Rob Bonta in CA legislative records
On Abortion:
Allow nurses to perform non-surgical abortions
Excerpts from Legislative Counsel's Digest:- Existing law makes it a public offense, punishable by a fine not exceeding $10,000 or imprisonment, for a person to perform or assist in performing a surgical abortion if the person does
not have a valid license to practice as a physician and surgeon.
- This bill makes an exception for performing an abortion by medication or aspiration techniques in the first trimester of pregnancy if the person holds a license to perform the
necessary functions.
- The bill would also require a nurse practitioner, certified nurse-midwife, or physician assistant to complete training to comply with standardized procedures or protocols.
- The bill would delete the references to a nonsurgical
abortion as a punishable offense.
Status: Passed House, 54-20-4; passed Senate 29-8-2; signed by Governor, 10/9/2013. (Rep. Rob Bonta voted YEA).
Source: California legislative voting records AB154
Aug 26, 2013
On Civil Rights:
Ban "Redskins" for school or athletic team name or mascot
Legislative Summary: AB-30: California Racial Mascots Act: This bill would prohibit public schools from using the term Redskins as a school or athletic team name, mascot, or nickname beginning January 1, 2017.Analysis by
EdSource.org: Home to the largest number of American Indians in the country, California is now the first state in the nation to ban the use of "Redskins" as a school team name or mascot. Earlier efforts in 2002 and 2003 were unsuccessful.
Many Native Americans and school climate advocates consider "Redskins" a racial slur. In 2013-14, there were 38,616 students identified as American Indian enrolled in California's public schools. Just four California schools continue to use "Redskins"
as a team name and mascot.
Legislative Outcome: Passed Senate 25-10-5 on Sep/8/2015; Rep. Rob Bonta voted YEA; Passed Assembly 60-10-10 on Sep/10/2015; Signed by Governor Jerry Brown on Oct/15/2015
Source: EdSource.org on California voting records AB30
Sep 8, 2015
On Civil Rights:
Eliminate "gay panic" tactic for criminal defendants
Legislative Counsel's Digest: A "gay panic" or "trans panic" defense allows a criminal defendant to claim that the victim's sexual orientation or gender identity provoked them to violence. This outrageous tactic sends the message
that violence against members of the LGBT community is understandable or acceptable. These defense tactics also hurt survivors and loved ones of victims by asking the jury to find that the victim's sexual orientation or gender identity
excuses the defendant's actions. AB 2501, the first bill of its kind in the nation, eliminates "gay panic" and "trans panic" as a tactic for criminal defendants, ensuring that attacks on members of the LGBT community can be seen for what they are.
Legislative Outcome: 8/26/14: Passed Senate, 25-9-6; 8/27/14: Passed Assembly, 58-15-6; Rep. Rob Bonta voted YEA; signed by Governor Brown
Source: California legislative voting records AB2501
Apr 22, 2014
On Crime:
Improve criminal justice reporting; increase accountability
[Attorney General Kamala Harris' press release on OpenJustice Data Act]: The OpenJustice Data Act, said Harris, "will bring criminal justice data reporting into the 21st Century."Assembly Bill 2524 will convert Crime in California and other annual
reports published by the California Department of Justice into digital data sets that will be published on the Attorney General's OpenJustice Web portal. These reports provide statistical summaries including numbers of arrests, complaints against
peace officers, hate crime offenses, and law enforcement officers killed or assaulted. The OpenJustice Web portal will transform the way this information is presented to the public with interactive, accessible visualization tools, while making
raw data available for public interest researchers.
