The Commission supported 17 bills during the 2003-04 Legislative Session that would implement its recommendations. The measures were in the areas of affordable housing, children’s services, drug and alcohol abuse treatment, parole, prisons and public health. Of those 17 bills, two were signed into law, six were vetoed, one failed passage in policy committee, seven failed passage in fiscal commitee, and one was amended into language unrelated to Commission recommendations.
Affordable Housing
AB 389 (Montañez) Hazardous materials: brownfields.
Summary: Requires a database and inventory be maintained to capture information on brownfields. Combines provisions of SB 493 (Cedillo) enacting the California Land Reuse & Revitalization Act of 2004.
Final Action: Signed by Governor, Chapter 705, Satutes of 2004.
AB 1426 (Steinberg) Affordable housing: greater Sacramento region.
Summary: Dedicates housing bond funds for designated communities that meet the voluntary affordable housing production standards.
Support Letter
Final Action: Vetoed.
SB 493 (Cedillo) Hazardous substances: cleanup loans.
Summary: Reestablishes funding to the Cleanup Loans and Environmental Assistance to Neighborhoods Account (CLEAN) to make loans available for encouraging the cleanup and redevelopment of brownfields.
Support Letter
Final Action: Failed to pass in Assembly Appropriations.
SB 744 (Dunn) Planning: housing.
Summary: Requires the Department of Housing and Community Development to hear appeals on applications for the construction of affordable housing developments.
Support Letter
Final Action: Failed to pass in Assembly Local Government.
Children’s Services
AB 380 (Steinberg) California Children and Families Commission: funding review.
Summary: Enables counties in the Children’s System of Care program to systematically collect and maintain data that demonstrates specific outcomes of CSOC.
Support Letter
Final Action: Failed to pass in Senate.
SB 693 (Murray) Undersecretary of Foster Care Coordination.
Summary: Establishes an undersecretary of foster care coordination within the Health and Human Services Agency.
Support Letter
Final Action: Failed to pass in Assembly Appropriations.
SB 1343 (Escutia) Child care: Infant and Toddler Care Master Plan.
Summary: Requires Superintendent of Public Instruction to establish a task force to develop recommendations for an Infant and Toddler Care Master Plan.
Final Action: Vetoed.
Drug & Alcohol Abuse Treatment
AB 2483 (Chan) Adolescent alcohol and substance abuse care.
Summary: Increases the coordination and availability of substance abuse treatment for adolescents by establishing pilot programs in four counties.
Final Action: Failed to pass in Assembly Appropriations.
SB 519 (Vasconcellos) Nonviolent drug possession: parole.
Summary: Provides drug treatment rather than confinement, for parolees of the California Youth Authority who have been charged with non-violent drug possession.
Support Letter
Final Action: Vetoed.
Parole
AB 854 (Koretz) Crime.
Summary: Expands purpose of imprisonment to include education and job training strategies proven to increase public safety and reduce recidivism.
Final Action: Signed by Governor, Chapter 747, Statutes of 2004.
AB 2815 (Hancock) Prisoners.
Summary: Establishes pilot programs to provide pre-release planning information to local agencies so they may target resources and enhance the work of PACT in reintegrating inmates back into the community.
Final Action: Failed to pass in Assembly Appropriations.
SB 1660 (Poochigian) Prisons: worktime credit.
Summary: Requires Department of Corrections and others to determine how to best encourage inmates to complete educational, vocational, and substance abuse programs.
Final Action: Failed to pass in Assembly Appropriations.
SB 1715 (Poochigian) Corrections: recidivism risk assessment.
Summary: Requires Department of Corrections to begin the recidivism risk assessment process at the time of incarceration, rather than waiting until the time of an inmate’s parole.
Final Action: Failed to pass in Senate Appropriations.
Prisons
AB 1219 (Montañez) Prison education reform.
Summary: Creates an educational board within the Department of Corrections, which will appoint a superintendent of correctional education and establish standards for inmate education.
Support Letter
Final Action: Vetoed.
AB 1914 (Montañez) Education in state prisons.
Summary: Enacts the Prison Education Act; requires a newly constituted committee to develop and implement a plan for providing transitional educational services for inmates, including, but not limited to, counseling and placement services.
Final Action: Vetoed.
Public Health
SB 858 (Ortiz) State Department of Public Health.
Summary: Creates the Department of Public Health within the Health and Human Services Agency; transfers specified programs and responsibilities from the Department of Health Services to DPH; establishes a 13-member Public Health Board to provide involvement of the programs administered by DPH.
Final Action: Failed to pass in Assembly Appropriations.
SB 1487 (Speier) Health facilities: hospital-acquired infection.
Summary: Requires hospitals to collect and provide data concerning hospital-acquired infections to the Office of Statewide Health Planning & Development and the Department of Health Services.
Final Action: Vetoed.