California Legislature is Back in Session.
2024 Legislation- California
Updates as 8/8/2024
SB 1414 (Grove)- Crimes: Solicitation of a minor.
This bill increases jail times and fines for solicitation of a minor and creates a requirement to register as a sex offender for a term of 10 years.
STATUS: Asm Appropriations Committee Hearing Date: 08/15/24
SB 1435 (Ochoa Bogh) – Books and other school materials: Obscene matter
This bill protects children from materials that are not developmentally appropriate.
Guidance regarding appropriateness for various ages is a necessary consideration for books and other materials used in school.
STATUS: FAILED 04/24/24
Judiciary Committee Vote Result:
(FAIL) »» Ayes: 2; Noes: 3; Abstain: 2;
SB 1203 (Grove) Education Flex Account Act of 2024
School funds should allow each child to learn in a setting that best suits their educational needs and interests. Establishing an ESA trust that allows parents to work with the state to ensure that the child is the center of focus is important for the child’s growth and development.
STATUS: 04/24/24 Failed
AB 2652 (Muratsuchi) Dept. of Education: A.I. working group.
This bill would require the Superintendent of Public Instruction to convene a working group for the purpose of exploring how A.I. and other forms of advanced technology are currently being used in education and developing best practices to ensure that those technologies advance, rather than harm, educational quality.
STATUS: Assembly Appropriations with recommendation: To Consent Calendar. In committee: Held under submission.
AB 1824 (Valencia) California Consumer Privacy Act of 2018: opt-out right
This bill would require a business to which another business transfers the personal information of a consumer as an asset that is part of a merger, acquisition, bankruptcy, or other transaction, to comply with a consumer’s opt-out direction to the transferer. This requirement will help safeguard consumer privacy and protect against improper use of personal information that is collected and sold by businesses.
STATUS: Sen 3rd Reading - Asm Bills 08-08-2024 88
SB-976 (Skinner) Social Media Youth Addiction Law.
This bill prohibits “social media platforms” from providing “addictive feeds,” as those terms are defined, to minors without parental consent and from sending notifications to minors at night and during school hours without parental consent. The bill requires platforms to make available to parents a series of protective measures for controlling access to and features of the platform for their children. The bill also requires reporting on data regarding children on their platforms, as specified.
Status: : Asm Appropriations Committee Hearing Date: 08/15/24
AB-1871 Adopted course of study for grades 7 to 12: social sciences: personal financial literacy.
This bill with respect to the adopted course of study for grades 7 to 12, inclusive, would require the social sciences area of study to also include instruction on personal financial literacy, as provided.
Status: Sen Held At Desk - Assembly Bills 08-05-2024 A- 53
AB-1949 California Consumer Privacy Act of 2020: collection of personal information of a minor
This bill would instead prohibit a business from selling or sharing the personal information of a consumer if the business has actual knowledge that the consumer is less than 18 years of age and would revise the above-described prohibition to prohibit a business from selling or sharing the personal information of a consumer over 13 years of age, but less than 18 years of age, unless the consumer, or the consumer’s parent or guardian, as applicable, has affirmatively authorized the sale or sharing of the consumer’s personal information, as specified. The bill would require a business to treat a consumer as under 18 years of age if the consumer, through a platform, technology, or mechanism, transmits a signal indicating that the consumer is less than 18 years of age.
STATUS: 08/05/24 Committee Motion: Placed on suspense file Senate Appropriations
OPPOSE
AB 2442 (Zbur) Healing arts: expedited licensure process: gender-affirming health care and gender-affirming mental health care.
There is a moral obligation to treat each person with equal care and prioritizing gender affirming care is no more important than other care. Comparing this to the abortion laws does not make sense as there is no time expiration for the rush on treating a patient.
