of 21.
      • Latest Vote: Passed Asm Governmental Organization with a 20-0 vote.
      • Next Step: Assembly Appropriations Committee.
         
    • SB 517
      • What It Does: Designates a Freight and Supply Chain Coordinator within the Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development (GO-Biz) to serve as the coordinating entity for supply chain issues among key state agencies and stakeholders.
      • Latest Vote: Passed the Senate with a 40-0 vote.
      • Next Step: Assembly Jobs, Economic Development, and the Economy Committee.
         
    • SB 616
      • What It Does: Increases the amount paid sick leave days an employer is required to provide an employee from three days to seven.
      • Latest Vote: Passed the Senate with a 27-9 vote.
      • Next Step: Assembly Labor and Employment Committee.
         
    • SB 633
      • What It Does: Provides public higher education institutions with the ability to repurpose unused DREAM Loan funds to award supplemental grants to California Dream Act grant-eligible students.
      • Latest Vote: Passed Asm Higher Education Committee 9-2.
      • Next Step: Assembly Appropriations Committee.
         
    • SB 674
      • What It Does: Creates a statewide standard for the refinery fence-line air monitoring program to ensure that toxic pollutants are measured, and that best practices and technologies are used to better protect the health of surrounding communities.
      • Latest Vote: Passed the Senate with a 31-6 vote.
      • Next Step: Assembly Natural Resources & Judiciary Committees.
         
    • SB 695
      • What It Does: Requires the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) to collect, and make available to the public, historical data detailing roadway expansions of the state highway system (SHS) for the past ten years. Additionally, the bill requires Caltrans to report this data every year going forward. The data must include descriptions of lane miles added to the SHS, what purpose the miles serve, and features included in the project, such as complete streets and transit.
      • Latest Vote: Passed the Senate with a 40-0 vote.
      • Next Step: Assembly Transportation Committee.
         
    • SB 769
      • What It Does: Requires local agency officials, such as city council members and other members of local agency legislative bodies, to complete fiscal and financial training on their duties and responsibilities in budgeting, contracting, procurement, and other critical fiscal obligations.
      • Latest Vote: Passed the Senate with a 37-2 vote.
      • Next Step: Assembly Local Government Committee. 
         

That's all for now! Remember you can always visit the California State Senate website to Watch/Listen to Senate Events Live, view Committee Information and Agendas, review the Senate Daily File for information on measures eligible for floor actions, and much more! For more updates directly from my office make sure to follow my Twitter and Facebook social media pages.