Assembly

Floor Action:

Employee Files: Passed and sent to the Senate on a 44-29 vote a bill (AB 96) by Assemblyman Richard Floyd (D-Carson) to give all employees the right to inspect their personnel files within 10 days of filing a request with their employers. Employers could charge a reasonable cost for photocopying the files.

Committee Action: Telephone Calls: The Utilities and Commerce Committee approved a bill (AB 689) by Assemblywoman Gwen Moore (D-Los Angeles) to prevent hotels and motels from gouging customers for telephone calls by limiting possible surcharges to 25 cents per call and allowing them to choose the most economical long-distance telephone service. A 10-0 vote sent the bill to the Ways and Means Committee. CPR: The Education Committee approved a bill (AB 2039) by Assemblyman Paul Woodruff (R-Yucaipa) to add cardiopulmonary resuscitation training to staff development programs for all California public school teachers in grades K-12. A 14-0 vote sent the bill to the Ways and Means Committee. Drinking Water: The Water Committee approved a bill (AB 1530) by Assemblyman Richard Katz (R-Sylmar) to prohibit new or expanded solid waste landfills to be located near drinking water supplies. The bill also would prohibit landfills within 1,000 feet of homes, hospitals and child care centers. A 9-3 vote sent the bill to the Ways and Means Committee. Discrimination: The Housing Committee approved a bill (AB 2208) by Assemblyman Robert Campbell (D-Richmond) to prohibit rental property landlords and home sellers from discriminating against immigrants from other countries. An 8-3 vote sent the bill to the Ways and Means Committee. Bill Introductions: Oil Spills: AJR 44 by Assemblyman Dan Hauser (D-Arcata) requests the President and the U.S. Department of Interior to halt all West Coast offshore oil leasing activity until the department certifies to affected states that procedures for dealing with oil spills have been developed and proven effective. Senate Committee Action: Crime: The Judiciary Committee approved a bill (SB 1408) by Sen. Gary K. Hart (D-Santa Barbara) to create a $3-million system that would use a data bank of genetic information on blood, hair, skin and semen samples in much the same way fingerprints are used in tracking down violent criminals. The bill was requested by Atty. Gen. John K. Van de Kamp. A 9-0 vote sent the bill to the Appropriations Committee. Olympic Training Center: The Governmental Relations Committee approved a bill (SB 1403) by Sen. William Campbell (R-Hacienda Heights) to provide $15 million in state loan support for California’s first U.S. Olympic Training Center to be located in San Diego County. The money would come from the sale of special Olympic license plates. A 7-0 vote sent the bill to the Appropriations Committee. Farm Workers: The Industrial Relations Committee approved a bill (SB 1341) by Sen. Hart to require the state to enforce field sanitation standards so farm workers have access to drinking water and toilet facilities. A 6-0 vote sent the bill to the Appropriations Committee. Miscellany Speaker’s Appointment: Assembly Speaker Willie Brown (D-San Francisco) has appointed former Assembly Republican leader Paul Priolo of Los Angeles, now a lobbyist who has his own firm, to the state Board of Registration for Geologists and Geophysicists. During his 14-year Assembly career, Priolo authored 1972 legislation to require the Division of Mines and Geology to identify all active earthquake faults in California. Board members receive per diem and necessary expenses.