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In 2022, the California Legislature handed almost 1,200 payments — and almost 1,000 grew to become legislation with Gov. Gavin Newsom’s signature.
Lots of the new legal guidelines are minor fixes to legal guidelines that legislators and the governor beforehand enacted. Others are moderately slim or particular to a sure trade. Nonetheless others will likely be phased in over time.
Newsom has highlighted a number of, together with a legislation limiting prosecutors from utilizing rap lyrics and music movies in courtroom and one other requiring oil corporations to publicly submit their income (the governor has additionally known as a particular session on his plan to impose a penalty on oil refiners for extra income.)
After which there’s a choose group of recent legal guidelines that took impact on Jan. 1, 2023 — and that would have a noticeable affect on the day by day lives of Californians, or on the coverage course of the state.
Listed below are 9 of them, together with audio segments for just a few:
Customers might have observed that shampoos and different private care merchandise marketed to ladies typically price greater than very comparable variations for males.
Not. With this legislation, shops will likely be banned from charging a unique value primarily based on gender — and may very well be within the crosshairs of the lawyer basic’s workplace for any violations. Advocacy teams say that ending the “pink tax” is one other step in the reason for gender fairness.
It’s hit or miss how a lot candidates can discover out about how a lot a job pays. And advocates say that enables for unfair disparities in salaries.
This new legislation will carry a bit of extra transparency to California workplaces by requiring corporations with not less than 15 staff to place wage ranges into job postings. However intense enterprise opposition blocked provisions that will have meant publication of pay knowledge damaged down by place, gender and race. And a few specialists query how a lot distinction the legislation will make.
Again within the 1800s, the U.S. authorities provided bounties to cease the Union Military from getting cheated. In 2021, Texas handed a legislation proscribing abortions and dangled $10,000 per violation to anybody who sued to assist implement it.
To not be outdone, Gov. Gavin Newsom and the Legislature handed this new legislation that enables non-public residents to gather $10,000 by suing those that make or promote unlawful “ghost weapons” or assault-style weapons. The U.S. Supreme Courtroom, nonetheless, might throw out the Texas legislation and ones prefer it, together with California’s. However that will be simply high-quality with the governor and lawmakers.
In our COVID world, one in every of many issues is disinformation that may have harmful, even lethal, penalties. Even some docs have unfold myths or lies concerning the virus and the way greatest to deal with it.
This legislation, supported by California’s medical institution, makes it simpler for the state medical board to punish physicians who intentionally unfold misinformation. However some docs have already sued to cease the legislation, saying it violates their free speech rights.
The historical past of California is difficult, not least as a result of it’s such a various state of immigrants, but in addition house to Native American tribes right here properly earlier than European explorers or the Gold Rush.
This legislation encourages college districts to work with tribes to develop historical past classes to provide college students a fuller understanding. The laws additionally goals to lift the commencement charge and shut the achievement hole for Native American college students.
Lawmakers took their newest steps of their battle in opposition to human trafficking by concentrating on what legislation enforcement says are frequent locations the place it occurs. Civil liberties teams, nonetheless, say extra legislation enforcement is the mistaken method.
One new legislation requires fines and civil penalties in opposition to resorts if supervisors find out about intercourse trafficking however fail to inform legislation enforcement, a nationwide hotline or sufferer advocacy group. One other new legislation provides magnificence, hair and nail salons to these companies, in addition to airports and bus stations, that should submit info on human trafficking, together with easy methods to contact nonprofits within the area.
California hasn’t executed anybody since 2006. Though voters wish to preserve the demise penalty, a 2019 moratorium imposed by Gov. Gavin Newsom prevents executions.
Advocates are additionally searching for to restrict when capital punishment is utilized. This legislation goals on the 674 inmates already on demise row, giving them a solution to problem their demise sentences as racially biased. A disproportionate variety of the condemned inmates are Black.
