The legislature wrapped up its 2021-22 session a little after midnight on September 1, taking up hundreds of bills and additional budget bills in the final few days. We are pleased to report that Governor Newsom recently signed two CalNonprofits-supported bills that:

• Expand eligibility to the CalSavers retirement program to employers with at least one employee – bridging an important gap and creating equity by allowing even the smallest employers full access to the program. (Senate Bill 1126 by Senator Dave Cortese)
• Exempt nonprofits with one-on-one mentoring programs with strict policies to ensure screening and training of volunteers, from the AB 506-created requirement for two mandated reporters to be present whenever an adult interacts with a youth. The bill also extends the compliance date for organizations not previously requiring administrators, employees, or regular volunteers to undergo background checks. (Assembly Bill 2669 by Assemblymember Adrin Nazarian)

Among those on the Governor’s Desk now are another six bills that we supported (see our handy Legislative Tracker). If approved, these bills will:

• Increase public access to information about election officials who speak a non-English language as well as English (Assembly Bill 1631 by Assemblymember Sabrina Cervantes)
• Extend the Nonprofit Security Grant Program and create more flexibility around how grant funding may be used, including for security training (Assembly Bill 1664 by Assemblymember Jesse Gabriel ) Note: The Governor’s Office of Emergency Services has just launched the next round to disburse $47.5 million through this program — learn more on grants.ca.gov.
• Establish the Golden State Social Opportunities Program, reducing financial barriers for students to become licensed mental health professionals, thereby helping to address the workforce shortage that California mental health nonprofits are experiencing. (Assembly Bill 2222 by Assemblymember Eloise Gomez Reyes) *Note: a budget bill passed the last week of August included $10.8 million consistent with implementing this bill’s objectives.
• Advance voting rights by preventing erroneous voter purges of eligible voters and by protecting the voting rights of people with disabilities under conservatorship. (Assembly Bill 2841 by Assemblymember Evan Low)
• Require the Department of General Services to designate a nonprofit liaison to address nonprofit concerns, support compliance with agency regulations, and strengthen procurement and contracting policies with nonprofits. (Senate Bill 543 by Assemblywoman Monique Limòn) Note: this is CalNonprofits’ sponsored legislation.
• Prioritize Museum Grant Program funding for projects that serve underserved communities, protect at-risk cultural resources, support ethical stewardship of sensitive art and artifacts, and educate the public about critical California issues. (Senate Bill 963 by Senator John Laird)

Governor Newsom has until September 30 to sign or veto more than 900 bills sent to him by the legislature.