November 3, 2022
Golden State Republican Women
Janet Price, President
Submitted by the GSRW Legislative Analyst Committee
Karen Contreras, Elaine Freeman,
Theresa Speake, and Cheryl Sullivan
Please share this information in your club’s newsletters, websites and social media. Comments/Questions? Email: legislativeanalysts@gsrw.org
PLEASE VOTE ON NOVEMBER 8TH
SB 107 Gender-affirming health care.
(1) The United States Constitution generally requires a state to give full faith and credit to the public acts, records, and judicial proceedings of every other state. Existing law authorizes, upon the demand made by another state, the extradition of a person charged with committing an act in this state that results in a crime in the demanding state, as specified. Existing law sets forth procedures by which a person may enforce a judgment for the payment of money and child custody orders issued by the court of a state other than California.
Existing law authorizes a California court or attorney to issue a subpoena if a foreign subpoena has been sought in this state. Existing law generally prohibits a provider of health care, a health care service plan, or a contractor from disclosing medical information regarding a patient, enrollee, or subscriber without first obtaining an authorization, unless a specified exception applies, including that the disclosure is in response to a subpoena.
This bill would prohibit a provider of health care, a health care service plan, or a contractor from releasing medical information related to a person or entity allowing a child to receive gender-affirming health care or gender-affirming mental health care in response to a criminal or civil action, including a foreign subpoena, based on another state’s law that authorizes a person to bring a civil or criminal action against a person or entity that allows a child to receive gender-affirming health care or gender-affirming mental health care.
The bill additionally would prohibit law enforcement agencies from knowingly making or participating in the arrest or extradition of an individual pursuant to an out-of-state arrest warrant based on another state’s law against providing, receiving, or allowing a child to receive gender-affirming health care or gender-affirming mental health care in this state, as specified.
(2) Existing law, known as the Uniform Child Custody Jurisdiction and Enforcement Act, provides the state exclusive jurisdictional basis for making an initial child custody determination, and permits a California court to assume temporary emergency jurisdiction in specified circumstances. Existing law permits a court to decline to exercise its jurisdiction if it determines that it is an inconvenient forum and a court in another state is a more appropriate forum.
Existing law permits a California court to decline to exercise its jurisdiction if the petitioner has wrongfully taken the child from another state or engaged in similar reprehensible conduct, except as specified. Existing law prohibits a court from considering the taking or retention of a child from a person who has legal custody of the child if there is evidence that the taking or retention was a result of domestic violence.
The bill would prohibit the enforcement of an order based on another state’s law authorizing a child to be removed from their parent or guardian based on that parent or guardian allowing their child to receive gender-affirming health care or gender-affirming mental health care.
The bill would prohibit a court from finding that it is an inconvenient forum where the law or policy of another state that may take jurisdiction limits the ability of a parent to obtain gender-affirming health care or gender-affirming mental health care, as defined, and the provision of such care is at issue in the case before the court. The bill would authorize a court to take temporary jurisdiction because a child has been unable to obtain gender-affirming health care. The bill would additionally prohibit a court from considering the taking or retention of a child from a person who has legal custody of the child, if the taking or retention was for obtaining gender-affirming health care or mental health care. The bill would declare its provisions to be severable.
APPROVED BY THE GOVERNOR AND CHAPTERED BY THE SECRETARY OF STATE ON 9/29/22
SB 1142 Abortion services.
Existing law, the Reproductive Privacy Act, prohibits the state from denying or interfering with a person’s right to choose or obtain an abortion prior to viability of the fetus, or when the abortion is necessary to protect the life or health of the person. The act defines “abortion” as a medical treatment intended to induce the termination of a pregnancy except for the purpose of producing a live birth. Existing law establishes the Abortion Practical Support Fund, administered by the Department of Health Care Access and Information, for the purpose of providing grants to increase patient access to abortion.
This bill would require the California Health and Human Services Agency, or an entity designated by the agency, to establish an internet website where the public can find information on abortion services in the state. The bill would require the Department of Health Care Access and Information to annually evaluate the grant program funded by the Abortion Practical Support Fund and report its findings to the Legislature. The bill would also make related findings and declarations, and would specify that it is to be construed to effectuate its legislative intent to support access to abortion in California and build upon California’s commitment to be a reproductive freedom state.
APPROVED BY THE GOVERNOR AND CHAPTERED BY THE SECRETARY OF STATE ON 9/27/22
UPDATE ON A PREVIOUSLY PUBLISHED BILL AND A ‘FEEL GOOD” OUTCOME FOR SB 1183
SB 1183 The California State Library: Statewide Imagination Library Program.
Existing law establishes the California State Library as a state government agency under the control of an executive, who is required to be a technically trained librarian and known as the “State Librarian.” Existing law requires the State Librarian, among other duties, to give advisory, consultive, and technical assistance to librarians and library authorities in public libraries and to assist all other authorities, state and local, in assuming their full responsibility for library service.
This bill would establish the Statewide Imagination Library Program under the State Librarian for purposes encouraging preschool children to develop a love of reading and learning. The program would provide age-appropriate books at no cost on a monthly basis to each child registered in the program, from birth to their 5th birthday.
APPROVED BY THE GOVERNOR AND CHAPTERED BY THE SECRETARY OF STATE ON 9/30/22
For further information on any of the bills mentioned here, click on the bill # highlighted in the body of the above articles.
To contact your U.S. Representatives, call the Capitol Switchboard at (202) 224-3121
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”
