IE11 Not Supported

For optimal browsing, we recommend Chrome, Firefox or Safari browsers.

7 Bills Backed by California's Tech Caucus

Driverless cars, a fast-growing cybersecurity industry, electronic signatures on government contracts — these are just a few of the issues listed as a priority by lawmakers seeking to advance technology in Sacramento.

Driverless cars, a fast-growing cybersecurity industry and electronic signatures on government contracts — these are just a few of the issues listed as a priority by lawmakers seeking to advance technology in Sacramento.

The California Legislative Technology and Innovation Caucus announced on Monday seven priority bills intended to expand the use of technology and promote innovation across the state.

“As the sixth largest economy in the world, we should support policies that keep our tech economy strong, promote long-term sustained growth and keep our citizens safe,” Tech Caucus co-chair and Assembly Majority Leader Ian Calderon, D-Whittier, said in a statement.

Assemblymember Evan Low, D-Silicon Valley, said the caucus picked bipartisan bills “to promote growth, foster innovation and help create jobs.”

Lawmakers selected three bills from the Senate that address human trafficking, driverless cars and media literacy education. From the Assembly, they chose measures that would require a study of the cybersecurity industry, create a digital driver’s license program and require the Department of General Services to develop procedures for electronic signatures.

Here is a look at each bill and where it is in the legislative process: 

  • Businesses that are required to post notices to help victims of slavery and human trafficking would be required to include information about how to text a special hotline for help under SB 225. The measure by Sen. Henry Stern, D-Los Angeles, is an effort to give victims and the public a more secretive way to contact help.
Currently, a select group of businesses and establishments — such as massage parlors, roadside rest stops, airports and truck stops — must clearly post notices that include phone numbers the public can call if they suspect trafficking or a victim can call for help. Stern’s bill would add the ability to text a hotline. The bill is awaiting a vote by the Senate Appropriations Committee. 

  • Companies that apply for a permit with the Department of Motor Vehicles would not be subject to a 180-day delay under legislation by Sen. Jerry Hill, D-San Mateo. SB 145 eliminates what supporters say is in an unnecessary requirement that the DMV notify the Legislature every time there is an application to operate an autonomous vehicle.
The Senate approved the bill by a 38-0 vote. It is now awaiting a hearing in the Assembly Transportation Committee. The bill contains an urgency clause so that it can take effect immediately after the governor signs it because the DMV is currently drafting new regulations for driverless vehicles. That means the bill must garner a two-thirds vote. 

  • Legislation by Sen. Bill Dodd, D-Napa, would require the State Board of Education to update instruction materials and curriculum frameworks to include media literacy by March 2019. The effort may include the ability of schools to measure the “21st-century skills” of their pupils, including creativity and innovation, communication, digital citizenship, technology operations and concepts, and information, media and technological literacy. 
The California Department of Education estimates SB 135 would cost $788,000 to develop the model curriculum. It is awaiting a vote in the Senate Appropriations Committee. 

  • A measure by Sen. Ed Chau, D-Arcadia, seeks to better understand California’s fast-growing cybersecurity industry — a sector the state might want to promote. AB 364 would require the Governor's Office of Business and Economic Development to commission an economic impact study by July 2018 that provides baseline metrics to policymakers. 
The administration estimates the study could cost between $400,000 and $500,000. The bill is awaiting a vote in the Assembly Appropriations Committee. 

  • A digital driver’s license on your cellphone might not be that far off. Legislation by Assemblymember Matt Dababneh, D-Encino, would authorize the Department of Motor Vehicles to establish a pilot program for the development of a California digital driver’s license mobile application. 
The bill makes clear a digital driver’s license would not replace a physical driver’s license but rather give law enforcement and the public additional tools — such as the ability of a driver to show only his or her age and keep their home address private. AB 1255 requires the department to select a vendor before Oct. 1, 2019 and report to the Legislature by 2023 on its findings. Similar pilot programs in other states have cost $2 million, according to an analysis prepared by the Assembly Appropriations Committee, where the bill is awaiting action. 

  • Legislation by Assemblymember Al Muratsuchi, D-Torrance, seeks to boost access to investment capital for California businesses. Specifically, his bill seeks to change securities rules to facilitate a form of investing known as “crowdfunding.” AB 1517 would authorize the state to create a new “crowdfunding” permit and allow for the offer and sale of inexpensive equity-based securities. 
The program would cost the Department of Business Oversight $1.5 million a year to administer, a cost that would be partially offset by a new fee, according to the analysis by the Assembly Appropriations Committee, which is scheduled to vote on the bill next. Similar bills have been passed by states such as North Carolina over the last year. 

  • AB 639 by Assemblymember Jay Obernolte, R-Hesperia, would require the Department of General Services to develop procedures that would authorize electronic signatures and electronically submitted documents for contracts covered by the State Contracting Manual.
The Assembly unanimously approved the bill earlier this month with a 76-0 vote. It is now before the Senate Governmental Organization Committee.