Editor’s note: This article has been edited to correct and clarify the impact of AB 418.
Like school-aged children nationwide, lawmakers too are returning in Sacramento, though they are coming back to work to debate multiple bills.
Here is a collection of some bills lawmakers must decide on before sending some off to Gov. Gavin Newsom’s desk.
The California Food Safety Act
Introduced by Assemblyman Jesse Gabriel (D-Woodland Hills), AB 418 proposes that California stop allowing the manufacture, sale and distribution of foods that contain Red Dye No. 3, potassium bromate, brominated vegetable oil, or propyl paraben. Some popular products that contain those ingredients include Skittles, Hot Tamales candy and Dubble Bubble Twist Gum.
Gabriel’s office says the bill would not lead to any products coming off the shelves, but would simply require manufacturers to adjust their formulas.
“These chemicals are banned in the E.U. and they are still selling these products without these chemicals in them,” said Noah Marty, Senior Legislative Aide for Assemblyman Gabriel.
The bill passed the California State Assembly in May and was sent to the Senate Appropriations Committee in July.
To read more about AB 418, click here.
California Student Teacher Support Grant Program
The bill, officially known as Assembly Bill 238, was introduced by Assemblymember Al Maratsuchi (D-Torrance) and would approve using one-time state funding to create a grant program for student teachers.
School districts that have access to the grants would then pay student teachers the same rate as substitute teachers, according to the bill’s text. An analysis estimated that the program would cost the state $300 million annually should all student teachers benefit from the program, Edsource reported.
The bill passed the state Assembly in May.
As of Aug. 21, the bill passed the Senate Appropriations Committee but was placed in suspense files, meaning senators would weigh the financial impact the bill will have on the state budget before voting on it.
Proposed legislation would not require hospitals to report abuse suspicions to police
State Assembly Bill 1028, introduced by Assemblymember Tina McKinnor (D-Inglewood), would not require hospitals to report suspected domestic abuse victims to the police. The current requirement is only triggered when a patient arrives to the hospital with visible injuries, according to the bill’s text.
The bill passed the state Assembly and the Senate’s Public Safety Committee in July but has been a hot topic among activists and law enforcement.
Making ticket prices more transparent
State Assembly Bill 8, introduced by Assemblymembers Laura Friedman and Jacqui Irwin, would expand “the definition of a ticket seller to include a primary contractor or platform, as defined, and would instead apply the refund requirement relating to the postponement or rescheduling of an event only to primary contractors,” the bill’s text said.
The legislation comes after politicians on the Senate Judiciary Committee questioned Ticketmaster in January about whether the company’s dominance in the ticketing industry led to its spectacular breakdown last year during a sale of Taylor Swift concert tickets.
As of Aug. 28, the bill passed the Senate Appropriations Committee but was placed in suspense files.
Assembly Bill 1078
Introduced by Assemblyman Corey Jackson, AB 1078 would require school boards to accurately reflect California’s cultural and racial diversity when adapting learning material, according to the bill’s text.
The Senate Appropriations Committee is scheduled to have another bill hearing on Aug. 28.
As of Aug. 21, the bill passed the Senate Appropriations Committee but was placed in suspense files, meaning senators would weigh the financial impact the bill will have on the state budget before voting on it.
The state Legislature has until Sept. 14 to pass any bill, Cal Matters reported. Should state politicians approve any bill, Gov. Gavin Newsom has until Oct. 14 to sign or veto the bill.