SACRAMENTO – Fifteen bills representing the array of Senator Josh Becker’s legislative priorities were cleared by the powerful Senate Appropriation Committee on Thursday, allowing the bills to advance to a floor vote by the state Legislature’s upper house.
The deadline for bills to pass their house of origin is May 27. Senator Becker’s bills are among the roughly 300 that are eligible for Senate votes next week.
A future that was unthinkable just a few years ago is quickly becoming reality. I will fight every day—for my daughter, and for all people—until our progress on reproductive rights is restored for everyone. In California, we value, protect and defend reproductive rights. I stand with our Governor, legislative leaders, Senate Pro Tem Toni Atkins and Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon, who have announced they are preparing a Constitutional amendment to ensure and protect access to abortion in California. We cannot allow hard-won reproductive freedoms established nearly 50 years ago to be cancelled by those who do not recognize the rights of reproductive choice and health care, including access to safe abortions.”
With a stroke of a pen, Acting Governor Eleni Kounalakis signed Senator Josh Becker’s Senate Bill 504 into law today to ensure equal access to voter registration for overseas military personnel and people living with disabilities.The legislation was the first to be signed by Acting Governor Kounalakis and the first bill by Senator Becker to become law in 2022. “I’m so honored for Acting Governor Kounalakis to sign my voter access and equity legislation into law,” said Senator Becker, D-Menlo Park. “With Acting Governor Kounalakis as our head of state, it’s a long-awaited historic day for California that’s made all the more significant as we observe Women’s History Month.”
Senator Josh Becker announced legislation today to expand employee ownership of businesses in California by providing education, technical assistance and other supportive resources for enterprises making the transition. Senate Bill 1407, the Expanding Employee Ownership Act, reduces the barriers for businesses seeking to transition to employee ownership and worker-led models, such as employee stock ownership plans, known as ESOPs, and worker cooperatives, or co-ops. “ESOPs and worker co-ops are beneficial to owners and employees alike, but transitions seldom occur,” said Senator Josh Becker, D-Peninsula, a member of the Senate Business, Professions and Economic Development Committee.
Senator Josh Becker announced a bill today to eliminate all telecommunication fees in California’s county jails and state prisons, a change that would rid incarcerated people and their families of the financial burden that results from connecting by phone, electronic messaging or video calling systems in state and local lockups. “Staying connected with family and friends is integral to the mental health and well-being of all people, but especially incarcerated Californians,” said Senator Becker, D-Peninsula, the author of Senate Bill 1008, the Keep Families Connected Act. “Providing free communication with families through this bill can help incarcerated people remain hopeful and connect with resources that can support their re-entry, such as resources for future housing, employment and counseling. These essential connections should not be severed.”
Senator Josh Becker announced a bill today to help unlock funding for affordable housing creation by eliminating onerous misdirected penalties against affordable housing developers in cities and counties that have not complied with state law requiring local governments to have adequate plans to meet housing needs.“We should not punish affordable housing developers who did nothing wrong,” said Senator Becker, D-Peninsula. “There are many penalties on the books right now for cities and counties with noncompliant housing elements. One penalty goes too far by preventing affordable housing developers from accessing certain state funding when pursuing projects to address the affordable housing shortage in those noncompliant places.
Senator Josh Becker announced legislation today to establish the Minor League Baseball Players’ Bill of Rights, which would modernize decades’ old and scathingly criticized work conditions for Minor Leaguers. “Baseball is called America’s pastime and Minor Leaguers are just asking for what every American worker wants,” said Senator Becker, D-Peninsula. “These players are asking for fair treatment and the opportunity to make a decent living under decent conditions.
State Senator Josh Becker’s bill to grant the San Mateo County Community College District more flexibility to help students in need cover college costs – including the authority to make their tuition free – cleared its first legislative hurdle today. The Senate Education Committee passed Senate Bill 893 with a bipartisan 6-0 vote, which sends the legislation to the Senate Appropriations Committee for consideration.