2023-2024 Legislative

SB 50 – Pretext Traffic Stops –  Protects drivers by limiting police traffic stops for low-level, non-safety violations.

SB 490 now SB 1403 – Reparations Task Force – This bill would create a new state agency called the California American Freedman Affairs Agency. This agency, a direct recommendation of the Reparations Task Force, would oversee the infrastructure behind administering reparations as determined by the Legislature and Governor. In 2020, California established the first-in-the-nation task force to study reparations for African Americans, with special consideration for the descendants of persons enslaved in the United States. The Task Force's final report and recommendations are in the hands of the Legislature and the Governor. This legislation will be considered by the Legislature in 2024. This bill is a recommendation from the CA Reparations Task Force’s Final Report.

SB 924 – Credit Reporting – Removes the July 1, 2025 sunset date of SB 1157 (Bradford, 2020) which requires any landlord of an assisted housing development to offer tenants the option of having their rental payments reported to a consumer reporting agency, effectively making this a permanent program.

SB 1007 – Reparations: Homeownership – Creates the Homeowner’s Assistance for Descendants of Enslaved Persons Program to make available grants to descendants of enslaved persons to own a home. This bill is a recommendation from the CA Reparations Task Force’s Final Report.

SB 1008 – Obesity Treatment – The Obesity Treatment Parity Act would require health plans in California to include comprehensive coverage for the treatment of obesity, including coverage of at least one FDA-approved anti-obesity medication.

SB 1013 – Reparations: Property Taxes – Establishes the Property Tax Assistance for Descendants of Enslaved Persons Program. The program would make grants available to persons who currently live in a formerly redlined neighborhood in the state and are descendants of a person enslaved in the United States. This bill is a recommendation from the CA Reparations Task Force’s Final Report.

SB 1020 – Race-neutral Shooting Targets – Prohibits the use of ethnic shooting targets by law enforcement agencies to begin to correct inherent racial bias that certain ethnic groups are more dangerous while preserving the ability of law enforcement officers to become more proficient with firearms through training.

SB 1050 – Reparations: Restitution for Property Taking – Establishes a process for the State of California to review and investigate public complaints from individuals who claim their property was taken without just compensation as a result of racially motivated eminent domain, and establish a process for providing compensation to the rightful owner. This bill is a recommendation from the CA Reparations Task Force’s Final Report.

SB 1059 – Cannabis Taxes – Click on bill number for more information on this legislation.

SB 1075 – Overdraft Fees – Creates new protections for consumers by requiring state-chartered credit unions to allow a minimum of 5 business days before charging an overdraft or nonsufficient fund (NSF) fee. This bill would also prohibit a credit union from charging more than 3 of these fees per month.

SB 1130 – Electric Rate Assistance Program – Expands the eligibility criteria for the Family Electric Rate Assistance (FERA) Program and requires the state’s three largest investor-owned utilities to report on their efforts to enroll customers in the FERA program. 

SB 1177 – Diversity – Updates California’s utility supplier diversity law to require more detailed reporting by utilities to promote diverse company growth and foster a more diverse workforce.

SB 1292 – Utilities Fixed-rate Charge – Require the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC), by July 2027, to submit a report to the Legislature on electrical corporations’ implementation of the Income Graduated Fixed Charge (IGFC).

SB 1328 – Election Security – Click on bill number for more information on this legislation.

SB 1331 – Reparations: Fund for Reparations – Creates a specific fund for Reparations and Reparative Justice in the state budget.

SB 1348 – Black-serving Colleges and Universities – Creates a state-level designation recognizing institutions of higher education that excel in educating and serving Black students who are historically underrepresented on college campuses.

SB 1371 – Alcohol Sales – Creates an affirmative defense for retail licensees to include the use of both a government-issued ID and “biometrics” to verify the age of a consumer prior to admission at a venue where alcoholic beverages are sold.

SB 1383 – Broadband Internet – Enables grants to be awarded from the Public Housing Account in order to deploy services that can help improve existing broadband services.

