2023 Legislative Accomplishments

Dear Friends and Neighbors,

I am pleased to report that Governor Newsom has signed 14 of my bills into law. I was proud to champion policies that improve our gun safety laws, prioritize mental health, address the teacher shortage, increase safety in our schools and much more.

Below is a list of the bills I authored this year that were signed into law. 

• SB 2 – Concealed Carry Weapons 
  Implements significant improvements to California’s gun safety laws to address the United States Supreme Court decision in New York Rifle and Pistol Association v. Bruen. Specifically, this bill restricts who is eligible to have concealed carry gun permits, adds stronger training requirements, sets the minimum age to 21 years old, and prohibits weapons in many sensitive public places.
• SB 96 – Historic Performance Venues
  Provides that a portion of sales and use taxes generated by historic performance or sports venues be reinvested back into those sites for restoration and maintenance purposes. Historic sports and entertainment venues in California have been the hallmark of the state for over a century and SB 96 will ensure that they continue to showcase our state to future generations. Specifically, the Rose Bowl and Hollywood Bowl are two venues that will benefit.
• SB 234 – Opioid Epidemic
  Requires that locations children and young adults frequent, such as stadiums, concert venues, and amusement parks, maintain unexpired doses of Narcan on site at all times, and have at least two employees at all times aware of its location. Narcan is a medication that reverses and blocks the effects of opioids to provide the opportunity for medical personnel to intervene.
• SB 323 –  School Safety Procedures
  Requires school disaster procedures to include adaptations for students with disabilities in accordance with the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act and Section 504 of the federal Rehabilitation Act of 1973. SB 323 will ensure that all our students have safety plans in place if tragedy occurs and student safety actions are needed. It also requires that the annual evaluation of the comprehensive school safety plans include a review to ensure that the plans include appropriate adaptations for students with disabilities. 
• SB 368 – Gun Store Regulations
  Requires gun stores to accept for storage a firearm transferred by an individual to prevent it from being used during periods of crisis or heightened risk to the owner of the firearm. Additionally, it prohibits a gun store from offering an opportunity to win a prize for frequenting the store and extends the 10-year prohibition on owning a firearm by an additional 10 years if an individual is found to be in violation within the initial 10-year period.  
• SB 411 – Virtual Meetings for Neighborhood Councils 
  Allows neighborhood councils in the City of Los Angeles to use teleconferencing as an alternative to in-person meetings. During the pandemic, virtual public meetings via teleconference were allowed to help neighborhood councils remain operational. Ending online meetings had negative consequences for public discourse. Considering that California is the tech leader in the nation and the world, it is appropriate to have laws in place that encourage governments to modernize and serve more people.
• SB 467 – Apprenticeship Opportunities for Undocumented Students
  Creates a clear pathway for undocumented students to obtain higher education and supports the employment of students in fields that are critical to California. SB 467 prohibits a community college from denying a student access to a career technical education program based on their use of an individual tax identification number (ITIN) in the background check for the associated internship or apprenticeship program
• SB 538 – Chief Advisor for Cycling
  Requires the director of the California Department of Transportation to appoint a Chief Advisor on Cycling and Active Transportation, who shall serve as the department’s chief advisor on all issues related to bicycle transportation, safety, and infrastructure. With the establishment of this position, it gives the department the capability to focus on the needs of the cycling communities and implement safer streets for cyclist and pedestrians that would benefit the people of California.
• SB 671 – School Safety
  Requires school safety plans to include procedures and protocols to assess and respond to reports or threats of dangerous, violent or unlawful activity occurring on campuses, at school-sponsored events, and/or on a school bus.
• SB 696 – Online Notarizations
  Allows California notaries to perform online notarizations, while continuing to maintain the long-standing legal practice of accepting notarized documents from other states, whether done online or in-person. SB 696 clarifies existing laws around notarization to provide consumers with certainty and confidence that their remote notarized documents are valid. The bill ensures strict privacy and accountability provisions to protect consumers.
• SB 712 – E-Bikes
  Prohibits a landlord from prohibiting a tenant from owning a personal micro mobility device or from storing and recharging up to one personal micro mobility device in their dwelling unit, unless the landlords provide secure, long-term storage for those devices. The bill requires a tenant to store a micro mobility device in compliance with the Office of the State Fire Marshal Information Bulletin regarding lithium-ion battery safety.
• SB 765 – Teacher Pipeline
  Offers long-term comprehensive solutions to the current teacher shortage crisis by making it easier for retired teachers to return to the classroom. SB 765 mitigates the teacher shortage crisis by raising the CalSTRS compensation cap to 70% on retirees’ earnings, streamlines the 180-day sit-out requirements before a retiree may return to an education position, and requires a local educational agency to provide documentation of their need, as well as the eligibility of a retired member before that retired member may begin their service.
• SB 786 – Prescription Drug Pricing
  Permits health care providers and pharmacies to continue to provide high quality affordable care, low cost drugs, and services to low income and uninsured patients. It ensures that health care providers benefit fully from the purchase of discounted drugs and can use those savings to improve access to care and lower prescriptions at their facilities.
• SB 805 – Autism 
  Addresses a serious lapse in the type of autism treatment covered by insurance by expanding care options and modernizing workforce positions to provide better care for parents. In 2011, SB 946 directed insurance companies in California to provide behavioral health treatment in a very narrow way. SB 805 corrects this limitation by including qualified providers who use all evidence-based forms of behavioral health treatments and expands the criteria for a qualified autism service professional.

In addition to the signed bills, I was able to secure funding for several important programs in our state through the adopted State Budget.

• $11.5 million for Critical Investments in Live Theatre
  Governor Newsom signed SB 104, a budget bill that allocates $11.5 million to help support small nonprofit performing arts venues, commonly known as community theaters. The allocation funds a program set up last year in SB 1116, a bill authored by Senator Portantino that established the Equitable Payroll Fund to support live theatre. The program will support jobs, including both production and non-production employees and administrative staff. This effort comes at a time when many small community theatres are struggling in the aftermath of the pandemic and far too many are closing. 
• Inclusion of Dyslexia Risk Screening in the Budget
  Earlier this year, I introduced Senate Bill 691, a bill aimed at improving literacy outcomes in children by requiring early identification and intervention for students who are at risk for dyslexia. The goals of SB 691 were incorporated and signed into this year’s budget in the Education Omnibus Budget Trailer Bill (SB 114). I was proud to collaborate with education experts, activists, professional athletes, and parents on this important issue. I appreciate the leadership of Decoding Dyslexia CA, EdVoice, and the California PTA for their tireless advocacy on the importance of early identification and intervention through screening and I am deeply appreciative of our Governor Newsom who prioritized literacy and made this important change to our education system.
• $15 million for Commercial Dishwasher Grant Program
  I am excited that we approved $15 million for the commercial dishwasher grant program for schools to address single-use waste. Last year, I authored Senate Bill 1255, a bill that was sponsored by the Glendale Environmental Coalition and would have created this grant program for schools. The bill was incorporated into the budget. This funding will help schools with the upfront costs associated with the purchase and installation of equipment that has acted as a barrier to addressing this issue.

Respectfully,

Anthony J. Portantino
Senator, 25th District