The 2018-2019 legislative session came to a close last week and we’re excited to announce that Governor Newsom has signed into law five of the bills that the Women’s Policy Institute fellows drafted and supported. These new laws will ensure that California continues to be a trailblazer for gender, economic and racial justice.
These five new laws bring the total number of bills passed by the Women’s Policy Institute to 40 – just in time for our 40th anniversary! We celebrated our wins and our fellows at San Francisco City Hall and we’ll be celebrating again on November 14th at Vibiana in Los Angeles. We hope you can join us!
Here are the five laws that our incredible fellows helped draft and pass:
- SB495 (Bias-Free Child Custody Child Act) makes sure that sex, gender expression, gender identity or sexual orientation of a caregiver has nothing to do with that person’s ability to love and care for a child. This new law will make it easier for every child to have a loving family.
- SB160 (Emergency services: cultural competence) will make sure that our emergency response plans will reflect the needs of diverse Californians. This law will require emergency planning to be culturally competent by incorporating qualified representatives and interpreters in all emergency communications.
- SB24 (The College Student Right to Access Act) helped make history by making California the first state to mandate that all student health centers at all 34 public universities and colleges offer abortion medication.
- AB942 (CalFresh: Restaurant Meals Program) will expand access to hot and prepared food choices for people experiencing homelessness, disabilities, and old age through a statewide expansion of the CalFresh Restaurant Meals Program.
- AB865 (Resource families: training) will make sure children who have experienced or are at risk of experiencing human trafficking get the care they need. Foster care providers will now be required to receive training to provide appropriate care to exploited and trafficked minors.
We are so proud of all the work our WPI fellows accomplished this year! For more information about our Women’s Policy Institute and their work, visit womensfoundca.org/policy/wpi.