Sentencing Commission Law Among Over 200 Bills Left for the Last Day of the 2007 California Legislative Session

[courtesy of California Progress Report]

Health Coverage for Children, Flood Safety, Electoral College, Air and Water Pollution, and Toxics Action at Stake Today

By Frank D. Russo

“Today” is supposed to be the last day of the 2007 regular session for the California Assembly and State Senate. If history is any guide, it will be a long day—one that could go until the wee hours of the morning. Both houses are scheduled to start shortly this morning.

Among the major bills still pending are:

• A sentencing commission. Both SB 110 (Romero), which failed on the Assembly floor 34 to 38 and which can be brought up under reconsideration, and AB 160 (Lieber), which had been holed up in the Senate Rules Committee and has been sprung to the Senate floor, can be voted on. If Romero’s bill advances, there is a play with AB 1708 (Swanson) on the Senate floor that could amend SB 110, clean it up, and perhaps make it more acceptable to the Assembly. Both houses of the legislature have passed fairly similar sentencing commission bills, although with heated debates and opposition from Republicans.

• AB 70 (Jones) and AB 162 (Laird), the 2 remaining flood safety and control bills in the package of 5 this year.

• AB 1 (Laird) Health care to children. Will cover just about all children who do not have medical insurance, perhaps more important now with the impending demise of the overall health care bill AB 8.

• AB 97 (Mendoza) on Trans Fats, banning them from food establishments in the state.

• Many bills having to do with water, a huge issue for the state of California. These include SB 1001 (Perata) on water quality, SB 862 on state water reports and planning and SB 1002 (Perata) with over $600 million allocated from bonds for the Delta, water storage (mostly underground storage), studying reservoir construction and how that fits into global warming, and storm water diversion for California’s beaches.