Assembly, Senate pass 962 bills

SACRAMENTO — Before adjourning Wednesday, the Legislature passed 962 bills and sent them to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. He has acted on some and has until Oct. 21 to sign or veto the rest.

Lawmakers rejected hundreds of other measures, although many of them could be revived next year.

For more information about legislation, go to www.leginfo.ca.gov.

Passed

Babies

Would give parents seven days, instead of 72 hours, to surrender a newborn without risk of prosecution for abandonment. AB 81 by Assemblyman Alberto Torrico (D-Newark)

Bereavement

Would give workers the right to take four days off, unpaid, after the death of a child, parent, spouse, sibling, grandparent, grandchild or domestic partner. SB 549 by Sen. Ellen Corbett (D-San Leandro)

Car seats

Would require children younger than 8 to use booster seats, unless they are 4 feet, 9 inches or taller. AB 881 by Assemblyman Gene Mullin (D-San Mateo)

Celebrities

Would allow celebrities to retain the right to control use of their names, voices and images as dictated in their wills, regardless of when they died. SB 771 by Sen. Sheila Kuehl (D-Santa Monica)

A separate bill would bar law enforcement and court officials from selling or soliciting for sale any photos or confidential information obtained in the course of their work. AB 920 by Assemblywoman Julia Brownley (D-Santa Monica)

Cervical cancer

Would require every health insurance plan that covers cervical cancer treatment to also cover the cost of a vaccine against human papillomavirus, which is linked to cervical cancer. AB 1429 by Assemblywoman Noreen Evans (D-Santa Rosa)

Cloned food

Would require food containing any product from a cloned animal or its progeny to be labeled as cloned. SB 63 by Sen. Carole Migden (D-San Francisco)

College

Would allow illegal immigrants to get state college financial aid under certain conditions. SB 1 by Sen. Gil Cedillo (D-Los Angeles)

A separate bill would require California State University trustees and University of California regents to conduct more business in public, including action on executive pay. SB 190 by Sen. Leland Yee (D-San Francisco)

Cord blood

Would create a statewide public system to collect and store umbilical cord blood, which can be used to treat leukemia and some genetic disorders. AB 34 by Assemblyman Anthony Portantino (D-La Cañada Flintridge)

Disabled

Would permit school districts to create an alternative to the high school exit examination to allow students with disabilities to earn diplomas. SB 123 by Sen. Gloria Romero (D-Los Angeles)

Discrimination

Would prohibit employers from discriminating against job seekers and employees on the basis of “familial status,” such as having dependent children. SB 836 by Kuehl

Family leave

Would let workers take unpaid leave to care for adult children, siblings, grandparents, grandchildren and domestic partners. AB 537 by Assemblyman Sandre Swanson (D-Alameda)

Financial data

Would set standards for how businesses handle customer credit and debit card information, including a ban on storage of sensitive information. AB 779 by Assemblyman Dave Jones (D-Sacramento)

Floods

Would make cities and counties liable for flood damage where they “unreasonably” approve new development on flood plains. AB 70 by Jones

Food stamps

Would extend eligibility for food stamps to people convicted of certain felony drug charges. AB 508 by Swanson

Fuels

Would require state air regulators to reduce the carbon content of gasoline refined and sold in California by 2020. SB 210 by Sen. Christine Kehoe (D-San Diego)

Gay marriage

Would legalize marriage for couples of the same sex. AB 43 by Assemblyman Mark Leno (D-San Francisco)

Gift cards

Would require retailers to redeem unused or partly used gift cards for cash if the amount is less than $10. SB 250 by Corbett

Guns

Would require new semiautomatic pistols, starting in 2010, to have technology needed to stamp tiny identifying marks on cartridge casings. AB 1471 by Assemblyman Mike Feuer (D-Los Angeles)

HIV

Would remove the written consent requirement for HIV tests, so tests would be done routinely by doctors. AB 682 by Assemblywoman Patty Berg (D-Eureka)

Healthcare

Would require employers to spend the equivalent of 7.5% of payroll on healthcare for workers or pay into a state fund that would provide coverage. AB 8 by Assemblyman Fabian Nuñez (D-Los Angeles)

