2003 Budget Priorities | 2004 Budget Priorities
2005 Budget Priorities | 2006 Budget Priorities
2007 Budget Priorities
2003 Legislative Priorities | 2004 Legislative Priorities
2005 Legislative Priorities | 2006 Legislative Priorities
2007 Legislative Priorities | 2008 Legislative Priorities

2007 Legislative Priorities

AB 158 (Ma) - Hepatitis B Outreach and Prevention.  Creates a program in California to provide Hepatitis B outreach and education to populations at a high risk of contracting the virus.  Hepatitis B disproportionately impacts Asian Americans, yet there is no state prevention initiative to address the crisis. Asian Americans make up more than one-half of the 1.4 million hepatitis B virus (HBV) carriers in the United States. 

Outcome: Held in Assembly Appropriations Committee

AB 269 (Eng) – Dentist Data Collection.  This bill aids efforts to collect data in the dental industry to address the growing disparities of access to care for underserved communities. This bill authorizes dentists and dental auxiliaries to report cultural background and foreign language proficiency to the Board in their licensure renewal application and requires this information be compiled and reported on the Board’s Internet Website.  In addition, this bill requires licensed dentists and dental auxiliaries to report, on their license application and renewal, information regarding any board certification, practice status or hours of operation.

Outcome: Signed by Governor

AB 295 (Lieu) – Data to Reflect API Diversity.  This bill will ensure state data reflects the diversity of the Asian and Pacific Islander American community by having state agencies collect data for additional API ethnic groups, including Hmong, Tongan, Thai, Pakistani, Bangladeshi, Sri Lankan, Malaysian, Indonesian, Taiwanese, and Fijian.  The focus is on the most critical departments affecting health and human services, education, employment, and civil rights.   

Outcome: Vetoed by Governor

AB 330 (Hayashi) – Health Disparities.  Racial and ethnic disparities in health continue to persist for African Americans, Asian Americans, Latinos, Native Americans, and Pacific Islanders.  AB 330 will require the Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development and the California Health and Human Services Agency, based on their Discharge Data Set, to develop a health disparities report to assess the levels of measurable health disparities in the state among minorities.  The health disparity report shall focus on the following areas of concern: cardiovascular disease, breast cancer, cervical cancer, diabetes, HIV/AIDS, infant mortality, asthma, mental health, and trauma. 

Outcome: Held in Assembly Appropriations Committee

AB 614 (Eng) – Protect Voting Rights for All. This bill will assist counties to improve planning in order to mitigate barriers and facilitate the ability of limited English-proficient and first-time voters to participate in California’s democracy.  Counties will submit a report on their compliance with various voting rights law to the Secretary of State’s office.  The Secretary of State will post the report and best practices compiled by an advisory group on its website.  This will assist election officials to develop adequate plans for providing language assistance and incorporate best practices in responding to the needs of limited English proficient voters.

Outcome: Vetoed by Governor

AB 615 (Torrico) – Emergency Preparedness Planning for Limited English Proficient Communities. In California, there are over 6 million limited English proficient (LEP) individuals. Unfortunately, there is currently little infrastructure for addressing the needs of the sizeable LEP population during an emergency. This legislation would take a proactive stance in emergency preparedness planning and bring greater focus to the needs of the LEP and other vulnerable communities. AB 615 would ensure LEP representation on all Standardized Emergency Management System Committees to create an LEP sensitive state plan to keep millions safe in the face of catastrophe.

Outcome: Held in Assembly Appropriations Committee

AB 675 (Eng) – Tolerance Education Pilot Program.  This bill establishes a pilot project grant program to help integrate inter-group relations and tolerance instruction into the existing History and Social Science curriculum.  Specifically, AB 675 authorizes the California Department of Education to award 10 grants to applicable schools to ensure that they have the necessary tools to respond to the increase in bias-motivated incidents that occur in our K-12 campuses. 

Outcome: In Assembly Education Committee

AB 1052 (Torrico) – Pre-School Workforce Development.  Policy-makers face serious challenges in setting higher preschool teacher education standards while maintaining diversity in the preschool teacher pool to meet the needs of the state’s diverse child population.  The purpose of this bill is to leverage the skills of the current workforce, create an infrastructure to train the next generation of teachers, include significant outreach and recruitment strategies for the Latino and API community, and provide financial assistance. 

Outcome: Held in Assembly Appropriations Committee

AB 1278 (Ma) – Human Trafficking.  Would establish as void against public policy, contract provisions that would deduct from a person’s wages, the cost of transporting persons into the United States.  The bill will also change the elements required to be proved for the offense of human trafficking when the victim is a minor and would increase the maximum prison term for the offense form 5 to 6 years.  In addition, the bill will further establish a general procedure relating to seizure and forfeiture of assets in connection with human trafficking offense.

Outcome: In Assembly Public Safety Committee

AB 1339 (Torrico) – Problem Gambling Treatment.  This bill establishes a Problem and Pathological Gambling Advisory Board comprised of representatives from state departments, relevant boards and commissions, providers and practitioners, academia, and the gambling industry.  Additionally, it expands current prevention program; establishes intervention, treatment services; and research and evaluation components.  The bill also requires the Office of Problem Gambling to develop and implement a strategic plan to guide the state's policy regarding problem gambling.  This bill does not focus primarily on prevention as the existing law does, but also provides treatment for all those affected, including family.

Outcome: Vetoed by Governor