New Law Requires Museums to Return Remains of Indians

Gov. Pete Wilson has signed into law a bill declaring that Indian skeletal remains now being kept in museums and university warehouses should be returned to descendants.

“In thousands of cases, the solemn right of burial has been denied to Native Americans in California,” said Assemblyman Richard Katz (D-Sylmar), sponsor of the bill (AB 12).

“No other group has to live with the fact that the remains of their ancestors are stuffed in a cardboard box in a warehouse, museum or university.”

Katz said Native American religious convictions include the belief that a grave should never be disturbed.

ASSEMBLY

Floor Action

* College Tuition: Passed and sent to the governor on a 47-25 vote a bill (AB 1472) by Assemblyman Tom Hayden (D-Santa Monica) to allow parents to pay into a state trust fund to finance tuition for children who will later attend public colleges or universities.

SENATE

Floor Action

* Children: Passed and sent to the Assembly on a 26-2 vote a bill (SB 479) by Sen. Becky Morgan (R-Los Altos Hills) to establish a new Cabinet-level state Office of Child Development and Education as requested by Gov. Pete Wilson in his State of the State address.

* Graffiti: Passed and sent to the governor on a 23-4 vote a bill (SB 224) by Sen. Diane Watson (D-Los Angeles) to authorize creation of graffiti abatement districts, which could levy special taxes on spray paint and marking pens to finance cleanup of defaced property.

* King Beating: Passed and sent to the Assembly on a 29-6 vote a bill (SB 1261) by Sen. Ed Davis (R-Santa Clarita) to make it a misdemeanor for a law enforcement officer to witness and fail to report excessive use of force by another officer. This bill was an outgrowth of the Rodney G. King beating by Los Angeles police officers.

* King Beating: Passed and returned to the Assembly for concurrence in amendments on a 28-6 vote a bill (AB 401) by Assemblyman Bob Epple (D-Norwalk) to establish a state commission to hold public hearings and look into the use of excessive force by law enforcement agencies. This bill was sparked by the Rodney G. King beating.

* Cigarette Lighters: Passed on a 26-1 vote and returned to the Assembly for concurrence in amendments a bill (AB 757) by Assemblywoman Lucille Roybal-Allard (D-Los Angeles) to set up standards for the design of cigarette lighters to make them more difficult for children to operate.

* Gang Crimes: Passed on a 36-0 vote and returned to the Assembly for concurrence in amendments a bill (AB 18365) by Assemblyman Xavier Becerra (D-Monterey Park) to add two to four years to the prison term of anyone convicted of committing a gang-related felony on or near school grounds.

* Discrimination: Passed and sent to the governor on a 24-12 vote a bill (AB 28) by Assemblyman Johan Klehs (D-Castro Valley) to deny tax-exempt status to social clubs that discriminate on the basis of sex, age, race, color, religion, national ancestry or physical handicaps.

* English Only: Passed and sent to the governor on a 25-8 vote a bill (SB 834) by Sen. Milton Marks (D-San Francisco) to prohibit employers from requiring employees to speak only English while on the job unless justified by business necessity.

Capital Fact

The East Los Angeles freeway interchange, which connects the Golden State, Santa Monica, Pomona and Hollywood freeways, is the nation’s busiest freeway link. As of now, it carries more than 563,000 vehicles per day, up 15,500 from this period a year ago, according to Caltrans.