The Commission only takes positions on legislation that would implement its recommendations.
The Commission is currently supporting ten legislative proposals that would implement recommendations from its labor trafficking, intimate partner violence, peace officer training, artificial intelligence, online meetings, and developmental disabilities reports.
Labor Trafficking
AB 235 (Rubio)
AB 235 would establish the Labor Trafficking Unit within the Civil Rights Department to receive and investigate complaints alleging labor trafficking and take steps to prevent labor trafficking.
In its 2020 report, Labor Trafficking: Strategies to Help Victims and Bring Traffickers to Justice, the Commission recommended California should empower state agencies to investigate labor trafficking crimes and incorporate labor trafficking into existing multi-agency, multi-jurisdictional efforts to combat the underground economy.
Held under submission in Assembly Appropriations Committee.
AB 380 (Arambula)
AB 380 would establish the Labor Trafficking Unit within the Department of Industrial Relations to receive, investigate, and prosecute complaints alleging labor trafficking and take steps to prevent it.
In its 2020 report, Labor Trafficking: Strategies to Help Victims and Bring Traffickers to Justice, the Commission recommended California mandate that the Department of Industrial Relations pursues labor trafficking alongside its other work to combat the underground economy.
Passed in Assembly Appropriations Committee.
AB 1149 (Grayson)
AB 1149 would establish the California Multidisciplinary Alliance to Stop Trafficking Act Task Force. This Task Force would examine collaborative models to combat trafficking, evaluate the state’s progress on this issue, and provide recommendations for further work against human trafficking.
In its 2020 report, Human Trafficking: Coordinating a California Response, the Commission recommended the creation of a statewide Anti-Human Trafficking Council to build and enhance collaboration among communities throughout the state, study and improve services for victims and survivors of all forms of human trafficking and assist in the successful prosecution of human traffickers.
Held under submission in Assembly Appropriations Committee.
Intimate Partner Violence
AB 304 (Holden)
AB 304 would place oversight of batterer intervention programs within the Department of Justice, establish statewide programmatic standards, require program providers to publicly post fee information to be shared with defendants, and require trauma-informed judicial training, among other measures intended to rehabilitate and hold accountable domestic violence offenders.
In its 2021 report, Beyond the Crisis: A Long-Term Approach to Reduce, Prevent, and Recover from Intimate Partner Violence, the Commission recommended that the state review its requirements for batterer intervention programs to determine if they facilitate rehabilitation; begin a process to determine how to tailor rehabilitative services to an individual’s needs; and, ensure that rehabilitation is not contingent on an individual’s ability to pay.
Hearing scheduled in Assembly Appropriations Committee on May 22.
AB 479 (Rubio)
AB 479 would extend provisions, until July 1, 2026, that authorize the Counties of Napa, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, and Yolo to offer an alternative program for individuals convicted of domestic violence.
In its 2021 report, Beyond the Crisis, A Long-Term Approach to Reduce, Prevent, and Recover from Intimate Partner Violence, the Commission recommended that the state should review its requirements for batterer intervention program to determine if they facilitate rehabilitation. The Commission also recommended that the state should begin a process to determine how to tailor rehabilitative services to an individual’s needs.
Hearing scheduled in Senate Public Safety Committee on June 6.
AB 1028 (McKinnor)
AB 1028 would require a health practitioner who suspects that a patient has suffered physical injury that is caused by domestic violence to provide counseling, education, or other support, and a warm handoff or referral to domestic violence or sexual violence advocacy services.
In its 2021 report, Beyond the Crisis: A Long-Term Approach to Reduce, Prevent, and Recover from Intimate Partner Violence, the Commission recommended that the state prioritize often overlooked groups who suffer from intimate partner violence.
Hearing scheduled in Assembly Appropriations Committee on May 22.
Peace Officer Training
AB 390 (Haney)
AB 390 would require the Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) to partner with academic researchers to conduct an assessment of existing peace office training requirements and determine how well they are working for peace officers in the field. Among other things, the bill would require POST to establish a process to collect and secure data for research as well as a permanent academic review board.
In its 2021 report, Law Enforcement Training: Identifying What Works for Officers and Communities, the Commission recommended that POST partner with academic researchers to assess existing officer training requirements and determine how well they are working for officers in the field. Additionally, the Commission called on POST to establish a process to collect and secure data for research purposes in order to improve training as well as a permanent academic review board.
Held under submission in Assembly Appropriations Committee.
Artificial Intelligence
SB 313 (Dodd)
SB 313 would establish the Office of Artificial Intelligence within the Department of Technology. The bill would also empower the office to guide the design, use, and deployment of automated systems by a state agency to ensure that all artificial intelligence (AI) systems are designed and deployed in a manner that is consistent with state and federal laws and regulations regarding privacy and civil liberties and that minimizes bias and promotes equitable outcomes for all Californians.
In its 2018 report, Artificial Intelligence: A Roadmap for California, the Commission recommended the State appoint an AI special advisor that would create a strategic plan to incorporate AI within state government and oversee the safe and transparent deployment of AI. The Commission also emphasized the need for an AI policymaking agenda that would protect core values – autonomy, responsibility, privacy, transparency, and accountability.
Held under submission in Senate Appropriations Committee.
Customer-Centric Government
SB 544 (Laird)
SB 544 would update teleconferencing requirements in the Bagley-Keene Act, which govern how state boards and commissions conduct open meetings, to promote equity and public participation through virtual meetings while safeguarding the personal safety of board and commission members.
In its 2021 report, The Government of Tomorrow: Online Meetings, the Commission recommended that state boards and commissions provide public access to their meetings in both a physical location and a teleconferencing option. The Commission also recommended allowing board and commission members to participate in meetings remotely without requiring public disclosure of those locations.
Held at desk in the Assembly.
Developmental Disabilities
AB 1147 (Addis)
AB 1147 would require that the state address several issues within its developmental disabilities services system, including disparities in treatment based on race and geographical location, regional boards, standard services, vendorization, and technology.
In its 2023 report, A System in Distress: Caring for Californians with Developmental Disabilities, the Commission called for the Department of Developmental Services (DDS) to identify a standard set of core services to be delivered by all regional centers, and to utilize technology to make it easier for consumers to find out what services are available. The Commission also recommended that regional centers use standard categories to track the race and ethnicity of clients receiving services so that disparities could be more easily identified. Additionally, the Commission recommended that DDS put forward a comprehensive project plan to modernize its data systems. The Commission also called for DDS to standardize the vendorization process and allow vendors to provide services across the regional center system. Finally, the Commission recommended that the state enhance support for regional center governing boards, including additional training and greater protection against retaliation.
Referred to Assembly Appropriations Committee.