HOPE 2019 Legislative Priorities
HOPE is committed to ensuring political and economic parity for Latinas across the State of California. That's why our 2019 Legislative Priorities are in the areas of Health, Education, and Economic Equity. Read below to learn more about the Bills we support.
Health
AB 4 (Bonta)
Status: Senate Health
HOPE Position: Actively Support - Advocated for at Latina Action Day
Expands full-scope Medi-Cal to all income-eligible adults regardless of immigration status.
SB 29 (Durazo) Health4All
Status: Assembly Appropriations
HOPE Position: Actively Support - Advocated for at Latina Action Day
Expands full-scope Medi-Cal to all income-eligible young adults (>26 years of age) and elders (65+) regardless of immigration status
AB 174 (Wood) Personal Income Tax Credits: Health Insurance Premiums
Status: Senate Appropriations
HOPE Position: Support
Adds additional state-funded premium tax credits for individuals from 0% to 800% FPL
AB 414 (Bonta): Healthcare coverage: minimum essential coverage
Status: Senate - Third Reading
HOPE Position: Support
Reinstates the individual mandate penalty and mandates that funds collected be used to make health coverage affordable.
AB 929 (Rivas) California Health Benefit Exchange: Data Collection
Status: Senate - Third Reading
HOPE Position: Support
Requires the Covered CA Board to make public plan-specific data on cost reduction efforts, quality improvements, and disparity reductions.
AB 1063 (Petrie-Norris) Healthcare coverage: waivers
Status: Senate - Third Reading
HOPE Position: Support
This bill would require legislative approval for section 1113 waiver requests. This bill would prevent waivers that reduce eligibility for Covered CA plans or lessen the affordability and scope plans.
SB 65 (Pan) California Health Benefit Exchange: Financial Assistance
Status: Assembly Appropriations
HOPE Position: Support
Adds additional premium support for households below 400% FPL and additional cost-sharing reductions for households between 200-400% FPL.
SB 260 (Hurtado) Automatic Healthcare Coverage Enrollment
Status: Assembly Appropriations
HOPE Position: Support
Allows Covered CA to automatically enroll people losing Medi-Cal and reach out to others losing health coverage
AB 1309 (Bauer-Kahan) Healthcare coverage: enrollment periods
Status: Senate - Third Reading
HOPE Position: Support
Extends the Covered CA open enrollment period by two weeks back to January 31st.
AB 577 (Eggman) Medi-Cal: Maternal Mental Health
Status: Senate - Second Reading
HOPE Position: Support
Extends Medi-Cal postpartum care for up to one year for individuals with a maternal mental health condition.
ACR 1 (Bonta) Immigration: Public Charges
Status: Senate - Third Reading
HOPE Position: Support
Condemns the proposed public charge regulations.
SB 175 (Pan): Healthcare coverage: minimum essential coverage
Status: Senate Appropriations - Inactive
HOPE Position: Support
Reinstates the individual mandate penalty and mandates that funds collected be used to make health coverage affordable.
AB 1246 (Limón) Healthcare Coverage: Basic Health
Status: Senate - Third Reading
HOPE Position: Watch
Requires large group health insurance policies to cover medically necessary prescription drugs if they cover prescription drugs.
HIGHER Education
AB 540 (Limón) CA Dreamer Service Incentive Grant Program
Status: Senate Appropriations
HOPE Position: Actively Support - Advocated for at Latina Action Day
Establishes a service learning grant for AB 540 students.
AB 1314 (Medina & McCarty) Cal Grant Reform Act
Status: Senate Education
HOPE Position: Actively Support - Advocated for at Latina Action Day
This bill will reform the Cal Grant program through four major initiatives: (1) Consolidate all three Cal Grant Awards and the existing Middle Class Scholarship into one Cal Grant Award; (2) Remove age limits, out of high school time, GPA, and AB 540 status as a barrier to accessing a Cal Grant Award; (3) Include Summer Cal Grant Plus.
AB 595 (Medina) Undocumented Student Apprenticeship & Internship Programs
Status: Governor's Desk
HOPE Position: Support
The bill would create a path to allow undocumented students to participate in apprenticeship and internship training programs with ITIN in lieu of a social security number, so that students do not have to enroll in DACA.
