The Sacramento Bee

Assembly GOP seeks an intervention + Reproductive health apps + Human trafficking bill

The Sacramento Bee sent this email to their subscribers on April 26, 2023.

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Capitol Alert ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  The Sacramento Bee Advertisement Committed to our Net Zero future. Advancing solutions for reducing ; Californias emissions. o v CALIFORNIA BCRAOMAR U TERRAVAULT CarbonTerraVault.com Capitol Alert Assembly GOP seeks an intervention + Reproductive health apps + Human trafficking bill Good morning and welcome to the A.M. Alert! ASSEMBLY REPUBLICANS URGE NEWSOM TO INTERVENE WITH PUBLIC SAFETY COMMITTEE The Assembly Public Safety Committee is set to hear several fentanyl-related bills this Thursday, and the Assembly Republican Caucus is turning to an unexpected source to advocate for the legislation: Gov. Gavin Newsom. Though there’s very little that caucus members and Newsom agree on, Assembly Republican Leader James Gallagher, R-Yuba City, and other caucus members are hoping that cracking down on fentanyl dealers is an exception. The caucus sent a letter to the governor, saying that his assistance “is urgently needed” to persuade the committee to vote in favor of the following bills: * AB 367, which would add more prison time for fentanyl dealers who kill or seriously injure people. * AB 675, which would add more prison time for possessing fentanyl while armed with a loaded gun. * AB 955, which would add more prison time for selling fentanyl on social media. * AB 1058, which would add more prison time for possessing large quantities of fentanyl. “You have shown a willingness to engage in the legislative process when it comes to pressing issues such as mental health, homelessness and climate policy. Your voice has tremendous influence, especially with our colleagues across the aisle. We are asking for this same level of engagement with the bipartisan effort to address California’s fentanyl crisis,” the letter reads. After SB 44, by Sen. Tom Umberg, D- Santa Ana, failed in Senate Public Safety Committee on Tuesday, Gallagher tweeted that Newsom’s voice is needed with the Democratic-controlled Assembly Public Safety Committee. “Otherwise, the bills in the (Assembly) will likely suffer the same fate Thursday,” he wrote. Meanwhile, public health experts are warning that more incarceration will drive people who use drugs away from vital support services. “Increasing penalties will likely result in more deaths — not fewer deaths. Specifically, they result in less bystander response for concern that they might be caught up and arrested for administering naloxone to people who are overdosing, as well as diminution of 911 calls which often come with police response,” said Ricky Blumenthal, associate dean for social justice and professor in the Department of Population and Public Health at the University of Southern California School of Medicine, in a statement. COMMITTEE TO HEAR BILL ABOUT REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH APPS Via Maggie Angst... As California works to solidify its reputation as an abortion safe haven, a state lawmaker has identified a new focus area: reproductive health apps. When the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade last year, some pro-choice advocates worried that data about their reproductive health could be used against them in a court of law. In response, a new California bill was crafted to provide reassurance for residents whose data is collected by fertility tracking and other reproductive health apps. Today that bill, AB 254, authored by Assemblywoman Rebecca Bauer-Kahan, D-Orinda, goes before the Assembly Privacy and Consumer Protection Committee for a vote. Ahead of the meeting, nearly two dozen entities, including tech accountability advocacy groups and pro-choice affiliates, sent a letter to state leaders urging them to pass the bill. “We live in a surveillance state in which our data is often collected and retained with very limited user transparency or control, which is why it’s critical we restrict the sensitive information that apps can retain,” the letter read. “Until further action is taken, people will either feel unable to track their own health data safely via app or will be at risk of harassment or criminal targeting if they do, both of which can result in difficulty or delay in receiving reproductive health care.” HUMAN TRAFFICKING BILL CLEARS SENATE PUBLIC SAFETY COMMITTEE The Senate Public Safety Committee on Tuesday voted unanimously to approve a bill that would make human trafficking of minors a serious felony offense, making it subject to California’s “Three Strikes” law. It was a rare show of support for a “tough on crime” measure in a Legislature where such policy often receives a poor reception. SB 14, by Sen. Shannon Grove, R-Bakersfield, now moves to the Senate Appropriations Committee. “SB 14 will help strengthen protections for the thousands of minor victims who are sex trafficked and will serve as a deterrent for those who engage in this horrendous crime,” Grove said in a statement. The Bakersfield Republican said that while she is thankful that her legislation, which has 31 co-authors on both sides of the aisle, passed out of committee, she remains committed to getting legislation passed to protect victims of all ages. QUOTE OF THE DAY “It’s disappointing to see such unilateral control from one party. This bill was not political. My job as a legislator is to advocate for the needs of my district. It is dangerous for the Assembly to not even hear bills that would protect my residents, their businesses and homes.” - Assemblyman Joe Patterson, R-Rocklin, in a statement after the Assembly Committee on Natural Resources declined to allow his bill, AB 1554, to be heard. The bill “would expressly exempt from CEQA a project reduction of fuels in areas within moderate, high, and very high fire hazard severity zones.” Best of The Bee: * President Joe Biden says he will seek a second term in the White House, announcing his re-election campaign in a video on Tuesday and promising to “finish the job,” via Michael Wilner and Alex Roarty. * Hundreds of families from across California joined affordable housing advocates at the state Capitol on Monday to show their support for two legislative proposals aimed at the high cost of living in California, via Sacramento Bee staff. * Opponents of Proposition 22, the controversial initiative that classified gig drivers as independent contractors rather than employees, have asked the the California Supreme Court to find the policy unconstitutional, via Maya Miller. Advertisement ExtractingFact.com California Risks Higher Gas Prices by Ignoring Energy Transition Plan UNLIMITED DIGITAL ACCESS Essential. Dependable. Local. Never miss the scoop again: View the rest of our newsletters Advertisement HEY SACRAMENTO LAWMAKERS: PROTECT UNION CONSTRUCTION CAREERS fgmym . e e e e
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