Sacramento and San Bruno CA: Senate Passes Bills by Senator Jerry Hill - Part 2 of 2 Parts

Senate Passes Bills by Senator Jerry Hill – Part 2 of 2 Parts

Part 1 at http://contribute.patch.com/compose/25218232

SACRAMENTO – Twenty-three bills by State Senator Jerry Hill, D-San Mateo/Santa Clara Counties, were approved by the State Senate before it closed down for the week today in advance of Friday’s deadline for legislation to be passed out of the house of origin. The bills will now be considered by the Assembly, which can act on measures until September 11, when the legislative session concludes for the year. Below are summaries highlighting several of the measures.

SB 27 – Reducing Needless Antibiotic Use in Livestock Production

A first-in-the-nation law, SB 27 will ensure that antibiotics are used judiciously in livestock. Doing so will help to curb the growth of antibiotic resistant infections, a major public health threat that kills at least 23,000 Americans every year. SB 27 contains four core policies that: 1) shift the use of medically important antibiotics (drugs used to treat infections in humans) from over-the-counter to veterinary supervision; 2) prohibit the use of medically important antibiotics to be used to promote growth in livestock; 3) require the Department of Food and Agriculture to develop antibiotic stewardship guidelines to educate veterinarians and producers about how to use antibiotics wisely; and 4) require the Department of Food and Agriculture to develop a system to track antibiotic use and the emergence of antibiotic resistant infections in livestock production.

SB 119 – Dig Safe Act – Improved Enforcement of CA’s “Call Before You Dig” Law

Increases public safety by updating California’s excavation safety laws and creating a centralized authority to enforce them. Excavation activities accounted for more than 25 percent of pipeline-related fatalities in the U.S. between 2002 and 2011. Nationwide data suggests that excavation in California is more dangerous than in other states, largely due to a failure by some excavations and owners of underground facilities to follow the state’s excavation safety laws.

SB 48 – PUC Reform – Governance, Judicial Review, Public Outreach

Recent scandals at the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) have highlighted the need for more visibility in the interactions between Commissioners and regulated utilities, and a series of embarrassing audits that detailed the CPUC’s mismanagement of public funds and poor safety oversight point toward flawed management of the organization. SB 48 would revert control of commission staff to the full Commission, instead of only the President, and require the Commissioners to annually evaluate the performance of the Executive Director. The bill would also clarify that judicial review for Public Records Act and Bagley-Keene Open Meeting Act lies not with appellate or Supreme Court, but with Superior Court, as is the case for other state boards and commissions.

SB 18 – PUC Criminal Attorney Contracts

In response to investigations by the United States Attorney and the state’s Attorney General, the CPUC has entered into a $5.2 million contract with an outside law firm to represent it in criminal proceedings, to be paid by utility customers through their utility bills. SB 18 requires the CPUC commissioners to vote before approving a contract for criminal representation, and the bill also requires a 30-day Legislative review. When asked by Legislative committees where the CPUC found the $5.2 million, the CPUC responded that the money came from personnel vacancies and from money that would have otherwise gone toward improving information technology, training employees, and strategic planning. For comparison, the CPUC spent $4.5 million on gas pipeline safety regulation in 2013 (the last year for which data is publically available). As the CPUC’s shift of resources to criminal representation is at the expense of utility regulation, further oversight of CPUC contracts with outside counsel is warranted.

SB 633 – Modernizing California’s “Made in USA” Labeling Standard

Updates California’s “Made in USA” labeling standard to reflect the real-world market in which companies make products using components from around the globe.

California’s “Made in USA” labeling standard was created in 1961 to “prevent foreign firms from taking advantage of ‘buy American’ promotions.” This was a different era, when the global economy was nascent. California is the only state in the country that establishes a 100% domestic requirement, meaning that all products used in a manufactured product must come from domestic sources. In today’s complex and global economy this is an unrealistic threshold for many modern companies that manufacture products with many different components, some of which may not be available domestically. All 49 other states and the federal government use the more flexible “all or virtually all” standard for determining when a product is eligible to be labeled as “Made in USA.” This standard requires that the significant parts of a final manufactured product come from domestic sources. But, the standard also allows a product to contain a negligible amount of foreign sourced material.

SB 658 – Increasing AED Use by Modernizing Liability Requirements

Increases the likelihood that Automatic External Defibrillators (AEDs) will be installed in buildings throughout the state by reducing outdated requirements imposed on building owners who voluntarily install AEDs. More AEDs installed in buildings throughout the state means that more lives will likely be saved from those suffering sudden cardiac arrest. In 1999 the legislature mandated that building owners comply with a laundry list of requirements in order to be exempt from liability stemming from the use of AEDs placed in their buildings. Technology has advanced greatly over the last 16 years. AEDs are now much more fail-safe and easy for bystanders to use. These devices now have voice commands that tell Good Samaritans what to do – they even have built-in computers that monitor the heart rhythm of the cardiac arrest victim to determine if a shock should be administered.

SB 671 - Lower Cost Biosimilar Drug Substitution

Updates California law so when the federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approves interchangeable biosimilars, California pharmacists can substitute those lower cost biosimilars for brand name biologics. On March 6th, the FDA approved the first biosimilar, (Zarxio) and there are at least four more applications in the approval pipeline. Therefore, it is essential that a bill be passed this year making clear the procedures for substitution. 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.

SB 61 - Ignition Interlock Devices for DUIs – Four-County Pilot Program

Extends the sunset by 1.5 years (from Dec 2015 to July 2017) for the Department of Motor Vehicle’s four-county Ignition Interlock Device pilot program for all DUI offenders so the Legislature can review the DMV report on the program, which is due out later this year, 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. The four counties currently participating in the pilot are Alameda, Los Angeles, Sacramento, and Tulare.

SB 598 – Volunteer Firefighter Tax Exemption – 2015 “Oughta Be A Law … or Not” Constituent Contest Winner

Exempts all-volunteer fire departments and brigades from paying sales tax on fundraising activities to increase the organizations’ abilities to purchase life-saving firefighting equipment. Currently, California’s all-volunteer fire departments (AVFDs) have to pay sales tax for fundraising activities like pancake breakfasts, BBQ’s and T-shirt sales. Sales tax on fundraising activities siphons critical dollars from the departments’ primary mission to protect Californian’s lives and property. The La Honda All Volunteer Fire Brigade In San Mateo County was responsible for this year’s winning entry.

SB 541 – PUC Transportation Branch Improvements

Improves the functions of the Transportation Enforcement Branch at the CPUC to ramp up improve customer service and enforcement against illegally operating charter-party carriers, passenger stage corporations, and moving companies. Over the past years, the branch has come under fire for poor administrative service and for failing to adequately ensure passenger safety. A recent state audit found a multitude of problems including: The branch has not established written guidelines for processing consumer complaints, it takes the branch an average of 238 days to complete an investigation and the branch does not conduct proper investigations, the branch does not know if revenue is aligned with program activities, and the branch was not aware of the significant fund surplus it had accumulated. SB 541 makes necessary changes to the branch’s functions and implements legislative oversight to make sure the branch operates efficiently and does everything in its power to protect passenger safety.

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Nate Solov

Office of Senator Jerry Hill

916-651-4013

www.senate.ca.gov/hill

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Robert Riechel

Senior Correspondent – San Bruno Patch

Photo Credit: San Bruno Patch Archives

Source Credit: CA Senator Jerry Hill

http://SanBrunoPatch.com

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