CALIFORNIA Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) signs AB 65, which requires the State Coastal Conservancy to prioritize projects that use natural infrastructure to help adapt to climate change (LEXISNEXIS STATE NET).
At least 27 states have considered legislation this year dealing with the privacy of consumer data, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. Consumer data privacy bills were enacted in six of those states, while measures are still pending in several others, including California, where multiple bills are awaiting gubernatorial action.
Halfway through the California legislative session this summer, it looked like the tech industry and other corporate interests were easily winning a furious battle to re-shape the state’s highly anticipated data privacy law before it goes into effect in January.
Yeah, not so much.
Most of the big-ticket changes to the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) lawmakers proposed this session either died or were significantly watered down before being sent to Gov. Gavin Newsom (D), frustrating both tech and business interests – who wanted to ease some of the law’s stricter elements – and privacy groups, who wanted to make the law even more restrictive and consumer-friendly.
The handful of change measures that did get through to Newsom include:
AB 25 - Exempts personal information collected from employees and other personnel from the scope of the CCPA, though workers could still sue over certain data breaches
AB 1355 – A B2B measure that exempts until January 1, 2021 personal information businesses gather that relates to an “employee, owner, director, officer, or contractor” of another business and that stems from a business-to-business communication or transaction
AB 874 – An addition of the word “reasonably” to the definition of how “personal information” can be identified to a specific consumer
AB 1146 –Exempts certain vehicle ownership information from the law
AB 1564 – Exempts some businesses from a requirement to provide customers with a toll-free number where they can get information about how their data is being used
AB 1202 – A requirement that data brokers register with the California Attorney General’s office or face a fine
All of which still rings a bit hollow to privacy expert Sheila FitzPatrick of FitzPatrick & Associates in Sacramento, which specializes in data privacy consulting for corporations and governments around the globe.
“I think a lot of the fear mongering from some law firms and consulting firms that said [CCPA] was going to be bigger than the EU’s GDPR [General Data Protection Regulation] fell flat this year,” she says.
Most observers expect lawmakers to keep tinkering even after the law takes effect on January 1, 2020. But they won’t be the only ones. A new ballot measure is already in the works to put before voters several proposals to make things tougher on companies that gather consumer data. All of which comes before the attorney general’s office has even compiled its draft regulations for enforcing the law.
The ballot measure is the brainchild of Alastair Mactaggart, board chair of a group called Californians for Consumer Privacy. Mactaggart also qualified a privacy measure for the 2018 ballot, but pulled it after then-Gov. Jerry Brown (D) brokered a deal between lawmakers, tech companies and privacy advocates that became the CCPA. But in a letter published on the group’s website, Mactaggart said tech companies have since “actively and explicitly prioritized weakening the CCPA,” leading him to developing a new proposal.
That measure, among many things, would empower consumers to block their information from being sold without their expressed permission and bar companies from monetizing data through targeted ads. It would also triple the dollar amount of the fine currently allowable under the CCPA “for breaking the law governing collection and sale of children’s private information and would require opt-in consent to collect data from consumers under the age of 16.” Companies would further be required to disclose how they use consumer data to influence elections.
To keep tabs on all this, the state would create a new oversight authority - the California Privacy Protection Agency – to enforce the law and to provide both companies and consumers with guidance for adhering to the law.
FitzPatrick says she supports Mactaggart’s effort, but has concerns that it has the same basic problem as the CCPA.
“I applaud his effort,” she says. “But it has the same flaw as the CCPA, which is that it still doesn’t address whether organizations even have the right to have your data to begin with. It assumes that individuals have already opted in. The law doesn’t even kick in until they already have your personal data.”
Mactaggart will need to gather 600,000 signatures to get the proposal on the November 2020 ballot. But the CCPA isn’t the only high-profile impending California law to still be so unsettled, nor the only one that voters could be asked to weigh in on.
Newsom has already signed AB 5, legislation that in theory could completely upend the so-called gig economy – millions of workers who are currently classified as independent contractors. The new law codifies an earlier California Supreme Court ruling that imposes a three-part “ABC” test to determine if those workers should instead be classified as employees.
Under that test, for an employer to legally classify a worker as an independent contractor they must be able to prove that the worker is:(A) not controlled by the employer; (B) performs work outside the usual course of the employer’s business; and (C) is already independently established in the work being performed. A fail at any of those three requirements means the workers must be treated as an employee.
