Assemblymember Bauer-Kahan’s 2019 legislative package includes:
Bills Signed into Law
- Removal of CalWORKs Penalties For Higher Education - AB 807 - Removes income exclusions which penalize families on CalWORKs for a student’s scholarships, rental assistance, and any transfers of money from on account to another. Additionally, this bill would also exempt any income from work relating to the upcoming Census.
- Trust Transfer Gun Control Requirements - AB 1292 - Modernized current law that oversees the transfer of a firearm housed in an estate or trust, in order to change the existing murky process to a safe and transparent procedure that conforms to current gun control requirements
- Paid Visitation Monitor Screenings - AB 1165 - This bill protects children of families who are going through court-monitored custody proceedings. This bill puts in place new requirements for paid visitation monitors that are designed to keep our children safer, including criminal background checks using the LiveScan database. It will also require a training course for the monitors, and dictate that 12 of the required 24 hours of training be in-classroom training.
- Covered California Extension - AB 1309 - Allows more Californians access to affordable health care by shifting the open enrollment period by 15 days, and eliminates lapses in coverage for those who purchase health insurance through the Covered California Health Exchange or the individual health exchange market.
- Out-of-State / For-Profit Online College Requirements - AB 1344 - This bill protects the nearly 100,000 California students who are enrolled in online colleges by increasing State oversight of out-of-state, online, for-profit institutions. The federal government has taken active steps to rollback protections for students and instead protect the profits of corrupt online colleges. This bill would require that out-of-state institutions follow the same existing student protection requirements as in-state online colleges overseen by the Bureau of Postsecondary Private Education (BPPE).
- Smart Justice Fiscal Savings Reforms - AB 1421 - Establishes significant cost savings for our courts and our jail system by prohibiting the flash incarceration of individuals who have served their jail sentences, and are otherwise compliant with the terms of their probation, because they are unable to pay simple court fines or fees.
- Iron Horse Trail Transportation Extension - AB 1475 - Provides options for Regional Transportation Agencies (RTAs) to streamline projects, allowing for a proven, cost saving delivery method for transportation projects. This bill was aimed at streamlining the completion of the Iron Horse Trail to regional transportation hubs In San Ramon, but will allow this process to be used statewide. Specifically, the bill allows transportation projects to use the Construction Manager/General Contractor (CM/GC) process. The CM/GC delivery method allows the General Contractor to engage the construction manager early to provide input during the design process. This allows them to work collaboratively to develop the project scope, optimize design, improve quality, and manage cost.
- Deadly Food Allergen Handling - AB 1532 - Honoring Natalie Giorgi, a 13-year-old Danville resident (AD16), who tragically passed away when she was exposed to a deadly allergen (peanuts) while at summer camp. This bill requires food servers to have understanding of allergens and complete a cross-contamination training.. This bill also requires organized camp food handlers to have the same food allergy training that all school food handlers must currently complete.
- Human Trafficking Victim Confidentiality Protections - AB 1735 - Strengthens protections for victims of human trafficking by updating and clarifying privacy privileges for human trafficking caseworkers. The changes enacted by AB 1735 updated a law that had remained largely unchanged for the past 15 years - allowing trafficking perpetrators to exploit a loophole in the law and subpoena private conversations between victims and their caseworkers. This bill allows a trafficking victim to obtain assistance from skilled professionals without further fear of retribution from their exploiters.
2019 Legislation:
- Tesla Park Preservation - AB 1086 - This bill allows for the conservation of Alameda-Tesla Expansion Area. Scientific studies have long documented the rare ecological value of the area, which contains an abundance of highly sensitive natural resources and unique biodiversity, including numerous threatened, endangered and listed species, designated critical habitats, unusual vegetation assemblages, and a critical linkage habitat corridor for the Diablo Range. This rich biological and cultural area has been tied up for years in the courts, and this bill clears up uncertainty that has been plaguing the region by giving the Department of Parks the authority to sell this land so that all Californians can enjoy it. Status: Vetoed by Governor Newsom
- Small Farm Micro-Irrigation Grant Program – Helps small farmers and our environment by codifying the State Water Efficiency & Enhancement Program (SWEEP) which issues grants to small farms in order to convert to micro-irrigation systems. Studies show that micro-irrigation decreases water usage on farms by up to 60% and increases crop yields by 90%. Micro-irrigation significantly reduces water consumption in the state and reduces pesticides water-run off that contaminates our state’s drinking water. Status: 2-year bill
- Mental Health Diversion Gun Control - AB 1121 - Prohibits any individual who goes through a court-ordered mental health diversion program from possessing firearms while in the program, and requires them to petition a judge to regain the firearms upon successful completion of the program. Status: 2-year bill
- Illegal Dumping Penalties - AB 1216 - Creates a joint task force between Alameda and Contra Costa Counties to address illegal dumping and also increases penalties on individuals who illegally dump garbage in non-waste locations. Status: signed into law as part of the 2019-20 Budget.
- Electrifying and Modernizing Ports - AB 1594 - Ensures that the three largest ports in California install charging stations for electric semi-trucks to assist in California’s goal of relying on 100% clean energy sources by 2045. Status: 2-year bill
2019-2020 Budget Wins:
- Brook Street Park – $300,000 to replace and update the Brook Street Park in Lafayette to be more focused on children younger than five and with special needs.
- Dublin Sports Grounds All-Abilities Playground – $1.4 Million for a new 19,000 square foot All-Abilities Playground in Dublin. This new area will include play structures designed to accommodate children of varying abilities, including those with physical and sensory disabilities. Other improvements to the Dublin Sports Grounds will also include other accessibility improvements along with a new restroom, picnic and BBQ areas.
- McCosker Creek Restoration and Public Access Project – $4 million for East Bay Regional Park to address the McCosker Creek Restoration and Public Access Project. The project will restore a 2,700 foot culverted section of creek at Sibley Volcanic Regional Preserve in the upper San Leandro watershed. The current condition of the stream is in tremendous need of restoration. Giant holes have opened up over a series of failing culvert which covers the historic creek. The natural stream is lost; the culverted stream provides no usable habitat. If the culvert system is not repaired, removed, or fails completely, negative effects to special-status species will be significant.
- Alameda/Contra Costa County Illegal Dumping Pilot Project – $750,000 for a one year pilot project to provide an officer in both Alameda and Contra Costa Counties for the purpose of enforcing dumping laws in those counties.