Today's Events

AB 1426, as it passed the Assembly, deleted a prohibition on the Public Utilities Commission approving funding from the Broadband Infrastructure Grant Account, an account within the California Advanced Services Fund, for a project to deploy broadband to a delineated unserved area if the existing facility-based broadband provider demonstrates that it will deploy broadband or upgrade existing broadband service throughout the project area, as provided.

The Senate amendments delete the contents of AB 1426, as it passed the Assembly and instead expressly include nonprofit religious organizations as being within the nonprofit organizations that are eligible applicants for moneys from the Broadband Adoption Account, another account within the California Advanced Services Fund.

Vote: 41. Substantial substantive change: yes.

AB 1576, as it passed the Assembly, required the superior court to allow an attorney or other officer of the superior court access to a lactation room that is provided to court employees with priority to court employees.

The Senate amendments, instead, commencing July 1, 2024, require the superior court to provide any court user access to a lactation room in any courthouse in which a lactation room is also provided to court employees, as specified. The Senate amendments require the lactation room for court users to be located within the court facility in an area that is accessible, or reasonably accessible, to the public, and require, except as provided, the lactation room for court users to meet all of the requirements imposed upon an employer with respect to providing a lactation room for employees.

Vote: 41. Substantial substantive change: yes.

AB 1598, as it passed the Assembly, excluded testing equipment that is used to analyze a substance for the presence of, among other things, fentanyl or any analog of fentanyl from existing prohibitions on the manufacture, sale, and possession of drug paraphernalia, as specified.

The Senate amendments retain those changes to existing law and add a statement of the Legislature’s intent that exempting the testing equipment does not affect the ability to lawfully possess, furnish, or transfer paraphernalia that is otherwise in accordance with state laws, as specified.

Vote: 41. Substantial substantive change: yes.

AB 1682, as it passed the Assembly, among other things, included a marine safety or lifeguard agency as entities that perform public safety activities authorized to use distinctive blue lights while engaged in direct law enforcement activities. AB 1682 exempted vessels clearly identifiable as lifeguard rescue vessels and vessels engaged in public safety activities from a 5 miles per hour speed limit in specified areas of the ocean.

The Senate amendments, among other things, delete the above-described authorization for a marine safety or lifeguard agency to use distinctive blue lights while engaged in direct law enforcement activities. The Senate amendments additionally add other categories of vessels that are exempt from the 5 miles per hour speed limit, including personal water craft clearly identifiable as a lifeguard rescue vessel engaged in public safety activities, public safety vessels engaged in public safety activities, and personal water craft, clearly identifiable as a lifeguard rescue vessel or public safety vessels, operating within the surf zone.

Vote: 41. Substantial substantive change: yes.

AB 1929, as it passed the Assembly, required the State Department of Health Care Services to establish a community violence prevention and recovery program under which violence preventive services would be available to a Medi-Cal beneficiary who meets various circumstances, including that the beneficiary has been violently injured as a result of community violence, and, among other things, required the department to approve one or more related training and certification programs.

The Senate amendments instead include violence prevention services, as defined, as a covered benefit under Medi-Cal, subject to medical necessity and utilization controls and require the department to post on its internet website the date upon which violence prevention services may be provided and billed.

Vote: 41. Substantial substantive change: yes.

AB 2217, as it passed the Assembly, required the Department of Housing and Community Development to consider setting higher per-unit and total project allocations for certain grants made pursuant to the CalHome program based on local development costs when appropriate, and to consider increasing the maximum unit and project allocations for each new round of funding.

The Senate amendments would, instead, require the department to consider adjustments to the maximum unit and project allocations for each new round of funding.

Vote: 41. Substantial substantive change: yes.

AB 2687, as it passed the Assembly, authorized the California Massage Therapy Council to appoint an attorney licensed by the State Bar of California who has been practicing law for at least 3 years and who at the time of appointment represents a city, county, or city and county in the state. AB 2687 extended the operation of the Massage Therapy Act until January 1, 2027.

The Senate amendments also specify that the council has the discretion to give credit for comparable academic work completed by an applicant toward certification as a massage therapist, if an applicant has received education at a school located outside of California or a school located in a country outside of the United States that does not meet specified requirements. The Senate amendments additionally delay the operative date to January 1, 2027, for the requirement that an applicant, to obtain certification as a massage therapist, meet certain requirements, including having passed a massage and bodywork competency assessment examination that meets generally recognized psychometric principles and standards and that is approved by the council.

Vote: 41. Substantial substantive change: yes.