Assembly

Floor Action:

Health Insurance: Passed and sent to the governor on a 60-8 vote a bill (AB 60) by Assemblyman Phillip Isenberg (D-Sacramento) to appropriate $30 million annually in increased tobacco tax revenues to provide health insurance for people whose past medical histories make it difficult or impossible for them to obtain coverage. These include people who have cancer, heart disease, diabetes or AIDS.

AIDS: Passed and sent to the governor on a 57-12 vote a bill (AB 2251) by Assemblyman Terry B. Friedman (D-Los Angeles) to make AZT available to AIDS victims who are working and not eligible for Medi-Cal, but can not afford the full cost of the drug.

Sex: Passed and sent to the governor on a 77-0 vote a bill (AB 1008) by Assemblyman Gary A. Condit (D-Ceres) to make it a criminal offense for anyone to knowingly distribute harmful matter to a minor with the intent of arousing sexual desire or seducing the minor.

Smoking: Passed and sent to the governor on a 46-25 vote a bill (AB 2288) by Assemblyman Steve Peace (D-La Mesa) to make it unlawful for an employer to discriminate against an employee or refuse to hire a prospective employee merely because he or she is a smoker.

Pesticides: Passed and sent to the governor on a 69-1 vote a bill (AB 2161) by Assemblyman Bruce Bronzan (D-Fresno) to increase the testing and regulation of pesticides used in California food production. This would include suspending pesticides for which adequate health data is not available, reevaluating permissible residue levels, and prohibiting certain pesticides from being used.

Reservoirs: Passed and sent to the governor on a 48-24 vote a bill (SB 1767) by Assemblyman Mike Roos (D-Los Angeles) to require Los Angeles, Orange and San Diego counties to consider the recreational, scenic and aesthetic benefits of the surrounding neighborhoods before covering or modifying public reservoirs.

Dying Trees: Granted final legislative approval on a 72-0 vote to a resolution (ACR 96) by Assemblyman Norm Waters (D-Plymouth) asking Caltrans to seek alternatives to using salt to melt ice and snow on mountain roads because the resulting runoff is killing adjacent trees at Lake Tahoe and in other areas.

Auto Insurance: Rejected for the second time on a 31-30 vote 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. Forty-one votes were required for approval.

Senate

Floor Action:

Cocaine: Passed and sent to the governor on a 38-0 vote a bill (SB 1661) by President Pro Tem David A. Roberti (D-Los Angeles) to appropriate $13.4 million to establish a task force to coordinate state and local efforts to investigate and apprehend Colombian cartel-street gang cocaine networks.

Drug Education: Passed and sent to the governor on a 38-0 vote a bill (SB 1377) by Sen. Newton R. Russell (R-Glendale) to prohibit the use of taxpayer dollars for drug or alcohol abuse programs that do not convey a strong “no unlawful use of drugs or alcohol” message to students.

Unemployment Insurance: Passed and sent to the governor on a 34-0 vote a bill (SB 600) by Senate President Pro Tem David A. Roberti (D-Los Angeles) to increase the maximum weekly level of unemployment insurance benefits from the present $166 to $230 by 1992.

Vitamins: Passed and sent to the governor on a 38-0 vote a bill (SB 107) by Sen. Robert Presley (D-Riverside) to authorize a state study to determine if there is any correlation between violent conduct by prison inmates and abnormal levels of certain vitamins and minerals in their systems.

Special Tax Break: Passed and sent to the governor on a 21-3 vote a bill (SB 1226) by Sen. William Campbell (R-Hacienda Heights) to give Kenneth Behring, the owner of the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League, a $1.2 million tax break for a fancy car museum worth an estimated $80 million that he wants to donate to the University of California.

Legislative Space: Passed and sent to the governor on a 38-0 vote a bill (SB 42) by Sen. William A. Craven (R-Oceanside) to earmark one square block across the street from the state Capitol for future expansion of legislative offices.