Legislature expected to vote on new gun-control measures this week

The state Legislature this week is expected to decide whether to require special permits to buy ammunition and could outlaw the sale of rifles with detachable magazines.

Both gun-control measures were introduced in the Democrat-controlled legislature in the wake of the massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut in December.

The legislation is among the 400 or so bills that state lawmakers are scheduled to consider during the final week of this year’s session.

Lawmakers also face intense pressure to address prison overcrowding because of a federal court order to reduce inmate numbers by more than 9,600 by the end of the year. Failure to reach a compromise could result in a court’s ordering the early release of some felons.

Gov. Jerry Brown and Assembly Speaker John A. Pérez (D-Los Angeles) have proposed spending $315 million to place thousands of inmates in county jails and privately owned prisons. Democrats in the state Senate prefer to increase spending on rehabilitation, arguing that it is the most effective way to reduce the prison population in the long term, and to try to obtain a three-year extension on the court’s order.

Other bills expected to be considered this week would:

•Repeal the tax-exempt status of nonprofit groups, including the Boy Scouts, if they do not allow openly gay members.

•Allow misdemeanor rather than felony charges in cases of simple possession of heroin, cocaine and other hard drugs.

•Increase the minimum wage by $2 an hour over five years.

•Require domestic workers, including nannies, to be given benefits, including overtime and rest breaks.

ALSO:

Long-term inmates -- and prison culture -- move into county jails

Bill expanding child abuse victims’ rights to sue heads to governor

California Senate acts to protect celebrities’ children from paparazzi

Twitter: @philwillon

phil.willon@latimes.com