End of the Year Legislative Update: 2021

• SB 434 (Bates): Prohibits an operator of rehabilitation treatment facilities from providing any form of false advertising or marketing services. This bill‚ also known as “Brandon’s Law‚” was named after Brandon Nelson‚ who passed away in 2018 at age 26 in an unlicensed rehab home.
• SB 248 (Bates): Provides a process for reevaluating and recommitting State Hospital SVP’s who are convicted of felony offenses so they serve the remainder of their state hospital commitments. 
• SB 303 (Borgeas): Extends from five to seven years the time period for a taxpayer to transfer their base year value of property damaged or destroyed by disaster to a comparable replacement property within the same county if specified conditions are met. I was a co-author of this measure. 

2022 Senator Bates Legislative Package

• SB 1282 Opioid Settlement Funds – Directs the $2 billion settlement with major pharmaceutical distributors of opioids to be spent on homeless individuals experiencing and recovering from addiction.
• SB 1283 Reform the Mental Health Services Act – Reforms the Mental Health Services Act (MHSA) by redirecting existing funds to treat the mentally ill homeless population and provide more flexibility and transparency for local governments who use the funds.
• SB 1284 Eliminating barriers to Shelter First – Helps local governments plan‚ fund and accelerate Shelter First initiatives to alleviate the homeless crisis sweeping California. These reforms will make it easier for local entities to create interim housing by building on legislation that is working‚ lowering costs and providing a more consistent‚ longer term regulatory and planning framework.

• SB 904 Education for parole‚ probation and diversion – Broadens and aligns curriculum for controlled substance education for people who are diverted from criminal trials‚ people on probation‚ prisoners and people on parole.
• SB 1053 GBI enhancement – Will hold drug traffickers accountable for any death or great bodily injury that results from the drugs they illegally sold.
• SB 1060 Fentanyl weight enhancement – Will combat the trafficking and distribution of highly potent and lethal narcotics in our communities by ensuring that fentanyl‚ like heroin and methamphetamine‚ gets appropriate additional deterrents based on the weight a person possesses for sale or distribution.

• SB 1333 SVP Reform – Provides critically needed transparency‚ fairness‚ and safety to the release process of releasing sexually violent predators (SVP) into California’s communities.
• SB 1108 Retail Theft – Will curb the wave of theft in our state by restoring the law as it was before 2014’s Proposition 47. A person with three or more convictions for petty theft‚ grand theft‚ elder financial abuse‚ auto theft‚ burglary‚ carjacking‚ robbery or felony receiving stolen property‚ can be sentenced to up to three years in jail when convicted of theft a fourth time.
• SB 925 Drug Testing after Fatal Accidents – Will help law enforcement understand and quantify the causes behind fatal car collisions by expanding current law to require drug testing in those cases.

• SB 1224 South Orange & North San Diego Counties Watershed Grant Program – Creates a grant program to provide vital funding for restoration and conservation efforts to protect‚ restore‚ and enhance habitat for sensitive wildlife populations in watersheds in Southern Orange County and Northern San Diego County.
• SB 1077 Coastal Native Plant Act – The California Coastal Native Plants Act. Creates a grant program that will encourage the removal of nonnative plants and replacement with‚ or restoration of‚ native plants.

• SB 1025 Business Tax Credit for Blood Donations – Creates a tax credit for employers that sponsor blood drives to increase blood donations.
• SB 473 Insulin Cost Sharing – Caps the co-payment that health plans and health insurance plans can charge a diabetic patient for their insulin.
• SCR 71 TBI Awareness Week – Since many traumatic brain injuries go undiagnosed‚ it is crucial to raise awareness about the condition to encourage early screening‚ diagnosis‚ and care for Californians who sustain a traumatic brain injury.
• SB 1191 Medi-cal: pharmacogenomics testing – Establishes Medi-Cal coverage of pharmacogenomic (PGx) panel testing to reduce adverse drug events‚ improve clinical outcomes‚ reduce healthcare spend‚ and create more equitable access to better medication management.

• SB 1342 Older Adult Care Coordination – Allows each county to create a Multi-Disciplinary Team (MDT) for aging service provider agencies to share information about older adults so they can holistically address their needs‚ develop coordinated case plans to wrap services around them‚ provide support to caregivers‚ and improve service delivery.

• SB 1165 Update Brandon’s Law to include disclosure on medical treatment – Forbids rehabilitation facility operators from making false or misleading statements about the medical treatments or services they offer.

Response to Vaccine Bills

Toll Road Update

• Construction of the Los Patrones Parkway Extension as a non-tolled county arterial from its current terminus at Cow Camp Road to Avenida La Pata in San Clemente
• OCTA’s and Caltrans’ efforts to complete high-occupancy vehicle (HOV) lane improvements on Interstate 5 between Avenida Pico and the San Diego County Line
• The Ortega Highway (SR-74) widening in San Juan Capistrano from two lanes to four lanes between Calle Entradero and the city/county border

OC Sheriff’s Award

Biocom California Elected Official of the Year Award

36th District Highlights

• Each month‚ the Vista Chamber of Commerce honors and recognizes outstanding students from local high schools. The core of the Rising Star of the Month is the student who makes a difference in their home‚ school & community with sincerity and passion. I was represented at February’s and March’s Rising Star event by my district field representative‚ Max Wernher. I am proud of each of these students and encourage them to keep up the good work. 

• I met with Col. Brown from US Army Reserves to discuss the Minuteman Scholarship Program for students looking for funds to pay for college. The Minuteman program is a Reserve Officer’s Training Corps (ROTC) Guaranteed Reserve Forces Duty (GRFD) scholarship. All qualified applicants for ROTC scholarships may apply for consideration for a Minuteman. The scholarship covers full tuition and fees (uncapped) or $10‚000 per year toward room and board at any college or university served by an Army (ROTC) program. Scholarship recipients also receive a yearly book allowance of $1‚200 and a monthly stipend of $420 while attending school enrolled in the ROTC program. For more information‚ please click here. 

• I sadly adjourned the Senate in the memory of Don Hansen who passed away earlier this year at the age the age of 87. Don spent his life advocating for sustainable fishing practices while encouraging and expanding opportunities for folks to enjoy the ocean either by fishing or seeing blue whales up close. In 2021 he received the Coastal Conservation Association of California’s Anthony Hsieh Conservation Award in recognition of decades of work and dedication to improve California sport fishing and making angling accessible to everyone (pictured below). Don Hansen will be greatly missed but his legacy and the impact he had on Orange County will never be forgotten. 

• I joined Avanir Pharmaceuticals to help pack 1‚000 care packages for family caregivers. I also presented them with a Senate Resolution to recognize their commendable efforts. It was a pleasure to take part in this event and learn more about Avanir’s mission.

• I took part in the first ever “Women Who Mean Business Luncheon” in Laguna Niguel. It was an honor to be presented with the “Legacy Award” by the Laguna Niguel Chamber of Commerce and to be recognized alongside three other outstanding women. I will continue to advocate for sensible policies in Sacramento that will foster business growth and encourage more local job creation.