In fact, the licensure process for anyone treating gender issues should be more stringent and should receive additional specialized training. With higher rates of depression and suicide for this demographic, there is a real concern that rushed licensure to treat this demographic can lead to higher rates of financial and legal challenges that will burden the system, as well as greater rates of detransitioning if said candidates are not well trained in how to observe, diagnose, and properly treat this demographic of patients.
Moreover, the percentage of the population with gender issues does not justify the push for expediting licensure.
We want to ensure that all California residents receive safe and proper care.
STATUS: Sen 3rd Reading - Asm Bills 08-08-2024 #72
AB-1825 California Freedom to Read Act.
The bill would prohibit the governing board or body of a public library, or any body or commission designated to review the procurement, retention, or circulation of, or access to, library materials, from (1) proscribing the circulation or procurement of, or access to, library materials in a public library because of the topic addressed by the library materials or because of the views, ideas, or opinions contained in materials or (2) creating policies or procedures that limit or restrict access to library materials offered by the public library, except as provided. The bill would also prohibit library materials in a public library from being excluded, and access to library materials from being limited, solely on the bases of (1) specified protected characteristics of a subject of the library materials, an author of the materials, the sources of the library materials, or the perceived or intended audience for the library materials, (2) that the materials contain inclusive and diverse perspectives, or(3) that the materials may include sexual content, except as provided. The bill would provide that a person’s right to use a public library and its resources shall not be denied or abridged solely because of personal characteristics, age, background, or views.
The bill would prohibit a librarian, library media specialist, other employee, or contractor at a public library from being subject to termination, demotion, discipline, or retaliation for (1) refusing to remove a library material before it has been reviewed in accordance with the public library’s process for reconsideration of library materials or (2) making displays, acquisitions, or programming decisions that the employee believes, in good faith, are in accordance with the bill’s provisions.
The bill would provide that these provisions apply to a public library, as defined, including any public library operated on a contractual basis, or operated by a city, including a general law or charter city, county, special district, or joint powers authority, except that these provisions do not apply to any school library, as defined, or any library operated by the governing board of a school district, a county board of education, or the governing body of a charter school. To the extent these provisions impose additional duties on public libraries, the bill would create a state-mandated local program.
Status: Sen 3rd Reading - Asm Bills 08-08-2024 205
AB 1955 (Ward) Academic Futures and Educators for Today’s Youth Act.
STATUS: Signed into law 07/15/24 by Governor Newsom
This bill would prohibit school districts, county offices of education, charter schools, and the state special schools, and a member of the governing board or body of those educational entities, from enacting or enforcing any policy, rule, or administrative regulation that requires an employee or a contractor to disclose any information related to a pupil’s sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression to any other person without the pupil’s consent unless otherwise required by law, as provided.
The bill would prohibit employees or contractors of those educational entities from being required to make such a disclosure unless otherwise required by law, as provided.
The bill would prohibit employees or contractors of school districts, county offices of education, charter schools, or the state special schools, or members of the governing boards or bodies of those educational entities, from retaliating or taking adverse action against an employee on the basis that the employee supported a pupil in the exercise of specified rights, work activities, or providing certain instruction, as provided.
In other words, this bill aims to exclude parents from essential aspects of their child's development and well-being. This bill will prohibit school staff/teachers from notifying parents that a student has requested a change in their name/identity to grant them access to opposite sex spaces and gender transitioning plans.
SB-907 Orange County Board of Education: members.
SB 907 seeks to add 2 more trustees (i.e. packing the court) to the Orange County Board of Education, costing more tax dollars to fund a County School Board that already exceeds doing a sufficient job. Orange County test scores are exceptional.
Status: Asm Appropriations Committee Hearing Date: 08/15/24
*Rest assured, PERK is dedicated to providing you with ongoing updates on the status of these crucial bills, along with actionable steps you can take to bring about meaningful change. PERK Advocacy remains committed to careful monitoring, active lobbying, and consistent advocacy for California legislation. For more frequent updates and convenient access to the PERK Advocacy Action Center, be sure to visit www.perkadvocacy.com.