Several of Senator Shannon Grove’s priority bills advanced from the Senate Appropriations Committee and are now headed to the Senate Floor for a vote as early as next week, according to a May 14 announcement.
The movement of these bills is significant because they address issues related to mental health diversion, youth transportation oversight, and wildfire public health impacts. The committee’s decisions reflect ongoing debates about how California handles criminal justice reform, child welfare protections, and environmental health concerns.
Senate Bill 1373 aims to reform the Mental Health Diversion program by expanding disqualifying offenses and restoring judicial discretion. “I am extremely pleased that the Senate Appropriations Committee prioritized SB 1373,” said Senator Shannon Grove. “For far too long, California’s Mental Health Diversion program has become a ‘get-out-of-jail-free’ card for violent perpetrators. This program enables child abusers and repeats violent offenders to walk away with a clean record and even allows them to volunteer with children. SB 1373 closes these gaps by adding the most egregious crimes to the list of disqualifying offenses, restores critical judicial discretion and ensures public safety and victims’ rights come first, while still allowing legitimate mental health treatment cases to move forward.”
Another bill moving forward is Senate Bill 1190, known as the Safe Passage for Youth Act. It would require regulation of youth transportation companies by the California Department of Social Services and prohibit certain practices such as nighttime pickups or use of restraints during transport. “We’ve heard from Paris Hilton and Californians across the state who have endured the traumatic experience of being legally kidnapped in the dead of night by a youth transport company,” said Grove. “The Safe Passage for Youth Act will provide much-needed oversight of the Youth Transportation industry… I am thankful that the Senate Appropriations Committee has prioritized this measure to protect California’s vulnerable youth.”
Senate Bill 899 seeks to quantify public health costs caused by wildfire smoke since 2018 in order to inform future policy on forest management. “California spends billions each year on fire suppression… yet we continue to ignore another massive cost of wildfires: the devastating public health impacts of wildfire smoke,” said Grove.
Some measures did not advance past committee; among them was Senate Bill 1217 concerning nonconsensual intimate images. “I am extremely disappointed that the Senate Appropriations Committee killed an incredible bill sponsored by the California Survivor Coalition,” said Grove.
Grove concluded her statement expressing continued commitment “to fighting for stronger public safety laws, victim protections, and accountability in state government.”
