Bills, Bills and More Bills

Once again, through outright signature from Gov. Jerry Brown or allowance of a bill becoming law without his action, we saw just under 1,000 bills became law in this last legislative session.

These have included high profile changes: Assembly Bill 10 increased the California minimum wage to $9.00 per hour effective July 1, 2014.

And Assembly Bill 535, which amended the statewide Amber Alert emergency system by requiring authorities to send an alert after receiving a report that a child has been abducted by anyone, including a custodial parent or guardian, who may cause serious injury or death to the child.

This was on perfect display in the recent case of Natalie Calvo of Antioch. She was found unharmed and alive by police at an Antioch marina after a kidnapper had followed Natalie and her mother home from an Antioch Walmart and forced the child into a car at gun point. The Amber Alert was broadcast literally minutes after the kidnapping.

There are the controversial changes: Assembly Bill 1266 prohibits California public schools from discriminating on the basis of gender, gender identity and gender expression. Students may choose whichever bathroom they want to use and which sex-segregated programs and activities they want to participate in regardless of the gender listed on the student’s records. This has already generated a statewide initiative to overturn the ill-advised statute.

Meanwhile, illegal aliens can now get California driver’s licenses under Assembly Bill 60. The DMV will spend 2014 designing(?) the licenses, which will become available by Jan. 1, 2015. And in that same vein, Assembly Bill 1024 allows illegal aliens to practice law in California, thankfully provided they pass the CA bar exam (see: Sergio Garcia.)

There are the medical aspects as well. Assembly Bill 1308 removed a requirement (whined about for years by midwives) that a physician be present to supervise a birth. No word on what happens when a medical emergency arises, as doctors have typically stayed away from these ‘New Age-ish/Old Timey’ doings citing insurance liability risks. For Nurse Practitioners, Assembly Bill 154 now allows them to perform a type of early abortion if they have received the necessary training… and even the pharmacists got in on the action. Senate Bill 493 expands what pharmacists can do to include administering vaccines, performing patient assessments and ordering toxicity tests, among other functions.

And then there’s the just plain, um, ‘interesting’ changes: An Assembly bill now requires drivers to stay at least three feet away from bicyclists when passing them on a public roadway. The measure, also known as the “Three Feet for Safety Act,” will go into effect Sept. 16, 2014. There is no word yet on how far the bicyclists must legally stay away from cars, or what happens when bicyclists break the ‘three foot’ rule. So, we needed a law to tell bicyclists (average weight of bicycle being 25+/- pounds) to stay away from cars (average weight 4,000 pounds) and vice versa?

Don’t forget Assembly Bill 711, which bans lead ammunition (huh?). It won’t be fully implemented until July 2019, so the Fish and Game Commission has time to figure out a process for phasing out lead bullets. No word on steel, iron or something-other-than-lead-tipped shells. And Assembly Bill 266 & Senate Bill 286 which allows low-emission and zero-emission car owners, to drive in the HOV lanes, even if they’re the only ones in the car, through 2019; and lastly, Assembly Bill 351 which bars California agencies and the state National Guard from helping the federal government detain or prosecute people under post-Sept. 11 anti-terrorism laws. Only in California?!

Are you getting all the legislation you're paying for, he wrote tongue-firmly-in-cheek?