CA Legislative Women’s Caucus Announces 2023 Priority Bill Package

Mar 30, 2023
Contact: 
Sulema Landa, Sulema.Landa@asm.ca.gov; Robert Gammon, Robert.Gammon@sen.ca.gov

SACRAMENTO – The California Legislative Women’s Caucus (LWC) today announced its 2023 priority bill package — 12 bills authored by caucus members, along with 17 bills on reproductive justice supported by the partnership between the LWC and California’s Future Abortion of Council (FAB Council).

This year’s bills continue to build on the progress of recent sessions, which advanced new funding and improvements to early care and education for children ages 0-4, addressed the pandemic’s impact on women in the workplace, and strengthened health care and women’s economic security.

“Every year, the members of the LWC champion a select set of bills aimed at remedying current challenges faced by women and girls, such as sexual violence, unequal opportunity, insufficient support for caregivers, or the high cost of female-specific products and services,” said LWC Chair Senator Nancy Skinner, D-Berkeley. “This year, we’re also proud to once again partner with the FAB Council to further strengthen California as the leader in reproductive justice and abortion rights. We look forward to working with our legislative colleagues and the governor to get these bills across the finish line and expand opportunity and equity for women, girls, and working families in California.”

“I am proud the legislative package supported by the Women’s Caucus encourages a more equitable, resilient, and sustainable future for our state, especially for women and children,” said LWC Vice-Chair Assemblymember Cecilia Aguiar-Curry, D-Winters. “We will continue to use our growing influence, in numbers and from leadership positions, to move forward a bold agenda that lifts up all Californians.” 

On March 13, the LWC announced its second year of partnership with the CA FAB Council with 17 new bills for 2023 that further reproductive justice and abortion rights expanding access and legal protections for California providers and patients.

Below are the 12 2023 LWC priority bills arranged by the LWC’s issue pillars, followed by the 17 reproductive justice and abortion rights bills supported by the LWC in partnership with the FAB Council:

Workplace and Economic Equity

AB 372 (Nguyen) - Affordable Childcare for Building Trades Apprentices
SB 686 (Durazo) - Domestic Worker Occupational Safety and Health

Childcare and Education Equity

AB 51 (Bonta) - Child Care Stabilization Act
SB 380/AB 596 (Limón/Reyes) - Child Care Rate Reform and Suspension of Family Fees

Gender Violence and Public Safety

AB 419 (Bauer-Kahan) - Training for Judges on Sexual Assault
SB 599 (Caballero) - Safe and Secure Non-Custodial Parent Visitation

Poverty

AB 937 (McKinnor) - Dependency: Family Reunification
AB 1015 (Calderon) - Diaper & Wipe Distribution Program

Healthcare and Health Equity

AB 246 (Papan) - PFAS in Menstrual Products
SB 260 (Menjivar) - Menstrual Equity Act of 2023

Vulnerable Communities

AB 760 (Wilson) - CSU/UC Affirmed Name and Gender Identity
SB 589 (Alvarado-Gil) - Foster Care Disaster Relief

2023 LWC/FAB COUNCIL BILLS

AB 90 (Petrie-Norris) Improves access to long-acting reversible contraceptives for those seeking abortion services.
AB 254 (Bauer-Kahan) Under health privacy law, provides privacy protections for digital data related to patients accessing abortion services and information through reproductive health app or website in California.
AB 352 (Bauer-Kahan) Enhances medical records privacy protections related to abortion, pregnancy loss, and other sensitive services.
AB 571 (Petrie-Norris) Ensures that medical malpractice insurance includes coverage for comprehensive sexual and reproductive health care.
AB 576 (Weber) Aligns Medi-Cal coverage of medication abortion with evidence-based clinical guidelines.
AB 598 (Wicks) Requires school districts to participate in the California Healthy Kids Survey and include a module on sexual and reproductive health care as one of the core survey modules.
AB 710 (Schiavo) Regulates Crisis Pregnancy Centers
AB 793 (Bonta) Provides privacy protections for digital data related to patients accessing abortion services in California by eliminating the use of invasive and harmful reverse demands.
AB 1194 (Carrillo) Ensures that businesses can’t use exemptions under the Consumer Privacy Rights Act to share information about a consumer accessing, procuring, or searching for services regarding contraception, pregnancy care, and perinatal care, including abortion services.
AB 1432 (Carrillo) Ensures the regulation of health insurance policies related to abortion, contraception and gender-affirming care.
AB 1481 (Boerner-Horvath) Clarifies Presumptive Eligibility for Pregnant Individuals coverage policies and ensures such patients can access abortion services regardless of other health coverage.
AB 1646 (Nguyen) Medical Residency Guest Rotations.
AB 1707 (Pacheco) Provider Protections.
SB 36 (Skinner) Strengthens safe haven protections by making it illegal for bail agents or bounty hunters to apprehend people in California.
SB 345 (Skinner) Provides legal protections for medication abortions and gender-affirming care.
SB 385 (Atkins) Seeks to extend many of the updated training rules from SB 1375 last year to additional providers (i.e. physicians assistants, etc.)
SB 487 (Atkins) Provides additional safeguards for California abortion providers and other entities and individuals that serve and support abortion patients that reside in states with hostile abortion laws.

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