Date: Wed, 28 Jul 1999 09:12:47 -1000 From: Mia H H Lam Subject: SF CAPE Meeting Announcement & Status of Current Legislation (fwd) ---------- Forwarded message ---------- Date: Thu, 22 Jul 1999 09:45:56 -1000 From: LisaChun@AOL.COM To: LisaChun@AOL.COM Subject: SF CAPE Meeting Announcement & Status of Current Legislation Please join SF CAPE for a community strategy meeting on Thursday, August 12, 1999 MCC Church, 150 Eureka Street/18th Street 6:30pm A few good reasons to get involved with CAPE now … Ö Our pro-gay bills in the State Capitol are facing an uphill battle. We need to step up visibility from our LGBT community and reach out to our coalition partners for support on these bills. (see attached "Capitol Briefs…") Ö Our community is under attack with the Knight Initiative. www.noonknight.com Ö We are facing a real enemy of white supremacist bigots attacking us and other community groups. CAPE is the leading LGBT organization in the state to come out and call for a unified front against hate. We can make this a reality starting in San Francisco. Ö This is an opportunity for you to help identify lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender activists as well as LGBT-friendly coalition partners to ensure we win the battle for civil rights for all people. Ö OUR CRUSADE FOR EQUALITY AND JUSTICE CONTINUES…. Come share your thoughts on the concerns facing our community and help plan a course of action to bring the LGBT community to the forefront of the civil rights movement. If you have questions or comments, please contact either of the SF CAPE Regional Representatives: Steve Collier (415) 282-8032 Esther Lee (415) 821-0835 Seth Watkins (415) 487-3469 California Alliance for Pride and Equality is a nonprofit, nonpartisan, statewide advocacy group for the LGBT community. Capitol Briefs & other musings of the culture wars >From Sacramento // Sunday, July 11, 1999 BIG CHANGE IN DOMESTIC PARTNER LEGISLATION Five pro-lgbt bills cleared their first house: one non-discrimination bill (by Villaraigosa), three domestic partner bills (by Migden, Knox and Murray), and one hate crime bill (by Knox). All seemed destined to pass their policy committees, and land on the Governor's desk for action. Then Governor Davis signaled that he wants to see one or two bills, not five. During his campaign, Davis had promised support for a non-discrimination bill, a domestic partner registry, and legislation to allow PERS (the Public Retirement System) to recognize domestic partners for health benefits. The way our legislation was written, that's at least three bills, not two. In response, Carole Migden amended her domestic partner bill, AB 26. She deleted provisions that would have required health insurers to treat domestic partners and spouses equally. (In other words, if a health insurer created a policy that included benefits for employee spouses, it would have to also include domestic partner benefits... on the same terms. This would have created much wider access to domestic partner health benefits, especially for smaller businesses statewide - who have traditionally had trouble accessing DP benefits). Migden deleted these private healthcare provisions and put in the same language contained in the Knox bill, but retaining the parts that create the statewide domestic partner registry. Now AB 26 would allow PERS to recognize domestic partners for health benefits. Also in response to the Governor's statements that any domestic partner definition should mirror the definition adopted by the UC Regents, Migden amended her definition to limit the statewide registry to same-sex couples only. A number of other technical amendments were taken in both AB 26 and SB 75 (by Senator Kevin Murray) that were recommended by Jon Davidson of Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund. It is hoped that these maneuvers will mean the Governor signs legislation that creates a statewide registry AND allows PERS to recognize DPs (AB 26), as well as legislation that puts lgbt civil rights in the Fair Employment and Housing Act (AB 1001). Two hearings are set for this week: SB 75 (Murray) in Assembly Judiciary Committee on Tuesday 7/13; and AB 107 (Knox) in Senate Industrial Relations Committee on Wednesday, 7/14. ( as of 7/20/99, both these bills passed these above Committee) It is not clear how the recent maneuvers on domestic partners bills will affect the movement of these two bills, so stay tuned. SOME INSIDERS feel that Davis wants to limit the number of lgbt bills that reach him because of the recent show of strength by conservatives. Their enormous expenditure to defeat the Dignity for All Students Bill, AB 