Assemblywoman Schiavo’s Bills to Lower Costs, Increase Safety, and Support Veterans Advance with 11 Bills to Governor’s Desk

SACRAMENTO, CA – Assemblywoman Pilar Schiavo announced today that 11 of her bills have passed both houses of the Legislature and are now on the Governor’s desk, awaiting his signature. In addition, 5 bills are continuing to move forward as two year bills to be taken up next year. These measures tackle affordability, community safety, consumer protections, and veteran support—reflecting the Assemblywoman’s continued commitment to delivering real results for the people of the Santa Clarita, Castaic and Northwest San Fernando Valleys.

“Our community is calling for solutions to rising costs, stronger safety protections, and real support for our veterans,” said Assemblywoman Schiavo. “These bills are about meeting those needs head-on—lowering housing and healthcare costs, protecting survivors of crime, improving workplace safety, and ensuring veterans get the benefits and education they’ve earned. I’m proud to send this package to the Governor’s desk and look forward to seeing them signed into law.”

Bills on the Governor’s Desk

Making Life More Affordable

• Ethanol Blend Implementation Act - AB 30 (Co-Author): Reduces gasoline prices by allowing a higher percentage of ethanol in gasoline.
• Expediting State Housing Permits - AB 301: Cuts red tape by requiring state agencies to complete timely reviews of housing permits, speeding up the construction of urgently needed housing.
• Chiquita Canyon Community Assistance Act - AB 985: Provides tax relief, property reassessment, and mortgage forbearance tools for residents impacted by toxic emissions from the Chiquita Canyon Landfill.
• Patient Debt Prevention Act - AB 1312: Requires hospitals to prescreen patients for financial assistance before billing, preventing unnecessary medical debt.
• Health Coverage Waiting Period Transparency - AB 1418: Tracks and reports delays in employer-sponsored health insurance enrollment, holding insurers accountable and ensuring families can access coverage without costly gaps.

Keeping Our Community Safe

• Justin Kropp Safety Act - AB 365: Requires AEDs at high- and low-voltage worksites to prevent electrocution deaths, protecting workers in dangerous job sites.
• Strengthening Safe Leave Act - AB 406: Strengthens workplace protections for survivors of crime by clarifying enforcement authority and aligning unpaid leave and sick leave provisions.
• Victim and Witness Protection Act - AB 535: Expands protections for survivors of domestic violence, human trafficking, and abuse.
• Click to Cancel 2.0 - AB 656: Makes it easier for Californians to cancel social media accounts and requires platforms to delete users’ data when they leave.

Supporting Military and Veterans

• Strengthening California’s Role in National Defense - AB 1508: Extends the Governor’s Military Council through 2031, ensuring California continues to play a key role in supporting military installations and national security.
• Expanding Oversight of Veterans’ Education Benefits - AB 1509: Strengthens oversight of educational institutions to protect veterans from predatory practices and ensure they receive high-quality, fraud-free training and education.

The Assemblywoman also highlighted five bills that will advance when the Legislature reconvenes in January as two year bills:

Bills moving next session

• Landfill Safety Act - AB 28: Improves monitoring, transparency, and enforcement of landfills to avoid disasters like Chiquita Canyon from occurring in the first place. Creates a fund from penalties to support impacted communities.
• Protecting Veterans from Predatory Practices - SB 694 (Co-Author): Strengthens state protections to align with federal law to keep California veterans from being charged illegal and exorbitant fees when applying for disability benefits they’ve earned.
• Timely Care Act - AB 539: Extends insurance approvals for medical treatment from 60 days to one year.
• Senior Fraud Reimbursement Act - AB 909: Protects seniors from scams by requiring banks to prevent and reimburse fraud.
• Student and Veteran Affordability Programs - AB 1241: Establishes aid for students facing financial hardship.

Finally, there were a number of significant bills supported by Assemblymember Schiavo, which will help ensure access to an adequate fuel supply, make billions in investments in good jobs, cleaner transportation, reducing traffic, greening of our communities, and local businesses. This year is one of the most significant years to address housing affordability and cost of living with streamlining housing, cutting red tape for housing that is affordable, lowering electricity bills, and addressing cost drivers.

“Each of these bills reflects the hard work we advanced alongside our community members and partners who spoke up and pushed for change,” said Assemblywoman Schiavo. “I’m grateful for their voices and partnership, and I’ll keep working to ensure Sacramento delivers for our community. Our work is far from done, but I’m proud of the progress we made, that we listened to our community and got to work on important issues that impact people’s everyday lives. I look forward to continuing this work and building upon our progress.”