Legislative outcome: Aug/24/16 passed Senate 39-0-0; Aug/30/16 passed Assembly 80-0-0; Rep. Rob Bonta voted YEA; Sep/21/16 signed by Governor Jerry Brown
Source: California legislative voting records AB2524
Aug 24, 2016
On Crime:
Cut administrative fees on people in criminal justice system
Legislative Summary: AB1869: Ends the harmful and costly collection of 23 administrative fees imposed against people in the criminal system. By eliminating these fees, California will dramatically reduce the suffering caused by court-
ordered debt and enhance the economic security and wellness of populations with system involvement.Legislative Outcome:Passed Assembly 59-17-3 on 8/31; passed Senate 30-7-3 on 8/31; Sen. Bonta voted YES; Signed by Gov. Newsom on 9/18/20
Source: California Legislative voting record AB1869
Aug 31, 2020
On Drugs:
Reduce drug possession from felony to misdemeanor
Excerpts from Legislative Counsel's Digest:- Existing law provides that the unlawful possession of opiates, opium, opium derivatives, mescaline, peyote, tetrahydrocannabinols, and cocaine base, is a felony punishable by imprisonment
in a county jail for 16 months, or 2 or 3 years.
This bill would make the unlawful possession of any of those substances punishable as either a felony punishable in county jail or as a misdemeanor punishable in a county jail for not more than one
year.Status: Passed House, 41-31-6; passed Senate 24-14-1; vetoed by Governor, Oct. 12, 2013; no override vote.
OnTheIssues Explanation: "Tetrahydrocannabinols" means marijuana and its derivatives.
The failure of this bill joined a series of similar bills to reduce penalties for marijuana usage. Only medical marijuana usage is currently legal in California. (Rep. Rob Bonta voted YEA).
Source: California legislative voting records SB646
Sep 10, 2013
On Abortion:
Provide full reproductive services in jails and prisons
Support by ACLU (American Civil Liberties Union, Aug. 2020):Ensures that pregnant people who are incarcerated receive comprehensive, unbiased information about their reproductive options, get access to timely prenatal and postnatal care,
and receive reasonable accommodations and support that help ensure a safe and healthy pregnancy. Summary by ACLU-SoCal:California law and the US Constitution require jails to provide health care for incarcerated persons, which includes
reproductive health care. But pregnant people who are incarcerated often receive biased, coercive information about their reproductive options, get substandard prenatal and postnatal care that endangers their health, and are denied reasonable
accommodations that help ensure a safe and healthy pregnancy. That's why we need AB 732.
Legislative Outcome:Passed Senate 33-1-6 on Aug/29/20; Sen. Bonta co-authored and voted YES; passed Assembly 63-0-16 on Aug/30/20; Signed by Gov. Ne
Source: ACLU summary of California Legislative voting record AB732
Aug 29, 2020
On Education:
End suspension of students for willful defiance of authority
Legislative Summary:AB420: This bill would eliminate the authority to suspend a pupil in kindergarten or grades 1 to 3, and the authority to recommend for expulsion a pupil in kindergarten or grades 1 to 12, for disrupting school
activities or otherwise willfully defying the valid authority of those school personnel engaged in the performance of their duties.Analysis by ACLU of Northern California, Oct 20, 2014:Gov. Brown signed AB 420 which will eliminate the
most extreme uses of harsh discipline under the category of "willful defiance." Gov. Brown's signature on AB420 represents a huge step forward for students in California. The enactment of AB 420 places our state at the front of the pack: we are leading
in making meaningful advancements in civil liberties as other states turn in the opposition direction.
Legislative Outcome:Passed Senate 24-8-8 on 8/19/14; Rep. Rob Bonta voted YES; Passed Assembly 62-16-1 on 8/21; Signed on Sep/27
Source: ACLU Northern California: California voting records AB420
Aug 19, 2014
On Education:
Allow bilingual education in public schools
Excerpts from Legislative Counsel's Digest:- Existing law requires that all children in California public schools be taught in English.
- Public referendum Proposition 227 specifies that English learner pupils be educated through
sheltered English immersion.
- This bill would remove those requirements and allow parents to choose a language acquisition program that best suits their child.
- This bill would include a new public referendum vote to replace Proposition 227.
Status:Concurrence vote passed Senate, 25-10-5; passed House 53-26-0; approved by Governor 9/28/14
OnTheIssues Explanation:In 1998, California voters passed Proposition 227, which banned bilingual education. This new
law repeals Proposition 227, and hence re-institutes bilingual education. 80% of non-English-speaking in California public schools speak Spanish, but bilingual education could apply to other languages as well. (Rep. Rob Bonta voted YEA).
