New laws protect workers, students and inmates
Gov. Gavin Newsom signed dozens more bills out of the COVID-19-shortened legislative session in the past week.
COVID-19 VACCINE: A bill by North Coast Assemblyman Jim Wood (D-Santa Rosa) allows pharmacists to administer a COVID-19 vaccine once one is approved by the Food and Drug Administration. AB 1710 broadens the authority of pharmacists to provide vaccinations.
“Nine in ten residents live within 5 miles of a community pharmacy in rural communities,” Wood said in a prepared statement. “That’s critical for people across the state but especially in the Northern California and coastal district I represent.”
COVID-19 AT BUSINESSES: California will require businesses to disclose infections or exposure to COVID-19 in the workplace under AB 685 by Assemblywoman Eloise Reyes (DSan Bernardino).
“In the age of COVID-19, our essential workers risk their lives and the lives of their loved ones in our fields, hospitals, grocery stores, meatpacking plants, restaurant kitchens and countless other businesses in our state,” Reyes said in a prepared statement. “… By notifying the public and workers of potential exposures as required under AB 685 we allow workers to take appropriate steps to protect themselves and their loved ones while also bolstering the response of public health officials.”
UTILITY USERS TAX: A taxrelated bill by North Coast state Sen. Mike McGuire (D-Healdsburg) was given the green light by the governor. SB 1441 removed a January 2021 sunset date from a tax collected from the sale of prepaid wireless products and services. The tax will now have a sunset date of January 2026.
The tax is collected by local governments. The bill was supported by the League of California Cities.
INMATE HOUSING: Newsom signed Sen. Scott Wiener’s bill mandating that transgender inmates be housed by their gender identity rather than by the gender assigned at birth.
“Transgender people who are currently in prison will have a much greater opportunity to be safe while incarcerated, and to be treated with the respect and dignity they deserve,” Wiener said in a statement.
STUDENT LOANS: California is the first state in the country with a student borrower “Bill of Rights” under AB 376 by Assemblyman Mark Stone (D-Monterey Bay).
The law protects students from predatory practices and creates a statewide set of standards.
“This current federal administration has taken multiple measures to reduce protections for
student loan borrowers,” Stone said in a statement.
“California, once again, takes the lead in protecting consumers from predatory practices when the federal government refuses to do so, even when high profile lawsuits have continuously unveiled the student loan industry’s predatory lending practices.”