- Require the office of the Chancellor of the California Community Colleges to develop a policing degree program and provide financial assistance to students who have traditionally experienced barriers to higher education, as defined by the law. (Assembly Bill 89)
- Criminalize "stealthing" or non-consensual condom removal during sex. (Assembly Bill 453)
- Reform how law enforcement can respond to protests, preventing the use of rubber bullets, tear gas, and other chemical agents unless required to "defend against a threat to life or serious bodily injury to any individual." (Assembly Bill 48)
- Require large stores to have a gender-neutral toy section, in addition to boys' and girls' aisles. The law won't take effect until 2024 and only applies to retailers with more than 500 employees. (Assembly Bill 1084)
Assembly Bill 1276
California’s war on plastic escalates in the new year as the state moves to ban all single-use utensils from restaurants unless a patron asks for them. Supporters of the bill point to an estimated 4.9 million tons of food-item waste that the U.S. produces each year. Critics, though, argue the law is a swipe at mom-and-pop establishments already struggling under the weight of the pandemic.
The law is part of many bills that promise to reform how California handles plastic and food waste. A related bill, Senate Bill 1383, will require California cities to compost green-bin contents and separate organic refuse from other trash.
The goal is to keep food waste out of landfills, where they decompose and emit methane, a potent greenhouse gas. Beginning in 2024, the bill also allows fines to be levied against those who fail to keep food waste out of their trash cans.
Senate Bill 221
This legislation will require insurance companies to provide Californians with timely access to mental health and substance abuse treatment services. The law is meant to increase mental health care parity across California, particularly for people living in rural or disadvantaged communities without many mental health professionals.
Under current law, insurers have 10 days to schedule an initial appointment for mental health or substance abuse disorder treatment. However, there is no time limit in place for follow-up appointments, so many Californians — particularly those in underserved areas — end up having to wait months to get treatment.
The new law also imposes a 10-day limit on follow-up appointments, closing a loophole that mental health experts said created barriers for many Californias seeking treatment.
The bill's supporters say those services are even more important following the coronavirus pandemic that took a toll on Americans' mental health and caused many to experience relapses or turn to substances to cope.
Sal Rosselli, president of the National Union of Healthcare Workers, called the bill "a huge victory for mental health parity.”
“SB 221 would close the biggest remaining loophole in state law that prevents Californians with mental health and substance use disorders from receiving the timely, ongoing care they need to get better," he said in a statement.
Sometimes I just yell THANK YOU JESUS when I see the "You are now entering Oklahoma" sign and it's not Cali.
