By Amy Hom and Missy Maceyko, Co-chairs AAUW California Public Policy
2024 has been an exciting year for AAUW California’s Legislative Agenda. There were many excellent bills that were introduced in the legislature early in the year. The Public Policy Committee evaluated over 60 of these bills that were most closely aligned with our Public Policy Priorities. Our committee met virtually over a weekend in March to discuss and vote on the best bills to include in our 2024 Legislative Agenda, prioritizing them into A, B, C, and Watch categories. We selected 41 bills for our Legislative Agenda, not including the Watch bills, and from March through September we worked to educate about and advocate for these bills.
Thanks to the many AAUW members who participated in Lobby Days, to those who called or wrote to their legislators and the Governor through our Action Alert Network, and thanks in no small part to the tireless efforts of Kathy Van Osten, our Legislative Advocate, 29 of the 41 bills on our Legislative Agenda made it to the Governor’s desk, and 25 of them have been signed into law!
Excitingly, all three of our A priority bills were signed by the Governor:
Our signature bill AB 2843 was authored and sponsored by AAUW California. The bill eliminates cost sharing, including deductibles, from being imposed on any rape survivor seeking medical care following a rape. The bill was inspired when Kathi Harper, Public Policy Director, read an OpEd piece in the Los Angeles Times by Dr. Samuel Dickman, Chief Medical Officer at Planned Parenthood of Montana, describing the plight of countless rape survivors who do not seek medical care following their assault because of prohibitive costs. AB 2843 removes the cost barrier, ensuring that survivors can receive the care they need following a traumatic sexual attack.
AB 2326, also sponsored by AAUW California, requires the Chancellors of the Community Colleges and the State Universities, and the President of the University of California, to provide an annual report of their schools’ compliance with Title IX. The report will be publicly, orally presented to the Senate and Assembly Budget Subcommittees on Education Finance.
AB 2099 makes it possible for the District Attorney to pursue felony charges for the posting of information about reproductive health care patients or providers if the posting and subsequent actions result in bodily injury.
Two of our B priority bills were signed into law:
AB 1790 requires the CSU system to report on the implementation of recommendations provided in the California State Auditor report, to ensure Title IX compliance and protections against sexual harassment.
AB 1831 expands the law prohibiting the possession and distribution of material depicting minors performing sexual activities to include AI and computer-generated images.
And very significantly, AB 1955 was signed into law.
This was a C priority bill only because it was added to our Legislative Agenda later in the process. AB 1955 prohibits public schools from notifying parents if their child uses a different name or pronouns or identifies as a different gender than assigned at birth. California is the first state in the nation to ban forced outing of transgender students.
For additional details on all the bills on the 2024 Legislative Agenda, see our bill tracking report HERE.
And if you have not yet signed up for Action Alerts, and would like to be notified about opportunities to advocate for AAUW California’s priority legislation in 2025, please sign up HERE.
