by Assemblymember John Laird (D-Santa Cruz)

June 2 was the deadline for the Assembly to pass bills introduced by Assemblymembers. The following list reflects the bills that are among my highest priorities, each having been recently approved by the Assembly.

Green Building Guidelines (AB 2928): calls for the development of voluntary state guidelines for environmentally sound construction projects. Green buildings utilize energy, water and materials efficiently throughout the building life cycle; enhance indoor air quality; and incorporate environmentally preferable products.

Low-flow Toilets (AB 2496): sets new flush volume standards by making use of existing high-efficiency toilet technology. All new homes, schools, office buildings and other construction would be required to utilize high-efficiency toilets, saving more than eight billion gallons of water annually by the tenth year.

Urban Landscape Water Conservation (AB 1881): implements recommendations made by the California Urban Water Conservation Council on improving the efficiency of water use in new and existing irrigated urban landscapes.

Pajaro Levees (AB 2348): effectively reduces by 50 percent the local share for the approximately $200 million cost of the proposed Pajaro River levee project.

Food Stamp Simplification Act (AB 3029): increases access to food stamps for 2 million Californians by updating the application process, simplifying reporting rules and reducing required in-person visits to state offices.

Needle Exchange (AB 2076): helps prevent the spread of HIV, Hepatitis C and other diseases by allowing local jurisdictions to use state funds for the purchase of needles and syringes.

Civil Rights Housing Act (AB 2800): standardizes 17 housing-related nondiscrimination provisions in California law to make them consistent with the Fair Employment and Housing Act, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, ancestry, disability, sex (including gender identity), marital status, sexual orientation, familial status and source of income.

For each of these bills, the next stop will be the Senate, and then hopefully on to the governor for signature. However, in the legislative process, there is action beyond the thousands of bills that have been introduced this year. In my role as Budget Committee Chair, I’m meeting this week with my Assembly and Senate colleagues on the Joint Conference Committee to bring to a close the annual process of crafting a state budget. Stay tuned for what I’m optimistic will be the first on-time budget in years.