Source: California legislative voting records SB1174
Aug 26, 2014
On Education:
Replace school achievement testing with progress testing
Excerpts from Legislative Counsel's Digest:- Existing law implements a standards-based achievement test, the Standardized Testing and Reporting (STAR) Program.
- This bill would delete the STAR Program, and instead establish the
Measurement of Academic Performance and Progress (MAPP), for assessment of elementary & secondary pupils.
- The Legislature intends that public school accountability evolve beyond its narrow focus on pupil test scores to encompass other information
about school performance, including pupil preparedness for college and career, as well as the high school graduation rates.
Status:Concurrence vote passed House, 54-22-2; passed Senate 26-7-6; approved by Governor 10/2/13.
OnTheIssues Explanation: MAPP meets the new federal Common Core standards, while STAR met the previous federal No-Child-Left-Behind standards. Voting for the MAPP standards implies support of Common Core. (Rep. Rob Bonta voted YES).
Source: California legislative voting records AB484
Sep 10, 2013
On Education:
Allow student sports choice based on gender identity
Excerpts from Legislative Counsel's Digest:Existing law prohibits public schools from discriminating on the basis of specified characteristics, including gender, gender identity, and gender expression, and specifies various statements of
legislative intent and the policies of the state in that regard. Existing law requires that participation in a particular physical education activity or sport, if required of pupils of one sex, be available to pupils of each sex.
This bill would require that a pupil be permitted to participate in sex-segregated school programs and activities, including athletic teams and competitions, and use facilities consistent with his or her gender identity, irrespective of the gender
listed on the pupil's records.
Status:Bill passed House, 46-25-8; passed Senate, 21-9-8; approved by Governor, August 12, 2013. (Rep. Rob Bonta voted YEA).
Source: California legislative voting records AB1266
Jul 3, 2013
On Energy & Oil:
$48M for funding hybrid and zero-emission vehicles
Excerpts from Legislative Counsel's Digest:- Existing law establishes the Air Quality Improvement Program for the purposes of funding projects related to improvement of air quality.
- The Clean Vehicle Rebate Project promotes the
production and use of zero-emission vehicles and the Hybrid and Zero-Emission Truck and Bus Voucher Incentive Project to help California fleets to purchase hybrid and zero-emission trucks and buses.
- This bill would loan $30,000,000 to the
Clean Vehicle Rebate Project and the Hybrid and Zero-Emission Truck and Bus Voucher Incentive Project.
- This bill would loan $10,000,000 to be expended only for the Heavy-Duty Vehicle Air Quality Loan Program.
- This bill would appropriate $8,000,000
to be expended for the purposes of the enhanced fleet modernization program.
Status:Passed House, 53-20-5; passed Senate 27-10-2; signed by Governor, 9/28/2013. (Rep. Rob Bonta voted YEA).
Source: California legislative voting records SB 359
Sep 12, 2013
On Energy & Oil:
Slow down fracking until scientific study is completed
Excerpts from Legislative Counsel's Digest:- This bill would require, by 2015, an independent scientific study on well stimulation treatments, including acid well stimulation & hydraulic fracturing.
- Regulates disposition of well
stimulation fluids.
- The bill requires a permit prior to performing a well stimulation treatment.
- Requires a supplier claiming trade secret protection for the chemical composition of additives used in a well stimulation treatment to disclose the
composition to the division.
Status:Passed House, 54-20-4; passed Senate 29-8-2; signed by Gov.Brown, 9/20/2013
OnTheIssues Explanation:"Fracking" extracts more oil and gas from otherwise non-productive wells.
The controversy includes that fracking causes earthquakes (hence the "scientific study"), as well as issues about disposal of the large volumes of potentially toxic liquids used. This bill slows the implementation of fracking. (Rep. Rob Bonta voted YEA).
