Legislation Proposed to Curb Number of Lawmakers’ Bills

State legislators would be limited on the number of bills they could introduce each two-year session under proposed legislation awaiting a vote on the Senate floor.

The resolution (SCR 18) by Sen. Gary Hart (D-Santa Barbara) would limit senators to 65 bills and members of the Assembly to 40 bills. Committee bills, constitutional amendments and resolutions would not count.

It previously passed the Rules Committee, an old graveyard for similar measures, by a 4-0 vote.

Hart said he is more optimistic this year because of voter-approved Proposition 140’s requirement that the Legislature reduce its operating costs by 48%. He said there should be considerable savings to taxpayers on the cost of processing bills if a limit is imposed.

“I believe the Legislature should be more concerned with the quality of legislation rather than with quantity,” said the lawmaker, who has unsuccessfully sought for several years to abolish the existing rule that places no limit on bill introductions.

The resolution requires the approval of both the Senate and the Assembly to become effective. ASSEMBLY Floor Action

Gulf War: Granted final legislative approval on a 46-3 vote to a resolution (AJR 11) by Assemblyman Gil Ferguson (R-Newport Beach) supporting President Bush’s actions taken to end Iraq’s occupation of Kuwait and condemning Iraq’s continuing attacks on Israel.

Bill Introductions

Unborn Children: AB 489 by Assemblyman Richard Floyd (D-Carson) would allow employees to sue employers for injuries to unborn children allegedly caused by employer negligence.

Veterans Home: AB 514 by Assemblyman Richard Floyd (D-Carson) would require the state to construct a second home for veterans in Southern California by Dec. 31, 1992. SENATE Committee Action

Voting: The Elections Committee rejected a bill (SB 293) by Sen. Milton Marks (D-San Francisco) to allow military personnel stationed in the Persian Gulf to use facsimile machines to cast absentee ballots. A 4-3 vote was cast on the bill with 6 yes votes required for approval. Reconsideration was requested. Bill Introductions

Child Support: SB 370 by Sen. Gary Hart (D-Santa Barbara) would provide for penalties of up to 100% of the child support obligation for parents who fail to pay it on time.

Prisons: SB 343 by Sen. Robert Presley (D-Riverside) would require prison wardens to be reconfirmed by the state Senate every three years and require them to have master’s degrees in fields such as criminology, sociology or others tied to prison management.

More Prisons: SB 347 also by Presley would establish an inspector general system for prisons similar to that used in military service. It would allow unannounced prison inspections and give authority to order changes when deemed necessary.

Airport Safety: SJR 9 by Sen. Diane Watson (D-Los Angeles) requests the President and the Congress to enact laws to improve safety at major U.S. airports.

Trade: SB 350 by Sen. William Craven (R-Oceanside) would require the state Trade Commission to establish an office in Vienna, Austria. Miscellany

Knox Returns: Former Democratic Assembly Speaker Pro Tem John Knox of Richmond, now a lawyer-lobbyist at the state Capitol, is voluntarily serving as lower house parliamentarian at the request of Speaker Willie Brown (D-San Francisco). He will stand just below the Speaker on the podium in the Assembly chamber. Assembly Clerk Brian Kidney recently took early retirement as a result of the voter-approved Proposition 140. Capital Fact

The official state song is “I Love You California,” first sung publicly in 1913, lyrics and music by Silverwood and Frankenstein.