Capitol Briefs: The week that was

Lawmakers returned from their spring break bills in hand and loaded for bear. This week’s edition of Capitol Briefs takes a look at some of those measures.

Monday
Animal shelter vaccines: The Senate Business, Professions & Economic Committee endorsed SB 602, a bill from Senator Dave Cortese (D-San Jose) that would permit a Registered Veterinary Technician (RVT) to conduct vaccine and parasite control wellness appointments in many animal shelters. Current law allows RVTs to conduct the procedure, but only if a licensed veterinarian is also present. The proposal moves to the Senate Appropriations Committee.

Unhoused youth: The Senate Human Services Committee endorsed another Cortese bill, SB 33, which would establish a pilot program to provide guaranteed income of $1,000 each month for four months to unhoused youth transitioning out of high school. The bill moves to the Senate Committee on Appropriations.

Emergency abortion services: The full Assembly approved AB 40, a bill authored by Assemblymember Mia Bonta (D-Oakland) that would clarify in California state statute that abortion care qualifies as an emergency service. The bill, which carries an urgency clause, moves to the Senate Committee on Health.

Tuesday
Naloxone availability: Gov. Gavin Newsom announces that all Californians are able to purchase individual twin-packs of CalRx®-branded over-the-counter (OTC) naloxone, an anti-overdose medication used to give emergency treatment to someone going through an opioid overdose.

Felony looting: The Senate Public Safety Committee approved SB 571, a bill that would make looting during an emergency a felony. The bill, which also enhances the penalty for impersonating first responders during a state of emergency, moves to the Senate Committee on Appropriations.

More animal bills: The Assembly Business and Professions Committee endorsed AB 519, authored by Assemblymember Marc Berman (D-Menlo Park), a bill that would prohibit the sale of dogs, cats and rabbits by third-party sellers or “brokers,” expanding on the existing state law that prohibits the sale of animals in brick-and-mortar pet stores. It moves to third reading.

The Committee also endorsed AB 506, authored by Assemblymember Steve Bennett (D-Ventura), a bill that would void contracts between California consumers and online brokers of dogs and cats that require a non-refundable deposit or fail to disclose the original source of a dog or cat prior to a deposit being issued and require sellers to return money to the buyers within 30 days if the contract is voided. Both bills move to the Appropriations Committee.

Wednesday
Cannabis taxation: The Assembly Business and Professions Committee approved AB 564, authored by Assemblymember Matt Haney (D-San Francisco), a bill that would block a scheduled cannabis tax increase on July 1, 2025. The bill’s co-sponsors – the California Cannabis Operators Association (CACOA) and the United Food and Commercial Workers Western States Council (UFCW) – claim the tax increase will “drive more consumers away from the regulated market and toward illegal shops, websites, and delivery services where products are sold at a fraction of the price and remain untested, unsafe, and untaxed” and hinder the state’s ability to “quality jobs, opportunities for entrepreneurs, and safe products” in the cannabis industry. A coalition of 98 organizations oppose the bill, arguing that failure to implement the planned tax hikes will result in the loss of “at least $150 million per year for childcare, youth, and environmental programs” promised under 2022’s AB 195.

The proposal moves to the Assembly Revenue and Taxation Committee.

Mobile home insurance: The Senate Insurance Committee passed SB 525, a proposal from Sen. Brian Jones (R-San Diego) that would require California’s FAIR Plan – the state’s insurer of last resort – to provide the same basic property insurance for mobile and manufactured homes as it currently does for standard residential dwellings. It moves to the full Senate.

Last call extension: The Assembly Governmental Organization Committee overwhelmingly approved another Haney bill (AB 342) that would allow local governments to create “hospitality zones” where specific venues would be allowed to extend their “last call” times to 4 a.m. solely on Fridays, Saturdays and on official state holidays. The measure now moves to the Assembly Committee on Appropriations.

Thursday
CEQA reform: The Senate Environmental Quality Committee passed SB 607, a measure from Senator Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco) that would implement a number of reforms to the California Environmental Quality Act the author says “focus on speeding approvals for environmentally friendly and environmentally neutral projects while maintaining existing processes for potentially environmentally destructive projects like fossil fuel facilities.”  It goes now to the Senate Committee on Local Government.

PBM reform: The Senate Health Committee endorsed another Wiener bill, Senate Bill 41, which among several things requires that all PBMs be licensed and disclose basic information regarding their business practices to the licensing entity. The proposal, which would also require PBMs to pass through all negotiated drug rebates to the payers or patients, moves to the Senate Committee on the Judiciary.

Taxes on tips: The Senate Revenue and Taxation Committee approved SB 17, a bill primarily authored by Sens. Senator Rosilicie Ochoa Bogh (R-Yucaipa), Shannon Grove (R-Bakersfield) and Suzette Valladares (R-Santa Clarita) that would allow California service workers to deduct up to $20,000 of their tipped income from state taxes, as long as their adjusted gross income is under $125,000 for individuals or $250,000 for joint filers. The measure moves to the Senate Committee on Labor, Public Employment and Retirement.