Assemblymember Jones-Sawyer’s Bills Pass the Legislature Heading to the Governor for Signature

(Sacramento) – Assemblymember Jones-Sawyer (D-South Los Angeles) announces the following bills have passed the Legislature and head to the Governor’s Desk for signature:

AB 371 – E-Scooter Braille and Liability Protections for Pedestrians:

Ensures pedestrians, especially those with disabilities, are extended existing liability coverage if they are injured by an e-scooter whether in use or parked inappropriately, as well as requires the addition of braille and tactile signage with raised characters for those who are blind or have visual impairments.

AB 858 – Patient Protections from Biased or Inaccurate Medical Algorithms:

Reduces racial bias against patients of color in our healthcare system and promotes patient safety, as well as protects healthcare workers from retaliation for overriding an algorithm when it is in the patient’s best interest and within their scope of practice.

AB 1655 – Juneteenth State Holiday Act:

Establishes June 19^th as a paid holiday throughout the state to commemorate the end of slavery in the United States.

AB 1766 – California ID’s For All:

Expands California Identification Card (CA ID) eligibility to all Californians, regardless of their immigration status.(Joint Author).

AB 1782 – Incarcerated Peoples’ Welfare Fund:

Renames counties’ Inmate Welfare Funds to “Incarcerated Peoples’ Welfare Funds,” and ensures money deposited in the funds must be spent solely for the benefit, education, and welfare of the incarcerated peoples, and not for personnel salaries and benefits.

AB 1803 – Ability-To-Pay Expungement Fees:

Ensures income-status is not a barrier to crucial reentry relief by guaranteeing court fees are waived if a person petitioning for expungement has low-income or lives in poverty.

AB 2043 – Bounty Hunter Licenses:

Increases oversight of the bail/bond industry by requiring bounty hunters to become licensed by the state.

AB 2195 – The Alternative Plea Act:

Provides prosecutors with the option to offer an alternative plea, and possibly avoid deportation, to individuals facing drug convictions.

AB 2294 – Organized Retail Theft:

Clarifies law enforcement can take a person into custody on a misdemeanor if they have been cited for theft in the past 6 months. Also, renews local authority to create a diversion program for people who commit repeat theft offenses and calls for grant funding.

AB 2296 – Reparations Task Force Clean-Up:

Extends the Reparations Task Force sunset date from July 1, 2023 to July 1, 2024 so the Task Force can continue their pivotal work for an additional year.

AB 2321 – Juvenile Room Confinement:

Closes a loophole in existing law that allows minors to be locked in rooms for indefinite amounts of time, as well as ensures minors and wards have adequate access to toilets at all times.

AB 2595 – Parental Cannabis Use:

Tasks the Department of Social Services to ensure that, absent abuse and neglect, children are not separated from their families solely because there was legal cannabis in the household, mirroring that of children not being separated solely because there is alcohol or legally prescribed medication in the household.

AB 2746 – Decriminalizing License Suspensions:

Reduces racial and income-based disparities of minor traffic laws by eliminating license suspensions based solely on a failure to appear in court, and making the first two offenses an infraction for driving without a license. (Joint Author).

AB 2799 – Decriminalizing Creative Expression:

Protects against biased use of creative expression as evidence in trial by requiring courts to thoroughly evaluate the merit of creative expression, such as art and music, as evidence in a pre-trial hearing.

AB 2873 – Affordable Housing Supplier Diversity Act:

Promotes supplier diversity in the affordable housing industry by requiring that developers share data on supplier demographics.

All 15 bills are pending the Governor’s signature. The last day for the Governor to sign or veto bills by the Legislature before September 1^st and in the Governor's possession on or after September 1^st.

Assemblymember Reginald Byron Jones-Sawyer, Sr. represents South Los Angeles, Florence-Firestone, Walnut Park, and a portion of Huntington Park. For more information about Assemblymember Jones-Sawyer, Sr., please visit https://a57.asmdc.org/