Caucus News

Senator Anthony J. Portantino

Senator Portantino Legislation to Aid Homeless College Students in California Passes the California State Senate

May 24, 2019

Sacramento, California – Senator Anthony J. Portantino’s (D–La Cañada Flintridge) SB 568 to address the problem of homelessness amongst college students passed the California State Senate. SB 568 would establish the College-Focused Rapid Rehousing Program, which seeks to provide housing options for homeless students.  It would also provide services to support homeless students as they transition into stable housing.

Senator Bill Dodd

Sen. Dodd’s Plan to Boost Ag Conservation Clears Senate

May 24, 2019

SACRAMENTO – Sen. Bill Dodd, D-Napa, announced today that his legislation to enhance conservation on California’s more than 76,000 farms and ranches by offering incentives and technical assistance to those that adopt practices to help wildlife and the environment has cleared the Senate.

Senator Bill Dodd

Lawmakers Approve Transportation Project Savings Bill

May 24, 2019

SACRAMENTO – Sen. Bill Dodd, D-Napa, announced today that his legislation to reduce the cost of road projects that use federal transportation funds, allowing more improvements with the same amount of money, cleared Senate with unanimous support.

“My bill would streamline an often duplicative and bureaucratic process, making every transportation dollar count,” Sen. Dodd said. “We can use that savings to expand both the number and quality of projects, providing Californians with the good roads they deserve.”

Senator Toni Atkins

PRESS RELEASE: Leader Atkins Announces Senators to Serve on the 2019-20 Budget Conference Committee

May 24, 2019

SACRAMENTO – California Senate President pro Tempore Toni G. Atkins (D-San Diego) today announced that the Senate Rules Committee has appointed the following Senators to the 2019-20 Budget Conference Committee:

Senator Holly J. Mitchell (D-Los Angeles), Chair
Senator John M. W. Moorlach (R-Costa Mesa)
Senator Jim Nielsen (R-Tehama)
Senator Richard D. Roth (D-Riverside)
Senator Nancy Skinner (D-Berkeley)

Senator Bill Dodd

Lawmakers Approve State Disaster Insurance Bill

May 24, 2019

SACRAMENTO – Legislation from Sen. Bill Dodd, D-Napa, Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara and Treasurer Fiona Ma that would protect state coffers from unexpected disaster expenses has cleared the Senate. Senate Bill 290 authorizes the governor to take out an insurance policy that pays off when California is hit with response costs such as in the case of the recent wildfires.

Senator Anna M. Caballero

California State Senate Approves SB 697, Expanding the Role of Physician Assistants

May 24, 2019

SACRAMENTO—Today, Senate Bill 697 by state Senator Anna M. Caballero, D-Salinas, received bipartisan support by the state Senate with a vote of 37-0. SB 697, eliminates the outmoded requirement that each PA work with a single physician, and ends the disparities between PAs and other medical providers in similar professional regulations.

Many physicians and PAs currently work in group practices or hospital settings where archaic state laws interfere with practice-level decisions about how patient-care teams can best meet the quality and access needs of patients.

Bob Wieckowski

Senate approves Wieckowski tax credit bill to provide relief on student debt interest paid

May 23, 2019

SACRAMENTO ­– State Senator Bob Wieckowski’s (D-Fremont) bill to provide up to a $1,000 tax credit to Californians paying off their student loan debt passed the state Senate today with strong bipartisan support.  SB 477 now heads to the Assembly for consideration.

Senator Scott Wiener

Senate Passes Senator Wiener’s Ocean Resiliency Act of 2019, to Improve and Protect the Health of California’s Ocean Ecosystems and Coastal Communities

May 23, 2019

Sacramento–  Today, Senator Scott Wiener’s (D-San Francisco) Senate Bill 69, the Ocean Resiliency Act of 2019, which aims to improve and protect the health of the Pacific Ocean off of California’s coastline passed the Senate with a 27-6 vote. It will now head to the Assembly for committee hearings in the coming weeks. SB 69 will restore ocean habitats, such as coastal wetlands, that sequester greenhouse gas emissions; protect keystone species in order to maintain biodiversity; and safeguard the streams and rivers.

Holly J. Mitchell

May 23, 2019: Sen. Holly J. Mitchell - Costs of calls and commissary items would be cut under SB 555

May 23, 2019

Sen. Holly J. Mitchell on how costs of calls and commissary items for inmates would be cut under Senate Bill 555. Approved today by the Senate, SB 555 now goes to the Assembly.

Holly J. Mitchell

May 23, 2019: VIDEO - Sen. Holly J. Mitchell - Costs of jail calls and commissary items would be cut under SB 555

May 23, 2019

Sen. Holly J. Mitchell on how costs of jail calls and commissary items for inmates would be cut under Senate Bill 555. Approved today by the Senate, SB 555 now goes to the Assembly.