Hemp

Would allow farmers to grow hemp for industrial uses in some counties under a five-year pilot program. AB 684 by Leno

Identification tags

Would ban employers from requiring workers to have identification tags implanted under their skin. SB 362 by Sen. Joe Simitian (D-Palo Alto)

Interrogations

Would mandate electronic recording of all police interrogations of homicide and violent-felony suspects. SB 511 by Sen. Elaine Alquist (D-Santa Clara)

Iran

Would ban the state public employee and teacher retirement systems from investing in companies with energy or defense operations in Iran. AB 221 by Assemblyman Joel Anderson (R-San Diego)

Jail

Would permit county sheriffs with overcrowded jails to forcibly detain inmates in their own homes with electronic ankle bracelets. SB 959 by Romero

A separate bill would make it a misdemeanor for inmates to possess cellphones. SB 655 by Sen. Bob Margett (R-Arcadia)

Another would prohibit judges and juries from convicting a defendant based solely on uncorroborated testimony from a jail or prison inmate. SB 609 by Romero

Kangaroos

Would legalize the importing of kangaroo products harvested from non-endangered kangaroo species in Australia. SB 880 by Sen. Ron Calderon (D-Montebello)

Lightbulbs

Would require the state to set standards on efficiency and mercury and lead content for lightbulbs. AB 1109 by Assemblyman Jared Huffman (D-San Rafael)

Menus

Would require restaurant chains to list on their menus the calorie, fat and sodium content of each food item. SB 120 by Sen. Alex Padilla (D-Pacoima)

Names

Would alter marriage and registered domestic partnership certificates to allow either party -- not just a wife -- to change his or her middle or last name. AB 102 by Assemblywoman Fiona Ma (D-San Francisco)

Nursing homes

Would require nursing homes to notify residents of closure plans 60 days in advance and make relocation plans for every resident. AB 949 by Assemblyman Paul Krekorian (D-Burbank)

A separate measure would require the state to respond to nursing home complaints within 40 days. AB 399 by Feuer

Plastic

Would require the state to adopt a program to eliminate the release to waterways of plastic resin pellets used to produce plastic products. AB 258 by Krekorian

Prisons

Would allow early release of medically incapacitated prison inmates. AB 1539 by Krekorian

A separate measure would order the corrections department to create “honor” yards for well-behaved prisoners. SB 299 by Romero

A third measure would legalize the distribution of condoms in prison. AB 1334 by Swanson

Smoking

Would allow $100 penalty for smoking in vehicles containing children under 18 but ban police from stopping vehicles solely to enforce the law. SB 7 by Sen. Jenny Oropeza (D-Long Beach)

Solar energy

Would impose a surcharge on utility customers to subsidize installation of solar water heaters. AB 1470 by Huffman

Toys

Would prohibit the use of certain chemicals in toys and other products intended for children under 3. AB 1108 by Ma

Trans fat

Would eliminate trans fat from food sold through school vending machines or by private contractors on campus starting in 2009. SB 490 by Alquist

Failed

Butter flavor

Would have banned the manufacture or sale of products containing diacetyl, an artificial butter-like flavor linked to lung damage in microwave popcorn factory workers. SB 456 by Simitian

Cars

Would have mandated that 2% of all diesel fuel sold in the state be made from renewable sources, such as animal fat or vegetable oil. SB 140 by Kehoe

A separate measure would have required, starting in 2015, that 25% of new passenger vehicles sold in California use hydrogen, electricity, natural gas or another clean-burning fuel. SB 494 by Kehoe

Corporal punishment

Would have made it easier to prosecute parents for child abuse for such behavior as throwing, kicking, burning, cutting or striking a child in the face. AB 755 by Assemblywoman Sally Lieber (D-Mountain View)

Domestic partners

Would have removed a current requirement that at least one person be at least 62 for an opposite-sex couple to register as domestic partners. SB 11 by Migden

Eminent domain

Would have banned local governments from acquiring homes, farmland and churches through eminent domain for the purpose of conveying the property to a private party. ACA 8 by Assemblyman Hector De La Torre (D-South Gate)

