New Year, New Laws: 2023 Edition!
With a new year comes many things including resolutions, goals, upcoming events, tax season, and of course, new laws. California is set to launch new laws in the areas of health care, labor, public safety, retail, housing, and gun control within this new year. What follows is a listing of some of those new California laws taking effect this year.
Health Care
Abortion Rights: several reproductive healthcare-related measures have taken effect or will take effect in 2023 in response to the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to overturn federal abortion protections. AB 2091 makes it illegal to compel a person to disclose information that would identify a person who sought or obtained an abortion in an outside state jurisdiction if that information is being requested by another state’s laws where abortions are restricted. AB 1242 protects providers and supporters of abortions as well as prohibits court orders and search warrants into abortion care. SB 1375 expends board-recognized training in providing abortions to include nurse practitioners and nurse-midwives. AB 2223 protects individuals from criminal and civil liabilities from pregnancy loss or abortion.
COVID-19 Issues: As COVID-19 remains an unpredictable issue, California has passed at least two pieces of legislation that offer protections against continuing COVID-19 issues. AB 2963 requires workplaces to continue providing employees with COVID-19 exposure notifications until 2024. AB 2098 makes it easier for the California Medical Board to punish doctors who spread COVID-19 misinformation.
Gender-affirming Care: with 2022 being a year of many anti-trans bills attempting to come down the pipeline, California passed SB 107 which makes the state a sanctuary space for transgender people including youth and parents. The bill protects those individuals from legal action from other states with bans and restrictions on such health care.
Labor
Minimum Wage: California will be raising its minimum wage to $15.50 through SB 3.
Paid Family Leave: SB 951 aims to increase the share of paid family leave to lower-income Californians, increasing from 55% of wages to 60-70% of wages depending on income. By 2025, the requirement will be 70% of wages.
Pay Transparency: Under SB 1162, employers will now be obligated to disclose salary ranges on open job position postings. This law also sets new pay data reporting standards based on gender and race.
Public Safety
Immigration Status in Court: SB 836 will protect the immigration status of those in open court in a criminal case. This law will make immigration status admissible in open criminal court at the discretion of the judge.
Phone Calls in Prison: SB 1008 makes it legal to provide free phone calls to individuals incarcerated in California prisons and jails.
Rap Lyrics in Court: AB 2799 will finally make it illegal to use creative forms of expression such as rap lyrics as evidence in criminal court trials. This bill is long overdue as years of scholarly research into the matter have shown how creative Black expressions such as rap are subjected to constant scrutiny and harassment from the police and courts.
Retail
Pink Tax: Gender-based pricing on products based on who they are marketed for is now prohibited thanks to AB 1287.
Sale of Fur: AB 44 bans the sale and manufacturing of new fur clothing and accessories. The bill does not apply to used fur products, leather, cowhide, faux fur, or shearling.
There are many more new California laws that take effect at the beginning of 2023, or later in the year. Some other laws include a law that makes it easier for farmworkers to unionize (AB 2183), laws aimed to crack down on the high amount of catalytic converter thefts in the states (AB 1740 and SB 1087), and even a law that now requires social media companies (like Twitter and Meta) to publicly post their policies regarding hate speech, disinformation, and harassment on their platforms (AB 587).
You can read more about California’s new laws using the links listed below.
References and Further Reading
New California Labor and Employment Laws for 2023
Openstates.org – to search and track legislation and search for legislators
California Legislative Information site – to search for California bills and codes
Written by: Michael Van Aken, Electronic Services Librarian
