California Assembly in Session Until Late at Night, Passes "Clean Money," Flood Control, Chiropractor Board Reform, and Pet Neut

[courtesy of California Progress Report]

Major AB 32 Implementation Measure--"Clean Car Discount"--Stalls on Tie Vote, to be Reconsidered Today

Last Session Today on Assembly Bills to Meet Deadline--Less Than 50 Bills Remain on Assembly Docket, but Includes Some Hot Ones

Assemblymember Ruskin on the floor in the middle of a group of those he is trying to persuade to vote for AB 493 on clean car rebates

By Frank D. Russo

The Assembly train picked up steam yesterday as they disposed of 118 bills and have between 32 and 49 bills that may be taken up today. Among the items to be taken up today is AB 8 (Nunez), the Assembly Speaker's near universal health Care bill, death with dignity (AB 374-Berg), AB 5 (Wolk) on flood protection, AB 1554 (Jones) on health insurance rate regulation ala Prop 103, and other hotly contest bills.

One of the bills to be reconsidered today is AB 493 (Ruskin) an important bill to the environmental community which considers it necessary to implement AB 32's mandate of a reduction of greenhouse gases to ameliorate global warming. It would establish a "Clean Vehicle Incentive Program," developed and administered by the Air Resources Board to provide a rebate of up to $2,500 to a buyer of a new vehicle that emits a relatively low amount of greenhouse gases and impose a surcharge on buyers of new vehicles that emit high volumes of these gases. It failed on a 35 to 35 vote. In the confusion of the vote, late in the day, the author of the bill actually forgot to vote on it, prompting a yell from Assemblymember Levine "Ira, you might want to vote on your bill!"

Into the evening, the Assembly passed AB 583 (Assemblymember Loni Hancock’s campaign finance reform bill, by a vote of 45-34. In its amended form, AB 583 will serve as a pilot program and allow California voters and candidates to see how a Clean Money system would actually work in California in the 2010 races for Governor, Insurance Commissioner, and one open Assembly and Senate seat. It now moves to the Senate for consideration. To see Assemblymember Hancock's closing statement on the bill, click here.