Healthcare

Would have made all Californians eligible for healthcare benefits under a state-run system. SB 840 by Kuehl

Horse racing

Would have prohibited more than three members of the seven-member California Horse Racing Board from being licensed to participate in the racing industry. SB 863 by Yee

Illegal immigration

Would have made illegal immigration a state crime punishable by six months in county jail or a $1,000 fine. SB 3 by Sen. Tom Harman (R-Huntington Beach)

Leafy greens

Would have required state public health officials to set regulations for inspection and recall of leafy green vegetables contaminated with Escherichia coli. SB 200 by Sen. Dean Florez (D-Shafter)

A separate measure would have prohibited certain practices, including using untreated manure in leafy green vegetable fields, to prevent E. coli contamination. SB 201 by Florez.

Another would have required growers to track produce with a number system to facilitate a recall. SB 202 by Florez

Metal theft

Would have required metal recyclers and junk dealers to pay for copper, stainless steel and aluminum by check, with a three-day hold period unless the seller offered identification. AB 844 by Assemblyman Tom Berryhill (R-Modesto)

Pets

Would have required dog and cat owners to spay or neuter their pets by 6 months of age or face a $500 fine. AB 1634 by Assemblyman Lloyd Levine (D-Van Nuys)

Police

Would have countered a 2006 court decision by allowing cities and counties to open police disciplinary hearings and records to the public. SB 1019 by Romero

Ports

Would have imposed a $60 fee on containers unloaded at the Long Beach, Los Angeles and Oakland ports, to fund rail construction and air pollution reduction projects. SB 974 by Sen. Alan Lowenthal (D-Long Beach)

Redistricting

Would have transferred the power to draw California political boundaries from the Legislature to an independent commission. SCA 10 by Lowenthal; SCA 9 by Sen. Roy Ashburn (R-Bakersfield); ACA 1 by Assemblyman Curren Price Jr. (D-Inglewood); and ACA 4 by Assemblyman Michael Villines (R-Clovis)

SUV tax

Would have charged buyers of new sport utility and other heavy gasoline-using vehicles up to $2,500 and used the revenue to give rebates to buyers of more efficient vehicles. AB 493 by Assemblyman Ira Ruskin (D-Redwood City)

Savings accounts

Would have seeded a savings account with $500 for every newborn Californian. The money would have been used for education, home buying or retirement. SB 752 by Sen. Darrell Steinberg (D-Sacramento)

Smoking

Would have banned smoking on state beaches and in state parks. SB 4 by Oropeza

Suicide

Would have allowed terminally ill patients to hasten their deaths with a lethal prescription. AB 374 by Berg

Trans fat

Would have barred restaurants from using hydrogenated oils linked to heart disease, starting in 2010. AB 97 by Assemblyman Tony Mendoza (D-Artesia)

Signed by the governor

Elder abuse

Allows judges to freeze the assets of people accused of stealing from the elderly so seniors who prevail in court will be able to retrieve property. SB 611 by Steinberg

HIV

Allows partners of HIV-positive men to conceive as long as “sperm-washing” steps are taken to minimize the infection risk to mother and child. Existing law bans the transfer of bodily fluids from HIV-positive donors. SB 443 by Migden

Juvenile offenders

Overhauls the state’s juvenile justice system and shifts nonviolent offenders from state facilities to county programs. SB 81 by Senate Committee on Budget and Fiscal Review

Pets

Allows judges writing domestic violence restraining orders to also protect family pets. SB 353 by Kuehl

Prisons

Borrows $7.4 billion to pay for 53,000 new prison beds and facilities for medical and dental care and rehabilitation programs. AB 900 by Assemblyman Jose Solorio (D-Santa Ana)

Teen drivers

Bars people younger than 18 from using cellphones, laptops or text-messaging devices while driving. SB 33 by Simitian

Vetoed by the governor

Iraq

Would have put a measure on next June’s ballot asking whether the president should end the U.S. occupation of Iraq. SB 924 by Sen. Don Perata (D-Oakland)

Prisons

Would have required state prison officials to allow journalists to interview individual prisoners under certain conditions. SB 304 by Romero

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