Assemblywoman Pilar Schiavo, D-Chatsworth, announced the advancement of six pieces of legislation through policy committees on Friday, just ahead of deadlines this week.

Advancing through the process and clearing these policy committee hurdles is a major step forward in making these critical policy changes for Assembly District 40, Schiavo said.

“I am so proud of the issues we are championing for our community with our bill package,” said Schiavo. “From housing and homelessness to ensuring factual information about reproductive healthcare and sick days for working families, this legislation would make a real difference for our district and beyond.”

Streamlining The Housing Funding Process (AB 519):

AB 519, approved by the Assembly Housing and Community Development Committee with unanimous bipartisan support, will establish an Affordable Housing Finance Workgroup to create a consolidated application for affordable and homeless housing developers.

These changes are set to get housing build faster and prevent increased costs by streamlining a process that, according to a 2020 State Auditor report, creates an unnecessarily cumbersome process that ultimately passes the cost on to taxpayers and those who can least afford it, those occupying affordable units.

Transparency In Reproductive Health Care (AB 710):

AB 710, passed by the Assembly Health Committee, would ensure our community gets the facts about reproductive care at the most vulnerable time, according to Schiavo.

It requires the California Department of Public Health to conduct an awareness campaign to communicate with local health departments, health care providers, and the public regarding facilities that provide health care services, including, but not limited to, primary care and specialty clinics that provide pregnancy care and abortion-related services, according to Schiavo.

Eliminate Disruption Of Senior Healthcare And End Corporate Profiteering In Medicare And (Assembly Joint Resolution 4):

AJR 4, also approved by the Assembly Health Committee with bipartisan support, urges President Biden to eliminate corporate profiteering and expand consumer-directed access to care established through Traditional Medicare, according to Schiavo.

This is set to help ensure Medicare continues for future generations and stops the disruption of seniors being switched to different plans and networks without their permission.

Ending The Foster Youth To Homelessness Pipeline (AB 963):

AB 963, passed by Assembly Jobs, Economic Development, and the Economy Committee with unanimous and bipartisan support, seeks to create a loan guarantee pool, administered by the California Infrastructure and Economic Development Bank, to spur private financing to develop housing for current and former foster youth, according to Schiavo.

In conjunction with existing rental subsidies, this strategy can create a dramatic ramp-up in housing for this particularly vulnerable population.

Guaranteed Sick Days For Health Workers (AB 1359):

AB 1359, approved by the Assembly Labor and Employment Committee, is expected to give health workers, who encounter and treat illness every day, additional sick days to ensure healthcare workers, their patients and our communities are protected from unnecessary exposure to illness, Schiavo said.

AB 1359 details a minimum sick day accrual rate for health workers to ensure they can take their hard-earned sick leave when needed.

Reduce Administrative Barriers For Patients (AB 1697):

AB 1679, approved by the Assembly Privacy and Consumer Protection Committee with unanimous bipartisan support, will permit the use of electronic signatures to authorize disclosure of medical information and genetic test results, reducing administrative barriers patients face in authorizing medical providers to share their medical records, according to Schiavo.

KHTS FM 98.1 and AM 1220 is Santa Clarita’s only local radio station. KHTS mixes in a combination of news, traffic, sports, and features along with your favorite adult contemporary hits. Santa Clarita news and features are delivered throughout the day over our airwaves, on our website and through a variety of social media platforms. Our KHTS national award-winning daily news briefs are now read daily by 34,000+ residents. A vibrant member of the Santa Clarita community, the KHTS broadcast signal reaches all of the Santa Clarita Valley and parts of the high desert communities located in the Antelope Valley. The station streams its talk shows over the web, reaching a potentially worldwide audience. Follow @KHTSRadio on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.