Source: California legislative voting records SB4
Sep 11, 2013
On Environment:
Eliminate pre-1977 exemption on sale of rhino horn & ivory
Legislative Summary:AB 96 Animal parts and products: importation or sale of ivory & rhinoceros horn. Existing law makes it a crime to import into the state or to sell within the state, the dead body, or any part or product of an elephant.
Existing law exempts the possession with intent to sell if the item was imported before 1977. This bill would delete this exemption.Pro-ban argument by the Humane Society:The Los Angeles Superior Court has upheld
California's ban on trade in ivory and rhino horn, rejecting claims that the ban was unconstitutional. Elly Pepper, deputy director of wildlife trade for the Natural Resources Defense Council, said: "California's ivory ban ensures that illegal elephant
ivory is not sold under the guise of legal ivory."
Legislative Outcome:Passed Assembly 54-21-5 on Sept/04/15; Passed Senate 26-13-1 on Sept/02/15; Rep. Rob Bonta voted YEA; Signed by Governor Jerry Brown on Oct/4/15.
Source: Humane Society on California voting records AB96
Sep 2, 2015
On Environment:
Establish new regional groundwater sustainability agency
Legislative Counsel's Digest: AB 1739, together with SB 1168, creates a new, regional system for monitoring and managing groundwater. This bill would provide authority to a groundwater sustainability agency to:-
Impose fees, and provide technical assistance to entities that use groundwater to promote water conservation and protect groundwater resources.
- Publish on its Internet Web site best management practices for the sustainable management of groundwater.
- Submit a groundwater sustainability plan to adopt regulations.
- Conduct inspections and, because the willful refusal of an inspection lawfully authorized by an inspection warrant is a misdemeanor, this bill would impose a state-mandated local
program.
Legislative Outcome: 8/27/14: Passed Senate, 26-11-3; 8/29/14: Passed Assembly, 47-28-4; Rep. Rob Bonta voted YEA; signed by Governor Brown
Source: California legislative voting records AB1739
Aug 29, 2014
On Families & Children:
Teach about dating and sexual violence in sex ed class
Legislative Summary:AB 329, the California Healthy Youth Act, would require school districts to ensure that all pupils in grades 7 to 12 receive comprehensive sexual health education and HIV prevention education.
Pro-teaching argument by the CPEDV (California Partnership to End Domestic Violence):By addressing dating and sexual violence through a school-wide, coordinated policy response, we can create a safe space for students.
AB 329 ensures that pupils gain the "knowledge and skills they need to form healthy relationships that are based on mutual respect and affection, and are free from violence, coercion, and intimidation." Dating abuse and sexual violence prevention can be
addressed throughout sex education instruction.
Legislative Outcome:Passed Senate 26-14-0 on Sept/10/15; Rep. Rob Bonta voted YEA; Passed Assembly 51-26-3 on Sept/11/15; Signed by Governor Jerry Brown on Oct/1/15.
Source: CPEDV.org on California voting records AB329
Sep 10, 2015
On Families & Children:
Supported assisted suicide law
Legislative Summary: AB-15 End of Life Option Act: This bill authorizes an adult who has been determined by his or her attending physician to be suffering from a terminal disease, to make a request for a drug prescribed for the purpose of
ending his or her life.Analysis by DeathWithDignity.org: California's physician-assisted dying law took effect on June 9, 2016. Patients may request and physicians may prescribe life-ending medications under the law. The End of Life
Option Act closely follows the model of the Oregon Death with Dignity Act with some modifications, most of which are required to comply with the California statute.
Legislative Outcome
: Passed Assembly 44-35-1 on Sep/05/2015; Passed Senate 23-15-2 on Sep/11/2015; Rep. Rob Bonta voted YEA; Signed by Governor Jerry Brown on Oct/15/2015
Source: DeathWithDignity on California voting records AB15
Sep 11, 2015
On Families & Children:
Require car seats for children under 2 years old
Legislative Summary:AB 53 Vehicles: This bill would require a parent, legal guardian, or the driver of a motor vehicle to properly secure a child who is under 2 years of age in an appropriate rear-facing child passenger restraint
system, unless the child weighs 40 or more pounds or is 40 or more inches in height. A violation of these requirements would be a crime.Pro-car seat argument by CSFTL (Car Seats For The Littles):
Rear facing is 5 times safer for children who are between 1 and 2 years old. When children ride rear facing, instead of their head flying forward in a crash, the child's head, neck, and back will be supported by the car seat, reducing the amount of
pressure put on the child's undeveloped spine.
