Assembly Committees Approve 10 Bills from Sen. Dodd

SACRAMENTO – Ten proposals from Sen. Bill Dodd, D-Napa, were approved this week in Assembly committees, building on recent momentum to enact a range of new laws including protections against climate-driven wildfires, elder financial abuse and hidden fees targeting California consumers.

“Protecting the public is my No. 1 priority, and I’m happy to see these commonsense bills advance through policy committees,” Sen. Dodd said. “Whether it is consumers getting hit with junk fees or elderly people threatened by unscrupulous financial schemes, I’m proposing safeguards that I believe will improve the life of Californians. I look forward to all of these bills being approved by the Legislature and ultimately, being signed into law.”

A key piece of Sen. Dodd’s legislation to win committee approval was Senate Bill 478, which would outlaw hidden fees on a range of online transactions. Essentially, SB 478 requires ticket sellers and other businesses to advertise the final price of a purchase upfront, eliminating extra costs tacked on at the end of a sale.

Also approved was SB 263, which would protect often elderly people from unscrupulous annuities sellers, SB 310, which would allow prescribed and cultural wildfire-prevention burning from Native American tribes and SB 808, which would require timely reporting of sexual harassment cases from California State University campuses.

Additionally, Assembly committees approved SB 61, which would speed the return of Native American remains from University of California collections, SB 271, which would make it easier for people with disabilities to own power wheelchairs, and SB 296, which would restrict the use of images taken by in-vehicle cameras.

Finally, the committees approved SB 630, which would increase enforcement of building contractor violations, SB 667, which would enhance the use of nurse-midwives and Senate Concurrent Resolution 17, which would underscore the risks of emerging artificial intelligence technology.

“I want to thank Sen. Dodd for continuing to tackle issues that are important to many people statewide,” Solano County Supervisor Wanda Williams said. “His bills will outlaw hidden fees on online transactions, protect consumers and keep people safe on state college campuses. Sen. Dodd has always been a champion and an advocate for Solano County.”

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Senator Bill Dodd represents the 3rd Senate District, which includes all or portions of Napa, Solano, Yolo, Sonoma, Contra Costa, and Sacramento counties. You can learn more about the district and Senator Dodd at www.sen.ca.gov/dodd.