SB 1403 – Reparations Task Force – This bill (formerly SB 490) would create a new state agency called the California American Freedman Affairs Agency. This agency, a direct recommendation of the Reparations Task Force, would oversee the infrastructure behind administering reparations as determined by the Legislature and Governor. In 2020, California established the first-in-the-nation task force to study reparations for African Americans, with special consideration for the descendants of persons enslaved in the United States. The Task Force's final report and recommendations are in the hands of the Legislature and the Governor. This legislation will be considered by the Legislature in 2024. This bill is a recommendation from the CA Reparations Task Force’s Final Report.

Here is a list of 2023 legislation that was passed by the Legislature and signed into law by Governor Newsom.

SB 51 – Cannabis Equity Provisional Licenses – SB 51 will promote greater diversity in the cannabis industry by authorizing the Department of Cannabis Control (DCC) to issue a provisional license for local cannabis equity applicants for retailers for up to five years. This bill would authorize the DCC to renew a provisional license until it issues or denies the provisional licensee’s annual license or until five years from the date the provisional license was originally issued, whichever is earlier. This legislation was signed into law by Governor Newsom.

SB 384 – Barbering and Cosmetology – Allows licensed barbers and cosmetologists who receive a first violation for a minor safety infraction to take a training course and have the violation removed from their record. Similar to traffic school for a first driving offense, SB 384 will allow workers to protect their licenses and livelihoods while receiving additional education on safety compliance. This legislation was signed into law by Governor Newsom.

SB 392 – Tied House Inglewood Arena – Similar to the exemption granted for nearly all professional sports facilities, SB 392 will allow the new Intuit Dome in Inglewood to sell alcoholic beverages at events and also offer alcohol-related advertising on the arena property. This legislation was signed into law by Governor Newsom.

SB 413 – Interdistrict Attendance – SB 413 would repeal the sunset and make permanent the extended timeline for the state's largest county offices of education to hear and process the large number of appeals regarding whether a pupil should be permitted to attend school in the district in which the pupil desires. Keeping the current 60-day timeline in place ensures that county school officials have the needed time to work with parents and the school districts to resolve appeals in a timely manner. This legislation was signed into law by Governor Newsom.

SB 449 – Police Officer Decertification – SB 449 makes technical changes to our state’s police decertification system to allow the POST Commission to better implement and administer the decertification process. When a police officer violates the public’s trust, California now has a process to ensure that person can never have the responsibility of wearing a badge again. This legislation was signed into law by Governor Newsom.

SB 661 – Student Athlete Bill of Rights – Now that student-athletes can benefit financially from their name, image, and likeness, it’s important they have the knowledge to manage their money. SB 661 will require colleges and universities to provide student-athletes with proper instruction in financial literacy. This vital financial knowledge is rarely shared with young people. The lack of such knowledge can have lifelong negative impacts. SB 661 will also extend existing scholarship protections to student-athletes at Division I and Division II institutions of higher learning in California. This bill would protect student-athletes by allowing them to continue their education in the event of a debilitating injury or illness that makes them unable to compete in their sport. This legislation was signed into law by Governor Newsom.

SB 673 – Ebony Alert – SB 673 creates an Ebony Alert notification system in California to help locate missing Black youth or young Black women between the ages of 12 – 25 years. Research has proven that Black missing persons receive less attention than their white counterparts. SB 673 would give law enforcement an additional resource to help locate them. The Ebony Alert would also encourage news organizations including television, cable, online, radio and social media outlets to cooperate in sharing the information. This legislation was signed into law by Governor Newsom.

SB 700 – Employment Discrimination: Cannabis Use – SB 700 will ban employers from asking job applicants about prior cannabis use during the application process. Cannabis use in California is legal for adults ages 21 and over. Requiring an applicant to disclose cannabis use during the application process may discourage individuals from applying for certain employment. This legislation was signed into law by Governor Newsom.

SCR 24 – Alternative to Cobalt Mined in Africa Using Child Slave Labor – SCR 24, which declares that the Legislature should pass laws that halt the importation of cobalt or any product using cobalt mined in Africa using child slave labor. Large deposits of lithium and cobalt can be found in California's Salton Sea and we should not turn our backs on the harm being placed on children as California increases its reliance on these important raw materials. This resolution was adopted by the Legislature and did not require the Governor's signature.