The law has been seen by most observers as a direct rebuttal to app-based rideshare services like Uber and Lyft, who many contend intentionally misclassify their drivers to avoid adhering to labor laws that apply to employees but not contractors, such as minimum wage and paid leave mandates. Those companies lobbied fiercely against the law all summer, arguing it would destroy their business model and drive them out of business.
Numerous other industries that use on-demand contract workers are also impacted by the law, from fitness instructors to truck drivers. Trucking interests in particular opposed the bill, with more than 150 circling the Capitol in their trucks and blowing their horns in protest in the days before the bill’s final passage last month.
The bill ultimately was amended to include exemptions for several professions, including doctors, lawyers, insurance brokers, architects, engineers, real estate agents, direct sales people, several professional services (travel agents, human resources professionals, etc.), barbers and manicurists among several others. Newsom last Wednesday also signed AB 170, which exempts newspaper carriers and distributors from the law as well.
But the friction won’t end there. Even in signing the measure, Newsom indicated he would continue to work with business leaders, labor unions and lawmakers to craft amendments to the law when the Legislature returns next January.
The challenge will be a big one. Business interests are clamoring for more professions to receive exemptions, something labor unions – which can legally organize employees but not independent contractors – are sure to resist. All are expected to swarm the Capitol next year seeking to get lawmakers on their side.
Added to the mix will be ongoing resistance from the combined forces of Uber, Lyft and app-based food delivery service DoorDash, which last month pledged to spend $90 million on a referendum or ballot measure to overturn the law.
In the meantime, Uber senior legal officer Tony West said the company has no intention of converting its drivers to employee status, contending that work is “outside the usual course of Uber’s business.” West claims Uber is not a rideshare service at all, but “a technology platform for several different types of digital marketplaces.”
California Assembly member Lorena Gonzalez (D), who authored AB 5, begs to differ.
In a meeting with reporters shortly after Newsom signed the bill into law, she said West was “full of [expletive],” and that Uber’s attitude was a driving force for amendments to the bill late in the process that allow city attorneys to file claims against companies on their own rather than waiting for workers to do so.
But Diane Mulcahy, an author and Babson College professor who teaches a class on the gig economy, questions whether the new California law will do what its supporters claim it will. She notes that a handful of other states - most notably Massachusetts, which passed the law California based its legislation on - already have an “ABC” law in place, with little additional worker protections to show for it.
“We’ve had a bill like this on the books in Massachusetts for a decade,” she says. “There are still plenty of independent contractors that are working on gig economy platforms, and the law has done very little for them.”
Whether workers in California will feel the same 10 years from now is still to be determined.
CALIFORNIA Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) signs several bills regulating power shutoffs during wildfires and other natural disasters, including: SB 167, which requires investor-owned utilities to outline protocols in their annual wildfire mitigation plans that would lessen the effects of shutoffs on so-called medical baseline customers, or individuals with sensitive medical needs, and SB 560, which requires utilities to develop protocols to warn first responders, healthcare providers, telecommunications companies and other groups about power shutoffs (LOS ANGELES TIMES).
CALIFORNIA Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) vetoes AB 710, which would have required Golden State colleges and universities to post on their websites information about the cost of attending those institutions (LEXISNEXIS STATE NET).
Also in CALIFORNIA, Gov. Newsom signs SB 206, a bill that allows college athletes to profit from the use of their name, image and likeness. (See more in Governors in this issue.) The measure doesn’t go into effect until Jan. 1 2023 (CALIFORNIA GOVERNOR’S OFFICE).
Staying in CALIFORNIA, Gov. Newsom signs AB 1505, which empowers communities to consider the fiscal impact of new charter schools on existing schools in the neighborhood. The new law also grants high performing charter schools seven-year renewals, while middle-performing charters will receive five-year renewals. Districts will also be authorized to close charters that are not serving some student populations (SACRAMENTO BEE, CALIFORNIA GOVERNOR’S OFFICE).
The United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit upholds the power of the Federal Communications Commission to roll back net neutrality rules, but also upholds the power of states to set their own neutrality laws. Several states have enacted their own standards, and the ruling is expected to spark more to follow suit (NEW YORK TIMES).
The PENNSYLVANIA Senate gives final approval to HB 318, which would make “do not call” requests for robocalls permanent unless a customer specifically asks for them to resume. The measure moves to Gov. Tom Wolf (D) for consideration (LEXOLOGY).
