Recently, Assemblymember Akilah Weber, M.D. announced that Gov. Gavin Newsom has finished taking action on all of her bills.

“I am grateful to the Governor and all my colleagues in the Legislature for recognizing the importance of these bills. I look forward to engaging with the administration and stakeholders on the implementation of these new laws over the next several months,” said Assemblymember Weber (D- La Mesa).

Many of the bills that were signed positively impact public health, education and equity in California and can serve as a model for other states.

The bills that were signed are as follows:

AB 268 addresses systemic deficiencies in California’s local detention facilities raised by the California Auditor Office and requires the BSCC to develop and adopt regulations pertaining to raising the standards of care for incarcerated people by local correctional facilities, including increasing the requirements of continued education for correctional staff, requirements for mental health screening/evaluations, and requirements for robust safety checks of at-risk incarcerated people. This bill would also add two licensed health professionals as members to the BSCC.

AB 317 requires that health plans reimburse pharmacists for all of the clinical work and services they perform, beyond dispensing medications, including administering vaccinations and performing STI tests.

AB 611 requires local educational agencies to alert parents and/or guardians via email or mail within 14 days of becoming aware of any change in certification status of a nonpublic school.

AB 1138 helps to connect survivors of sexual assault with the resources and assistance required after such an event. By providing transportation to and from a local rape crisis center, this bill will alleviate the lack of access to safe and affordable transportation some students may have.

AB 1241 ensures tele-health services are available for Medi-Cal patients without a dual care requirement that makes it more difficult for providers to offer tele-health services. It will also increase health care access especially for Californians in urban & rural underserved communities and will allow for a more diverse population of providers that will ensure language, gender and social equity for all Californians.

AB 1327 requires the California Department of Education, in consultation with community organizations that represent the interests of ethnic groups and communities of color, to develop a standardized incident form to track hate violence and hazing incidents that occur at high school sporting games or sporting events and post results on their internet website. Additionally it requires the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) to report to the legislature on the health and safety of pupils, coaches, officials, spectators, including racial discrimination and harassment every 7 years.

AB 1466 requires greater accessibility and transparency for families with school aged children. This bill simply requires that local educational agencies post on their website restraint and seclusion data that they already collect and submit to the California Department of Education.

AB 1701 changes “county health department” to “local health jurisdiction.” It allows the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) to allocate funding for the Perinatal Equity Initiative (PEI) directly to local health jurisdictions, which includes both city and county health departments, rather than limiting the funding to only county health departments.

Unfortunately this year, several other bills were vetoed by the Governor. “I am disappointed that those bills were not signed by the Governor. Each of the vetoed bills were introduced and passed through the legislature to improve the lives and wellbeing of Californians. I plan to work very closely with the Governor and administration to ensure each of my bills’ success next year, including any bills that I decide to reintroduce,” concluded Weber.

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