Caucus News

All drunk driving offenders would be required to install ignition interlock devices in their cars under a bill introduced by state Senator Jerry Hill in memory of Matthew Klotzbach, a Naval Academy midshipman who was riding home to Livermore after an outing with his family when a drunk driver broadsided the Klotzbachs’ vehicle, killing the 22-year-old. Senate Bill 545, the Matthew Klotzbach Mandatory Ignition Interlock for DUI Offender Act of 2019, restores the requirement for anyone convicted of drunk driving, including first-time offenders not involved in injury accidents, to install igni

SACRAMENTO – Dr. Richard Pan, a pediatrician and state senator representing the Sacramento area, and Assemblymember Ash Kalra, representing San Jose, today announced new legislation that is the first step toward building a new program to finance long-term services and supports (LTSS) for California’s working and middle-class families.

Sacramento, California– Senator Anthony J. Portantino (D–La Cañada Flintridge) has introduced a bill that would more efficiently doll out degrees to students who have completed coursework and earned an Associate Degree for Transfer (ADT) at the time of transfer.  Under the current system, many students who transfer from California Community Colleges to an UC or CSU do so without their Associate Degrees for Transfer even after earning them.  Senator Portantino seeks to end this inefficient and penalizing system.

Sacramento– Today, Senators Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco) and Bill Dodd (D-Napa), and Assemblymember Buffy Wicks (D-Oakland) announced a legislative package to reduce food insecurity among Californians, by increasing the number of families and individuals who can access CalFresh (formerly called food stamps), the state’s most effective anti-hunger program.  Over 4.1 million low-income households in California are currently food unsecure, and California is among the lowest-performing states to connect households to federal food assistance.

SACRAMENTO – Low-income Californians would finally get the protection they need from debt collectors who are attempting to zero-out their checking accounts with a bill introduced today by Senator Bob Wieckowski (D-Fremont).  SB 616 prevents collectors from taking the last $2,000 from an individual’s account, ensuring that people have some minimal money to pay for daily living expenses.

(SACRAMENTO) – Senator Richard D. Roth, Chair of Budget Sub. No. 1, Education, has introduced Senate Bill 461 to offer college students financial flexibility by making a greater investment in direct-to-student need-based financial aid. SB 461 expands the Cal Grant program, allowing students to receive an additional Summer Cal Grant award for two summer terms of up to 9 units.

While the state’s Cal Grant system is robust, it doesn’t provide dedicated funding for students who want to take advantage of summer courses.

SACRAMENTO – California Senate President pro Tempore Toni G. Atkins (D-San Diego) issued the following statement in response to today’s announcement that the Trump Administration will bar groups that provide abortion referrals from receiving Title X family planning funding.

SACRAMENTO—Today, Senator Anna M. Caballero introduced SB 567, which expands worker’s compensation protections for first responder healthcare workers, the majority of which are women.

Sacramento, California–Senator Anthony J. Portantino (D–La Cañada Flintridge) has introduced legislation, SB 600, which will insure health insurance coverage for cancer patients and others fighting diseases through aggressive treatments the options to protect their fertility. Senator Portantino has been endeavoring to solve this public health issue for over a decade by helping patients have fertility options. This has been a passion of his as a father of two daughters. 

SACRAMENTO – Senator Connie M. Leyva (D-Chino) introduced legislation earlier today that would require companies selling beauty or personal care products in California to report the presence of toxic fragrance and flavor ingredients in their products to the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) Safe Cosmetics Program.  This information would then be publicly available through CDPH’s Safe Cosmetics Database.