NEW LAWS OF 2013
January 1st marks the New Year and also the day that hundreds of new
California laws go into effect whether we like them or not. In addition
to Proposition 30 (the state sales tax increase of a quarter-cent) that I
mentioned in the special edition of the Gaines Gazette, I wanted to
give you a glimpse of what’s in store for the state. Some are practical
and logical while others are ridiculous. Here are just a few of the new
bills that became law on January 1:
- Assembly Bill 2020 (Pan-D): Drivers suspected of being under the influence of drugs can no longer choose a urine test to determine drug content. It must now be done through a blood test.
- Senate Bill 1172 (Lieu-D): Therapists cannot provide minors with therapy intended to change their sexual orientation. California is the first in the nation to prohibit such practices.
- Assembly Bill 1844 (Campos-D): Assembly Bill 1844 (Campos-D): Prevents employers from requiring or asking employees and job applicants to disclose their user names and passwords for personal social-media accounts, with certain exceptions.
- Assembly Bill 2189 (Cedillo-D): Allows hundreds of thousands of young illegal immigrants to obtain California driver's licenses.
- Senate Bill 1047 (Alquist-D): Similar to an AMBER Alert, the CHP would activate a “Silver Alert” upon request if a person, age 65 or older, is reported missing to a law enforcement agency and that agency determines that certain criteria are met.
- Assembly Bill 472 (Ammiano-D): Encourages people to call 911 and seek medical help for someone experiencing a drug or alcohol overdose without fear of being prosecuted for minor drug crimes.