2023-2024 Legislative
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 490 – 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.
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.