222, allowed them to dominate the public debate on the issue. Some fear that this initial success will spur them to new activism against the remaining bills. IT IS CLEAR THAT WE, the community, have to step up our visibility on these issues. That means being able to use tactics that only money can buy (phonebanking, direct mail, etc). We must give the Governor every possible reason to sign these bills without the slightest hesitation. In the meantime, following is the list of bills still alive, and their current status… Lesbian/Gay/Bisexual Legislation 1999 (as of July 11, 1999) NON-DISCRIMINATION: AB 1001 (Speaker Antonio Villaraigosa, D-Los Angeles) NON-DISCRIMINATION PROTECTIONS. Would bring gay and lesbian employment protections under the Fair Employment and Housing Act with all the other protected classes (age, religion, race, gender, ethnicity, disability, etc.). Right now gay and lesbian employment protections are in the Labor Code, and are not treated equally. This legislation will also codify our protections in housing and public accommodations. STATUS: PASSED ASSEMBLY, 42-36, last amended 5/28/99 HEARING SET for 8/17 in Senate Judiciary Committee (Cmte) DOMESTIC PARTNERS: AB 26 (Assemblymember Carole Migden, D-San Francisco) Domestic Partners. Amended at the request of the Governor. Original provisions to require that health insurers treat spouses and domestic partners (DP) equally have been taken out. AB 26 still creates a statewide DP registry, defines domestic partners, and mandates hospital visitation rights. The Governor also requested that the definition of domestic partners be limited to same-sex partners only. AB 26 now would also allow the Public Employee Retirement System (PERS) to recognize domestic partners for health insurance benefits (see AB 107). STATUS: PASSED SENATE JUDICIARY CMTE, 6-3; amended in cmte, 7/7/99 Because of substantive amendments, this bill's next committee assignment hasn't be set yet. AB 107 (Assemblymember Wally Knox, D-Los Angeles) Domestic Partners. Would allow the Public Employee Retirement System (PERS) to recognize domestic partners for health insurance benefits. This is not a mandate, but would allow employee groups under PERS to negotiate for DP health benefits. PERS is the largest retirement system for public employees in the nation. STATUS: PASSED ASSEMBLY, 42-38; last amended 5/24/99 HEARING SET for 7/14 in Senate Industrial Relations Cmte SB 75 (Senator Kevin Murray, D-Los Angeles) Domestic Partners. Would create a statewide Domestic Partner Registry, create hospital visitation rights, and add domestic partners to conservatorship law. It is absolutely critical to establish domestic partners as a legal entity. (Senator Murray is taking a number of community-sponsored amendments to clarify the definition of domestic partnerships). This bill's definition of domestic partners includes opposite sex couples. STATUS: PASSED SENATE 23-14; last amended 4/27/99 (but amendments pending) HEARING SET for 7/13 in Assembly Judiciary Cmte HATE CRIMES: AB 208 (Assemblymember Wally Knox, D-Los Angeles) Hate Crimes. Creates a penalty enhancement of Life Imprisonment without Parole (LWOP) for hate-crime murders because of gender, sexual orientation, or disability. Right now such a conviction brings only a 3-year penalty enhancement, while hate crime murders based on race bring the death penalty. So this bill would equalize hate crime law. STATUS: PASSED ASSEMBLY, 56-19; last amended 5/28/99 TO BE HEARD IN Senate Public Safety Cmte, but next Cmte meeting postponed. NOTE: DEADLINE to pass bills from policy committee is July 16. The Legislature starts its Summer Recess upon adjournment, July 16, and does not reconvene until August 16. Bills on the Senate side that fail to meet the deadline will be given automatic rule waivers to be heard when the legislature reconvenes, August 16. This year's legislative session is OVER on September 10. So all the bills still alive have less than one month to make it through fiscal committee, floor vote. Any bill that has been amended in the second house will have to go back to its author's house for a "concurrence vote" on those amendments. Right now, the following bills must have a concurrence vote: AB 26 (amended in the Senate, 7/7/99) SB 75 (will be amended in Assembly, this week) News Digest & Comments by Laurie McBride Lesbian and Gay Community Liaison for Assemblyman Antonio Villaraigosa Speaker of the California State Assembly State Capitol, Room 219 Sacramento, CA 95814 916 319 2470 laurie.mcbride@asm.ca.gov # # # ********** To post, send mail to aplb@queernet.org. 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