Assembly Clears Pilot Projects to Give Addicts Clean Needles

The Assembly has narrowly passed controversial legislation to authorize pilot projects to allow drug addicts to exchange dirty needles for clean ones to try to prevent the spread of AIDS if communities approve.

A 43-30 vote, two more than required, sent the bill (AB 260) being carried by Assembly Speaker Willie Brown (D-San Francisco) to the Senate.

Brown argued that the needle exchange projects would save lives, but opponents said the practice could lead to increased drug use. Gov. Pete Wilson vetoed a similar measure last year.

ASSEMBLY

Floor Action

* Abortion Clinics: Passed and sent to the Senate on a 43-22 vote a resolution (AJR 26) asking President Clinton and Congress to enact legislation to make it illegal to prevent women from seeking aid from abortion clinics.

* Pickup Trucks: Passed and sent to the Senate on a 41-26 vote a bill (AB 153) by Assemblyman Curtis Tucker Jr. (D-Inglewood) to prohibit people from riding in the beds of open pickup trucks unless the passengers are secured by a restraint system.

* Sexual Harassment: Passed and sent to the Senate on a 42-20 vote a bill (AB 675) by Assemblywoman Gwen Moore (D-Los Angeles) to clarify that sexual harassment also includes harassment on the basis of pregnancy.

* State Employee Salaries: Passed and sent to the Senate on a 45-24 vote a bill (AB 439) by Sen. John Burton (D-San Francisco) to prohibit the governor or Legislature from reducing state employee salaries if their pay levels for the year have been set by a prior state budget.

* Liquor Licenses: Passed and sent to the Senate on a 57-11 vote a bill (AB 1974) by Assemblyman Paul Horcher (R-Hacienda Heights) to allow liquor licensees whose businesses were destroyed by rioting to continue operating under existing licenses and permits after rebuilding without the imposition of additional restrictions.

* Pull-Tab Prize Cards: Passed and sent to the Senate on a 45-20 vote a bill (AB 1758) by Assemblyman Curtis Tucker Jr. (D-Inglewood) to allow poker clubs to sell pull-tab cards with concealed numbers or symbols that pay cash prizes.

SENATE

Floor Action

* Sex Education: Passed and sent to the Assembly on a 30-5 vote a bill (SB 224) by Sen. Teresa Hughes (D-Inglewood) to require school sex education classes to include information on sexual assault by an acquaintance or date rape.

* Sexual Harassment: Passed and sent to the Assembly on a 37-0 vote a bill (SB 459) by Sen. Daniel Boatwright (D-Concord) to require all California peace officers to receive training in recognizing and stopping sexual harassment in the workplace.

* Child Abuse: Passed and sent to the Assembly on a 33-3 vote a resolution (SCR 8) by Sen. Newton Russell (R-Glendale) asking the attorney general to convene an advisory committee on ritualistic child abuse.

* Election Costs: Passed and returned to the Assembly for concurrence in amendments on a 34-1 vote a bill (AB 37) by Assemblyman Ross Johnson (R-Fullerton) to require the state, instead of counties, to pick up the tab for special elections to fill legislative or congressional vacancies.

* School Libraries: Passed and sent to the Assembly on a 30-3 vote a bill (SB 170) by Sen. William Craven (R-Oceanside) to allow taxpayers to donate part of their state income tax refund to a public school library protection fund.

Committee Action

* Murderer Sentencing: The Judiciary Committee approved a bill (SB 663) by Sen. Tim Leslie (R-Carnelian Bay) to allow the family and friends of a murder victim to testify at the sentencing of the victim’s convicted murderer. A 6-4 vote sent the bill to the Senate floor.

* Guns on Campus: The Appropriations Committee approved a bill (SB 1198) by Sen. Gary K. Hart (D-Santa Barbara) to require expulsion for students caught bringing firearms onto kindergarten through high school campuses. A 10-0 vote sent the bill to the Senate.

* Alcoholic Beverages: The Judiciary Committee approved a bill (SB 689) by Sen. Quentin Kopp (I-San Francisco) to make it unlawful for any person under 21 with any alcohol in his or her blood to drive a motor vehicle. A violation would call for a one-year driver’s license suspension plus a $100 fine to get it back. A 6-3 vote sent the bill to the Appropriations Committee.

Capital Fact

Readers who wish to communicate with state legislators regarding Assembly or Senate bills can write to them at the State Capitol Building, Sacramento, Calif. 95814.