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California Family Minute

January 3, 2012

2012 Rings in New Laws

by Rebecca Burgoyne, 
CFC Research Analyst

While Californians were ringing in the new year over the weekend, hundreds of new laws went into effect.   The latest batch of laws includes any legislation passed in 2011 that was not passed with an “urgency clause,” declaring a bill to go into effect immediately on passage. New laws this year expand the rights of lesbians, gays, bisexual, and transgender persons, and limit the authority of parents to be involved in medical decisions for their children as young as twelve years old.  With SB 48 (homosexual social studies) now law in California, homosexual advocacy groups will be pushing their worldview on unsuspecting students, and parents will have to be extra vigilant to protect their children in public schools. To refresh your memory about the bills that passed the California Legislature last year, visit CFC’s online legislative center and note the bills signed by the governor.

Legislators Return to Sacramento
Legislators, who return to the Capitol on Wednesday, will get down to business immediately. Two-year bills – those carried over from last year – must be heard and cleared by the Legislature by the end of January. Those include AB 1432 (Mitchell, D-Culver City) and SB 391 (Gaines, R-Roseville). Both of these bills were crafted to address headline-making cases. Sparked by the Florida case of two-year-old Caylee Anthony, AB 1432 would criminalize the failure to report the disappearance or death of a child under 14 within 24 hours. Inspired by the Jaycee Lee Dugard case, SB 391 reverses a legal loophole stemming from a 2008 California Supreme Court decision that created a presumption that – despite heinous crimes – “release on parole is the rule, rather than the exception.” Reversing that ruling would give greater weight to the enormity of crimes in determining a convict’s suitability for parole and help protect future victims from paroled criminals like Phillip Garrido.

During January and February, legislators also will be introducing a new crop of bills to be debated and voted on in spring hearings. These can be totally new ideas, legislators’ pet causes, or reworked bill ideas that failed to pass in years past. Expect the budget, pension reform, and expanded GLBT (gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender) rights to continue to be major issues. You can stay informed with the issues and bills impacting California families by checking the CFC Web site and signing up to receive our e-mail publications. Join us in impacting the laws and culture in California this year! 

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