2012 Laws Co-Authored by Assemblyman Garrick

It may be hard to believe, but 2012 is now just a matter of hours away. The New Year brings a slew of new laws to California, many of which our Assemblyman Martin Garrick had a hand in passing.

Below is a rundown of some of the laws Garrick co-authored this year, which will take effect on Jan. 1. You can also watch this video of Garrick weighing in on his opinion about the 'Top Five Bad Bills of 2011' — and stay tuned: Patch is working on its own list of the '10 Most Interesting New California Laws,' which we’ll publish in a couple of days. 

• AB 136: Telecommunications: Universal Service: Speech Disabilities: Expands an existing telephone ratepayer-funded subsidy program to provide free telecommunications equipment to persons with speech disabilities if they have no health insurance to pay for it.
• AB 258: Rabies: Vaccines (aka Molly's Bill): Exempts from the vaccination requirement select dogs, on an annual basis, that a licensed veterinarian determines are currently immune compromised or that have a documented medical record of a preexisting condition that would be negatively affected by a rabies vaccination.
• AB 631: Electric Vehicle Plug-In Stations: Provides that the owners and operators of charging stations that provide electricity to power plug-in electric vehicles are not "public utilities" within the regulatory jurisdiction of the Public Utilities Commission.