TheRepublic.com - California State Legislature News

Lawmaker cancels Vegas fundraiser after report

Tue, 21 May 2013 20:08:17 -0400

SACRAMENTO, California - A California state senator has canceled a Las Vegas fundraiser after a newspaper reported that the host of the party could benefit from pending legislation.

Bill backs Calif. mental health treatment program

Mon, 20 May 2013 21:26:15 -0400

SACRAMENTO, California - The state Senate approved legislation Monday making it clear that counties can use money from a special state tax on millionaires for programs that provide court-ordered mental health treatment for those who refuse to get help on their own.

Bill adds community college classes at higher cost

Mon, 20 May 2013 20:49:06 -0400

SACRAMENTO, California - Students at California community colleges could see additional class options for short summer and winter sessions under a bill that passed the state Assembly on Monday, but those courses would come with a higher price tag.

Calif. bill would strip secrecy from health agency

Mon, 20 May 2013 19:58:10 -0400

LOS ANGELES - Two lawmakers are pushing legislation to strip broad secrecy provisions from the state agency overseeing health care reforms in California that could shield from the public how hundreds of millions of dollars are spent, officials said Monday.

Senate OKs regulations for medicinal marijuana

Mon, 20 May 2013 18:51:46 -0400

SACRAMENTO, California - California would take steps to regulate the sale of medical marijuana under a bill approved Monday by the state Senate, restricting cannabis dispensaries that federal prosecutors say have grown out of control.

Bill ensures paid family leave for Calif. workers

Sun, 19 May 2013 13:29:22 -0400

SACRAMENTO, California - California businesses would be prohibited from firing or retaliating against employees who take advantage of the state's paid family leave program under a job-protection bill moving through the Legislature.

Bill calls for considering bridge suicide barriers

Thu, 16 May 2013 20:20:19 -0400

SACRAMENTO, California - Suicide barriers could be included on more California bridges as a result of a bill advancing through the Legislature.

Calif. bill would limit local immigrant detentions

Thu, 16 May 2013 19:41:16 -0400

SACRAMENTO, California - People living in the country illegally could not be detained for deportation if they are arrested for a minor crime, under a bill passed Thursday by the California Assembly.

Bill promotes violence-awareness in Calif. schools

Thu, 16 May 2013 18:08:50 -0400

SACRAMENTO, California - The state Senate approved a bill on Thursday that would require education officials to create lesson plans about violence in American culture - the Legislature's latest reaction to mass shootings last year elsewhere in the nation.

Democrat Norma Torres wins state Senate seat

Wed, 15 May 2013 10:08:11 -0400

SACRAMENTO, California - Democrat Norma Torres handily won a state Senate seat in a Southern California special election after outspending her opponent in an overwhelmingly Democratic district.

Assembly OKs bill preventing school bond conflicts

Mon, 13 May 2013 21:09:03 -0400

SACRAMENTO, California - California lawmakers advanced a bill Monday that would prevent taxpayer money from being used to promote local bond measures.

State Senate OKs ski safety legislation

Mon, 13 May 2013 20:10:05 -0400

SACRAMENTO, California - The state Senate on Monday passed a bill that would require California ski resorts to prepare an annual safety plan and post those reports on their websites.

Assembly OKs transgender student accommodations

Thu, 09 May 2013 19:02:53 -0400

SACRAMENTO, California - Transgender students would have the right to use public school restrooms and participate on sports teams that correspond with their expressed genders under a bill approved Thursday in the California Assembly.

Calif. governor signs health insurance protections

Thu, 09 May 2013 16:14:43 -0400

SACRAMENTO, California - Gov. Jerry Brown on Thursday signed a pair of consumer protection bills that prevent health insurance companies from discriminating against people with pre-existing conditions and limit how much insurers can charge older residents as part of the federal Affordable Care Act.

AP Exclusive: Calif. exchange granted secrecy

Thu, 09 May 2013 15:48:04 -0400

LOS ANGELES - A California law that created an agency to oversee national health care reforms granted it broad authority to conceal spending on the contractors that will perform most of its functions, potentially shielding the public from seeing how hundreds of millions of dollars are spent.

Bill would enforce farm labor negotiations

Mon, 06 May 2013 20:31:06 -0400

SACRAMENTO, California - The state Senate approved legislation Monday that changes the ground rules for negotiations between farmers and fieldworkers by giving state regulators more authority to act.

Texas House OK's 'Chelsea's Law' for rape victims

Mon, 06 May 2013 17:00:23 -0400

AUSTIN, Texas - Texas would adopt a version of California's 'Chelsea's Law' that mandates life in prison for certain sexual assault convictions under a bill given tentative approval in the House.

Bill limits Calif. workers' comp for pro athletes

Thu, 02 May 2013 21:02:13 -0400

SACRAMENTO, California - Professional athletes who spent most of their careers with teams in other states would no longer be able to file workers' compensation claims in California under a bill that passed the state Assembly on Thursday.

Bill gives parents control of networking sites

Thu, 02 May 2013 18:30:20 -0400

SACRAMENTO, California - The state Senate passed a bill Thursday that would allow parents to remove their children's personal information from social networking sites, over the objection of Facebook and other tech companies that say it would be impossible to implement.

Resale of unsafe guns limited under Assembly bill

Thu, 02 May 2013 18:10:37 -0400

SACRAMENTO, California - Peace officers and members of the military seeking to resell handguns that aren't approved by the California Department of Justice could sell them only to other authorized individuals under a bill that passed the Assembly on Thursday.

Governor signs bill to speed up business filings

Wed, 01 May 2013 19:04:04 -0400

SACRAMENTO, California - Gov. Jerry Brown has signed legislation intended to eliminate a two-month delay in processing business paperwork in California.

Fertility care would be covered under Calif. bill

Tue, 30 Apr 2013 20:58:52 -0400

SACRAMENTO, California - When Alice Crisci was diagnosed at age 31 with an aggressive form of breast cancer, she paid to have her eggs harvested as part of a costly procedure before undergoing cancer treatment.

Committee OKs plan to reopen 9/11 scholarships

Tue, 30 Apr 2013 16:38:07 -0400

SACRAMENTO, California - The Senate Public Safety Committee easily approved a bill Tuesday that would reopen a scholarship program for the relatives of Californians who died in the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

Lawmakers advance bill to halt oil fracking

Mon, 29 Apr 2013 23:56:53 -0400

SACRAMENTO, California - Critics of hydraulic fracturing urged lawmakers Monday to impose a moratorium on the controversial drilling technique, saying there is too much uncertainty about its health and environmental effects.

Calif. environmental changes could aid Kings bid

Wed, 24 Apr 2013 22:15:10 -0400

SACRAMENTO, California - Proposed changes to California environmental protection law unveiled Wednesday could help Sacramento's effort to keep its professional basketball team, according to the leader of the state Senate.