SACRAMENTO, CA – Senator Melissa Hurtado (D-Bakersfield) released the following statement after a number of bills authored by her successfully passed through the California State Senate and are now headed to the California State Assembly for consideration. The Senator’s bills, and work on the state budget, cover a wide range of issues, ranging from funding to support communities impacted by flooding throughout the Central Valley, to protecting the state’s critical infrastructure, such as dams, from cybersecurity attacks.

“I am excited to see these bills move forward in the legislative process, and look forward to working with my colleagues in the Assembly over the coming months to continue their passage,” said Senator Hurtado. “In addition to these bills, my highest priority is to secure funding in this year’s budget to support the flood impacted communities throughout the Central Valley. As policymakers we must ensure that we help every household impacted by these devastating floods recover.”

SB 245: increases access to food by removing the exclusion of income-eligible Californians from CFAP due to their immigration status. It also ensures that California holds true to the promise of the targeted age based expansion it made last year.

SB 265: combats the growing issue of cyber threats and cyberattacks by directing the California Office of Emergency Services (Cal-OES) and the California Cybersecurity Integration Center (Cal-CSIC) to develop outreach and funding plans to improve cybersecurity preparedness in California’s critical infrastructure sectors.

SB 486: requires the California Interscholastic Federation to hold all state football championship games at a neutral location that is comparable to the location of all other championship games.

SB 701: authorizes the board of supervisors of any interested county to adopt a registration program and impose related fees for licensed wholesalers of fruits or vegetables to assist in covering the operational cost associated with fruit and vegetable standardization inspections conducted by County Agricultural Commissioners.

SB 577: allows the State Fire Marshal to accept additional funding sources for the California Fire Service Training and Education Program. The bill would make the same change relative to the California Fire and Arson Training Act. Permitting the State Fire Marshall to receive additional funding sources for training programs will help to mitigate rising fees for those seeking fire-training certification.

SB 628: declares it the established policy of the state that every human being has the right to access sufficient and healthy food

SB 697: requires the Department of Industrial Relations to conduct a study on the viability of and regulatory steps needed to link health care reimbursement claims to the value of care provided to injured workers.

Senator Melissa Hurtado represents the 16th Senate District in the California Legislature, which includes portions of Fresno, Tulare, Kings and Kern Counties. Hurtado is Chair of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, & a member of the Environmental Quality, Health, Human Services, & Natural Resources & Water Committees, & Joint Legislative Committee on Climate Change Policies. 

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