The graduation of the Women’s Policy Institute-State Class of 2017 is upon us. Each of the five teams have worked incredibly hard to craft legislation that will have real impact on their communities, learning about and familiarizing themselves with policy advocacy in the process. We’re so proud of each of their successes, including the four teams whose bills are still alive, three of which are on Governor Jerry Brown’s desk.
Assembly Bill 273 (Aguiar-Curry) would help families maintain their state-subsidized child care by clarifying that English as a Second Language (ESL) and High School Equivalency (HSE) education programs are acceptable types of training courses. This bill passed unanimously out of the Assembly and the Senate, and you can sign a petition urging Governor Brown to sign this bill into law.
Assembly Bill 523 (Reyes) would ensure that low-income communities and those most impacted by pollution have access to funding for, and benefit from, renewable energy projects. This bill will allocate a minimum of 25% of the money administered by the California Energy Commission for renewable energy funding for sites located in and benefitting, disadvantaged communities. An additional 10% will go to low-income communities across the state.
Senate Bill 310 (Atkins) would ensure that incarcerated transgender people can more easily petition for a name and/or gender marker change. You can sign a petition urging Governor Brown to sign this bill into law.
Lastly, Senate Bill 320 (Leyva) will ensure that students at California public higher education institutions have access to medication abortion and scientifically accurate abortion counseling on campus, removing the time and cost barriers that currently exist. This bill will be taken up again in January 2018. The Women’s Foundation of California is spearheading a coalition of funders to ensure campus health centers will have everything they need to implement this service.
Please join us in congratulating the class of 2017 on all they’ve accomplished, and don’t forget to contact Governor Brown and urge him to sign AB 273, AB 523, and SB 310.