As the year winds down, I’m excited to share the results of our legislative efforts in 2023. Our dedicated Legislative Committee, nine strong members, put in countless hours sifting through hundreds of bills. They meticulously analyzed many of them and presented insightful recommendations to the Board.
Their hard work resulted in 10 bills worthy of Board consideration. With unanimous approval, the Board moved forward with all the committee’s recommendations: 9 bills to champion and 1 to oppose.
We actively engaged in the legislative process, sending letters to authors and key committee chairs. One bill, Senate Bill 731, even merited in-person testimony at the author’s request.
While two bills passed and became law, we faced setbacks with three vetoes on bills crucial to our cause. Five others didn’t make it through the Legislature, but one bright spot was the defeat of Senate Bill 585 – a bill we opposed that would have weakened legal protections for people with disabilities.
Here’s a quick rundown of each bill the Board formally took a position on:
Assembly Bill 222 (Arambula)
This bill would have required the California Civil Rights Department to convene a workgroup to make recommendations to the Legislature for the development of accessibility and antidiscrimination laws for people with disabilities.
ACSED’s position, (Supported)
Status: Failed to pass out of the Legislature.
Assembly Bill 331 (Bauer-Kahan)
This bill would have established legal and procedural mechanisms to require developers and deployers of automated decision tools to test their tools for bias against individuals or groups , including people with disabilities, protected under California civil rights law, and to submit the results to the State Civil Rights Department within sixty days of their completion. The bill would have allowed for the imposition of fines of up to $10,000 for violations of the proposed statute.
ACSED’s position, (Supported)
Status: Failed to pass out of the Legislature.
Assembly Bill 437 (Jackson)
This bill would have amended current law regarding diversity, equity and inclusion by directing State departments and agencies to ensure their policies, systemic practices and resource allocations were distributed equitably across all covered groups.
ACSED’s position, (Supported)
Status: Failed to pass out of the Legislature.
Senate Bill 90 (Wiener)
This bill would have limited the out-of-pocket costs for users of insulin to no more than $35.00 for a 30-day supply, and would have imposed additional restrictions concerning deductibles, co-payments and co-insurance requirements.
ACSED’s position, (Supported)
Status: Passed, but vetoed by Governor.
Senate Bill 271 (Dodd)
This bill would have made it easier to obtain power wheelchair repairs by requiring manufacturers to provide software, parts and tools needed for the repair of their equipment to wheelchair users, as well as independent repair services. It would have also loosened some burdensome and time consuming prior authorization requirements in the Medi-Cal Program for such repairs.
ACSED’s position, (Supported)
Status: Passed, but vetoed by Governor.
Senate Bill 544 (Laird)
This bill will make permanent changes to the Bagley-Keene Open Meeting Act which were initiated during the Covid health emergency. These changes will make it easier for State entities to hold virtual meetings, and for members of the public, including people with disabilities, to participate.
ACSED’s position, (Supported)
Status: Passed and signed by Governor.
Senate Bill 585 (Niello)
This bill would have prohibited plaintiffs from seeking statutory damages in construction related accessibility claims unless first serving a demand letter specifying each accessibility standard violation, and giving defendants 120 days to correct them. This bill would have substantially weakened existing legal avenues available to people with disabilities seeking removal of architectural barriers by making the process much more complex and difficult to obtain relief.
ACSED’s position, (Opposed)
Status: Failed to pass out of the Legislature.
Senate Bill 716 (Alvarado-Gil)
This bill would have provided for binding arbitration for the resolution of employee grievances in cases involving managerial, supervisory and confidential State employees, including those with disabilities. This would have made the process more equitable for all employees, operate more expeditiously, be less costly, and be more useful to these 3 groups of employees.
ACSED’s Position, (Supported)
Status: Passed, but vetoed by Governor.
Senate Bill 731 (Ashby)
This bill would have required employers to provide 30 days written notice to employees prior to requiring them to return to work an in -person work environment after being allowed to work remotely. This bill would have also required the notice to include specific information regarding an employee’s right to request reasonable accommodation, and how to do so.
ACSED’s position, (Supported)
Status: Passed, but vetoed by Governor.
Senate Bill 748 (Roth)
This bill will require California cities and counties to provide applicants for business licenses or permits with a written statement that the business may be subject to legal liability for its failure to meet the legal obligation to comply with State and Federal disability access laws, and information on how to obtain a certified access specialist’s inspection.
ACSED’s position, (Supported)
Status: Passed and signed by Governor.
I’m proud of our legislative team’s tireless efforts and the positive impact we made. We’ll continue to fight for our priorities in the next session, and I invite you to join us in making our voices heard.