Lawmakers are on spring break this week but when they return, they’re going to have hundreds of new bills to consider. As promised, here are some of the highlights and mostly lowlights of the 2008 session thus far…
AB 2058 (Levine), AB 2071 (Karnette) and AB 2829 (Davis). Grocery store plastic bags are going to have a rough year. These three bills either ban or severely regulate them. According to a British newspaper, plastic bags are just the victims of an eco-witch hunt. Next time the grocery store employee asks, “Paper or plastic?” choose plastic—while you still can.
AB 2085 (Huff). While the initiative to overturn of SB 777, the public school multi-sexual indoctrination bill, moves forward, Assemblyman Bob Huff is carrying a bill that will return the education code to its pre-SB 777 state. A companion bill, AB 2086, also authored by Huff, will require parental notification prior to classroom discussions about sexual lifestyles. Passing these bills would be a real victory for parental rights and student freedom.
AB 2567 (Leno). I doubt many Californians know who Harvey Milk is, but if Assemblyman Mark Leno gets his way, every school child will celebrate his state holiday. Milk was one of the first homosexual elected officials in the country, having served on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors. He was murdered by a fellow supervisor in 1978. Now Leno wants to create a state holiday honoring Milk, especially in public schools.
AB 2233 (Maze). Last year Assemblyman Lloyd Levine drew the ire of pet owners when he tried to pass a statewide law that forced every pet to be spayed or neutered. Now Assemblyman Bill Maze is attracting quite a bit of media attention with his bill banning pets from sitting in the lap of their owner in the car. So even if Fido manages to escape the scalpel, he may no longer be able to sit on his owner’s lap while riding in the car.
AB 2414 (Fuller). Assemblywoman Jean Fuller has taken the concept of nanny government to a new extreme—she wants local school boards to be able to revoke a student’s driver’s license if they miss more than two weeks of school. Parents would then have to appeal the decision to the board before their child’s license is reinstated. Last time I checked, school boards weren’t elected to oversee students’ driving privileges.
SB 1729 (Migden). For all those bigoted caretakers tending to the elderly, Senator Migden wants to mandate sensitivity training regarding lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender seniors. This bill is not only ridiculous, but insulting. The kind, caring nurses and staff at these centers are focused more on keeping their residents healthy, fed and clean than on who their patient may have slept with when they were still capable.
These bills are just the tip of the iceberg, but I don’t want to depress you any more than necessary. I’ll end on a positive note: SB 1274 by Senator Mark Wyland will require public school students to recite the pledge of allegiance every day. Students would also be required to learn the pledge and national anthem by third grade. With all the communism and other crazy ideas being promoted in our schools, kids will need some patriotism to get them through the day…