Martins Beach Access, Livestock Antibiotics: 15 of Sen. Jerry Hill's Bills Becoming Law

Submitted for publication by the office of State Senator Jerry Hill:

Eighteen bills authored by State Senator Jerry Hill (D-San Mateo and Santa Clara counties), will take effect January first. Several are highlighted below.

Hill also reminds constituents to participate in his eighth annual “Oughta Be A Law…Or Not” contest open to all constituents of the 13th Senate District, which allows residents to submit their ideas for improving the quality of life in San Mateo County, Santa Clara County and the state of California. Ideas can vary from local community improvements to statewide reforms. Applicants can submit their ideas for the creation of a new law – or the repeal or revision of laws already on the books. Entries are due by January 15th and can be submitted on Senator Hill’s website: sd13.senate.ca.gov

Here is a partial list of Hill’s bills that will become law on January 1, 2016:

SB 21 – Transparency for Elected Official Travel – Increases transparency within the Political Reform Act by requiring nonprofits that pay for elected official travel to disclose to the Fair Political Practices Commission the names of the donors responsible for funding the travel. Current law allows nonprofits that fund conferences to hide the donors that provide funding. The public has a right to know who is paying for conferences attended by elected officials that typically occur at destinations around the world. SB 21 would also require elected officials to disclose to the FPPC the destination of their travel if it was a gift.

SB 27 – Antibiotics in Livestock – Makes California the first state in the nation to establish a comprehensive regulatory framework for the use of antibiotics in farm animals. Unnecessary use of antibiotics has been linked to the development of antibiotic resistant infections, which affect at least 2 million Americans each year and cause at least 23,000 deaths.

The following requirements go into effect on January 1, 2018:

• A prescription will be required for all medically important antibiotics used in livestock
• The use of medically important antibiotics to fatten up livestock will be prohibited
• There will be limits on using medically important antibiotics for disease prevention.
• Other provisions in the bill go into effect on January 1, 2016:
• The Department of Food and Agriculture will develop an antibiotic stewardship program to promote better use of antibiotics and to promote alternatives to reduce the need to use antibiotics in the first place
• The Department of Food and Agriculture will also begin a program to monitor the use of medically important antibiotics and antibiotic resistance in livestock.
• Penalties will be imposed on producers and veterinarians for noncompliance with the legislation, including fines, educational classes on antibiotic use, and actions against a veterinarian’s license.

SB 34 – Privacy Standards for Automatic License Plate Readers –Implements privacy and security protections for data collected by automatic license plate readers, technology used by law enforcement agencies and private business that can rapidly scan thousands of license plates each minute and has raised privacy concerns. SB 34 requires public disclosure about the use or acquisition of the technology by a public agency and requires any operator to have a privacy policy that is posted on their website.

SB 61 – Ignition Interlock Devices for DUIs – Four-County Pilot Program – Ensures that all DUI offenders in Alameda, Los Angeles, Sacramento, and Tulare counties continue to install Ignition Interlock Devices on their vehicles to protect the public from drunk drivers. The bill extends the sunset by 1.5 years (from Dec 2015 to July 2017) for the Department of Motor Vehicle’s four-county IID pilot program so the Legislature can review the DMV report on the program, which is due out in early 2016, and determine the best way to move forward in 2016. Without this legislation, the DMV report will be released when the program sunsets and the Legislature won’t have an opportunity to decide if it wants to continue, expand or end the pilot program. A recent report from Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) found that IIDs in California have prevented over 1 million instances of drinking and driving since 2010:http://www.madd.org/local-offices/ca/documents/California-Report.pdf

SB 361 – Reducing Antibiotic Resistance in Nursing Homes – Helps to reduce the development of antibiotic resistant infections by requiring all nursing homes to implement antibiotic stewardship programs and by requiring veterinarians to take continuing education in the judicious use of antibiotics. This is important because nationwide, up to 70% of nursing home residents receive an antibiotic every year and 27,000 acquire an antibiotic resistant infection and as veterinarians continue to gain more authority in the administration of these lifesaving drugs, it’s important that veterinarians keep up to date on the most relevant research to use antibiotics as effectively as possible.

SB 494 – Facilitating California’s Earthquake Early Warning System –Helps facilitate the implementation of California’s earthquake early warning system by establishing the California Earthquake Safety Fund. SB 494 builds on existing policy to ensure California is prepared for the next Big One.

