August 3, 2023
Golden State Republican Women
Janet Price, President
Submitted by the GSRW Legislative Analyst Committee
Karen Contreras, Lou Ann Flaherty and Elaine Freeman,
California Assembly Voting
Did you ever wonder how your California Assembly Representative voted after calling to voice your opinion on a bill? Did you check the website to see how they voted?
Be aware: It may not have happened as it is reported.
Thanks to the California Election Integrity Project, California Assembly Rule #106 has been brought to light:
Per Assembly Rules: http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/rules/assembly_rules.pdf
Voting and Vote Changes
- When once begun, voting may not be interrupted, except that, before the vote is announced, any Member may have the total pending vote flashed on the visible vote recorder. Prior to the announcement of the vote, the presiding officer shall instruct the Chief Clerk to record verbal votes from Members not at their desks. Any Member may move a call of the Assembly after the completion of the roll. A Member, prior to adjournment on the same legislative day, and in the absence of any objection, may instruct the Chief Clerk to change his or her recorded vote after the vote is announced, so long as the outcome of the vote is not thereby changed. The Chief Clerk may record any vote change only after the Member making the change has announced it to the Assembly.
Legislators can now vote against the wishes of their constituents,
then change their vote RECORD without changing their actual vote.
If you thought that your representative voted the way that you had hoped, be aware, they may not have!
Check out the California Election Integrity Project:
https://www.eip-ca.com/articles/demystifying_the_mysterious_part10.html
AB 1506, Foster youth.
Existing law generally provides for the placement of foster youth in various placement settings and governs the provision of child welfare services, which is defined to mean public social services that are directed toward the accomplishment of specified purposes, including protecting and promoting the welfare of all children, preventing the unnecessary separation of children from their families, and restoring to their families children who have been removed.
Existing law grants specified rights to all minors and nonminors in foster care, including, among others, the right to receive medical, dental, vision, and mental health services, the right to be informed of these rights in an age and developmentally appropriate manner, and the right to receive a copy of these rights at specified intervals.
This bill would expand these rights to include the opportunity for a child to return to their school to collect their belongings when a move or change in placement requires the child to change schools.
Passed Assembly with Senate amendments on July 13, 2023.
Vetoed by Governor on July 27, 2023
AB 1696, Sober Living Accountability Act.
Existing law requires the State Department of Health Care Services to license and regulate facilities that provide residential nonmedical services to adults who are recovering from problems related to alcohol, drug, or alcohol and drug misuse or abuse, and who need alcohol, drug, or alcohol and drug recovery treatment or detoxification services. Existing law also requires the department to implement a voluntary certification procedure for alcohol and other drug treatment recovery services.
Existing law also defines a “recovery residence” as a residential dwelling that provides primary housing for individuals who seek a cooperative living arrangement that supports personal recovery from a substance use disorder and that does not require licensure pursuant to those provisions or does not provide licensable services.
This bill would require any government entity, as defined, that enters into a contract with a privately owned recovery residence to require that recovery residence to submit specified documents, including, among other things, written permission from the property owner to operate on the property, as specified, and the policies and procedures used by the recovery resident to address a resident’s right to access prescription and nonprescription drugs. The bill would apply these requirements to any contracts entered into, renewed, or amended on or after January 1, 2024
Passed Assembly on May 29, 2023.
Passed Senate on June 29, 2023
Vetoed by Governor on July 21, 2023
We will cover a few bills that the governor signed into law next week.
Summer Recess concludes on August 13th.
Legislative Portal links- Express your support or opposition to a bill or directly to the Legislative committee currently reviewing it (as an individual, not as a member of GSRW)– click here, or the bill’s author- click here, enter your bill # and look for tab at top of the bill page labeled “Comments to Author”
