Deadline Looms: One Week for Bills to Move towards First Floor Vote or on to Second House

As the June 3rd deadline for bills to pass out of the house in which they were introduced approaches, many bills that PCL has followed closely are on their way to a floor vote or have already successfully passed to the second house. Here is an update on the current status of a few PCL’s priority bills:

The following bills passed off the floor in their house of origin and will now move to the second house:

AB 320 (Hill) –  This bill aims to prevent CEQA lawsuits and litigation from being thrown out in the event a “recipient of approval” appears only after the statute of limitations time period has passed. The bill will help bring clarity to the question of which parties must be named in CEQA lawsuits and litigation. (PCL Sponsored)

AB 376 (Fong) – This bill would make it unlawful for any person to possess, sell, offer for sale, trade, or distribute a shark fin in the attempt to minimize dangerous falls in shark populations and consequent damages to the world’s marine ecosystems.

AB 1319 (Butler) – This bill, a high priority bill for the environmental community, would enact the Toxin-Free Infants and Toddlers Act, which would prohibit the manufacture, sale, or distribution in commerce of any infant formula, liquid, baby food, or beverage that contains bisphenol A (BPA) at a level above 0.1 parts per billion (ppb). The bill would also require manufacturers to use the least toxic alternative when replacing BPA in containers.

The following bills will be coming up on the floor for a vote next week:

SB 244 (Wolk) –  This bill seeks to provide underserved communities with basic needs such as clean drinking water and adequate sewage disposal by requiring that cities and counties review and include unincorporated island, fringe, or legacy communities in their plans, data and analysis, goals, and implementation measures.

SB 517 (Lowenthal) – This bill seeks to reorder the High-Speed Rail Authority in order to establish a well-informed body that is more accountable to the state of California. In addition to other revisions, this bill would place the Authority within the Business, Transportation and Housing Agency and require the members of the authority appointed by the Governor to be appointed with the advice and consent of the Senate. (PCL Lead Support)