CALIFORNIA Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) signs AB 827, which requires restaurants to provide customers with bins for recyclables and compostable waste (CALIFORNIA GOVERNOR’S OFFICE).
Also in CALIFORNIA, Gov. Newsom signs AB 857, which allows for the creation of public banks, which use public funds to let local jurisdictions provide capital at interest rates below those charged by commercial banks. NORTH DAKOTA is the only other state that allows such institutions (CALIFORNIA GOVERNOR’S OFFICE).
The OHIO House approves HB 160, which allows alcoholic ice cream businesses to ship their product to stores and individuals older than 21. The measure moves to the Senate (CINCINNATI ENQUIRER).
Citing a rising number of illnesses and deaths linked to e-tobacco use, WASHINGTON Gov. Jay Inslee (D) said he will ask the state board of health to adopt emergency rules enacting a statewide ban on flavored vaping products. At least four other states – MICHIGAN, NEW YORK, MASSACHUSETTS and CALIFORNIA – have recently imposed bans or restrictions on vaping products. The board will take up the measure for a vote on Oct. 9 (MY NORTHWEST).
Reacting to a directive from president Donald Trump, MASSACHUSETTS Gov. Charlie Baker (R) said he would issue an order of his own offering the Bay State’s municipalities written permission to continue accepting refugees. The Trump administration announced last month it would limit to 18,000 the number of refugees allowed in nationwide, and would require municipalities and states across the country to give written consent to allow refugees resettle into their communities. (Republican [Springfield]).
NEW MEXICO Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham (D) said the state will implement new restrictions on vehicle emissions, starting with model-year 2022 vehicles. Lujan Grisham said New Mexico will also increase fuel economy standards to an average of 52 mpg by 2025. She made the announcement amidst action by the Trump administration to revoke CALIFORNIA’s longstanding authority to set its own emissions and mileage standards. (ASSOCIATED PRESS)
TEXAS Gov. Greg Abbott (R) told city officials in Austin that he would “unleash the full authority of every state agency to protect the health and safety of all Texans” if the City Council does not reinstate a city ordinance banning public camping it revoked in June. Homeless camps have proliferated since then, creating complaints of threats to public health. Abbott said he would send state troopers to the city if leaders don’t take action. (TEXAS TRIBUNE, AUSTIN AMERICAN-STATESMAN)
-- Compiled by RICH EHISEN
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont, both Democrats, said they will work together to develop a consistent regulatory framework for recreational marijuana use in their respective states. The governors said they believed they could find common ground on issues like age restrictions for use, limits for marijuana potency, tax rates for cannabis products and highway safety. The announcement came the same day Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf (D), citing public opinion polls showing a majority of Keystone State voters now approve legalizing recreational weed use, urged lawmakers to decriminalize possession of small amounts of weed. (ASSOCIATED PRESS, ROUTE FIFTY)
Surrounded by a bevy of athletes including LeBron James, Diana Taurasi and Katelyn Ohashi, California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) signed legislation last week that makes the Golden State the first to allow college athletes to profit from the use of their image and likeness.
Newsom signed SB 206 in spite of threats of litigation from the National Collegiate Athletic Association, which said the law would also lead to California schools being barred from NCAA competition. In a conference call with reporters, he said allowing athletes to see a small portion of the money raised off their labors was “a social justice issue,” and that the NCAA needs “to get serious” about reforming the current system.
“This is the beginning of a national movement – one that transcends geographic and partisan lines,” Newsom said. “Collegiate student athletes put everything on the line – their physical health, future career prospects and years of their lives to compete. Colleges reap billions from these student athletes’ sacrifices and success but, in the same breath, block them from earning a single dollar. That’s a bankrupt model – one that puts institutions ahead of the students they are supposed to serve. It needs to be disrupted.”
Newsom signed the bill on an episode of James’s YouTube show “The Shop.” James praised the bill, calling it “a game changer for student athletes and for equity in sports.”
The NCAA said in a statement it agreed that changes need to be made to its rules, but argued it was the only entity authorized to do so. That didn’t sit well with Newsom. While citing his “reverence” for the NCAA, he also accused the organization of “slow rolling us,” saying “they only nibble around the edges of reform.”
