(CALMATTERS) – With Newsom’s deadline to sign or veto bills now just five days away, the governor on Monday signed into law a proposal requiring health insurance plans to make coverage available to members’ dependent parents; a suite of bills to protect nursing home residents, hospice patients and elderly Californians; and a bill that aims to close California’s racial gaps in maternal and infant mortality rates. He also approved a 12.5% excise tax on electronic cigarettes to discourage teen vaping use and fund public health programs. Lastly, Newsom greenlighted a stack of consumer financial protection bills, including one that cracks down on debt settlement firms and another that requires businesses to offer subscription cancellations online and to notify customers before a subscription’s free trial or promotional price expires.
Among the bills Newsom vetoed: one that would have helped the state measure how tax-sharing agreements between cities and online retailers are benefiting certain parts of the state at the expense of others; one that would have required law enforcement officers to undergo regular training in “advanced interpersonal communication” and “science-based interviewing”; one that would have created a state program to support local governments’ response to power outages; one that would have made social workers eligible for the first distribution of protective gear during a state of emergency; one that would have required the state to form an advisory workgroup to reduce racial disparities in childhood chronic health conditions; and one that would have formed a state task force to study lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic and develop strategies for future pandemics.