SB 541 – Improving the Safety Enforcement For Limousines and Buses – Makes improvements to the CPUC’s transportation branch, which currently fails to provide adequate customer service and safety enforcement. To improve customer service, the bill establishes new program priorities, such as the timely processing of applications and consumer complaints. It improves public safety by authorizing law enforcement officers to cite drivers of limousines, buses, or moving vans that are pulled over and found to be operating without a valid CPUC permit. To help keep our roads safe, the bill further allows law enforcement operators to impound limousines and buses operating without a permit or being driven by an unlicensed driver.

SB 598 – Sales Tax Exemption for All-Volunteer Fire Departments In California – Winner of Senator Hill’s 2015 “Oughta Be A Law” Constituent Contest - Will help All-Volunteer Fire Departments better utilize scarce resources by exempting them from sales tax liability on fundraising activities (including pancake breakfasts and t-shirt sales). SB 598 will ensure that the entire gross amount of a fundraiser stays with the All-Volunteer Fire Department and helps provide critically needed equipment and services.

SB 633 – Modernizing California’s Made in USA Labeling Law – Updates California’s “Made in the USA” labeling standard to reflect the real-world market in which companies make products using components from around the world. Until SB 633 was signed into law, California was the only state that used an impractical 100% domestic content requirement for manufactured goods. SB 633 provides California and domestic manufacturers a much needed tool to entice consumers to buy their products.

SB 658 – More Access to AEDs – Increases public and private access to automated external defibrillators (AEDs) by streamlining state requirements that commercial building owners and public facilities need to follow to be immune from liability if they have AEDs on their property. Under current law, facilities such as schools, office buildings, stadiums and shopping malls that have AEDs are only immune from liability if they meet onerous conditions, including costly training and medical oversight requirements. SB 658 modernizes liability requirements with more basic safeguards such as battery checks, AED maintenance, AED location notification for building tenants, posting of instructions next to the device, and an annual demonstration for building tenants.

SB 671 – Lower Cost Biosimilar Drug Substitution – Will allow patients to save money on life saving drugs by allowing for the automatic substitution of lower cost biosimilar drugs for brand name biologics. Biologic medicines are the next generation of life-saving medicines used to treat blood conditions, cancers, immune disorders such as Rheumatoid Arthritis, Psoriasis and Crohn’s Disease and neurological disorders like Multiple Sclerosis. The bill also ensures that doctors will have access to complete medical records for their patients who are taking this new generation of medications.

SB 705 – San Mateo County Transportation Funding – Authorizes the counties of San Mateo and Monterey to seek approval from their voters, on a two-thirds threshold, to increase their local sales tax for purposes of funding local transportation projects. Current law establishes a 2% tax cap for all counties in the state, but counties like San Mateo, Monterey and Los Angeles are at or approaching the limit. The bill provides a .5% exemption for San Mateo and a .375% exemption for the Transportation Agency for Monterey, affording each county the flexibility to place items before voters to fund local transportation programs. This bill will allow the voters in San Mateo County and Monterey County to decide if they want to further fund transportation projects in their counties.

SB 741 – Privacy Standards for Cell Phone Intercept Devices – Creates transparency and privacy standards for cell phone intercept devices, a portable technology used by law enforcement that have raised privacy concerns because they are used under a veil of secrecy and can capture cell phone data from many people at once, regardless of whether or not they are a suspect. SB 741 requires public disclosure and a privacy policy for the technology.

SB 968 Martins Beach (signed by Governor in 2014) – Starting January 1, 2016, authorizes the State Lands Commission to use eminent domain to acquire a public right of way or easement at Martins Beach to ensure public beach access. The bill required the land owner and the Commission to negotiate during 2015 to reach an agreement on how to accommodate public access. On October 2015, Commission staff provided a proposal detailing the type and extent of the public access easement and an offer to acquire that easement. To date the land owner, Martins Beach LLC, has not responded to the Commission staff’s offer.

SB 1249 Auto Shredding and Recycling Facilities (signed by Governor in 2014) – The California Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC) recently announced they’re in the process of issuing emergency regulations as a result of SB 1249 to improve their oversight of facilities that dispose of and recycle automobile, appliance and metal waste. Roughly 700,000 tons of this waste – also called fluff – is disposed of in the state’s landfills each year. Scientists have warned that this waste could become hazardous during the shredding process. A 2001 legal opinion by DTSC attorneys called the exemption “outdated and legally incorrect.” Seven fires have broken out at metal recycling facilities in the Bay Area since 2007. Redwood City leaders called on regulators to do more to help protect residents from future incidents. This bill rescinds exemptions for facilities that deal with vehicle shredder waste and requires DTSC to develop regulations to ensure that treatment, transport and disposal are conducted in a manner that protects public health and the environment. The legislation also provides for better DTSC oversight of the industry to prevent contamination, explosions and other risks to California communities.

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