The NCAA almost certainly will sue, something Newsom said they expect. With the bill not taking effect until January 2023, he said he expects plenty of ongoing negotiations with the organization. But he also issued a warning, saying the new California law was “going to initiate dozens of other states to introduce similar legislation” in the near future. Similar bills have already been introduced in New York and Florida, and Minnesota Rep. Nolan West (R) told the Minneapolis Star Tribune he plans to introduce legislation next session. (LEXISNEXIS STATE NET, MINNEAPOLIS STAR TRIBUNE, NEW YORK TIMES)
A federal judge has struck down a law passed in NEW YORK in 2016 requiring nonprofits that lobby to disclose more information about their donors than had previously been required. Judge Denise Cote ruled that the law was too broad and infringed on First Amendment rights. (ALBANY TIMES UNION)
OREGON Secretary of State Bev Clarno (R) intends to push for making her office nonpartisan. Currently only one of the 35 secretaries of state nationwide who were elected to that office is unaffiliated with a specific party. (OREGONIAN)[Portland]
Representatives of both the Republican and Democratic parties of FLORIDA filed legal briefs with the state’s Supreme Court last week opposing a proposed constitutional amendment to switch the state to a “top two” or “jungle primary” system, in which candidates of all parties would appear on the same ballot and the top two vote-getters would advance to the general election. In addition to getting through the high court’s review of the measure’s ballot language, 766,200 eligible voters also have to sign petitions supporting the measure, 703,000 of which have already done so. (FLORIDA PHOENIX)
-- Compiled by KOREY CLARK
A person or persons attempted to breach West Virginia’s mobile voting system for military and overseas voters during last year’s midterm election, state and federal officials announced last week. The attack is believed to have come from inside the United States rather than from a foreign country, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation is now investigating the incident.
U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of West Virginia, Mike Stuart had a warning for anyone else contemplating such an attack.
“Don’t do it. Don’t even think about it. We’re serious about maintaining the integrity of our election system and we will prosecute those folks who violate federal law,” he said.
West Virginia uses a mobile voting app designed by the Boston-based company Voatz. According to Secretary of State Mac Warner, 144 people accessed the app to submit ballots in the 2018 election, which constituted a return rate of 97 percent. The return rate for overseas voters who requested paper ballots was only 13 percent.
Jurisdictions in eight states - Arizona, California, Colorado, Missouri, Nevada, North Dakota and Utah - are considering offering mobile voting in 2020, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. (STAMFORD ADVOCATE)
An Iowa judge upheld provisions of a recent state voting law - HF 516 (2017) - requiring voters to show identification at the polls and provide an ID number when requesting an absentee ballot.
“The evidence presented simply did not demonstrate that the burden on young voters, old voters, female voters, minority voters, poor voters and voters who are Democrats to show an approved form of identification at the polls is appreciably greater than the rest of the population,” as the Hispanic civil rights group and the Iowa State University student that challenged the law had argued, wrote District Judge Joseph Seidlin.
However, Seidlin struck down another provision of the law allowing county auditors to reject ballots with signatures that don’t appear to match those on file, partly because of the testimony of auditors at the trial.
“The county auditors who testified all stated to the effect that they do not anticipate challenging voter signatures because they do not feel they or their staffs are qualified to do so,” he wrote, adding that voters whose absentee ballots were mistakenly rejected wouldn’t be protected by the law.
Although at least 17 states considered voter ID legislation this year, the majority of the voting law measures that were introduced were aimed at expanding access rather than restricting it -- 647 bills in 45 states versus 82 measures in 28 states -- according to the Brennan Center for Justice. (ASSOCIATED PRESS, DES MOINES REGISTER)
The NEW JERSEY Economic Development Authority has released $533 million in tax breaks for 31 companies that had been on hold since the state’s incentive programs came under scrutiny this year. Several companies reportedly complained that the agency was sitting on the tax breaks due to public pressure. (NJ.COM)
COLORADO voters will consider a ballot measure in November (Proposition DD) that would legalize and impose a 10 percent tax on sports betting operations. The $16 million per year in revenue expected to be generated from such wagering would go toward an unfunded water management plan projected to cost the state $100 million per year. (COLORADO INDEPENDENT [DENVER], BALLOTPEDIA)
MICHIGAN’s Republican-controlled Legislature approved a $44.7 billion state budget last week that includes $400 million in funding for the state’s dilapidated roads and bridges. But the spending measures could be partially or completely vetoed by Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, who previously proposed 45-cents-per-gallon fuel-tax increase lawmakers ignored, called the budget “a mess.” (ASSOCIATED PRESS)
--Compiled by KOREY CLARK
Big property tax increases appear to be coming to some of Texas’ biggest cities and counties this fall. El Paso, Harris, Tarrant, Travis and Webb counties and the cities of Austin, Corpus Christi and El Paso are all among those pushing for increases of as much as 8 percent, the maximum amount that property tax collections can currently be raised in any given year without voter approval, a limit known as the rollback rate.
