At the final deadline for passing legislation to the Governor, Assemblymember Bauer-Kahan has successfully passed 17 bills targeting AD16 priorities to the Governor’s desk.
- Shawn Kumagai
- 925-244-1600
- shawn.kumagai@asm.ca.gov
Sacramento, CA – Upon the conclusion of the 2021-2022 legislative session, Assemblymember Rebecca Bauer Kahan (D-Orinda) has successfully achieved passage of 17 bills through the California Legislature.
Assemblymember Bauer-Kahan’s historic AB 988 is now on the Governor’s desk. The bill implements 988, the Mental Health Crisis Hotline, which went live on July 16th, 2022. The new system will provide a critically-needed alternative to 911 and will help deploy mental health professionals, rather than police officers, in situations of mental health crises. This bill transforms mental health emergency response and delivers appropriate care that addresses systemic inequalities.
As the Chair of the Select Committee on Reproductive Health, Assemblymember Bauer-Kahan has championed abortion rights with AB 1242 and AB 1666. AB 1666, signed by the Governor in June, protects those who aid, receive, or provide abortions from civil penalties they face from other state’s extremist anti-abortion laws. AB 1242 is a groundbreaking measure crafted with Attorney General Rob Bonta to create a path for California companies to keep personal data and messages private when served with warrants from extremist states. These pieces of legislation are part of a suite of bills from California’s legislators to make California a sanctuary state for abortion in the face of the Supreme Court’s decision overturning Roe v. Wade.
“California has no obligation to be complicit in the criminalization of the right to abortion,” said Assemblymember Bauer-Kahan. “AB 1666 and AB 1242 ensure safe essential care stays legal, erecting a legal shield to protect individuals from arrest, information sharing, and civil penalties.”
Assemblymember Bauer-Kahan partnered with Governor Newsom on AB 2571, which the Governor signed into law in June. This law bans dangerous advertisements and marketing of guns to children. Firearms are the leading cause of death for children and youth in the United States. AB 2571 is now law, protecting children and saving young lives.
As the Chair of the Water Parks and Wildlife Committee and a lifelong environmental advocate, Assemblymember Bauer-Kahan continues to champion environmental protections. AB 2146, the ‘Save the Bees’ bill, bans the use of pesticides for non-agricultural purposes that kill bees, monarch butterflies, and other pollinators. The water crisis is dire, and our ecosystems won’t survive without new water sources. AB 2805 enhances and refines California’s Regional Conservation Investment Strategies water program.
Assembly District 16 is a high fire risk zone, and Assemblymember Bauer-Kahan has moved AB 2083 to increase safety and accountability for utility-caused fires that threaten her constituents. AB 2083 will make companies pay for the fires they cause by preventing them from passing settlement costs from legal actions on to their ratepayers.
Assemblymember Bauer-Kahan continues to vigorously champion mental health legislation, including the implementation of the 988 crisis response line, above. This week, the legislature passed AB 2089 and AB 2754 which are now on the Governor’s desk. AB 2089 strengthens privacy protections for data collected by apps that provide mental healthcare so that this information about those seeking mental healthcare can’t be sold. AB 2754 allows for digital training of future psychiatric professionals to modernize the system and increase a pipeline for a desperately needed workforce.
Terror and hate that have increased across the state to deeply troubling levels. Symbols of terror cause fear equally indiscriminately, but our existing penalties treat each symbol differently. Assemblymember Bauer-Kahan’s AB 2282 addresses this by equalizing penalties for using Nazi symbols, burning crosses, and nooses, to make it clear that all Californians deserve to live without terror.
In addition, Assemblymember Bauer-Kahan’s AB 2436, AB 2658, AB 1907, AB 2374, AB 2627, and AB 1287 have all passed the legislature. These bills will expand accuracy for LGBTQ+ couples on official documents, increase justice for youth on electronic monitors, improve inspections of nursing homes, increase penalties for illegal dumping, assist community college outreach to underserved communities and eliminate the “pink tax” of gendered pricing on commercial goods.
“I’m so proud to dedicate this year to the issues that matter most to my District. Fire, environmental protection, reproductive rights, and mental healthcare are critical to my diverse and thoughtful constituency,” said Assemblymember Bauer-Kahan. “I’m honored to do this work on behalf of the people of AD16.”