Legislative Outcome:Passed Assembly 65-13-2 on May/11/15; Passed Senate 32-7-1 on Aug/24/15; Rep. Rob Bonta voted YEA; Signed by Governor Jerry Brown on Sept/21/15
Source: CSFTL.org on California voting records AB53
Aug 24, 2015
On Government Reform:
Prohibit district-based election if protected class impaired
ACLU argument in favor of AB 182:The 2002 CA Voting Rights Act empowers challenges to race-based vote dilution in local at-large elections. AB 182 extends these protections to single-member district systems and designs remedies to avoid
diluting the voices and votes of protected communities.SFGate.com veto analysis:Gov. Brown said in his veto message that existing laws "already ensure that the voting strength of minority communities is not diluted." The law signed by
Gov. Gray Davis in 2002 allows minority groups to challenge at-large (city-wide) elections, increasing the likelihood of control by a white majority. [Since 2002] over 100 local governments switched to district elections.˜The [new] law could challenge
district lines if intended to dilute minority votes.
Legislative Outcome:Passed Senate 26-14-0 on 9/3/15; Rep. Rob Bonta voted YEA; Passed Assembly 53-24-3 on 9/8/15; Vetoed by Gov. Brown on 10/10/15.
Source: ACLU on California voting records AB182
Sep 3, 2015
On Government Reform:
Rob Bonta Voted YES on pilot program for all-mail-in ballots
Excerpts from Legislative Counsel's Digest:- This bill would, until 2020, authorize San Diego County to conduct, as a pilot program, an all-mailed ballot special election to fill a congressional or legislative vacancy.
-
The bill would also authorize the county to process vote-by-mail ballots beginning 10 days before the election.
Status:Concurrence vote passed House, 47-29-3; Rep. Rob Bonta voted YEA; passed Senate 24-8-8; approved by
Governor 9/26/14
OnTheIssues Explanation:The states of Washington, Colorado and Oregon require all of their elections to be run entirely by mail. California is experimenting with the same idea in this bill, recognizing that a growing
number of Californians prefer to vote-by-mail anyway. The "10 day" provision allows counting to begin before election day, to address the problem that several races were decided a week after election day, due to counting starting on election day.
Source: California legislative voting records AB1873
Sep 26, 2014
On Government Reform:
Voted YES to amend Constitution to overturn Citizens United
Excerpts from Legislative Counsel Digest:- WHEREAS, Corporations' rights should be more narrowly defined than rights afforded to natural persons; and
- WHEREAS, Corporations should not be categorized as persons for purposes related
to elections; and
- WHEREAS, The U.S. Supreme Court, in Citizens United v. FEC (2010), held that the government may not, under the First Amendment, suppress political speech on the basis of the speaker's corporate identity;
- This measure calls for a
constitutional convention to propose an amendment to the US Constitution that would limit corporate personhood for purposes of campaign finance and political speech.
Status:Passed House, 51-20-9; Rep. Bonta voted YES; passed Senate
23-11-6
OnTheIssues Explanation:The Citizens United ruling gave rise to "Super-PACs" which can spend unlimited money on political advertising by unknown donors. This resolution seeks to overturn the ruling by a Constitutional Amendment.
Source: California legislative voting records AJR1
Jun 23, 2014
On Gun Control:
Voted YES on wider definition of assault rifles
Excerpts from Legislative Counsel's Digest:- Existing law defines as assault weapon as a semiautomatic, centerfire rifle that has the capacity to accept a detachable magazine, or a semiautomatic weapon that has a fixed magazine with
a capacity to accept 10 or more rounds.
- This bill would add to that definition a semiautomatic centerfire rifle without a fixed magazine even if it accepts fewer than 10 rounds.