Officials in those cities and counties say they have to take that action because of the property tax reforms enacted by the state’s Legislature and Gov. Greg Abbott (R) this summer, which will drop the rollback rate to 3.5 percent next year.
“It is unfortunate that the Legislature has put local governments in Texas in this position,” said Travis County Commissioner Brigid Shea.
State Rep. Dustin Burrows (R), who helped craft the tax reforms as chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, sees the local property tax proposals a little differently.
“I think a lot of cities and counties know that we are putting them on a diet and they are going on one last bender before it happens,” he said. (HOUSTON CHRONICLE, AUSTIN-AMERICAN STATESMAN)
In recent years several cities, including San Francisco, Boulder, and Seattle, have imposed excise taxes on sodas and other sugary drinks with much fanfare - and much resistance from soda producers. Washington, D.C. took a different approach, quietly passing an increase in the sales tax on such beverages as part of its 2020 budget.
The new tax, which took effect last week, subjects sodas and other sweetened beverages that contain less than 100 percent juice or 50 percent milk to a levy of 8 percent, two percentage points more than the city’s existing 6 percent sales tax. The $3.2 million per year in revenue the tax increase is expected to generate will be used to help pay for programs that help some residents purchase fruits and vegetables, and provide free breakfasts for children of low-income families.
“We did this primarily to fund very important nutrition programs, particularly those for poor children,” said D.C. Council member Mary Cheh (D), who inserted the measure into the city’s budget. “But in addition, we’re hoping that it may signal sufficiently to discourage purchase of soda and sugary drinks and have people choose water or something that is healthier.”
Those aims are shared by supporters of soda taxes passed elsewhere. But unlike those measures, which have generally been excise taxes imposed on beverage distributors and retailers - who are free to pass along that additional expense to consumers - D.C.’s levy is a sales tax imposed directly on purchasers of the drinks. And since it was passed via the budget process rather than as a standalone bill, it required no public hearing.
That didn’t sit well with D.C. Council member Kenyan McDuffie (D), who said the tax increase should have gone through the usual legislative process.
“I...have been a champion for improving the health and wellness of District residents,” he said when the city’s budget was passed in May. “However, raising taxes on some of the District’s most vulnerable residents is a policy decision that should be made in a more transparent manner and with input from those most impacted.”
Cheh conceded that getting a sales tax increase passed as part of the budget was easier than winning approval for a higher excise tax, something she actually tried and failed to do in 2010 because of opposition from the soda industry.
“That would have been a much bigger lift, and I wanted to do what I could now,” she said. (WAMU [WASHINGTON, D.C.])
Near the end of August, we headed to the 85th IFLA World Library and Information Congress in Athens, Greece. As a bronze sponsor and exhibitor, we were excited to meet with current customers and introduce Nexis Uni and Nexis to many others from around the globe.
Our own Marco van Gennip presented an informative session entitled, “Ensuring Trust, Credibility and Influence in Your Library: A Look Into the Importance of Search Relevance in the Digital World.” During the presentation, he focused on three key areas:
We also had some learning moments during IFLA:
Last, but not least, we must say that despite the August heat, Athens welcomed everyone with their welcoming personalities and extra tasty food!
President Donald Trump loves him some rallies: the adoration, the blind acceptance, the leaving without paying. Wait, what? Yes, as Politico reports, since 2016 the Don of Mara Lago has stiffed at least 10 American cities out of a cumulative $840,000 in costs associated with his “yay me” fests. And with Trump showing no inclination to stop holding said rallies, that tally could well go higher. Which brings us to Minneapolis. As the New York Times reports, The Donald took time off from braying about possibly being impeached to instead bray about the $530,000 the city wanted up front for the extra security needed for the rally he held there last Thursday. He specifically went after Mayor Jacob Frey, who didn’t seem concerned about being the latest target of a Trump Twitter meltdown. His response: “Yawn... Welcome to Minneapolis where we pay our bills, we govern with integrity, and we love all of our neighbors.” Those other cities? Well, they can join the lonnnnnng list of contractors and others who have filed liens against The Donald over the years for nonpayment.
