Politics & Government

Legislative Wrap-Up: Bonilla Named Chair of Consumer Committee; Miller Criticizes Education Bill

Here are some of the things East Bay elected officials in Washington, D.C., and Sacramento were doing this past week.

State Assemblywoman Susan Bonilla (D-Concord) was named chair of the Assembly Business, Professions and Consumer Protection Committee.

"I am very excited to be given this opportunity to chair (this committee), which oversees many important policy issues affecting California’s economy, workforce and residents," said Bonilla. "I look forward to working with my colleagues in the Legislature, staff and advocates on bills that are considered by this committee in the coming weeks.

For the past three years, Bonilla has chaired the Assembly Budget Subcommittee on Education Finance.

Also in Sacramento, a bill by state Sen. Mark DeSaulnier (D-Concord) was signed by Gov. Jerry Brown.

The bill, SB 509, allows the health exchange Covered California to receive criminal record information from federal authorities on employees who will have access to personal information of enrollees and applicants.

“I would like to thank Governor Brown for signing this bill to keep California on the forefront of implementing the Affordable Care Act,” said DeSaulnier. “This bill will allow Covered California to begin hiring the employees that will start enrolling Californians into our new health exchange this fall. Covered California will be hiring workers to staff customer service facilities throughout the state, including a new call center in Concord. SB 509 also provides important consumer protections, ensuring that the personal information of Covered California enrollees and applicants are only viewed by workers who have undergone a thorough background check.”

In Washington, D.C., Rep. George Miller (D-Concord) criticized a Republican-sponsored bill that was approved by the House Education and the Workforce Committee.

Miller said the bill further cuts education programs and undermines progress made in education for poor and minority children.

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“The Republican bill places politics before students,” said Miller, the senior Democrat on the committee. “The country needs a rewrite of No Child Left Behind. But Republicans have passed an extreme bill that will never be signed by the president, ensuring that this broken law will remain in place.”


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