Governor

Signed into law a bill (AB 103) by Assemblyman Lloyd G. Connelly (D-Sacramento) to prohibit auto insurance agents from accepting kickbacks from motor vehicle repair shops in exchange for business referrals.

Vetoed a bill (AB 364) by Assemblyman Richard Polanco (D-Los Angeles) to require Los Angeles community college trustees to be elected from districts instead of at-large in order to increase minority representation on the governing board. The governor said he did not believe it was appropriate for the state to dictate the terms of local elections.

Assembly

Floor Action:

Diploma Mills: Passed and returned to the Senate for concurrence in amendments on a 65-5 vote a bill (SB 190) by Sen. Becky Morgan (R-Los Altos Hills) designed to increase supervision of so-called diploma mills by giving jurisdiction over vocational schools and unaccredited private postsecondary institutions to an independent new state commission.

Jury Duty: Passed and returned to the Senate for concurrence in amendments on a 72-0 vote a bill (SB 501) by Sen. Larry Stirling (R-San Diego) to increase the minium daily fee paid to trial jurors from $5 to $10.

Bottles and Cans: Passed and returned to the Senate for concurrence in amendments on a 55-17 vote a bill (SB 1221) by Sen. Gary K. Hart (D-Santa Barbara) to increase the redemption rate of one penny per empty recyclable soft drink and beer container to two containers for a nickel, starting Jan. 1.

Pap Smears: Passed and sent to the governor on 53-0 vote a bill (AB 32) by Assemblywoman Sally Tanner (D-Baldwin Park) to impose tighter state regulations on cervical cancer screening laboratories that examine Pap smears.

Olympic Training Center: Passed and returned to the Senate for concurrence in amendments on a 54-15 vote 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 loan would be repaid by the sale of special Olympic license plates.

Sexual Abuse: Passed and sent to the governor on a 54-0 vote a bill (AB 2212) by Assemblywoman Jackie Speier (D-South San Francisco) to make continued sexual abuse of a child under the age of 14 a felony offense punishable by up to 16 years in state prison.

Campus Crime: Passed and returned to the Senate for concurrence in amendments on a 62-5 vote a bill (SB 1358) by Sen. Art Torres (D-Los Angeles) to require all colleges in California to disclose campus crime statistics and security measures to prospective students and their parents.

Committee Action:

Auto Insurance: The Ways and Means Committee approved a bill (SB 5) by Senate President Pro Tem David A. Roberti (D-Los Angeles) to create an independent, nonprofit consumer advocacy corporation to fight for lower auto insurance rates. A 12-8 vote sent the bill to the Assembly floor.

Senate

Floor Action:

Air Pollution: Passed and returned to the Assembly for concurrence in amendments on a 25-5 vote a bill (AB 1130) by Assemblyman Byron D. Sher (D-Palo Alto) to allow air pollution control districts starting July 1 to impose a smog-fighting fee of up to $4 on motor vehicles subject to smog checks.

Greenhouse Effect: Passed and returned to the Assembly for concurrence in amendments on a 22-4 vote a bill (AB 2151) by Speaker Willie Brown (D-San Francisco) to require the state to reduce emissions of so-called greenhouse gases by 20% by the year 2005 to help head off a predicted global warming trend.

Water Pollution: Passed and returned to the Assembly for concurrence in amendments on a 21-11 vote a bill (AB 478) by Assemblyman Tom Bates (D-Oakland) to require surprise checks of Santa Monica, San Diego, San Francisco, Humboldt and Monterey bays to insure compliance with state environmental discharge laws regarding bay pollution.

English Only: Passed and sent to the governor on 22-8 vote a bill (SB 1454) by Sen. Milton Marks (D-San Francisco) to make it an unlawful employment practice for private employers to require employees to speak only English while on the job unless such a rule can be justified by business necessity.

AIDS: Passed and returned to the Assembly for concurrence in amendments on a 22-6 vote a bill (AB 11) by Assemblywoman Teresa P. Hughes (D-Los Angeles) to require all students in grades 7-12 to receive AIDS prevention instruction unless their parents specifically object to it.

Pay Equity: Passed and sent to the governor on a 21-6 vote a bill (SB 261) by President Pro Tem David A. Roberti (D-Los Angeles) to create a pay equity commission to look into salary differences between male and female state employees.

Auto Body Parts: Passed and returned to the Assembly for concurrence in amendments on a 23-8 vote a bill (AB 1120) by Assemblyman Rusty Areias (D-Los Banos) to require auto body repair shops to disclose the type of parts to be used in fixing damaged vehicles to prevent customers from being defrauded.