Status: (with 2 additional bills voted & vetoed in same week)-
9/10/13: SB-374: wider definition of assault weapons: Passed House 44-31-3, Rep. Rob Bonta voted YES; passed Senate 21-15-3, Vetoed by governor
- 9/11/13: AB 48: Banning large capacity magazine conversion kits; Passed House 46-30-2, passed Senate
22-14-3, Approved by the Governor.
- 9/12/13: SB 755: 10-year prohibition on firearm purchases by people convicted of crimes (expanding list to include more misdemeanors); Passed House 45-28-5, voted YES; passed Senate 25-12-2, Vetoed by governor
Source: California legislative voting records SB374
Sep 12, 2013
On Gun Control:
Lift statutory cap on concealed carry license fee
Summary from California Rifle & Pistol Association: AB1297 removes the statutory cap on this fee for a concealed carry license, and instead requires local licensing authorities to charge a fee "equal to the reasonable costs for processing
the application for a new license, issuing the license, and enforcing the license."Legislative Outcome: Passed Assembly 48-21-11 on May/13/19; passed Senate 27-12-1 on Sept/9/19; Sen. Bonta voted YES; Signed by Gov. Newsom on Oct/11/19.
Source: CRPA on California Legislative voting record AB1297
Sep 9, 2019
On Health Care:
Expand Medi-Cal eligibility for ObamaCare
Excerpts from Legislative Counsel's Digest:The Legislature finds:- The United States is the only industrialized country in the world without a universal health insurance system.
- 46 million Americans did not have health insurance.
- The Affordable Care Act is the culmination of decades of movement toward health reform
- As a result of the Affordable Care Act, , by 2019, between 1.2 and 1.6 million individuals will be newly enrolled in Medi-Cal.
- It is the intent of the
Legislature to ensure full implementation of the Affordable Care Act, including the Medi-Cal expansion for individuals with incomes below 133% of the federal poverty level.
- This bill would implement the Affordable Care Act by modifying provisions
relating to determining eligibility for Medi-Cal.
Status:Bill passed Assembly, 54 -24-1; Rep. Rob Bonta voted YEA; passed Senate, 28-8-3; approved by Governor, June 27, 2013.
Source: California legislative voting records AB-1
Jun 15, 2013
On Immigration:
Voted YES on driver's license for undocumented immigrants
Legislative Counsel's Digest:- Existing law requires the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) to require an applicant for an original driver's license or identification card to submit satisfactory proof that the applicant's presence in
the United States is authorized under federal law.
- This bill would require the department to issue an original driver's license to a person who is unable to submit satisfactory proof that the applicant's presence in the US is authorized under federal
law if he or she meets all other qualifications for licensure & provides satisfactory proof to the department of his or her identity and California residency.
Status:Concurrence vote passed House, 55-21-2; Rep. Rob Bonta voted YES;
passed Senate 28-8-3; approved by Gov.Brown 10/3/2013
OnTheIssues Explanation:Undocumented immigrants have no federal authorization; this bill allows them to get a state driver's license regardless of their lack of federal authorization.
Source: California legislative voting records AB60
Sep 12, 2013
On Technology:
Ban drone use for photography on private property
NCSL summary:California AB 856 prohibits entering the airspace of an individual in order to capture an image or recording of that individual engaging in a private, personal, or familial activity without permission. This legislation
is a response to the use of UAS (unmanned aircraft systems) by the paparazzi.Bill excerpt:A person is liable for physical invasion of privacy when the person knowingly enters onto the land or into the airspace above the land of
another person without permission or otherwise commits a trespass in order to capture any type of visual image, sound recording, or other physical impression of the plaintiff engaging in a private, personal, or familial activity and the invasion occurs
in a manner that is offensive to a reasonable person.
Legislative record:Passed Senate 40-0-0; passed House 78-0-2 Aug. 27; Rep. Rob Bonta voted YEA; signed by Governor Oct. 6.
Source: NCSL UAS Report: 2015 California voting records AB856
Oct 6, 2015
Page last updated: Mar 09, 2024