For Immediate Release
SACRAMENTO – The Senate passed bills by Senator Josh Becker to advance voter equity, justice reform and work to close the digital divide in K-12 schools. The Senate’s action this week sends the legislation to the Assembly for consideration.
“Thanks to the support from my colleagues, my bills to improve access and fairness on several fronts can move ahead,” said Senator Becker, D-Peninsula.
Here are the bills by Senator Becker that were passed on Tuesday and Wednesday:
Voter Equity and Access
Signature Verification Standards for Mail-In Ballots, SB 503
SB 503 would implement a uniform statewide standard for signature verification of mail-in ballots, timely outreach to voters whose ballots are rejected, and periodic reporting about the nature of those rejections. The bill, passed by the Senate on Tuesday, codifies and builds on the California Secretary of State’s emergency regulations for the November 2020 election.
“SB 503 ensures that counties across the state are using the same, uniform practices for signature assessment and reporting rejections,” Senator Becker said. “Challenged signatures disproportionately impact the most vulnerable Californians – those with limited English proficiency, disabilities, first-time and aging voters, and voters of color. SB 503 gives confidence to all Californians that valid votes are, in fact, counted.”
Bridging the Digital Divide in K-12 Education
The Digital Education Equity Program, SB 767
SB 767 establishes the Digital Education Equity Program, DEEP, to equitably provide education technology, network and professional development support to all California public school districts. “This is a step toward closing the digital divide in California schools,” said Senator Becker. In many schools, educators don’t have access to the information and professional development they need to cost-effectively plan for and implement technology that supports instruction. SB 767 directs the Department of Education, along with County Offices of Education, to plan and implement DEEP. The Senate passed SB 767 on Wednesday.
Justice Reform
The Better & Equitable Sentencing Through Thoughtful Practices Act, SB 775
SB 775 would help hundreds of incarcerated people who are in prison today just because of a technicality. The bill would clarify existing law so that people who are convicted of attempted murder or manslaughter, and are the least culpable in such cases, have the right to petition for sentences that better align with their crimes. Current law allows others convicted of heavier charges to seek modified sentences and prevent the least culpable from doing so. This reform would aid the hundreds of incarcerated people who were deemed by courts to be excluded from this opportunity because of a legal technicality, Senator Becker told his colleagues in seeking their “aye” vote on Wednesday. The BESTT Practices Act would also help thousands of others who have not filed petitions because of the court rulings.
Three bills by Senator Becker await Senate action before the June 4 deadline for legislation to be passed by its house of origin. Senator Becker’s remaining bills on the agenda are:
SB 504 on voter registration equity,
SB 355 to expand access to fee waivers in civil court for lower-income Californians, and
SB 640 to allow small cities to pool their SB 1 dollars in order to tackle road projects.
The status of all Senator Becker’s bills is available here.
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Media Contact: Leslie Guevarra, leslie.guevarra@sen.ca.gov, 415-298-3404