Latest Press Releases

The State Senate held a session on Friday, 6/10, in order to begin debate and voting on measures related to the State Budget.

06/09/11 - Senator President pro Tem Darrell Steinberg (D-Sacramento) plans to begin debating and voting on state budget related bills – including the budget bill itself – at Friday’s 6/10 Senate session. 

Sacramento –Senate Bill 26, authored by Senator Alex Padilla (D-Pacoima), was unanimously approved by the California State Senate today and will now advance to the Assembly.  SB 26 would crack down on the smuggling and use of cell phones and other wireless communication devices in California prisons.  The bill includes tough penalties for both smugglers and inmates.  Current law does not provide any criminal or financial sanctions for smuggling cell phones to inmates.

SACRAMENTO – The State Senate has voted 37 to 0 to approve Senate Bill 514, by State Senator Joe Simitian (D-Palo Alto), which prohibits the sale of over the counter cough medicine containing dextromethorphan (DXM) to minors.

Legislation would expand public record laws at public universities
 
SACRAMENTO – On a 38-1 bipartisan vote, the California Senate has approved legislation authored by Senator Leland Yee (D-San Francisco) to bring greater transparency and accountability to California’s public higher education institutions – University of California, California State University, and the state’s community college system.

SACRAMENTO – A measure by Sen. Ted W. Lieu, D-Torrance, that seeks to protect grieving families from disruptive protests while balancing constitutionally sanctioned, free-speech protections sailed through the Senate today on a bipartisan 36-1 vote.
 

SACRAMENTO – On 38-1 bipartisan vote, the Senate has approved legislation to protect consumers from fraudulent repair of car airbags.

SB 869 – authored by Senator Leland Yee (D-San Francisco) – would create a new crime of $5,000 and/or one year in prison for an automotive repair dealer who purports to replace a deployed airbag but who in fact fails to fully repair and restore it.