Assembly

Floor Action:

Gang Violence: Passed and sent to the Senate on a 69-0 vote a bill (AB 3414) by the late Assemblyman Richard E. Longshore (R-Santa Ana) calling for a study to develop a statewide computerized information system to help law enforcement officials crack down on gang violence.

Coastal Protection: Passed and sent to the Senate on a 46-24 vote a bill (AB 3947) by Assembly Speaker Willie Brown (D-San Francisco) to identify coastal water toxic “hot spots,” identify the waste discharges that cause them and take necessary steps to solve the problems. A companion bill would ask the voters to approve up to $25 million in bonds to finance the program.

Committee Action:

Sex Education: The Assembly Education Committee approved a bill (SB 2394) by Sen. Newton R. Russell (R-Glendale) to require public schools to teach students that abstinence from sexual intercourse is the only 100% effective protection from unwanted pregnancies, AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases. A 10-1 vote sent the bill to the Assembly floor.

Health Insurance: The Assembly Elections Committee approved a constitutional amendment (ACA 60) by Assemblyman Dan Hauser (D-Arcata) to guarantee that all Californians have the right to affordable health care insurance programs. A 6-4 vote sent the bill to the Ways and Means Committee.

Senate Floor Action:

County Jails: Granted final legislative approval on a 37-0 vote to a bill (SB 1664) by Sen. Robert Presley (D-Riverside) to ask the voters to approve a $500-million bond issue for construction and reconstruction of county jails and juvenile detention facilities. It passed in the Assembly on a 59-3 vote earlier in the day.

Firearms: Passed and returned to the Assembly for concurrence in amendments on a 34-0 vote a bill (AB 3066) by Assemblyman Richard Polanco (D-Los Angeles) to make it a crime to willfully discharge a firearm into the air in a grossly negligent manner. This type of shooting on New Year’s Eve and in celebration of the Fourth of July has resulted in innocent people being killed and injured.

Voter Registration: Passed and returned to the Assembly for concurrence in amendments on a 22-10 vote a bill (AB 1203) by Assemblyman Pete Chacon (D-San Diego) to require the secretary of state to encourage grocers to voluntarily print messages on grocery bags urging customers to register to vote and to vote on Election Day.

Committee Action:

Gangs: The Senate Judiciary Committee approved a bill (AB 2013) by Assemblywoman Gwen Moore (D-Los Angeles) to crack down on gang activities by making it a crime for members to knowingly participate in criminal conduct and increasing penalties for gang-related crimes. An 8-0 vote sent the bill to the Appropriations Committee.

Plant Closings: The Senate Industrial Relations Committee approved a bill (AB 621) by Assemblyman Richard E. Floyd (D-Hawthorne) to require employers with 25 or more employees to give workers 60 days’ written notice before closing a work site or reducing operations. A 5-0 vote sent the bill to the Appropriations Committee.

Plastic Guns: The Senate Judiciary Committee approved a bill (AB 4546) by Assemblyman Mike Roos (D-Los Angeles) to ban the manufacture, sale or possession of plastic guns not readily detectable by metal-screening devices or X-rays commonly used at airports. A 10-0 vote sent the bill to the Appropriations Committee.

Parental Leave: The Senate Industrial Relations Committee approved a bill (AB 2738) by Assemblywoman Gwen Moore (D-Los Angeles) to allow parents of either sex to take up to four months of unpaid leave to care for sick or newborn children without fear of losing their jobs. A 5-0 vote sent the bill to the Appropriations Committee.