New laws support families during pandemic, firefighting careers

Gov. Gavin Newsom has signed dozens of bills passed by the Legislature into law. Here are a few of the new laws approved by the governor:

EARNED INCOME TAX CREDIT: More people, including those who are undocumented, will be eligible for the earned income tax credit under AB 1876, introduced by Assemblyman Phil Ting (D-San Francisco).

The new law broadens the eligibility of the tax credit to include undocumented individuals who have children age six and younger.

“Undocumented front line workers leave their families every day to keep our economy running, but many are still struggling to make ends meet,” said Newsom in a prepared statement after signing the bill last week. “… These Californians are taxpayers and should be treated like taxpayers, eligible for the same credits, and pay the same tax rates.”

FAMILY LEAVE: Paid family leave is expanded under SB 1383 by Sen. Hannah-Beth Jackson (DSanta Barbara). The bill allows for any employee with 1,250 hours of work time in the previous year to take up to 12 weeks to care for a loved one or a newborn.

“Access to family leave is especially critical amid COVID-19 when workers need to take time off to care for themselves or their loved ones. … We should be encouraging people to stay home if they are sick, not forcing them to choose between their health and their job,” Jackson said in a news release. “Job-protected family leave promotes public health, boosts economic recovery, and supports working families.”

FIREFIGHTING: Inmate firefighters have an opportunity to continue their firefighting careers under AB 2147 by Assemblywoman Eloise Reyes (D-San Bernardino). The law provides a sped-up expungement process for inmates who helped fight fires in California.

“Signing AB 2147 into law is about giving second chances. To correct is to right a wrong; to rehabilitate is to restore,” said Reyes in a prepared statement. “Rehabilitation without strategies to ensure the formerly incarcerated have a career is a pathway to recidivism. We must get serious about providing pathways for those who show the determination and commitment to turn their lives around.”

EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICES: Hospitals and other health care providers will be required to provide 180 days notice of closure or reduction in emergency services offered under AB 2037 by East Bay Assemblywoman Buffy Wicks (D-Berkeley).

The bill was supported by the California Nurses Association.

“In our money-driven, profitdriven health care market, hospital corporations make decisions about where to locate and what services to offer based on where they can make the most money, not on the actual needs of the community — even during a pandemic!” said Zenei Triunfo-Cortez, a registered nurse and a president of the California Nurses Association. “We’ve seen units and whole hospitals close down just because their profit margins were not large enough. This bill will at least ensure California’s communities have more advance notice so that they can organize to try and save their local hospitals.”