Disability Rights California Grateful Yet Concerned after Governor Newsom Acted on Bills to End 2024 Legislative Session

Disability Rights California Grateful Yet Concerned after Governor Newsom Acted on Bills to End 2024 Legislative Session
After Governor Newsom acted on the final set of bills for the 2024 session, Disability Rights California is grateful yet concerned. We are grateful to have three sponsored bills and several other priorities signed in the final few days of September. We appreciate the hard work of many Legislators who authored these bills and the staff who worked behind the scenes to make them move forward smoothly. We are also grateful for our coalition partners, who continue to lift up disability issues and ensure that disabled people have a space at the decision-making table on issues that impact our lives.
The three DRC sponsored bills signed by the Governor are:
- SB 445 (Portantino), requires the standardized Individualized Education Program (IEP) template to be translated in the top 10 most commonly spoken languages in California. These templates will be available on the California Department of Education’s website for school districts to use.
- SB 483 (Cortese), also known as the Max Benson Law, prohibits “prone restraint,” a technique that physically or mechanically restraints a student in a facedown position, in all California schools. Prone restraints can harm students and, in some circumstances, have resulted in death, including the tragic death of Max Benson, a 13 year old boy.
- SB 1197 (Alvarado-Gil), clarifies that that regional centers can fund in-home respite for all foster youth, including those placed with non-relative families. In-home respite services are critical supports that help a child with intellectual/developmental disabilities to remain living at home.
Other disability-related bills that we are grateful the Governor signed:
- AB 1147 (Addis) - mandates greater transparency from regional centers, which serve Californians with developmental disabilities, by making them subject to the California Public Records Act.
- AB 1902 (Alanis) - requires pharmacy dispensers to offer accessible prescription labels at no additional cost for patients who identify as blind, low vision, print disabled, or patients with limited English proficiency.
- AB 1938 (Gallagher) – Outlines the basic framework to ensure children who are deaf, hard of hearing, blind, low vision or deaf-blind have full access to language and specialized services.
- SB 1001 (Skinner) - Ensures that people who are diagnosed with an intellectual disability cannot be sentenced with the death penalty.
- SB 1323 (Menjivar) –Reforms the Incompetent to Stand Trial (IST) process based on the recommendations of experts and expands options for mental health diversion.
- SB 1385 (Dodd) - Guarantees consumer protections for power wheelchair users.
However, the state continues to move forward with a carceral approach to homelessness and mental health. DRC will continue to oppose these policies and advocate for more affordable accessible housing and voluntary mental health services.
The Governor also signed AB 2527, a law that allows pregnant people to be placed in solitary confinement for up to 5 days at a time. DRC is an active member of the California Mandela Campaign, which advocates for among other things, the practice of placing pregnant people in solitary to be completely banned. We will continue to advocate for this along with other limits on solitary confinement in California.
Finally, the Governor signed several bills that enhance penalties against people who commit theft crimes under the false premise that crime is increasing in California. Data continues to show that crime, including violent crime is down throughout the state. Let’s be clear when Governor Newsom claims “he doesn’t have the bandwidth” to fight against Proposition 36, it’s not about capacity, it’s about political convenience. He wants to maintain the tough on crime narrative while signing into a retail theft package that achieves the same horrible outcomes. We need to have real conversations about public safety in California and these laws point us in the wrong direction.
Concerning bills that Governor Newsom signed in the final weeks of session:
- SB 42 (Umberg) – A follow-up bill to SB 1338 (CARE Court) in 2022, which created a new court system for court-ordered coercive treatment. This law loosens evidentiary requirements for CARE Court petitions and decreases confidentiality protections for CARE Court respondents.
- SB 1238 (Eggman) – A follow-up bill to SB 43 (Eggman) in 2023, which expanded criteria for involuntary behavioral health commitment. This law expands the types of facilities that can hold people involuntarily for severe substance use disorders and requires the Department of Health Care Services to convene a stakeholder group to consider expanding the types of facilities that may be designated by a county to provide involuntary treatment under the Lanterman Petris Short (LPS) Act.
- SB 1184 (Eggman) – This law extends the period in which someone can be involuntarily medicated under a single involuntary medication order.
- AB 2527 (Bauer-Kahan) - The bill allows for the placement of pregnant people in solitary confinement and lacks crucial safeguards to prevent the repeated use of this practice, opening the door to potential abuse and neglect.
DRC and our coalition partners will continue to advocate to push for California to truly be the nation’s leader on all disability issues.
Disability Rights California (DRC) – Is the agency designated under federal law to protect and advocate for the rights of Californians with disabilities. The mission of drc is to defend, advance, and strengthen the rights and opportunities of people with disabilities. For more information visit: https://www.disabilityrightsca.org.