AB 1307 (Rubio) College Opportunity Act – Cal Grant Expansion Program
Status: Senate Appropriations
HOPE Position: Support
AB 1307 creates a Cal Grant award formula for students attending private, nonprofit colleges and universities -- replacing the arbitrary manner in which the maximum award is currently set each year with an equitable and predictable award level for students and their families as they plan for college.
AB 1645 (Rubio) DREAM Resource Liaisons
Status: Senate Appropriations
HOPE Position: Support
This bill will require the California State University, University of California, and Community Colleges to have a designated Dreamer Resource Liaison staffer on campus to provide undocumented students with adequate education support, is knowledgeable of state funded immigration legal services, and on campus services needed to navigate the higher education system.
SB 354 (Durazo) DREAM Loan Grad Programs
Status: Assembly Appropriations
HOPE Position: Support
Provides eligible undocumented AB 540 graduate students with the option to borrow loans to help cover the cost of attending UC and CSU.
SB 291 (Leyva) California Community College Student Financial Aid Program
Status: Assembly Higher Education
HOPE Position: Support
This bill would establish the California Community College Student Financial Aid Program, to provide need-based grant awards to eligible community college students who attend a California community college.
AB 1620 (Santiago) Immigrant Student Access to Higher Education
Status: Assembly Appropriations - Held Under Submission
HOPE Position: Support
This bill would increase access to higher education for undocumented students by modernizing AB 540 eligibility through the following items: (1) Reducing the total attendance requirement from three years to two years; (2) Adding attendance at all California schools toward establishing total attendance; (3) Removing the two-year limit on counting community college attendance for establishing attendance eligibility.
AB 2 (Santiago) Two Years Free Community College
Status: Senate Appropriations
HOPE Position: Watch
AB 2 extends the California College Promise to provide a second year of free tuition for students attending a California Community College (CCC).
AB 541 (Gabriel) Cal Grant Eligibility
Status: Assembly Higher Education
HOPE Position: Watch
This bill would repeal the limitation on those students’ eligibility for Competitive Cal Grant A and B Awards. The bill would also express the intent of the Legislature that all forms of state-based aid in California be made equally available to these students who are exempt from paying nonresident tuition and to all other students who qualify for state-based aid in this state.
AB 542 (Gabriel) Cal Grant Competitive Award Expansion
Status: Assembly Higher Education
HOPE Position: Watch
Expands the Competitive Cal Grant program by providing 3,000 new scholarships each year to residents who demonstrate financial need and meet certain academic requirements.
CIVIC & Economic Equity
AB 49 (Cervantes) California Voter Protection Act of 2019
Status: Senate - Third Reading
HOPE Position: Support
This bill would require that mailing ballots be completed within 5 days. Given that this is a state-mandated local program, local agencies will be reimbursed.
AB 1666 (Reyes) 2020 Census Providing Information at Schools
Status: Senate - Third Reading
HOPE Position: Support
This bill would require the CA Complete Count to partner with participating local educational agencies to make information about the 2020 federal census available to students and their parents/guardians at school sites.
AB 31 (Garcia) No Tax on Tampons
Status: Assembly Appropriations
HOPE Position: Support - Inactive
Removes sales and use tax on feminine products.
AB 1048 (Limón) Strengthening Consumer Financial Protections
Status: Assembly Banking and Finance
HOPE Position: Watch
This bill directs the Department of Business Oversight to hire 19 additional positions in its Enforcement Division.
AB 539 (Limón) Fair Access to Credit Act
Status: Senate Appropriations
HOPE Position: Watch
This bill would institute an interest rate cap of 36% plus the federal funds rate on loans of $2,500 - $10,000.
AB 1259 (Rivas, Cervantes, Garcia) California New Markets Tax Credit
Status: Assembly Appropriations - Held Under Submission
HOPE Position: Watch
This bill would allow a California New Markets Tax Credit under the Personal Income Tax Law and the Corporation Tax Law in a specified amount for investments in low-income communities.