Legislative Update for CA Human Services
Friday March 7, 2025

Bill	Patron	Title	Synopsis	Status
HB 1772	Patrick A. Hope	Autism Advisory Council; Name Change, Membership, Repeals Sunset Date.	Autism Advisory Council; name change; membership; staffing; powers and duties. Provides for the Autism Advisory Council to be reconstituted as a permanent, independently staffed agency in the legislative branch of state government. Currently, the Autism Advisory Council is set to expire on July 1, 2027. The bill repeals that expiration date and renames the agency as the Autism Commission. The bill also modifies the membership of the Commission to more closely align with the membership makeup of other independently staffed legislative agencies and directs the Commission to appoint and employ an executive director and other staff to assist in carrying out the duties of the Commission.	H Left in Appropriations (2/4)
HB 1803	Laura Jane Cohen	Human Resource Management, Department Of; Establishing A Career Group For Licensed Behavior Analysts	Department of Human Resource Management; stakeholder advisory group; establishing a career group for licensed behavior analysts; report. Directs the Department of Human Resource Management to convene a stakeholder advisory group to provide advice to the Department on establishing a career group and any other necessary associated defined roles within the health and human services occupational family for licensed behavior analysts employed by the Commonwealth. The bill directs the advisory group to submit its findings and recommendations to the Department no later than November 1, 2025.	S Passed Senate (40-Y 0-N) (2/18)
HB 2285	Carrie E. Coyner	Autism Advisory Council; Establishment Of An Autism Data Dashboard, Report.	Study; Autism Advisory Council; establishment of an autism data dashboard in the Commonwealth; report. Directs the Autism Advisory Council to study and advise the General Assembly on the establishment of an autism data dashboard for the purpose of promoting greater public transparency and access to information and resources on autism spectrum disorders. The Council is directed to submit a report with recommendations for such dashboard's development, including the types of data and resources that should be included, to the Chairs of the House Committee on Appropriations, the House Committee on Health and Human Services, the Senate Committee on Finance and Appropriations, and the Senate Committee on Education and Health no later than November 1, 2025.	H Left in Rules (2/4)
HJ 497	Paul E. Krizek	Retail Cannabis Market; Joint Commission Established To Oversee Transition Of The Commonwealth.	Joint commission to oversee transition of the Commonwealth into a retail cannabis market established; report. Establishes a joint commission to oversee the transition of the Commonwealth into a retail cannabis market. The joint commission shall expire on July 1, 2028.	H Senate Amendment agreed to by House (50-Y 45-N) (2/20)
SB 869	Barbara A. Favola	Autism Spectrum Disorder Or A Developmental Disability; Custodial Interrogation Of Person.	Custodial interrogation of a person with autism spectrum disorder or a developmental disability; best practices for conducting interviews or interrogations. Adds best practices for conducting interviews or interrogations, including reading constitutional rights to the list of compulsory minimum and in-service training standards for law-enforcement officers on communicating with individuals with an intellectual disability or a developmental disability.	H Left in Courts of Justice (2/18)
SB 1013	Jennifer B. Boysko	Neurocognitive Disorder, Etc.; Affirmative Defense To Prosecution.	Affirmative defense or reduced penalty for a neurocognitive disorder or intellectual or developmental disability. Provides an affirmative defense to prosecution of an individual for assault or assault and battery against certain specified persons for which the enhanced Class 6 felony and six-month mandatory minimum apply if such individual proves, by a preponderance of the evidence, that at the time of the assault or assault and battery (i) the individual's behaviors were a result of (a) mental illness or (b) a neurocognitive disorder, including dementia, or and intellectual disability or a developmental disability such as autism spectrum disorder, as defined in the most recent edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders of the American Psychiatric Association, or (ii) the individual met the criteria for issuance of an emergency custody order. The bill provides that if such individual does not prove that his behaviors were a result of his mental illness, intellectual disability, developmental disability, or neurocognitive disorder but the evidence establishes that his mental illness, intellectual disability, developmental disability, or neurocognitive disorder otherwise contributed to his behaviors, the finder of fact may find the accused guilty of a misdemeanor assault or assault and battery. The bill also provides that such affirmative defense shall not be construed to allow an affirmative defense for voluntary intoxication.	S House substitute agreed to by Senate (23-Y 16-N) (2/20)
SB 1232	Stella G. Pekarsky; Lashrecse D. Aird	Autism Advisory Council; Name Change, Membership, Repeals Sunset Date.	Autism Advisory Council; name change; membership; staffing; powers and duties. Provides for the Autism Advisory Council to be reconstituted as a permanent, independently staffed agency in the legislative branch of state government. Currently, the Autism Advisory Council is set to expire on July 1, 2027. The bill repeals that expiration date and renames the agency as the Autism Commission. The bill also modifies the membership of the Commission to more closely align with the membership makeup of other independently staffed legislative agencies and directs the Commission to appoint and employ an executive director and other staff to assist in carrying out the duties of the Commission.	S Left in Finance and Appropriations (2/5)
SB 1293	William M. Stanley, Jr.	Autism Spectrum Disorder; School Board Employees Professional Development And Continuing Education.	School board employees; professional development and continuing education; optional programs; children with autism spectrum disorder. Directs the Board of Education to provide guidance on and each school board to provide each year an optional program of high-quality professional development for instructional personnel and school board employees whose duties include regular contact with students on communicating with and supporting students with autism spectrum disorder. The bill provides that any instructional personnel or school board employee who completes such professional development shall be eligible for professional development points toward renewal of his license.	H Passed House (98-Y 0-N) (2/20)