Sacramento CA: Part 2 of 3 Parts - UPDATE: California State Senator Jerry Hill Bills

UPDATE: California State Senator Jerry Hill – Bills Awaiting the Governor and Bills Signed

Part 2 of 3 Parts

Part 1: http://patch.com/california/sanbruno/sacramento-ca-1st-3-parts-senator-jerry-hill-bills

Part 3: http://patch.com/california/sanbruno/sacramento-ca-part-3-3-senator-jerry-hill-bills

Senator Jerry Hill Sends 20 Bills to the Governor as the 2015 Legislative Session Adjourns

SACRAMENTO – With the last day of the 2015 Legislative session coming to an end, 16 bills by Senator Jerry Hill (D-San Mateo/Santa Clara counties) await action by the governor, including bills that would establish the nation’s first livestock antibiotic regulation, increase transparency of license plate readers and cell phone trackers, and increase public safety related to earthquake preparedness, pipeline dig-ins, and drunk drivers. The governor – who has already signed four of Hill’s bills – has until October 11 to sign or veto legislation.

Hill bills awaiting action by the governor:

SB 21 – Transparency for Elected Official Travel – Increases transparency within the Political Reform Act by requiring non-profits that pay for elected official travel to disclose to the FPPC the names of the donors responsible for funding the travel. Current law allows non-profits 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 which 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 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 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 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 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.

SB 48 – Public Utilities Commission Accountability – Would allow local governments and private citizens to challenge PUC violations of the state’s Public Records and open meetings acts in Superior Court, as is permitted for violations by other state agencies. The PUC has relied on a law written in 1912 meant for utility rate decisions to shield itself from releasing to the City of San Bruno compromising emails between PUC officials and Pacific Gas and Electric Co executives. The bill also adopts other reforms, including requiring the PUC to reach out to communities affected by its rulemakings (instead of talking only to utilities), requiring PUC judges to adhere to the state’s Administrative Adjudication Code of Ethics, and requiring the PUC to approve performance criteria for its executive director.

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 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 18 – Public Utilities Commission Criminal Attorney Oversight – Would require the PUC to vote to approve contracts for criminal defense attorneys, and would require review by the Legislature before a contract’s approval. The PUC spent $5.2 million in utility customer money to represent the agency in a criminal investigation by the state’s Attorney General and the U.S. Attorney for illegal backroom deals and conversations between PUC officials and PG&E executives. The contract was not approved through a vote of the commissioners, and it was paid with funds that would have otherwise gone toward hiring regulatory staff, providing training, and improving information technology.

Contact: Aurelio Rojas, 916-747-3199 cell or 916-651-4013 office

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Robert Riechel

robertriechel@att.net

For San Bruno Patch

Photo Credit: San Bruno Patch Archives

Source Credit: California State Senator Jerry Hill

http://SanBrunoPatch.com

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