Contributed by the Office of Luis Alejo:
The following is a list of Alejo bills that are now heading to the Assembly Floor for a vote next week. Upon passage off the Assembly Floor, the bills will be sent to the State Senate for consideration in a Senate policy committee.
AB 10 – Minimum Wage
This marks the sixth year that minimum wage has remained the same. President Barack Obama has called for a rise in our federal minimum wage and California should remain ahead of the increase due to our higher cost of living. This year, ten other states have raised the minimum wage already as well as our local jurisdictions of San Jose and Long Beach. Our neighboring states on the west coast have higher minimum wage levels than California’s already.
Specifically under AB 10, in 2014 the hourly minimum wage will increase 25 cents per hour to $8.25, which is $2.00 a day for a standard 8-hour work day. In 2015, the minimum wage will increase to $8.75. In 2016, the minimum wage will increase to $9.25. And in 2017, the minimum wage would be adjusted the state minimum wage on an annual basis according to the rate of inflation. In years of negative inflation, the minimum wage would remain the same.
AB 10 passed out of the Assembly Committee on Appropriations with a vote of 12-5 along party lines.
AB 60 – The Safe and Responsible Driver Act
AB 60 will improve roadway safety by ensuring all drivers on California highways are properly trained, licensed, and insured. The insurance industry estimates that 15 percent of the cars on the road do not have insurance. AB 60 shares a broad base of support from the agricultural and insurance industry, immigrant advocacy groups, and the Department of Insurance.
The amendments taken in Appropriations Committee delay the implementation date to January 1, 2015; add a foreign driver’s license and asylum application to the list of documents that can be submitted to the DMV by the applicant, and delete a provision granting DMV discretion to take other verifiable documents from applicants under special circumstances.
AB 60 passed out of the Assembly Committee on Appropriations with a vote of 12-5 along party lines.
AB 900 – Restoring Medi-Cal Reimbursement Rates
AB 900 stops the proposed budget cuts to Medi-Cal reimbursements for medical services provided by hospital-based nursing facilities also known as Distinct Part/Skilled Nursing Facilities (DP/SNFs). The bill stops the implementation of the rate cuts contained in AB 97, the health services trailer bill to the 2011-12 state budget.
Based on those rate cuts, DP/SNFs will face a reduction of Medi-Cal reimbursement rates to 90 percent of 2008-2009 rates, resulting in an average effective rate decrease of 25% for DP/SNFs. Restoring the Medi-Cal cuts could save hundreds of jobs under California’s still-recovering economy. Additionally, California would actually save money since reversing these cuts will help keep patients out of costly acute-care units and emergency rooms.
AB 21 passed out of the Assembly Committee on Appropriations with a vote of 17-0 with bipartisan support.
AB 118 – Drinking Water Regulation Streamlining
AB 118 helps disadvantaged communities access federal funding for drinking water improvements in faster and more efficient ways. This bill allows the Department of Public Health to be more responsive and efficient when disbursing the Safe Drinking Water State Revolving Funds to communities in need.
AB 118 passed out of the Assembly Committee on Appropriations with a vote of 17-0 with bipartisan support.
AB 21 – Water Grant Program
AB 21 creates a long-term, renewable source of funding for disadvantaged communities in need of immediate drinking water solutions. Specifically, this bill authorizes the Department of Public Health to assess a charge in lieu of interest on Drinking Water Revolving Fund loans, and sets this money aside for an emergency drinking water grant program for disadvantaged communities.
AB 21 passed out of the Assembly Committee on Appropriations with a vote of 17-0 with bipartisan support.
AB 120 – School Site Clean-up
AB 120 improves water quality by providing school districts increased access to funding to clean up leaking underground fuel tanks. The School District Account for underground tank cleanup currently has a balance of more than 14 million dollars. AB 120 simply gives schools access to existing funds to clean up leaking fuel tanks that can pose a hazard to our kids.
AB 120 passed out of the Assembly Committee on Appropriations with a vote of 17-0 with bipartisan support.
May 31, 2013 is the legislative deadline for Assembly bills to be approved by the State Assembly and be sent to the State Senate for consideration.
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