CA Legislature wraps up its session: What are Kern lawmakers up to?

BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) — This week, California lawmakers are in the final sprint to send their bills to the Governor’s desk, where they may or may not be signed into law.

Kern’s lawmakers have had legislative success this session, with some already getting bills signed into law, and some getting national media spotlight for their work, like Senator Shannon Grove and her collaboration with celebrity Paris Hilton.

“That bill, people do refer to it as the Paris Hilton bill. If you look at her story and the things that happened to her as a child, she’s using her fame to be able to reach children in the situation she found herself in,” said Grove (R-Bakersfield).

“[Paris Hilton] called us a champion for women and children and wanted to work with us on this bill, and we took her up on it,” the state senator added, referencing Senate Bill 1043, the ‘Accountability in Children’s Treatment’ bill.

That bill is headed to the Governor’s desk as of Tuesday afternoon.

Grove explained she’s pushing for transparency and accountability in short-term residential therapeutic programs often used by members of what’s called the ‘troubled teen industry.’

“We want to know how long they’ve been in restraints, how long they’ve been in seclusion rooms, just the horrible things that you hear about some of these facilities,” Grove said.

Grove is also pushing for another bipartisan bill on minors — SB 1414.

“Individuals who purchase minor children for sex, right, if they engage in solicitation or solicit a minor child, I want them to go to prison,” Grove noted, adding that she wants to up the current misdemeanor charges to felonies.

“They could serve in county jails, and it only covers 15 and below, but that’s a step forward to protect kids in the state of California, so we’re excited the bill is still moving forward.”

Grove’s SB 1414 is a continuation of SB 14, which was signed into law in 2023.

That piece of legislation intensified penalties for trafficking minors, labeling it a serious felony.

Meantime, Democratic Assemblywoman Dr. Jasmeet Bains is focused on her UC medical school bill, which awaits a Senate floor vote as of Tuesday afternoon.

“Kern [now has] the possibility of having its own UC medical campus,” said an enthusiastic Bains (D-Delano). “It won’t happen overnight, but the first foundation block will be set.”

The assemblymember said if signed by the Governor, the bill creates an endowment fund.

“It’s about giving opportunities to people from the area,” she said. “Look at my own story. I grew up right there in Delano, I became a doctor, and I’m in the Assembly as well.”

And as the 2023-2024 legislative session wraps up this week, legislative law expert Chris Micheli touched on the upcoming deadlines.

“The vast majority of bills do have to be passed through both houses by midnight on Saturday, August 31,” he said.

Governor Newsom has all of September to sign or pass on these bills.

Most of those signed will take effect Jan. 1, 2025.

And for more on Bakersfield Democratic Senator Melissa Hurtado’s legislative update, you can watch our one-on-one interview here.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KGET 17.