Assembly Floor Action: Mental Health: Passed and...

Assembly Floor Action: Mental Health: Passed and sent to the Senate on a 41-21 vote a bill (AB 300) by Assemblyman Bruce Bronzan (D-Fresno) to require health insurance plans to offer coverage for mental health care. The governor vetoed a similar bill last year.

Dogs: Passed and sent to the Senate on a 65-0 vote a bill (AB 396) by Assemblywoman Sunny Mojonnier (R-Encinitas) to make it a felony offense to allow a vicious dog to roam at large if the dog causes a death or substantial injuries.

Committee Action: Parolees: The Assembly Public Safety Committee approved a bill (AB 1728) by Assemblyman Rusty Areias (D-Los Banos) to require the Board of Prison Terms to notify local authorities at least 30 days before a convicted felon is to be paroled in their area of jurisdiction. A 5-0 vote sent the bill to the Ways and Means Committee.

Hypnosis: The Public Safety Committee also rejected a bill (AB 153) by Assemblyman Larry Stirling (R-San Diego) to allow testimony of a witness who has been hypnotized to be allowed as evidence in a criminal court case. It was defeated on a 2-2 vote.

Senate Committee Action: Transit: The Senate Governmental Organization Committee rejected a bill (SB 878) by Sen. Quentin L. Kopp (Ind.-San Francisco) to prohibit transit districts from employing lobbyists or contracting for lobbying activities at the federal, state or local level.

Miscellany Assemblyman Fined: Assemblyman Trice Harvey (R-Bakersfield) and his campaign manager have been fined $1,000 by the Fair Political Practices Commission for sending out 35,000 letters to voters last fall without identifying the source of the mass mailer as required by law. The pair acknowledged the violation and agreed to pay the stipulated settlement. The mailer appeared to be an official letter from Gov. George Deukmejian, carried the governor’s return address on the outside, but contained a printed envelope addressed to the Harvey committee for political campaign contributions.