As pro-immigration advocates attend mass rallies at more than 150 sites in 40 states across the nation today to urge Congress to adopt comprehensive immigration reform, California’s Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. already signed legislation to enhance school, workplace and civil protections for California’s hardworking immigrants. “While Washington waffles on immigration, California’s forging ahead,” stated Governor Brown. “I’m not waiting.” Immigration reform advocates are rallying today in 140 sites and cities across the U.S. to urge the U.S. House of Representatives to grant legal status and a path to citizenship to undocumented U.S. residents. While the federal government shutdown gridlock continues in Washington, California continues to unilaterally forge forward on immigration reform.
On Thursday, Governor Brown signed AB 60, extending the legal right to drive on the state’s roadways to millions of Californians and in October 2011 Governor Brown had already signed AB 131, the California version of the “DREAM” Act. The Governor also signed the following bills today: AB 4 by assembly member Tom Ammiano (D-San Francisco) – prohibiting law enforcement personnel from detaining individuals on the basis of a Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) hold after such individuals becomes eligible for release from custody, unless specified conditions are met.
• AB 35 by Assembly member Roger Hernández (D-West Covina) – provides that immigration consultants, attorneys, notaries public, and organizations accredited by the U.S. Board of Immigration Appeals are the only individuals authorized to charge a fee for providing services associated with filing an application under the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Deferred Action program.
• AB 524 by Assembly member Kevin Mullin (D-South San Francisco) – provides that a threat to report the immigration status or suspected immigration status of an individual or the individual’s family may induce fear sufficient to constitute extortion.
• AB 1024 by Assembly member Lorena Gonzalez (D-San Diego) – allows applicants not lawfully present in the United States to be admitted as attorney at law.
• AB 1159 by Assembly member Lorena Gonzalez (D-San Diego) – imposes various restrictions and obligations on individuals offering services related to comprehensive immigration reform.
• SB 141 by Senator Lou Correa (D-Santa Ana) – requires California Community Colleges and California State Universities, and requests that the University of California system exempt a United States citizen who resides in a foreign country and is in their first year as a matriculated student, from nonresident tuition if the student demonstrates financial need, has a parent or guardian who was deported or voluntarily departed from the U. S., lived in California immediately before moving abroad, and attended a secondary school in California for at least three years.
• SB 150 by Senator Ricardo Lara (D-Bell Gardens) – Authorizes a community college district to exempt pupils attending community colleges as a special part-time student from paying nonresident tuition.
• SB 666 by Senator Darrell Steinberg (D-Sacramento) – provides for a suspension or revocation of an employer’s business license for retaliation against employees and others on the basis of citizenship and immigration status, and establishes a civil penalty up to $10,000 per violation. For full text of the bills, visit: http://leginfo.ca.gov/bilinfo.html.” – Office of Gov. Brown, Oct. 5, 2013.
