Today, several of Senator Shannon Grove’s (R-Bakersfield) priority bills passed the Senate Appropriations Committee and are headed to the Senate Floor for a vote as early as next week.
Senate Bill 1373 (Mental Health Diversion Reform)
“I am extremely pleased that the Senate Appropriations Committee prioritized SB 1373,” said Senator Shannon Grove. “For far too long, California’s Mental Health Diversion program has become a ‘get-out-of-jail-free’ card for violent perpetrators. This program enables child abusers and repeats violent offenders to walk away with a clean record and even allows them to volunteer with children. SB 1373 closes these gaps by adding the most egregious crimes to the list of disqualifying offenses, restores critical judicial discretion and ensures public safety and victims’ rights come first, while still allowing legitimate mental health treatment cases to move forward.”
SB 1373 makes targeted changes to the mental health diversion law by expanding the list of disqualifying offenses and clarifying additional factors courts may consider when assessing a defendant’s risk to public safety.
Senate Bill 1190 (Safe Passage for Youth Act)
“We’ve heard from Paris Hilton and Californians across the state who have endured the traumatic experience of being legally kidnapped in the dead of night by a youth transport company,” said Senator Shannon Grove. “The Safe Passage for Youth Act will provide much-needed oversight of the Youth Transportation industry, who are often responsible for transporting youth on long journeys across state lines. I am thankful that the Senate Appropriations Committee has prioritized this measure to protect California’s vulnerable youth.”
Sponsored by Paris Hilton’s 11:11 Media, SB 1190 would require the California Department of Social Services to regulate youth transportation companies and prohibit harmful practices such as middle of the night pickups and the use of blindfolds or restraints during transport.
Senate Bill 899 (Wildfire and Forest Resilience Task Force)
“California spends billions each year on fire suppression and rebuilding communities after devastating fires, while also facing a collapsing insurance market, yet we continue to ignore another massive cost of wildfires: the devastating public health impacts of wildfire smoke,” said Senator Shannon Grove. “Toxic smoke blankets the Central Valley and our state for weeks, driving up emergency room visits, long-term respiratory and cardiovascular disease, and lasting harm to our children, families, and outdoor workforce. That is why I authored SB 899, to force the state to fully calculate the real health costs of wildfires and prioritize proactive forest management that saves lives, not just landscapes.”
SB 899, sponsored by California Forest Watershed Alliance, requires California to study and quantify the health impacts and costs of wildfire smoke since 2018, and to use that analysis to improve the state’s Wildfire and Forest Resilience Action Plan and reduce future public health harm.
Bills Held on Suspense File The following bills were held on the Senate Appropriations suspense file and will not advance:
Senate Bill 940 – Geothermal Energy
Senate Bill 1018 – Blair and Kendra’s Law
Senate Bill 1019 – California Cargo Theft Task Force
Seante Bill 1039 – Fence-line Monitoring System
Senate Bill 1217 – Nonconsensual Intimate Image Clearinghouse
“I am extremely disappointed that the Senate Appropriations Committee killed an incredible bill sponsored by the California Survivor Coalition,” said Senator Shannon Grove. “Survivors already face a life-long journey of healing and recovery after the trauma and abuse they have suffered at the hands of their traffickers. The images that remain online allow the cycle of exploitation to continue over and over again. By taking these images offline, we were empowering survivors, protecting their rights, and giving them the opportunity to heal.”
Senator Grove remains committed to fighting for stronger public safety laws, victim protections, and accountability in state government.