Education and Equity

AB 286 (Wood) - Broadband Infrastructure: Mapping

MCPP is supporting this legislation requiring the Public Utilities Commission to update the broadband service map to include information about each broadband service provider that offers services at each address in California, as well as the maximum speed of services offered. It also requires the map to allow individuals to self-report data and refute claimed broadband speed or technology. 

AB 1588 (Wilson) - Affordable Internet and Net Equality Act of 2023

MCPP supported this legislation requiring the Department of Technology to develop the Net Equality Program in collaboration with the Public Utilities Commission and the Department of General Services. It would require the state and its agencies to only contract with internet service providers that offer affordable home internet service to low-income households and to require these providers to advertise their affordable services with easy access to sign up.

AB 1714 (Wood) - Broadband Providers as a Public Utility

MCPP is supporting this groundbreaking change to make significant strides in closing the digital divide by defining that broadband is an essential service and should be regulated as a public utility. This change is disruptive and will be debated in committee in 2024.

AB 607 (Kalra) - Public Postsecondary Education: Course Materials

MCPP is co-sponsoring this legislation to provide more cost transparency by requiring the California Community Colleges California State University, and requests the University of California, to prominently display the estimated costs of all required course materials and related fees for 75% of the total number of courses on the online campus course schedule. “Course materials” includes digital and physical textbooks, devices, and software subscriptions.

SB 333 (Cortese) - Homeless Pupils: California Success, Opportunity, and Academic Resilience (SOAR) Guaranteed Income Program

MCPP is supporting this legislation establishing the California Success, Opportunity, and Academic Resilience (SOAR) Guaranteed Income Program, which would provide a monthly income of $1,000 for five months to homeless public school pupils in grade 12. The program would be funded by the California SOAR Guaranteed Income Fund, and local educational agency liaisons would help identify eligible participants. 

SB 521 (Smallwood-Cuevas) - CalWORKs: Pregnancy or Parenting

MCPP is supporting this legislation adding denial of reasonable accommodations as a reason to excuse participation in welfare-to-work activities for pregnant or parenting Californians. SB 521 would revise references of “teenage parent” in the Cal-Learn Program to refer to “teen” and require the county to exempt a teen from the program in certain destabilizing situations. It would also delete sanctions and related case manager duties for noncompliance in the Cal-Learn Program.

Oregon House Bill 3121 (Lively and Ruiz) - Appropriates Moneys to Higher Education Coordinating Commission for Purpose of Carrying out Oregon’s Open Educational Resources (OER) Program

MCPP is supporting Oregon legislation requiring the Higher Education Coordinating Commission to conduct a study to identify the most effective ways to increase the affordability of public higher education. This legislation also appropriates funds to the commission to support the implementation of Oregon’s Open Educational Resources Program. 

AB 974 (McKinnor) - Incarcerated Persons: Certified Record of Live Birth

MCPP is supporting AB 974, which will require local registrars, county recorders, or the State Registrar to issue a certified record of live birth without a fee to incarcerated persons upon request.

AB 1418 (McKinnor) Tenancy. Local Regulations: Contact with Law Enforcement or Criminal Convictions

MCPP is supporting this legislation prohibiting a local government from imposing a penalty against a resident, owner, tenant, landlord or other individual because of contact with a law enforcement agency. AB 1418 will also prohibit cities and counties from enacting crime-free housing and nuisance programs designed to force landlords to evict a tenant should they have contact with police or have a prior felony conviction.

Animal Welfare

AB 332 (Lee) - Rabies Control Data

MCPP supports this legislation requiring the State Department of Public Health to collect certain rabies control program data from each city or county.

AB 357 (Maienschein) - Animal Test Methods: Alternatives

MCPP supports this legislation prohibiting manufacturers and testing facilities from using traditional animal test methods if an appropriate alternative exists or if a waiver has been granted. AB 357 would require testing facilities to use the fewest number of animals possible if a suitable alternative is unavailable and excludes animal testing for biomedical research.

AB 1399 (Friedman) - Veterinary Medicine: Veterinarian-Client-Patient Relationship and Veterinary Telemedicine

MCPP supports this legislation allowing for the use of telehealth in the practice of veterinary medicine and requiring veterinarians to use sound professional judgment while providing quality care when using telehealth.

Colorado House Bill 1068 (Valdez, Winter, and Lewis) - Pet Animal Ownership In Housing

MCPP supports this legislation prohibiting restrictions on dog breeds for obtaining homeowner’s insurance, providing for the manner in which pet animals are handled when a writ of restitution is executed, limiting security deposits and rent for pet animals, and excluding pet animals from personal property lines.

HR 4757 (Titus) - Cease Animal Research Grants Overseas

MCPP supports this legislation which prohibits the National Institutes of Health from awarding any support for research outside of the U.S. that uses live animals in testing. By defunding this type of research, we will move closer towards MCPP's overarching goal of reducing the cruelty and inhumane mistreatment of animals.

SB 669 (Cortese)- Increasing Access to Pet Health Care

MCPP supports this legislation which authorizes a veterinarian to allow a registered veterinary technician to administer preventive or prophylactic vaccines and medications, expanding access to preventative veterinary care by allowing Veterinarians to better utilize registered veterinary technicians.