Copyright Santa Clarita Valley Signal
News release Gov. Gavin Newsom has signed into law five bills authored by Assemblywoman Pilar Schiavo, D-Chatsworth, that aim to improve safety in the workplace, strengthen protections for survivors and consumers, and make health care more affordable and accessible for Californians, according to a news release from the assemblywoman’s office. This batch of five bills followed the governor’s previous signing of three of Schiavo’s bills aimed at strengthening support for veterans and military families and securing financial relief for families near the Chiquita Canyon Landfill. “As a mom, a former nurse advocate, and someone who has spent my career fighting for working families, these bills mean a lot to me. These laws are about meeting people where they are and making sure they’re protected,” Schiavo said in the release. “Whether it’s preventing medical debt, saving lives on job sites, letting people take back control of their data, or protecting victims of crime and their families, this work is about making government work for people.” The release provided the following summaries of the five bills: • Justin Kropp Safety Act (Assembly Bill 365): Requires automated external defibrillators at high- and low-voltage worksites to prevent electrocution deaths and improve emergency response times. Named in honor of Justin Kropp, a worker who tragically lost his life to electrocution, this law ensures other families don’t experience the same preventable loss. • Victim and Witness Protection Act (AB 535): Expands protections for survivors of domestic violence, human trafficking, and abuse by strengthening laws protecting these individuals from witness intimidation and dissuasion. • Click to Cancel 2.0 (AB 656): Makes it easier for Californians to cancel social media accounts and requires platforms to delete users’ data when they leave. Social media users deserve to have the confidence that when they delete their account, their personal information is deleted as well. • Patient Debt Prevention Act (AB 1312): Connects patients with financial support programs they’re eligible for by requiring hospitals to prescreen patients for financial assistance before billing, preventing unnecessary medical debt and reducing the out-of-pocket costs for those who are struggling just to make ends meet. • Health Coverage Waiting Period Transparency Act (AB 1418): Helps California to find health facilities that don’t provide employee-sponsored insurance to the very people who are providing medical care to community members, instead making doctors and nurses wait months before they can receive health insurance.
