New laws bring hope for disadvantaged groups

By Sun Weichi and Du Liya Source:Global Times Published: 2013-12-26 16:03:01

Hundreds of new laws covering a wide range of issues such as minimum wage, driver's licenses and foster care will take effect on January 1, 2014, as experts call for awareness of the new laws to be raised among Chinese residents in California.

Daniel H. Deng, a renowned lawyer in Southern California, said that Governor Jerry Brown signed more than 800 bills into law in 2013, which will be closely related to people's rights and daily life.

Chinese-American businessmen and new immigrants need to be fully aware of the new laws, especially those related to minimum wage and driver's licenses, Deng said.

Deng cited that the state will increase the minimum wage from $8 to $9 per hour on July 1, 2014 and further raise it to $10 per hour on January 1, 2016, based on AB 10.

According to another new law, AB 60, the California Department of Motor Vehicles will allow undocumented immigrants to legally apply for driver's licenses starting 2015, he added.

Some of the new laws were proposed by Chinese-American elected officials. The bills authored by State Senator Ted Lieu and signed into law in 2013 include those concerning protection of journalists, consumers and employees. Lieu authored SB 558 to boost reporters' shield laws in the wake of the seizure of Associated Press phone records in early 2013. The new law requires subpoena-issuing agencies to give reporters or news organizations a five-day warning before issuing the subpoena.

Among the bills authored by State Senator Leland Yee and signed into law in 2013, SB 528 aims to help pregnant teens and young parents in the foster care system, as recent studies found that they encounter higher unemployment and poverty rates. The law "will assist these foster youth and their children at the most critical time in their lives, and will save taxpayer dollars in the long run," Yee said. Yee also authored SB 342 which requires social workers to offer monthly in-home visits to foster youth.

State Assemblyman Ed Chau authored bills addressing such issues as privacy protection, education and environment, five of which were signed into law. AB 381 stipulates that any person who in bad faith used the power of attorney to commit elder abuse is liable for twice the value of the property recovered. Chau said that the elderly population has reached over 5 million, making up one-sixth of the state's total population, and the group has become an easy target for financial scams.

However, not all new laws have been welcomed by the Asian-American community. AB 1266, which makes California the first state in the US to mandate that public schools allow transgender students to participate in sex-segregated programs and to use facilities consistent with their gender identity, have irritated some Californians. If enacted, AB 1266 will affect 6.5 million students in public schools across the state. Opponents have launched a referendum campaign to collect signatures for repealing the law.



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