1. Clean Water Act (AB 1104 - 1999): This was the strongest bill of its kind in the nation and was the impetus to clean our waterways. The Clean Water Act imposed severe mandatory penalties on industrial polluters for dumping harmful toxins in our waterways. Californians will be safer and healthier because of this pioneering piece of legislation.
2. Headwaters Forest (AB 1986 - 1998): California’s beautiful and irreplaceable ancient growth forests, where many trees are over a 1000 years old, were preserved for future generations by this vital piece of legislation. The bill appropriated $245.5 million to buy the Headwaters Forest Preserve and forever preserving this natural wonder.
3. SF Wetlands/Cargill (AB 398 - 2000): This landmark piece of environmental legislation was critical to recovering endangered species populations and helping to restore the San Francisco Bay’s delicate natural ecosystem. The bill provided $30 million for the San Francisco Baylands Restoration Program for the conversion of 18,000 acres of salt ponds into a natural wildlife habitat. Cargill will become an important nesting ground for birds in the Bay Area.
4. Predatory Lending (AB 344 - 2001): Long overdue and ahead of its time, this bill protects seniors and other vulnerable populations from unscrupulous lendors. This bill prohibits lending institutions from predatory practices such as hidden points or targeting people who are unable to pay the loan.
5. Domestic Partners (1999-2006): This package of bills led the way to California being in the forefront of providing the most far-reaching benefits in the nation for the LGBT community and for unmarried senior citizens.
a. Assembly Bill 1059 of 1997: Had Governor Pete Wilson not vetoed this legislation, it would have required employers who cover employees’ dependents to cover their domestic partners as well. Despite the veto, insurance companies doing business in California now provide coverage options to domestic partners.
b. Assembly Bill 26 of 1999
As originally drafted, it covered all adult couples. Based on objections from Governor Gray Davis, who did not want a competing alternative to marriage for opposite-sex couples, Migden eliminated coverage for opposite-sex couples where either participant less than 62 years of age. The bill passed, and Davis signed into law on September 22, 1999. It provided for a public registry, hospital visitation rights, and authorized health insurance coverage for domestic partners of public employees. Assembly Bill 26 marked the first time a state legislature created a domestic partnership statute without the intervention of the courts. (Hawaii’s legislature enacted a more expansive reciprocal beneficiaries scheme in 1997 in response to an unfavorable lower court ruling; Vermont enacted a sweeping civil union bill in 2000 at the direction of its state Supreme Court.).
c. Assembly Bill 25 of 2001
In the first successful expansion of the domestic partnership act, AB 25 added 18 new rights for domestic partners that were previously only available to married couples The expanded rights included standing to sue (for emotional distress or wrongful death), stepparent adoption, a variety of conservatorship rights, the right to make health care decisions for an incapacitated partner, certain rights regarding distribution of a deceased partner’s estate, limited taxpayer rights, sick leave to care for partners, certain retirement benefits, and unemployment and disability insurance benefits . It also relaxed the requirements for opposite-sex couples, requiring only one of the participants to be over 62 years of age. Governor Gray Davis signed the bill into law on October 22, 2001.
d. Senate Bill 565 of 2005 allows transfer of property between domestic partners without reassessment for tax purposes; this codified a landmark ruling the Board of Equalization made while Migden was Chair.
e. Senate Bill 1827 of 2006 requires domestic partners to file state income-tax returns under the same status as married couples (jointly or married filing separately), effective in the 2007 tax year.
6. HMO Reform (AB 55 - 1999): The crown jewel of the Legislature’s healthcare reform package of 1999. Patients can now seek an independent review from doctors whenever an HMO has denied health care services. HMOs who refuse to pay face medical board review.
7. Safe Cosmetics (2005): Strongest bill in the United States protecting consumers from carcinogens contained in toiletries and cosmetics. New studies have shown that these ingredients are not only carcinogenic, but can impair the health of newborn babies. California is now a national leader and has joined the European Union in its efforts to reform the cosmetic industry. The new law requires cosmetic manufacturers to disclose ingredients and carcinogens that may cause cancer. This bill started with a grassroots campaign championed by Marin County teenage girls.
8. Gun Control (1994): As a San Francisco Supervisor, Migden stopped runaway gun sales within the city by requiring stores that deal in guns to pay a 3 percent tax on everything they sell. Large sporting goods stores chose to leave the gun business. This was pioneering legislation and eliminated gun sales from San Francisco.
9. Tax Loophole (SB 663 - 2005): Migden stood up to corporate giants and closed a tax loophole that enabled the use of offshore tax shelters. It will save the state $50 million annually by cracking down on illegal tax shelters.
