CA Climate, Voter Equity Bills Set To Advance

ACROSS CALIFORNIA, CA — Five climate and equity bills authored by state Sen. Josh Becker (D-Menlo Park) have either passed or are close to landing on the governor’s desk after they cleared the Assembly Appropriations Committee last week.

Senate Bill 68, which would authorize the Energy Commission to award funding for projects that benefit electricity ratepayers and attempt to reduce the costs of building electrification, passed the Assembly on Wednesday. Awaiting a third reading in the Assembly is Senate Bill 596, which would require the state board to develop a strategy for the cement sector to achieve net-zero emissions by 2046.

“We must do more, and we must move faster to combat climate change and enable California to achieve its ambitious goals,” said Becker, who is vice chair of the Legislature’s Committee on Climate Change Policies. “My SB 596 on low carbon cement and SB 68 to make building electrification easier would put California on a stronger path to clean energy and net zero emissions.”

Becker’s equity bills — Senate Bills 775, 504 and 355 — would promote equitable sentencing and voter registration equity and expand access to civil court fee waivers.

SB 504, which would take steps to ensure that those who have been released from incarceration would not inadvertently be removed from voter rolls, passed the Assembly Wednesday.

SB 775, which would allow people who are convicted of attempted murder or manslaughter but are the least culpable in the crimes to petition for sentences that better align with their crimes, was awaiting a third reading in the Assembly. Also sent to a third reading was SB 355, which would update the eligibility criteria for low-income Californians seeking a waiver of filing fees in civil court.

Becker, who is in his first year in the state senate, currently has eight bills moving through the legislature. Bills must be passed by Sept. 10 to be signed by the governor this year.

“My bills are a very important step closer to the finish line as we head into the final two weeks of my first legislative year,” Becker said. “I’m grateful for the support of my colleagues in both houses who have enabled my bills to advance.”