Assemblywoman Soria’s Bills Advance to Senate Floor

• Brody Fernandez
• (916) 276-3390
• [email protected]

SACRAMENTO, CA - Assemblywoman Esmeralda Soria (D-Merced) had five bills pass out of the Senate Appropriations Committee today. Over the next two weeks, these bills will be taken up for a final vote, before making their way to the Governor's desk. The following bills are now on the Senate floor:

• AB 1400 - Nursing Education: Directs the Chancellor of the California Community Colleges to establish a pilot program to allow up to 10 community college districts to offer a Bachelor of Science in nursing degree.

• AB 848 - Penalty Increase for Sexual Battery in a Hospital:Creates an aggravating factor in the sentencing of felony sexual battery for cases where the offender was employed by a hospital and the victim was seeking care from the offender or their hospital.

• AB 849 - Medical Safety Chaperone Act: Requires health facilities to notify patients that a medical chaperone will be provided if requested before conducting an ultrasound on a sensitive area. It also establishes the responsibility of health facilities to educate chaperones on how to identify non-standard behavior and protect patient safety by following intervention and reporting policies.

• AB 1373 - Water Delivery Systems: Requires the State Water Resources Control Board, upon request, to hold a public hearing and vote on the issuance of certain Clean Water Act certifications for hydroelectric facilities.

• AB 1441 - Fair Elections: Directs the County of Merced to establish an independent citizens redistricting commission to ensure fairly drawn districts that take into account demographics and communities of interests.

"We are in the final steps for this legislative year. While all the bills I authored this year (18) did not make it this far in the process, we have (8) that have-and we are thrilled," said Soria."Our entire public safety bill package (AB 848 & AB 849) made it out today. We also saw our nursing pilot bill (AB 1400) make it out, which would direct the Chancellor of the California Community Colleges to establish a pilot program to allow up to 10 community college districts to offer a Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree (BSN). I remain committed to improving the lives of my constituents and today marks an incredible step forward in accomplishing that. We look forward to ALL of these bills reaching their final destination to the Governor's desk."

For the latest information on our legislative bill package, please visit our website and social media accounts.

Facebook: @Assemblymember Esmeralda Soria

Instagram: @asmesmeraldasoria

BlueSky: @esmeraldasoria.bsky.social

# # #

Assemblywoman Esmeralda Soria represents the 27th Assembly District, which includes communities in Madera, Merced, and Fresno counties.