10. Foster Care (1998-2006): Over the last decade, Carole Migden has introduced one of the most comprehensive packages of foster care bills in the nation. These bills have provided numerous programs for foster youth such as transitional housing, increased savings accounts & adoption incentives for teens.
a. AB 1439 (1999) - Reduces frequency of multiple foster care placements, improved the quality of out-of-home care and assisted runaway children.
b. AB 1261 (2001) – Increases amount of cash savings available to foster youth in the Independent Living Program.
c. AB 1119 (2002) – Provides additional support for foster youth upon release.
d. AB 436 (2005) – Improves planning for transitional housing resources for emancipating pregnant or parenting foster youth.
e. SB 1712 (2005) – Creates incentives to encourage the adoption of hard-to-place foster youth.
f. SB 39 (2007) – A model open records bill that provides transparency by providing access to records when abuse or death occurs in the foster care system.
g. SB 348 (2007) – Helps foster youth transition to self-sufficiency.
11. HIV/AIDS (1999-2007): Passed a wide-ranging package of bills addressing critical issues for HIV/AIDS care such as organ donations, back-to-work programs and rapid testing. This package built on her work at the San Francisco Board of Supervisors where she spearheaded efforts to create new models for HIV/AIDS prevention, strengthened the HIV/AIDS service delivery system, protected the health budget from dangerous cuts, promoted innovative safe-sex programs and addressed the issue of water-based parasites dangerous to people with HIV/AIDS.
a. AB 1263 (2001) – Provided for rapid HIV testing.
b. AB 1046 (2002) – Protects health care workers from needle injuries.
c. SB 443 (2007) – Allows HIV-positive people to have healthy children.
12. DNA (AB 673 – 2002 & SB 22 – 2005): AB 673 created the statewide DNA database for rapes, murders and other violent crimes. The New York Times has recently reported that 200 inmates have been cleared on the strength of DNA evidence in the US. SB 22 implemented the “DNA, Fingerprint, Unsolved Crime and Innocence Protection Act” approved by the voters on November 2, 2004. This bill will help law enforcement solve crimes, particularly old homicide and rape cases. It will also ensure the release of those falsely imprisoned.
13. Women (AB 1860 - 2002): Requires that female victims of sexual assault receive information regarding “morning after” contraception.
14. Public Power (AB 117 - 2001): Allows cities and counties to aggregate their electric loads and provide service directly to their residents. Marin County and San Francisco are both in the process of establishing greener and cheaper power for residents because of this legislation. This pioneering bill puts California in the forefront of a new era of green power and renewable energy.
15. Juror Pay (AB 180 - 2000) /Juror Discrimination (AB 2418 - 2000): AB 180 provided a long-overdue raise for jurors from $5 a day to $15. AB 2418 ensures that ones sexual orientation cannot be a factor in being excluded from a jury.
16. Tenant Protections (AB 2330 - 2002): Groundbreaking tenant protection legislation that prevented unscrupulous landlords from keeping security deposits for the normal use of rental units.
17. School Funding (SB 319 - 2005): Backfills Novato and San Francisco schools with over $1 million annually for funds lost to charter schools.
18. Mentally Incompetent Minors (SB 570 - 2005): Provides essential mental health treatment to minors who are under juvenile court for delinquent conduct, and evaluations for mental disorders, emotional disturbances or developmental disabilities. This bill closed a critical gap between the state’s juvenile justice system and the mental health service system and ensures the most effective mental health care for our youth and protects them from spiraling into more serious mental health disorders.
19. Iraq Resolution (2007): First state house in the nation to pass a resolution against the proposed surge of troops in Iraq. This puts the largest state in the nation on record in rebuking the President for his failed policy in Iraq. Promoted by MoveOn.org this helped elevate the discussion about the war nationally. About 10% of the almost 3,500 American troops killed in Iraq have come from California.
20. Medical Records Confidential (AB 2191 - 2002): Ensures greater protection of consumers by expanding the Confidentiality of Medical Information Act (CMIA) to include pharmaceutical companies as it does doctors and health care service plans.
21. Safe Needles (AB 1208 - 1998): This legislation became a national model for legislation that President Clinton signed into law in 2000. Prior to this bill being passed, needles injured 100,000 health care workers a year.
22. Sudden Oak Death (AB 62 - 2001): $3,586,000 to develop and implement measures to stop the spread of sudden oak death (SOD) syndrome which has ravaged forests in the northern Bay Area. These funds were critical for the successful eradication and removal of diseased trees.
23. Water Reclamation (1994): Required new buildings in San Francisco to have dual plumbing systems to save our water supply. First of its kind in the nation.
24. Clean Air Vehicles GG Bridge (ACR 213 - 2002): Golden Gate Bridge Highway and Transportation District to provide free passage on the Golden Gate Bridge during commute hours to vehicles bearing a specified clean air decal.
25. Car Keys (SB 1542 - 2006): The first bill of its kind in the nation that requires auto dealerships to set up system that a consumer can make a copy of their smart key in a timely manner independent of the dealership. A landmark consumer bill for car owners.
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