By Assemblymember Marie Waldron
The Legislature is now returning to work after its summer break, with one month
left before final adjournment September 15. Hundreds of bills remain undecided,
including seven of mine pending in the Senate.
Many important issues have been decided, including passage of a state budget.
Unfortunately, huge gas tax increases and attempts to alter the longstanding right of
Californians to recall their elected representatives have also become law.
A bill
establishing a government-payer healthcare plan for California has been tabled
temporarily, over concerns about the program’s extreme cost and the bill’s failure to
provide a realistic funding source covering the $400 billion dollar price tag.
Bills still being considered include legislation fining business owners for cooperating
with federal immigration authorities, and another immigration-related bill that would
make California a “sanctuary state,” risking the loss of billions in federal dollars
.
Another bill would impose a data collection mandate on employers by forcing them to
post the median salaries of men and women sharing the same job titles on publicly
accessible websites. Other pending legislation would impose new restrictions on Second
Amendment rights, weaken North County influence within the San Diego Association of
Governments, and chip away at Proposition 13 by lowering the tax increase voting
threshold from two-thirds to 55 percent for transportation, affordable housing and
library projects. These are just a few of the contentious issues that will be decided over
the next month.
On a positive note, legislation is also pending that would provide more training
programs for under-skilled workers, continue a voluntary tax contribution program for
breast cancer research, and improve Medi-Cal coverage to provide continuous glucose
monitors for diabetes patients.
As always, Governor Brown must give final approval to all bills by mid-October before
they become law.
Assemblymember Marie Waldron, R-Escondido, represents the 75 th Assembly District in the California
Legislature, which includes the communities of Bonsall, Escondido, Fallbrook, Hidden Meadows, Pala,
Palomar Mountain, Pauma Valley, Rainbow, San Marcos, Temecula, Valley Center and Vista.
