Sacramento AAUW branch member Ruth Ann Hines represented our branch in lobbying efforts at the Stronger California Advocacy Day at the Capitol on Aug. 26. The event was sponsored by The Women’s Foundation of California, which is “a statewide, publicly supported community foundation dedicated to achieving gender, racial, and economic justice.” AAUW Sacramento is a member of the foundation.

Ruth Ann attended along with another representative of AAUW CA. The Advocacy Day was an opportunity for the 55 groups and coalitions representing women’s rights groups to celebrate the passage of the 19th amendment, Women’s Right to Vote.

“We were divided into 10 groups to visit three State Senator’s offices to discuss three pending bills,” Ruth Ann said. “Our group lobbied for AB 9, a bill to extend the deadline for filing sexual harassment and discrimination claims from one year to three years; AB 749, which would prohibit retaliatory no-rehire clauses in settlement agreement workplace violations; and lastly an Assembly Bill to extend, from three days to ten days. the time to remove a car if it is ticketed.”

Governor Signs 14 AAUW-Supported Bills Into Law by Magaly Zagal, Legislative Advocate for AAUW-CA

The 2018-19 legislative season has come to a close, and by Oct. 13, 2019, Governor Newsom signed 870 bills out of the 1,042 bills that were presented to him.

These 14 bills that will become law due to the advocacy and research support offered by AAUW-CA:

• AB 9 – Extends the time for filing harassment and discrimination claims under California’s Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA) from 2 to 3 years, allowing survivors additional time to seek redress.
• AB 51 – Prohibits an employer from requiring an employee to waive any right for a labor code violation as a condition of employment, continued employment or receipt of employment benefits.
• AB 59 – Directs county elections officials to consider a vote center location on a public or private university with the intent to increase youth voter turnout.
• AB 170 – Closes a gap in the law to ensure that employers do not resort to subcontractor agreements for purposes of avoiding liability for sexual harassment claims.
• AB 218 – Increases the civil statute of limitations period for commencement of a sexual assault cause of action. This will give sexual assault survivors sufficient time to access civil remedies.
• AB 381 – Ensures that prevention and bystander intervention outreach on dating violence information is made available to incoming students during orientation.
• AB 543 – Ensures that all 9^th through 12^th grade students receive a written policy on sexual harassment information during orientation. AAUW’s report “Schools Are Still Underreporting Sexual Harassment and Assault” was critical in helping support the legislative analyses for AB 543.
• AB 749 – Prohibits the use of “no rehire” clauses in settlement agreements that broadly restrict future employment opportunities for workers settling a sexual harassment or other claims.
• AB 809 – Mandates that public postsecondary institutions provide notice to students to ensure that pregnant and student parents are aware of their Title IX rights.
• AB 922 – Allows a woman providing human oocytes for research to be compensated for her time, discomfort, and inconvenience in the same manner as other research subjects.
• SB 24 – Increases access to reproductive health services for students at public universities and colleges by providing medication abortion at student health centers.
• SB 142 – Requires employers to have a written lactation policy and lactation spaces that meet minimum requirements for lactating workers. While existing law requires employers to provide parents with the time and space to express breastmilk, SB 142 places specific guidelines to ensure that parents are sufficiently protected in the workplace.