(CALMATTERS) – The California Legislature passed and Governor Gavin Newsom signed several bills this year to fight climate change, protect women’s right to choose, support small businesses, equal pay and more that will take effect beginning in 2023. .

“California leads, and we do so by following our moral compass and staying true to our values,” Newsom said. “The Legislature is an invaluable partner, and I thank them for their leadership and courage, and I look forward to continuing our work to improve the lives of Californians across the state.”

Here are some of the bills that will take effect in the new year:

Overdose Prevention at University

CDPH is working with colleges and universities to prevent opioid-related overdoses and deaths by providing life-saving education and federally approved medications to reverse opioid overdose with Senate Bill (SB) 367.

Protection of Transgender Youth

Assembly Bill (AB) 107 will block out-of-state subpoenas and prevent healthcare providers from sharing information with out-of-state entities that relates to gender-affirming care. If the child is in California for the purpose of obtaining gender affirming care, then state courts will have the authority to make an initial child custody determination.

Hold Oil Companies Accountable

Senator Ben Allen’s SB 1322 bill will require oil companies to post on their websites how much money they are making off Californians.

Protection of Creative Expression

AB 2799 restricts the use of creative content, such as song lyrics and music videos, against artists in court. Judges will be required to press prosecutors on the purpose of using song lyrics as evidence and determine the “possibility of the evidence injecting racial bias into the process.”

Support for Street Vendors

Newsom signed Senator Lena Gonzalez’s SB 972 bill to make it easier for street vendors to obtain local health permits. This increases the health and safety of the community, as well as helps vendors run more successful businesses.

Free Books for Children

SB 1183 by Senate President Pro Tem Toni Atkins and Senator Shannon Grove will provide California children ages 0-5 free books in English and Spanish when they enroll in Dolly Parton’s Library of the Imagination.

Liberty and Abortion

Assemblywoman Rebecca Bauer-Kahan’s bill, AB 1242, prohibits California law enforcement and corporations from cooperating with or providing information to out-of-state entities about a legal abortion in California. It also prohibits law enforcement from knowingly detaining a person for assisting in a legal abortion in California.

AB 1666, also from Bauer-Kahan, will protect anyone who assists, receives or performs abortions in the state from civil penalties they face in other states.

AB 2223 will prohibit prosecutions for miscarried or terminated pregnancies, and removes the requirement that medical examiners investigate stillbirths.

Suppression of the Pink Tax

Paying for certain necessities will be more affordable. Assemblywoman Bauer-Kahan’s AB 1287 prohibits charging a different price for two similar products, such as women’s razors.

Transfer Level Courses at Community Colleges

Assemblywoman Jacqui Irwin’s AB 1705 requires community colleges to enroll their students in transfer-level math and English courses if the program they want to transfer to requires those courses. The new law is intended to remove barriers to degree completion and help students achieve their academic and career goals.

Three New State Holidays

Through Assembly Bills 2596, 1801, and 1655 – Lunar New Year, Armenian Genocide Memorial Day, and Juneteenth will all be state holidays. The bills were authored by Assemblymen Evan Low, Adrin Nazarian, and Reggie Jones-Sawyer, respectively.

Equal Pay

SB 1162 by Senator Monique Limón will expand existing transparency laws, which mandate the reporting of salary data by gender, race and ethnicity of employees. It will require employers to make salary scale information available to employees and include it in job offers.