Senator Anna M. Caballero Announces Progress on Twenty Bills in 2022 Bill Package; Thanks Colleagues for Collaborative Efforts
Monday, June 6, 2022
For Immediate Release
Contact: Elisa Rivera
(209) 726-5495 Elisa.Rivera@sen.ca.gov
Senator Anna M. Caballero Announces Progress on Twenty Bills in 2022 Bill Package; Thanks Colleagues for Collaborative Efforts
SACRAMENTO: Senator Anna M. Caballero (D-Merced) shares legislative update on the status of her bill package.
“California is operating with a historic surplus, and for the first time since the COVID pandemic, our work is not limited due to constraints in place to prevent the spread of the virus.
This year I am working on a number of issues that include housing production, valley fever, and climate change among others and am thankful for the collaborative efforts between my colleagues as we work to bring relief to Californians.” Senator Anna Caballero, Senate District 12
Senator Caballero’s Bill Package Includes:
AGRICULTURE:
This bill would clarify compliance with Buy America policy by prohibiting California public schools, colleges and universities from purchasing agricultural products not grown, packed, or processed non-domestically unless the price of the non-domestic product is more than twenty-five percent lower than domestic agricultural products.
BUSINESS/WORKFORCE:
SB 625 CA Investment and Innovation Fund
This bill establishes the California Investment and Innovation Program to provide grants to qualified community development financial institutions to provide loans, grants, equity investments, or technical assistance for work that promotes a variety of outcomes within low-income communities.
SB 1349 Work Opportunity Investment Fund
This bill expands the eligibility requirements for the New Employment Tax Credit to include employees hired by employers who qualify for the federal Work Opportunity Tax Credit, which includes certain people that have historically faced barriers to employment such as formerly incarcerated individuals or individuals on long-term social services.
CANNABIS:
SB 1326 Cannabis Interstate Commerce
This bill allows the state to enter into an interstate cannabis agreement to allow cannabis or cannabis products to be transported across state lines; requires the agreement to meet specified requirements, including that participating states must meet or exceed health and safety requirements; and allows the state to engage in commercial activities with out-of-state licenses.
CLIMATE, ENERGY, AND WATER:
This bill requires the Air Resources Board, to establish a Carbon Capture, Utilization and Storage (CCUS) program. The primary objective of this CCUS program is to deploy projects that will accelerate, to the maximum extent practicable, the development, deployment, and commercialization of advanced new technologies to capture and sequester carbon dioxide emissions from industrial and commercial facilities. This bill also specifies that the definition of free space in existing property rights include pore space that can be possessed and used for the storage of gaseous or liquid substances.
SB 1109 Biomass BioRAM expansion
SB 1109’s main provision will increase the pace and scale of the removal of forest waste material from both California’s burned areas and ecologically stressed forests, and move the maximum amount of that material as possible to a beneficial reuse facility, including agriculture waste. This is another avenue of stopping carbon or similar waste air products at the source, and further utilizing them for energy needs. Ag would greatly benefit from contracts with biomass facilities, as well, since changes to open burn regulations are causing the industry to look for more creative ways to dispense of their waste. Specifically, SB 1109 will expand the BioRAM program by extending existing BioRAM contracts for another five years.
SB 1123 California Climate Disaster Resilience
SB 1123 directs the Office of Planning and Research to develop a web-based resource to identify all state-funded resilience funding programs, and to provide direct support to communities and other entities seeking state funding, which will include targeted outreach to under-resourced communities. The bill ensures the efficiency, equity and effectiveness of disaster resilience funding programs by requiring meaningful interagency strategies to:
- Coordinate and simplify application processes;
- Ensure just and equitable distribution of resources;
- Develop common platforms for transparency and metrics for success.
EDUCATION:
SB 3 Education finance: local control and accountability plan portal
This bill requires the California Department of Education to develop a local control and accountability plan (LCAP) portal that contains a database connected to a data entry tool that allows comprehensive analysis of LCAPs adopted by local educational agencies.
SB 532 High school diploma access for high mobility students
This bill expands and strengthens the rights for foster youth, homeless youth, former juvenile court school students, children of military families, and migratory children to be exempted from local graduation requirements and to provide those students the option to remain in school for a fifth year to complete the statewide coursework requirements.
FARMWORKERS:
SB 558 Farmworker Disaster Relief Planning Task Force
This bill establishes the Farmworker Disaster Relief Planning Task Force in the Office of Emergency Services, which will examine the needs of farmworkers, their families, and their communities for immediate, intermediate, and long-term sustainable and equitable access to health care, safety net services, protections, and other social and economic relief during pandemics and disasters.
HEALTH:
This bill establishes a state grant program to support the work of abortion support organizations, providers, and other community based organizations that provide direct logistical and practical support (transportation, lodging, childcare, etc.) for patients. SB 1142 additionally creates a webpage under the CA Health and Human Services Agency website to serve as an abortion resources and information page.
SB 1231 Valley Fever Diagnostic Guide
This bill will require CDPH develop a diagnostic manual for health care providers within areas affected by Valley Fever to improve accuracy and health care outcomes for individuals that have contracted Valley Fever.
HOUSING, LAND USE, AND PLANNING:
This bill authorizes housing as an allowable use on parcels currently zoned as office or retail.
SB 490 Affordable Housing Acquisition and Rehabilitation Technical Assistance program
This bill creates the Housing Acquisition and Rehabilitation Technical Assistance Program (HARTAP) at the Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) for the purposes of providing technical assistance (TA) to entities working to preserve affordable housing.
SB 1410 Vehicle Miles Traveled
This bill tasks the Governor’s office of Planning and Research (OPR) with conducting a study of the implementation and impact of vehicle miles traveled (VMT) a CEQA traffic analysis for new construction. In addition, SB 1410 creates a grant program administered by OPR to facilitate the implementation of VMT.
SB 1449 County Unincorporated Islands
This bill will create a grant program to encourage local governments annex unincorporated areas that border city boundaries.
INSURANCE:
This bill will create reasonable parameters and guidelines that must be followed when a time limited demand is issued to an insurance company. This bill would require that a time limited settlement demand in a personal injury claim remain open for a period of no less than 45 days from the date the insurer receives the demand so that insurers have sufficient time and information to respond to a demand. This will help to expedite the resolution of damage claims and avoid costly litigation for all parties.
PUBLIC SAFETY:
SB 382 Commercially Sexually Exploited Children Protection Enhancements
This bill includes commercial exploitation of a minor in existing provisions of law that authorize courts to issue a restraining order during criminal proceedings and upon conviction.
SB 1171 Hearsay Exemption for Medical Diagnosis
This bill would create a hearsay exception for statements made for purposes of medical diagnosis in domestic violence cases, providing a critical evidentiary tool for domestic violence prosecution.
This bill makes criminal investigative information and intelligence information available for the immediate family members of a minor whose death is or has been investigated by a law enforcement agency. Available details under this bill would be an inventory of the minor’s property and contact information for all agencies involved in the investigation.
For interviews or inquiries, please contact Elisa Rivera at (209) 726-5495 or
Follow Senator Caballero on social media for more updates.
Senator Anna M. Caballero represents the 12th Senate District, composed of Merced and San Benito Counties, Salinas Valley, and portions of Fresno, Madera and Stanislaus Counties.
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