- Senate Bill 36 would make it illegal for someone to arrest or take into custody a person fleeing an anti-abortion law or anti-gender affirmation law from a state outside of California. Under the law, arresting a person fleeing their state for violating an anti-abortion law would be its own crime. It also says a magistrate would not be able to issue a warrant for the arrest of a person whose alleged offense is for violating an anti-abortion law. Nancy Skinner (D-East Bay) introduced the bill Dec. 5.
- Senate Bill 42 would mandate attorneys to report the professional misconduct of other attorneys in California. “A licensee of the State Bar who knows that another licensee has engaged in professional misconduct that raises a substantial question as to that licensee’s honesty, trustworthiness, or fitness as an attorney in other respects, shall inform the State Bar,” the bill says. California Sen. Tom Umberg (D-Santa Ana) introduced the bill Dec. 5.
- Senate Bill 14 would classify human trafficking as a violent felony. If passed, the new classification of the crime would place it under the state’s “three strikes” program, under which a convict with two prior convictions for other violent or serious felony offenses would be sentenced to 25 years to life. Sen. Shannon Grove (R-Bakersfield) introduced the bill Dec. 5.
- Senate Bill 21 would extend COVID rules on remote proceedings until Jan. 1, 2026. If the bill does not pass, those rules would expire 180 days after the COVID-19 state of emergency ends, which Gov. Gavin Newsom announced would happen Feb. 28, 2023. It also mandates a reporting policy: each superior court must report the number of civil proceedings conducted with remote technology, any issues with remote technology, the types of hearings in which remote technology was used, the cost of the technology and the type of technology or equipment to the Judicial Council annually. It also allows adoption finalization hearings to be held remotely. Umberg introduced the bill Dec. 5.
- Senate Bill 22 extends COVID rules on remote appearances in juvenile court. It prohibits a court from mandating a remote appearance, but would allow self-represented parties to appear remotely only if they agree to do so. If not passed, the current rules would expire July 1. Umberg introduced the bill Dec. 5.
- Senate Bill 44 would require a person convicted of, who pleads guilty to, drug-distribution-related crimes to receive a written advisory of the danger of distributing the controlled substance, and that, if a person dies as a result of the action, they could be charged with voluntary manslaughter. Umberg introduced the bill.
- Senate Bill 47 would require an agency that receives a report of suspected child abuse to send an investigator with the person who made the report and to visit the child. Richard Roth (D-Riverside) introduced the bill Dec. 5.
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