-- By RICH EHISEN
The last time California Senate Pro Tem Toni Atkins was acting governor, she took advantage of the opportunity to declare it “Tony Gwynn Day” in the Golden State to honor the late, great Padres Hall of Famer. As the Capitol Morning Report notes, that kind of juice was clearly addictive to her dog Joey, a.k.a. “Acting First Dog.” Atkins told the CMR that Joey was miffed to learn he had not retained the position he had taken on in July 2014. While noting he was “still bitter about the transitory nature of his title,” she assuaged his hurt feelings with a few delicious snacks.
CALIFORNIA Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) signs AB 1482, which caps annual rent increases at 5 percent plus the rate of inflation and bars landlords from evicting tenants without just cause (CALIFORNIA GOVERNOR’S OFFICE).
Also in CALIFORNIA, Gov. Newsom signs AB 1215, which bans police departments from using facial recognition programs on officer body cameras (CALIFORNIA GOVERNOR’S OFFICE).
NEW YORK Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) signs AB 7584, which amends the criminal procedure law to clarify that individuals convicted of petty offenses will have their records sealed by default (NEW YORK GOVERNOR’S OFFICE).
CALIFORNIA Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) signs SB 730, which bans the distribution of manipulated videos and pictures that maliciously aim to give someone a false impression about a political candidate’s actions or words within 60 days of an election (CALIFORNIA GOVERNOR’S OFFICE).
NEW YORK Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) signs SB 1092, which bars medical professionals from performing pelvic exams on an anesthetized or unconscious person without informed consent. The law takes effect 180 days from that signing (NEW YORK GOVERNOR’S OFFICE).
CALIFORNIA Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) signs three prescription drug bills into law: AB 824, which will require pharmaceutical companies to prove they aren’t engaging in anti-competitive behavior when they pay generic drug producers to delay introducing new medications; SB 464, which will require all perinatal health care providers to undergo implicit bias training to curb the impact of bias on maternal health; and SB 159, which allows Golden State pharmacists to dispense HIV prevention drugs without a prescription (CALIFORNIA GOVERNOR’S OFFICE).
CALIFORNIA Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) signs AB 187, which requires mattress recycling organizations to review their plans for the recovery and recycling of used mattresses and to determine whether amendments are necessary at regular intervals (LEXISNEXIS STATE NET).
Also in CALIFORNIA, Gov. Newsom signs AB 1162, which bars Golden State hotels and other lodging establishments from providing guests with miniature bottles of shampoo, conditioner and other similar items (LEXISNEXIS STATE NET).
CALIFORNIA officials announce the state will ban the sale of the pesticide chlorpyrifos, which they say has been linked to brain damage and other health defects in children. Under an agreement reached with the pesticide’s manufacturer, sales will end Feb. 6, 2020, and agricultural growers will not be allowed to possess or use it after Dec. 31, 2020 (NATIONAL PUBLIC RADIO).
CALIFORNIA Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) signs AB 1166, which will require natural gas utilities to supply “electronic positive response” to regional utility notification centers before excavations. Those notification centers will then be required to make those responses available to public or private excavators (CALIFORNIA GOVERNOR’S OFFICE).
CALIFORNIA Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) vetoes AB 773, which would have required the state to develop curriculum for 12th graders on voter registration and voting (CALIFORNIA GOVERNOR’S OFFICE).
Also in CALIFORNIA, Gov. Newsom signs AB 1172, which allows the state to suspend or revoke the certification of a nonpublic school that fails to protect the health and safety of special needs students (CALIFORNIA GOVERNOR’S OFFICE).
CALIFORNIA Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) signs SB 616, which bars debt collectors from garnishing a debt holder’s bank account once the balance reaches $1,724, the bare minimum the state Department of Social Services says a family of four in California needs to get by each month (LOS ANGELES TIMES).
Also in CALIFORNIA, Gov. Newsom signs AB 170, which exempts newspaper distributors from a new state law (AB 5) that forces many employers who use contractor workers to convert them to employees (CALIFORNA GOVERNOR’S OFFICE).
Staying in CALIFORNIA, Gov. Newsom signs SB 317, which bars companies from selling DMV appointments. Violators could face fines up to $250 (SACRAMENTO BEE).
CALIFORNIA Gov. Newsom also signs AB 880, which bars rideshare companies from hiring drivers who have been convicted of human trafficking offenses (CALIFORNIA GOVERNOR’S OFFICE).