Fact Sheet
Here's a quickie fact sheet about the bills currently pending before the Legislature:
AB 222 (Assemblymember Sheila Kuehl, DLos Angeles) Dignity for All Students. Would add "sexual orientation" to all the nondiscrimination sections of the Education Code. Teachers and other public school personnel are already protected under existing law. This bill would enact nondiscrimination protections for students in all public schools, grade school through college. Discrimination would be prohibited in interscholastic athletics, admissions, and financial aid. School districts and teachers would also be prohibited from adopting or using materials that reflect adversely upon persons solely on the basis of sexual orientation. To be heard in Assembly Education Committee, in March.
NEEDS LETTERS OF SUPPORT, especially from teachers, students, counselors.AB 1001 (Speaker Antonio Villaraigosa, DLos Angeles) NONDISCRIMINATION PROTECTIONS. Would bring gay and lesbian employment protections under the Fair Employment and Housing Act with all the other protected classes (age, religion, race, gender, ethnicity, disability, etc.). Right now gay and lesbian employment protections are in the Labor Code, and are not treated equally. This legislation, not yet introduced, will also codify our protections in housing and public accommodations. Just Introduced.
AB 26 (Assemblymember Carole Migden, DSan Francisco) Domestic Partners. Would mandate that health insurers offer domestic partner benefits equal to those offered to spouses. In other words, if a health plan includes spouses, it must also include domestic partners. This bill also contains language creating a statewide registry. To be heard in Assembly Health Committee, in March. Expected to pass.
AB 107 (Assemblymember Wally Knox, DLos Angeles) Domestic Partners. Would allow the Public Employee Retirement System (PERS) to recognize domestic partners for health insurance benefits. This is not a mandate, but would allow employee groups under PERS to negotiate for DP health benefits. PERS is the largest retirement system for public employees in the nation. To be heard in Assembly PERS Committee, March 17. Expected to pass.
AB 901 (Assemblymember Wally Knox, DLos Angeles) Domestic Partners. Would exempt health insurance benefits for domestic partners from state income tax. Right now if your partner receives DP health insurance benefits through your job, YOU must declare the value of that insurance coverage as income and pay taxes on it.
SB 75 (Senator Kevin Murray, DLos Angeles) Domestic Partners. Would create a statewide Domestic Partner Registry, create hospital visitation rights, and add domestic partners to conservatorship law. It is absolutely critical to establish domestic partners as a legal entity. This is especially true when a partner is incapacitated; domestic partners deserve to be recognized at all levels of any court proceeding for an incapacitated partner. To be heard in Senate Judiciary Committee, in March.
Action Alert: Need letters of support to Jack O'Connell (Santa Barbara), and Steve Peace (San Diego)... their votes are needed to get the bill out of committee.
