The legislature returns today to finish making decisions about the remaining bills that haven’t been killed or abandoned during this year’s legislative process. If a bill is going to survive, it needs to get the approval of both houses of the state legislature, the Assembly and the Senate, by the end of August. Then Governor Newsom will make the final decision by the September 30th.
The following is a compilation of bills the California Family Council views as either supporting or conflicting with Biblical values.
Now is the time to share your thoughts on these bills with your legislators, motivated by your love for your neighbor and your determination to be salt and light in a culture straying from its Creator.
CFC has put together the following Legislative Campaigns to help you reach out to your state representatives. You can call, send an email, or tag their X account in a post. Click here to connect to the CFC Action Center.
Good Bills: Tell your State Legislators to Vote “Yes”
SB 268 Makes rape of an intoxicated person a “violent” felony:
Currently, rape is not considered a “violent” felony if the victim was raped after being intoxicated by the assailant. This bill makes the rape of an intoxicated person a “violent” felony if the rapist caused the intoxication by administering a controlled substance in order to sexually assault their victim.
SB 1414: Makes buying a minor for sex a felony
When originally introduced, this bill increased the penalty for soliciting a minor for sex to a felony, punishable by 2, 3, or 4 years in state prison and a fine of up to $25,000. Currently, the punishment is a minimum of 2 days in jail. Secondly, the bill initially required anyone convicted of soliciting a minor to register as a sex offender, something not required currently.
Unfortunately, as the bill progressed through the Senate and Assembly Public Safety Committees, it was amended so that the increased penalties only apply to minors aged 16 or 17 if the prosecutor can prove they are victims of human trafficking, which is often difficult to do. The bill was also amended so that first-time offenders whose victims were under 16, could be charged with a misdemeanor with jail time of only one year or a felony with jail time of 16 months to 3 years. Yet, imprisonment must happen in county jail, not state prison.
Finally, SB 1414 was amended so that sex offender registration is only required after a second conviction for this crime, and if there is an age gap of more than ten years between the perpetrator and the victim. Although the amended bill is better than nothing, CFC and other supporters are urging legislators to return the bill to its original form so all minors are protected.
Bad Bills: Tell your State Legislators to Vote “NO”
AB 1825 Limits the ability of public libraries to protect kids from sexually explicit material
This bill prevents local oversight committees from overriding librarians’ judgment on the placement of books with sexual content. So if parents or a local oversight committee has concerns about displays or the placement of books in the children’s section of their local library, there will not be much they can do about it. The bill does not apply to school libraries, nor does it prevent the removal of books that are constitutionally defined as obscenity.
AB 2085: Strips city councils of their right to reject abortion clinics
This bill would force cities to approve abortion clinics as a legal right, removing their ability to decide otherwise. Currently, cities and counties have the authority to permit or reject businesses like casinos, tobacco stores, and adult entertainment venues within their jurisdictions. This bill would prevent local governments from saying no to abortion clinics if they met pre-established development requirements. AB 2085 would also exempt abortion clinics from the CEQA environmental requirements that other businesses must follow.
Several California cities such as Fontana, Visalia, and Beverly Hills have made decisions that prevented abortion clinics from opening in their cities. This bill intends to prevent that from happening in the future.
AB 2490: Provides funds to convert hospitals into abortion clinics
This bill attempts to turn every hospital emergency room into an abortion facility. By establishing a grant program for training and equipment, this bill hopes to expand the number of emergency rooms that do abortions across California.
SB 954: Mandates Public Schools Distribute Free Condoms to 7-12 Graders
The bill requires all public schools in grades 9- 12 to provide condoms free of charge and post a notice about the requirement. It would also require each public school to allow condoms to be distributed to 7-12 grade students in health classes. It would encourage schools to get non-profits like Planned Parenthood to provide condoms. It would also prohibit a school from prohibiting free condom distribution. Lastly, the bill mandates that retail stores cannot refuse to sell condoms to minors.
AB 2442: Expedites licenses for doctors who sterilize kids with trans treatments
This bill requires medical licensing boards to expedite the licensure process for applicants willing to use sterilizing puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, and mutilating surgeries to “treat” gender-confused individuals. This also includes those medical professionals who provide mental health care that “respects the gender identity of the patient, as experienced and defined by the patient.”
AB 1810 Guarantees birth control and menstruating products for female inmates
CFC supports providing female inmates with menstrual products but questions the bill’s requirement to offer “all birth control methods and emergency contraception approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) shall be made available to incarcerated persons who are capable of becoming pregnant.” (Notice the new non-gendered wording they are using to describe female inmates.)
Why would birth control be needed in an all-women’s prison where sex is not allowed? Is it not because men, claiming to be female, are being forcibly housed with women thanks to SB 132 passed back in 2020? CFC believes providing birth control in women’s prisons sends a troubling message, implying that female inmates should expect the threat of pregnancy from male inmates housed with them.
HR 113: Creates Transgender History Month
This Assembly resolution seeks to establish August as “Transgender History Month” in the state. The resolution acknowledges and celebrates the contributions of transgender-identified individuals and seeks to garner sympathy for the challenges they have faced historically. The purpose is to institute a yearly occasion for public schools, state entities, and the general culture to advocate for the idea that people can self-identify as male, female, or any of the countless gender identities, regardless of their biological sex.
The California Family Council (CFC) opposes HR 113 because it promotes a view of gender identity that contradicts the biblical understanding of gender as being inherently male or female, as created by God. Gender is not fluid, and any legislation or resolution encouraging the acceptance of transgender identities harms people created in God’s image.
