SACRAMENTO, Calif. (CN) — A handful of California bills passed an essential financial hurdle on Friday and will now move to their respective legislative houses for a vote.
The California Assembly and Senate appropriations committees to met on Friday, Sept. 1 for "Suspense day", the last day for fiscal committees to meet and deal with pending bills. The committees sped through hundreds of bills, rapid fire voting on the fate of bills placed throughout the session in the suspense file.
Typically, if a bill has a financial impact of over $150,000 to the general fund in a fiscal year, it’ll land in the suspense file. By this point, all testimony from bill authors, supporters and opponents, and public comment have been heard. Only a vote by the appropriations committees remains.
“Every single bill that is on the suspense calendar has had a public hearing,” said Senator Anthony Portantino, a Burbank Democrat who chairs the Senate Appropriations Committee. “Today is vote only. The public hearing portion already took place.”
If a bill passes, it continues to the floor of its respective chamber, sometimes with amendments that aren't immediately available. Some bills listed on the agenda aren’t called, and those remain under submission. Others, called two-year bills, have another year to reach passage, as this is the first year of a two-year legislative term.
One closely watched bill — Senate Bill 58, authored by Senator Scott Wiener — passed the Assembly committee and is now headed to that body’s floor. If passed into law, it would legalize the possession of certain substances like psilocybin, which is found in hallucinogenic mushrooms.
“Thank you assembly appropriations committee for sending 13 of our bills to the Assembly floor,” the San Francisco Democrat posted on X, formerly called Twitter. “We’re working hard to get them passed. Onward!”
SB 423, a bill extending existing law to help streamline the development of affordable housing, also authored by Wiener, passed the committee.
The Senate Appropriations Committee also passed bills that drew controversy in earlier hearings over LGBTQ+ issues and school curriculum.
Assembly Bill 1078, authored by Assemblyman Corey Jackson, focuses on what books local school boards could remove from their shelves. While it wouldn’t create a total prohibition, districts could face monetary fees for removing them for discriminatory reasons.
Opponents have said the bill stripped local boards of power.
“I am pleased to see AB 1078 moving forward in the legislative process,” said Jackson, a Moreno Valley Democrat. “This bill continues to gain momentum as we work with the governor and our colleagues to strengthen it. Our aim is clear: to discourage book banning in California's schools and safeguard our students' access to diverse educational materials. We are committed to making this happen.”
AB 5, termed the “Safe and Supportive Schools Act,” also passed Friday’s threshold. Authored by Assemblyman Rick Zbur, a Hollywood Democrat, the bill would develop LGBTQ+ online training curriculum for teachers. Opponents have claimed the training would lead to kids being taught they were born in the wrong bodies.
Zbur posted on X that he has five bills now headed to the Senate floor.
“My bill package this year is key in the fight to end homelessness, protect workers’ rights, uplift the LGBTQ+ community, meet California’s ambitious climate goals, and expand preventive healthcare,” he wrote.
Assembly Appropriations also advanced SB 14, which stumbled in July in the Public Safety Committee and led Governor Gavin Newsom to chime in.
The bill, written by Senator Shannon Grove, a Bakersfield Republican, would make “human trafficking of a minor for purposes of a commercial sex act” a serious felony, which carries greater penalties. It failed in the Public Safety Committee, only to return to that body and pass onto Appropriations after Newsom told reporters he “cares deeply” about the issue.
“The amendment affirms what is already in statute to ensure victims of human trafficking are protected. This bill has strong bipartisan support with 64 coauthors from both parties and both houses,” Grove said in a statement on her website. “Protecting victims of child sex trafficking should not be a partisan issue. Today is a victory for every survivor.”
She added: “However, the fight to make the human trafficking of a child a serious felony is not yet finished and I urge every Californian to stay engaged until the bill is signed into law.”
Assembly Appropriations also pushed forward Assembly Constitutional Amendment 1. If passed by voters, the amendment would lower the threshold required at the polls from two-thirds to 55% in local elections dealing with general obligation bonds and certain special taxes for supportive housing projects, affordable housing and public infrastructure.
It requires a two-thirds vote of both legislative chambers and a simple majority at the polls to pass.
Not all bills listed on the agenda were heard, preventing them from moving forward. One of those was AB 67, the Homeless Courts Pilot Program. Authored by Assemblyman Al Muratsuchi, a Torrance Democrat, it would have created a grant program for local governments that wanted to make homeless courts — an alternative to traditional criminal court.
Subscribe to Closing Arguments
Sign up for new weekly newsletter Closing Arguments to get the latest about ongoing trials, major litigation and hot cases and rulings in courthouses around the U.S. and the world.
Additional Reads
-
Mistrial Declared in Karen Read Murder Trial July 2, 2024 -
Continental debate July 2, 2024
