Assembly

Committee Action: China: The Ways and Means Committee approved a bill (AB 2533) by Assemblyman Tom Hayden (D-Santa Monica) to prohibit future state investments in corporations and banks doing business with the People’s Republic of China as a protest against the Tian An Men Square student massacre last year. An 18-2 vote sent the bill to the Assembly floor. Crime Victims: The Ways and Means Committee also approved a bill (AB 1893) by Assemblyman Rusty Areias (D-Los Banos) to require the courts to find clear and compelling reasons for not ordering convicted defendants to fully compensate anyone who suffers a monetary loss as a crime victim. A 20-0 vote sent the bill to the Assembly floor. Bill Introductions: Vote: AB 2689 by Assemblyman Jack O’Connell (D-Carpinteria) would require all high school students 18 or older to be given an opportunity to register to vote as an optional part of a one-semester course in American government and civics required for graduation. Women: AB 2677 and AB 2678 by Assemblywoman Maxine Waters (D-Los Angeles) would require equal numbers of women and men appointed to state boards and commissions by the governor as vacancies occur after Jan. 1, 1991. The companion measure would declare it to be state policy that the percentage of women on appointed boards and commissions be reflective of the percentage of women in the state’s population. Gangs: AB 2684 by Assemblyman Pete Chacon (D-San Diego) would appropriate $200,000 to establish a pilot program to reduce gang activity and drug-related crimes around urban parks. Senate Floor Action: Animal Testing: Rejected on a 10-21 vote a bill (SB 60) by Sen. Alan Robbins (D-Tarzana) to require all cosmetic and household products for which live animals were used in safety tests to display labels informing consumers that the animals were used in the testing process. Bill Introduction: Hospital Interpreters: SB 1840 by Sen. Joseph B. Montoya (D-Whittier) would require hospitals to provide interpreters for patients with a limited English proficiency if 5% or more of the patients are Latino. Essential hospital forms would also have to be made available in Spanish. Fire Safety: SB 1830 by Sen. Cecil N. Green (D-Norwalk) would authorize cities and counties to enact local fire safety standards that are more stringent than minimum state requirements. War Memorial: SB 1847 by Sen. Milton Marks (D-San Francisco) would provide for a memorial plaque to be placed on the Capitol grounds honoring six California merchant seamen who were killed during the Vietnam War.