Legislative Achievements

Getting Things Done with Bipartisan Support

 

Dozens of Jerry's bills have already been signed into law and over 95% of his reforms signed by Governors Brown and Schwarzenegger have received bipartisan support in the Legislature.

Stellar Voting Record

 

Jerry was recognized as one of two lawmakers out of 120 in Sacramento who didn't "take a walk" and had the highest rating of performing their elected duty to vote yes or no on legislative measures instead of abstaining on votes.

Jerry received a 100% score from the following organizations for voting to protect workers, the environment, seniors, consumers, and the LGBT community, California Labor Federation, Sierra Club, League of Conservation Voters, Consumer Federation of California, Congress of California Seniors, Equality California, and Planned Parenthood.

Hill also received outstanding legislator honors from the California Healthcare Institute, TechAmerica, the State Sheriff's Association, and the California Small Business Association.

Jerry quickly established himself as a thoughtful and effective lawmaker in the legislature who doesn't get bogged down in partisan gridlock. He was appointed by the Speaker of the Assembly to chair the Democratic Caucus and serve on the Assembly's leadership team where he is responsible for negotiating key issues and guiding legislative priorities.

  

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2011

 

AB 50 - Exempts San Bruno residents from paying state taxes on recovery money they received from Pacific Gas & Electric Co., the Red Cross and the City of San Bruno after the 2010 pipeline explosion.

ABX1 15 - Clarifies the types of financing mechanisms that can be used to make it more affordable for solar to be installed on homes and businesses making the state more competitive in luring solar firms. One example is Maryland-based SunEdison, which is relocating its corporate headquarters to the city of Belmont in San Mateo County.

AB 459 – Makes California the ninth state to change the way it awards its electoral votes for President giving them to whichever candidate receives the most votes nationwide.  The legislation does not go into effect until it is adopted by states representing a majority of the Electoral College. Currently, candidates campaign exclusively in a few battleground states and often ignore issues of particular importance to California.

AB 1349 - Allows courts leeway in cases where there is both a non-biological parent who has an established relationship with a child and a man who signed a voluntary declaration of paternity. It was written in response to a ruling that found that courts could not recognize a non-biological parent who has raised a child, even though the biological father had no relationship with the child.

AB 56 - Prompted by last year's deadly San Bruno gas pipeline explosion, this bill would require remote-controlled shut off valves in high population areas and the comprehensive testing and record-keeping of transmission lines. It would also prohibit utilities from using ratepayer money to pay penalties for safety violations assessed by the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) and require natural gas corporations to meet annually with local fire departments to review emergency response plans.

AB 89 - Would allow San Mateo County to implement a memorandum of understanding providing lower retirement tiers for new employees. The county recently negotiated a six-year MOU that will require new hires to choose reduced retirement formulas and could result in savings over $10 million.

AB 75 – Cracks down on companies that send deceptive solicitations to homes and businesses by increasing penalties and allowing the Secretary of State’s Office to deny approval of documents clearly intended for fraudulent purposes. The misleading solicitations sent to homes and businesses sometimes appear to be official government documents and imply that one must pay an exorbitant fee in order to file documents with the Secretary of State.

AB 320 - Clarifies that the "real party in interest" named in a California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) lawsuit for a particular project are those identified by the lead agency as persons undertaking the publicly-funded project or receiving the permit. Currently, to prevent important cases from being dismissed by procedural tactics, CEQA practitioners are forced to name and serve parties that neither want nor need to be involved. 

 

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2010

 

AB 1414 – Benefits patients suffering from Parkinson's disease by making their medications more accessible and affordable.

AB 1487 – Makes it possible for HIV positive couples to have HIV-free biological children of their own using advanced reproductive technology.

AB 1601 – Allows judges to suspend a driver's license for 10 years after a third DUI conviction. If every judge utilized the 10-year license revocation, over 10,000 repeat DUI offenders could be removed from California roadways every year.

AB 787 – Increases the amount of money low-income Californians receive to retire smog-belching vehicles from $1,000 to $1,500. The program would be funded by limiting the subsidy – currently up to $400 -- the state provides to all Californians regardless of income to fix vehicles that fail a smog check which will save millions of dollars annually. Only motorists with incomes below 225 percent of the federal poverty level would continue to be eligible for the repair subsidy.

AB 1748 – Would enable the San Mateo County Community College District to serve alcohol at special events on campus including its new dining commons at the College of San Mateo. College campuses throughout California including Los Angeles, Stanislaus and Alameda Counties have utilized this exemption in recent years as a way to host special events and generate additional revenue for their districts.

AB 1767 – technical bill

AB 1885 – Increases the penalty for pirate limousine drivers at San Francisco International Airport from a simple infraction to a misdemeanor.

AB 1996 – technical bill

AB 2103 – Allows the San Francisco Bay Restoration Authority to utilize a one-time, nine-county election option for improvements to the Bay Area's ecosystem instead of the current method of conducting separate elections in each individual county.

AB 2350 - technical

AB 2404 – Requires insurance companies to disclose cancellation fees to consumers prior to the creation or renewal of an insurance policy. This bill was introduced in response to consumer complaints received by the California Department of Insurance.

ABX6 11 – provides tax relief to victims of San Bruno disaster. Allows homeowners who had qualified for a $7,000 state property tax exemption to still receive that write-off even if their home was destroyed as a result of the 2010 gas pipe explosion. Also provides assistance to the city of San Bruno, local schools and San Mateo County by requiring the state to backfill first-year local revenue losses resulting from downward reassessment of taxpayers affected by the disaster.

 

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2009

 

AB 232 – Allows the California State Teachers Retirement System to implement technology improvements such as switching from paper transactions with customers to online and e-mail transactions. The changes will reduce environmental impacts and save the state about $1 million annually.

AB 637 – Requires the California Public Employees' Retirement System contracting agencies to use Electronic Funds Transfer for payments which will reduce paper transactions and lead to cost savings worth hundreds of thousands of dollars per year.

AB 906 – Helps local governments take advantage of existing energy efficiency programs without violating state laws that prohibit economic conflicts of interest.

AB 1070 – Increases the Medical Board of California's ability to protect health care consumers by clarifying their ability to enforce proper reporting, licensing and regulation of physicians and surgeons.

AB 1465 – Helps California meet its drought and water shortage challenges by ensuring that urban water suppliers that are members of the California Urban Water Conservation Council are in compliance with the Urban Water Management Planning Act.

Hill also authored Senate Bill 471 which was signed by the Governor. SB 471 creates the California Stem Cell and Biotechnology Education and Workforce Development Act of 2009 to establish stem cell and biotechnology education and workforce development as a state priority and to promote stronger links among industry sectors, the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine, and California public schools.