BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) — A new year–means new state laws. The state of California approved a ton of changes that go into effect in 2022.
All bills start with a legislator authoring it then an introduction where the bill cannot be touched for 30 days then committee hearings. Once passed by both the assembly and senate after a few readings it makes its way to the governor's desk to either sign into law, make law without a signature, or veto.
Well, 770 new laws have been passed through this process and will be enacted in 2022.
Amending the old in with the new laws in 2022 Governor Gavin Newsom signed into law 770 bills.
Here are some you need to know.
Law 1:
Thanks to senate bill 3 California will now have the highest minimum wage in the country, $15 an hour for companies with 26 or more employees.
That is more than twice the federal minimum wage, which is seven dollars and twenty-five cents an hour.
Before the minimum wage requirement was $14 an hour. It has increased $4.50 from five years ago.
Law 2:
The pandemic has placed the spotlight on mental health Newsom, penning into law speedier mental healthcare follow-ups.
Going forward, health care providers will have to ensure that someone with an ongoing mental health or substance use disorder condition can get a follow-up appointment with a nonphysician health care or substance use disorder provider within 10 business days of their initial appointment.
It goes on to say that if they are unable to meet it within their health care service, they have to secure it outside their contracted network.
This includes Medi-Cal managed care plans and will take effect in July.
Law 3:
Assembly bill 243 will give local officials and Caltrans the option of reducing speed limits even more in areas of a highway where they think it’s necessary.
Before they could change certain highway speed limits on highways from 65 to no lower than 25 miles per hour. Now, they can make it 15 to 20 and can do it near-certain business districts.
Law 4:
Protestors will have further protections due to senate bill 48.
The new law will not allow peace officers to use kinetic energy projectiles or chemical agents like tear gas–to stop assemblies, protests, or demonstrations, especially to impose curfews, verbal threats, or noncompliance.
They can only be used to defend a peace officer or other person against a life-threatening or serious injury.
Journalists also receive extra protections in such events through senate bill 98. It will become illegal for law enforcement to intentionally assault, interfere or obstruct authorized media personnel from reporting the news at protests, even in a closed area. They also cannot be cited for failure to disperse, violation of curfew, paragraph, or subdivision of section 148.
