After a busy year of legislative work, Sen. Holly J. Mitchell will see several of her new laws take effect Jan. 1, 2019, including reforms in criminal justice that will protect youth and help shore up families and communities.
Much of Mitchell’s agenda in 2018 grew out of a two-year effort with Sen. Ricardo Lara to pass an #EquityAndJustice package. These bills focused on improving the way California treats youth and young adults caught up in the criminal justice system.
Mitchell also won the endorsement of Gov. Brown for new laws that will expand worker training to prevent sexual harassment and provide women potentially life-saving information about their health.
Below are the new laws that emerged from Mitchell’s legislative efforts in 2018. Please note that while SB 1343, a plan to expand sexual harassment training for workers, goes into law soon it will take effect Jan. 1, 2020 to allow time to write and establish online-training procedures.
Excludes children ages 11 and younger from juvenile court jurisdiction and promotes the rights, health and well-being of the child by curbing premature exposure to incarceration.
Extends to Jan. 1, 2025 the sunset on the current dense breast tissue notification, which was to expire at the end of this year.
Provides services and support for exonerated people after prison, including healthcare, work training and updating records to reflect their wrongful convictions.
Reduces barriers in the Resource Family Approval process to make it more child centered and family friendly.
Expands mandatory sexual-harassment training to all employers with five or more employees.
Ensures that youth ages 14 and 15 who commit crimes get the services and help they need by prohibiting them from being tried as adults and keeping them in the juvenile justice system.
Allows for more judicial discretion on sentencing related to five-year enhancements for serious felony convictions.
Mitchell also had far-reaching impacts as chair of the Senate Budget and Fiscal Review Committee. SB 951, the California Film and Television Production Jobs Act, was incorporated into the 2018-19 state budget. Also included in the budget was SB 982, which provided for the largest grant increase for CalWORKS recipients in 30 years.
