Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger was in a flurry of veto and passing bills before the end of the 2007 legislative session deadline Sunday night.
Among the hundreds of legislation he signed included a bill (AB 1108) that would ban the chemical phthalates, which is used in the plastic found in baby bottles, teething rings, baby books and other toys. The chemical allows the plastic to become pliable and improve flexibility. The ban, according to the bill, would begin Jan. 1, 2009.
Gov. Schwarzenegger also signed AB 1471, a bill that would require semiautomatic handguns, that were either made or sold within the state, to micro-stamp bullets fired from the gun in two separate places. The stamp would include the gun’s serial number, make and model.
Other bills that passed include:
- AB 110 would require state and local monies to be used to provide clean needles for HIV patients.
- AB 118 would increase smog fees for both vehicle (from $31 to $34) and boat registrations (from $10 to $20 and $20 to $40). The increase would fund programs for air quality improvement and alternative and renewable fuel research. The fee increase would be effective starting July 1, 2008.
- AB 821 would ban hunters to use lead-based ammunition for rifles and pistols in specified areas that are habitats for California condors.
- SB 490 would ban trans fat food from being available to students at California schools. This would include food that is either provided from a vending machine or prepared on site. The ban would begin July 1, 2009.
Schwarzenegger vetoed quite a few bills also, including SB 1, or the D.R.E.A.M. Act, that would have allowed financial assistance to undocumented college students who have attended a state high school for at least three years and earned a high school diploma. In his veto message, the governor stated that existing law already allows these students a “lower in-state tuition rate.”
Other bills he vetoed included:
- SB 120 would have required chain restaurants to post nutritional information. In his veto memo, the governor sited that the bill only applied to certain restaurants and not others and that restaurants are already providing this information either in-store via brochures and/or tray liners, or online.
- AB 35, AB 888, and AB 1058 would have required new or expand existing building standards to state-owned, commercial or residential buildings to meet energy and green standards. This could apply to either new construction or renovation of existing buildings.
- AB 1334 would have allowed nonprofit or health agencies to distribute condoms in prisons.
- AB 1429 would have required health insurance companies to front the cost for the human papillomavirus vaccine.
The Official California Legislative Information Web site has more information on legislative bills from the state Senate and Assembly.